Launched by Congressional Resolution in 1980, the National Energy Education Development (N.E.E.D.) Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating students, teachers, and the community about energy and energy issues. Schools establish a N.E.E.D. team that develops educational projects for teaching energy conservation to the student body.

     Thaxton has participated in the program since 1993 and have had over 100 student leaders involved in energy related projects. They compile documentation of their activities and submit a project notebook to the Youth Awards Program. Our team has won the Virginia Elementary School of the Year for the last three years and was a finalist for the national school in 2001. Each year they travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the National Recognition Conference.

     This year’s team has been hard at work teaching our students, parents, and community about energy. They designed a placemat that was used in area McDonalds’ restaurants and local grocery stores distributed paper bags printed with energy-saving tips. They collected over 26,000 aluminum cans during October and recorded energy tips on the local radio station. They presented a program/display on global warming at a Virginia Tech energy conference and created a float for the Bedford Christmas parade. Team members presented an activity or game to students in our classrooms. And lastly, they have finished their project notebook and are ready to send it in.

     Our N.E.E.D. team thanks the Bedford County School Board, Bedford County Board of Supervisors, WBLT radio station, local McDonalds and Walmart businesses, the Thaxton Market, and all others who have contributed to our efforts.


                                                Water Conservation Tips