Andover High School Environmental Club Students Collaborate with Town Officials to Establish First Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Andover High School

(Andover, Mass.) – In an effort to help reduce fossil fuel use and the local impacts of climate change, the Andover High School Environmental Club worked to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station in the parking lot of the high school. The AHS Environmental Club leaders, Eva McKone, Courtney Duffy, and Sadie Rooney worked closely with their advisors Melanie Cutler and John Jannetti, Assistant Principal Scott Darlington, the Town of Andover’s Sustainability Coordinator Dr. Joyce Losick-Yang and Director of Facilities Janet Nicosia to make the project a reality.

“I think this is a great first step for the school and the town to encourage increased use of renewable energy sources,” said AHS Environmental Club co-president Courtney Duffy. “It’s really exciting that this was a student-led initiative and we hope that the actions of the AHS Environmental Club will inspire other high school students to take on similar projects.”

“During the pandemic, students in the AHS Environmental Club showed great initiative and proposed an EV Charging Station at AHS, hosted an Electric Vehicle Event in the spring to raise money, and conducted the Tree-Plenish event where 250 trees were planted across the Town to replace the paper used at the High School,” added John Jannetti, who advises the AHS Environmental Club with AHS teacher Melanie Cutler. “This initiative between the schools, students, and the Town of Andover was fantastic and a great example of successful collaboration.”

During their year-long efforts, the AHS Environmental Club raised enough funds to support the operations and maintenance costs for the charger’s first year. In future years, this cost should be covered by user fees. The charging station is located in the parking lot next to the AHS Field House, it can charge two EVs at a time, and is currently operational. 

 AHS sits on the part of Andover which is supported by an electricity grid that receives 100% renewable energy credits, most from a solar field in Palmer, MA.  The charger is available to AHS students and staff during the school day for two 3-hour sessions. The Environmental club is excited to continue to move towards a greener, more sustainable Andover in the coming years.   

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