 The Brander Public Library recently partnered with a unique organization based in Pine River to offer a class on solar energy to grade school students. The Rural Renewable Energy Alliance taught the class on the different types of solar energy and students were even able to create a solar powered robot. This week's Golden Apple, Rachel Johnson has more. 18 students ages 7 through 12 listen intently as they were taught about solar energy at the library on Wednesday. Today we had the Solar Energy 101 class. We had someone from Rural Renewable Energy Alliance come out and teach it and just learn a little bit about how solar energy works and all the things that the sun can do for us. During the class, students were able to learn about solar energy and also make their own light refracting bookmark and put together a solar powered robot. We built a solar energy car. I learned that it makes a bunch of stuff and it makes heat. The Brander Public Library hosts around 6 to 8 free STEM classes for the public a month. STEM is really important because it teaches a lot of the things that are important in life. So trying and when you fail you have to try again and patience and working as a team. This week the library invited a representative from the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance or REEL to teach a unique class. REEL is a non-profit that focuses on making solar energy accessible to all people. So one program is to serve low income families and communities and then this program is our education and community outreach program. REEL just completed a project in Pine River where a full solar array was installed at the high school. Overall the class was a hit. My favorite part is when we got to drive our little robot. I think that the robot and the bookmark very both as good as each other. For REEL it was a great opportunity to share their mission with a different demographic. Solar is becoming a lot bigger in Minnesota and in the U.S. so it's a great opportunity for students to start learning more about it. Kids could have a job in solar one day and they might even see it around so just knowing how it works and what it does is a cool opportunity. For the organizers the best part of the day was witnessing the student learn something that they hadn't known before. Watching the kids put in a lot of effort and put in a lot of concentration and focus and then when it finally works or when they finally understand one of the concepts we're doing their whole face just lights up. The library hopes that by offering these classes more and more kids will have the opportunity to learn something new. Reporting from Brainerd but this week's Golden Apple, Rachel Johnson, Lakeland News. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.