GLOCESTER – Officials with the Foster-Glocester Regional School District unveiled plans for the “Ponaganset Greenovation Lab,” a first-of-its-kind facility in Rhode Island that will provide hands-on, high-tech training for students in emerging sustainability fields, at a celebration of the grant that funded the project last Wednesday at the high school.
The lab will be built with a $472,151 grant from the Rhode Island Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education for All initiative, said Director of Student Support Karyn Sarkis. Ponaganset was one of nine schools in Rhode Island to receive awards from the initiative, which aims to help create workforce training in areas where no active program currently exists. Ponaganset’s Greenovation Lab concept garnered the highest grant from the initiative, she said.
“Our mission is to provide students not only from this district but from across Rhode Island equitable access to this project. Students interested in areas such as firefighting, construction and the visual arts will learn to build green and become champions of sustainable practices,” Sarkis said.
The lab, expected to be finished in the fall of 2026, will be a hands-on project, built by students with assistance from teachers Charles Myers and Steve Martin, she said.
The final step of the project before construction can begin is to involve members of the community with interest and experience in green technology to become industry partners, Sarkis said.
“We are seeking donations, support, any and all assistance,” Sarkis said.
Karen Verrengia, energy manager at CLEAResult Inc., an environmental consultant in Providence, said the Greenovation Lab project will be a unique opportunity for students.
“This holds a near and dear place in my heart,” Verrengia said. “I’ve spent the last eight years working in both residential and commercial sectors. I never dreamed I’d be working in the field of energy efficiency for the majority of my career, so there is a real need to educate students in things of this nature.”
Philip Conte, CEO of StudioJAED, an architectural firm in Providence, unveiled his plans for the Greenovation Lab and discussed its many features.
“There are other e-homes for students to study nearby in Connecticut,” Conte said. “But the first one in Rhode Island will set a very high bar.”
The lab will be set up like a traditional house but feature renewable energy techniques such as active and passive solar, rain water harvesting, and gray water plumbing, Conte said.
“There will be a kitchen where handicapped students can practice life skills. A wet wall where students can observe plumbing. A mechanical room will be exposed,” he said. “The angled roof will require framing and construction students will learn every angle and cut.”
The lab will support multiple CTE pathways including fire/EMS, agriculture, arts, business and life skills, Conte said.
The facility will be built in a space just outside the school abutting the school parking lot.
“It’s right outside the art department so that’s why the mural is planned on the side that faces the department,” said Steve Essex, facilities director. “It’s a great location with lots of room for future expansion.”
