Schools stretch dollar by going green

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Plenty of Central Texas school districts are looking for new ways to stretch their education dollars, especially with a new school year starting next week. And some are going green to save.

The Texas School for the Deaf recently got a "green" makeover after it beat out 220 others for a $130,000 grant to make environmentally friendly improvements.

With the money, they bought rainwater collection barrels to keep the school grounds green.

Other green strategies for new school year

• They're using energy-efficient light bulbs and motion-activated lights to conserve energy.
• The grant paid for hands-free faucets and dryers in the restrooms to save water and paper waste.
• The students will also get lessons in recycling, with bins next to every trash can on campus.

TSD isn’t the only school making moves to be greener. Crockett Elementary in San Marcos is also harnessing the potential of future storms.

A rainwater collection system was part of a new track project funded by a nonprofit group called Angel Drops. Constructed throughout the summer, it will be ready for students when they return.

"That tank will hold 2,500 gallons," said Ted Breihan, who helped install the collection tank.

Breihan said the school's sloped roofs and lack of trees around the building make for the perfect setup for a rainwater collection system.

"You can see on the side of the gutter," he said, pointing to the school building. "We made a connection to tie it in so we could get the water out of the gutter."

And from the tank, the system sends the water up the hill to water the grass and landscaping around the track.

It’s all part of going green -- and part of remembering a woman, Dawn Breihan Hopp, who poured her heart and soul into the students at Crockett Elementary.

Dawn lost her battle with cancer in December 2010 at the age of 56. She was a longtime, well-loved physical education teacher at Crockett.

Jill Holechek and Angel Drops raised money to construct the track as a way to memorialize Hopp and honor her wishes for the students she taught -- and all kids.

"We wanted to grant her wish of having a safe and fair place for the kids to run," Holechek said.

Thanks to fundraising efforts and donations, the track and land around it came to life -- although Dawn's was cut too short.

"She probably would have done this had she not passed," said Holechek.

The track helps carry on her legacy, and the new rainwater collection tank helps keep it green and beautiful. It's something Hopp’s father knows she’d literally jump for joy.

"She'd be happy. She'd be running, jumping rope, doing something. She'd be really happy about it," he said.