Benton, KY - The Marshall County School District announced today that South Marshall Elementary School has been selected to win a Building Energy Upgrade Grant through the TVA EnergyRight School Uplift program.
Tight budgets and aging buildings leave many schools facing a difficult decision between funding learning programs and making needed facility upgrades that can lower energy costs and improve health and comfort. TVA’s School Uplift program partnered with local power companies across seven states to help 99 public schools tackle energy waste this school year.
School Uplift is a year-long energy management training program that helps schools make smart energy choices that improve the classroom learning environment and save money through decreased energy use.
I'm so proud of this accomplishment," said SMES teacher Ginny Harper, who was instrumental in helping secure the TVA grant. “We've learned so much already through this program about how to make our school more efficient and comfortable, but we know we can do more. We've really accomplished a lot but it's really been a team effort from everybody here."
TVA announced the grant recipients during a virtual meeting Tuesday morning, then a surprise assembly was held at South Marshall Elementary Tuesday afternoon to tell students about the grant.
South Marshall Elementary joins over 323 schools to have completed School Uplift over the past four years, competing to earn grants for building upgrades and other learning environment improvements. On average, participating schools save nearly 10% on their annual energy bills from behavior changes alone.
“Every dollar invested in our schools helps districts allocate resources to what truly matters – providing quality education for our children,” said Monika Beckner, vice president of TVA’s Energy Services & Programs. “We’re proud of the winners of this year’s School Uplift grants, who are dedicated to reducing energy waste and building a stronger, more sustainable future.”
TVA EnergyRight and West Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation are currently recruiting K-12 schools for the 2026-2027 school year. Visit https://energyright.com/business-industry/school-uplift/ to express interest in participating in this exciting program.
About TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation’s largest public power supplier, delivering energy to more than 10 million people across seven southeastern states. TVA has one of the most diverse energy systems – including nuclear, hydro, solar, gas, and advanced technologies. To prepare for the future, TVA is making significant investments in its power system toward new generation and transmission.
TVA is a self-supporting corporate agency of the United States, receiving no annual federal appropriations and deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. TVA maintains some of the lowest energy costs and highest reliability in the nation. TVA’s residential rates are lower than those paid by over 80% of customers of the top 100 U.S. utilities and industrial rates are lower than those paid by over 90% of customers of the top 100 U.S. utilities. In addition, TVA provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation. Learn more at TVA.com.
(Staff surprised students by showing the amount of money SMES will be getting through the TVA grant)
(Teacher Ginny Harper)
(Teachers and Principal Brad Darnall doing a celebratory dance)
