East Going Electric: Freshman Paige Bean works to install electric car charging ports in the school parking lot

Freshman Paige Bean is attempting to get electric car ports installed into the East parking lot. She had her plans approved by administration and is now awaiting district approval.

Bean proposed for the charging ports to be installed along the back row of the senior lot due to the accessibility of electricity from the transformers and power lines located there. 

She has looked into using ChargePoint, a global electric vehicle charging station company, which would cost $6,000 to install each charging stall, but Bean estimates the district will profit in less than a year by charging students $2-3 an hour.

“It would only work as a benefit,” Bean said. “There’s really no downside to it except for the initial cost.”

At least 13 students drive to school in an electric car that can be plugged in, according to an Instagram poll. While Bean realizes that’s not a big number, a portion of the East community would still benefit from the addition of charging points. 

Tesla driver and senior Peighton Ireland lives in the Meadowbrook apartments — which don’t have charging ports in their parking lot — so she has to charge at the hotel across the street.

“[If East had charging ports] it would be very convenient,” Ireland said. “There’s quite a few chargers around town at parks and random parking lots, but it’s inconvenient to just sit there. I spend most of my time at school, so I wouldn’t waste my time [charging at school].”

While the majority of students and staff use gas-powered engines to get to school, the charging ports would contribute to making the school more environmentally conscious. Bean also hopes that the availability of chargers would encourage students and parents to consider buying electric cars.

At the dinner table, Bean and her dad often brainstorm how to improve their community, and while most ideas are hard to accomplish, Bean deemed electric car ports at East as the most plausible.

As a freshman class representative, Bean reached out to co-StuCo sponsor and math teacher Hannah Pence about her idea.

“She has been really impressive in all of the work that she’s done in trying to get facts and be organized about it, which is super nice,” Pence said.

Pence had Bean pitch the idea to StuCo to see the response she’d get, and no one was opposed. In a meeting with associate principals Kristopher Barikmo and Dr. Susan Leonard, Pence shared the idea and received support from both administrators.

“Anything that we can do to help students and families who have cars that are more efficient than a regular car is wonderful,” Barikmo said. “It’s a great way to bring awareness to an important tool we have in fighting climate change.” 

With Barikmo and Leonard’s support, StuCo and Bean await a response from the district to approve the plan.

“I think it’s a great idea, and I know they have them at the CAA, so it seems like something our district is interested and willing to do,” Pence said. “So hopefully we can make some progress with it.”

Pence and Fishman sent the plan to Assistant Director of Facilities & Support Services Judd Remmers to look over. The district is working out the logistics of the most efficient way to collect power for the ports and how to finance the chargers. If the plans aren’t approved, Bean anticipates turning to the city of Prairie Village to see if they would be interested in installing them in the sophomore lot for students and visitors of the Prairie Village Pool. 

Bean hopes that East will be a starting point to hopefully get charging ports installed across the district to encourage the use of electric cars.

“If you were going to buy a used car, and you could buy a plug-in hybrid or you’re going to buy a fully-gas car, [the charging ports] would encourage you to get [the electric] car,” Bean said. “Also for every car that doesn’t use gas to get back and forth from school, that money goes to East and it’s less gas that East is at fault for.”