W5 : The School that Runs on Kindness and Solar Power

🍏 Big Apple School in year 2050

In the year 2050, there stands a school unlike any other school. Big Apple School doesn’t just teach science, math and language. It teaches kindness, sustainability, and the beauty of being different. This school is powered entirely by renewable energy; it is a living example of how education can change lives and create a better future for the earth.


Figure 1 An AI-Generated Image of the Big Apple School

    At first glance, Big Apple looks like a mix between a natural reserve and a futuristic tech campus. The entire school is designed in the shape of a giant apple, with smooth, curved surfaces that gleam in the sunlight. Solar panels are embedded across the surface of the building and it cover by green plants, blending seamlessly with the apple-like structure. While wind turbines spin quietly all around the building, capturing clean energy from every breeze. The buildings are made of recycled materials, even the walkways generate energy through pressure plates that light up as students walk. The entire campus is clean, green and self-powered. The building breathes with the environment, windows open automatically when the air is fresh, and rainwater is collected through natural filtration systems and reused to water the plants inside and out.


Figure 2 An AI-generated Image of the Internal View of the School

    Plants are everywhere. Every student at Big Apple School is given their own plant to grow and care for. These student grown greens are part of the school’s “Mini Reforestation” project. Which is a living lesson in responsibility, nature and healing the planet. Green vines climb classroom walls. Herbs grow along the windowsills. Even the hallways have trees in them.

    The true power of Big Apple School doesn’t come from the sun or the wind, it comes from the way students are treated.


💙 A safe and Equal place for All

    In this school, every student feels seen, heard and safe.  Every child is welcome here. It doesn’t matter their race, background or abilities. Ramps and elevators are everywhere. Doors open automatically. Sign language is part of the basic communication curriculum. Visual, audio, and tactile learning tools are provided in every class. In classrooms, desks are adjustable in height, allowing students who use wheelchairs or have physical limitations to work comfortably. Each room is equipped with interactive smartboards that offer audio narration, subtitles, and touch feedback. Students with hearing loss use loop systems and can access real-time captions during lessons. There are no uniforms, no judgment, just unity and understanding. 

 

📖 What They Learn: Beyond Books

At Big Apple School, education is about more than exams. The curriculum is designed around these three pillars:

    Empathy & Emotional Intelligence – Students learn active listening, conflict resolution, and how to     support one another’s mental health.

    Diversity & Inclusion – Every lesson includes stories and histories from around the world. Students     learn sign language, basic braille, and cross-cultural understanding.

    Environmental Stewardship – Through projects like vertical farming, zero-waste cooking, and              renewable engineering, students gain the skills to protect the planet.

Teachers act more like guides than lecturers. Students learn at their own pace. There are no harsh punishments or shame, there only guidance, reflection, and kindness.


🏫 Why Current School should follow this path

    Big Apple School ’s open classrooms face nature instead of walls. It shows what’s possible when we prioritize sustainability and emotional well-being. Traditional schools often focus on grades overgrowth, and structure over support. Students grow alongside their plants, their ideas powered by sunlight, and their hearts rooted in kindness. At Big Apple School, the future is not only smart and green. It’s compassionate, equal, and beautifully human. By adopting some of Big Apple’s ideas like incorporating green energy, creating inclusive learning environments, or teaching empathy in modern schools could transform lives today.

    Some real-life examples already exist: Singapore has introduced mindfulness practices into its school curriculum to support students' mental health and emotional regulation (Chia, 2020). Meanwhile, Green School Bali is internationally recognized for running almost entirely on renewable energy and for integrating sustainability into every aspect of learning, from environmental science to community-based projects (Green School Bali, 2023). However, schools around the world could benefit greatly from taking both inclusion and green education more seriously to prepare students for a more compassionate and sustainable future.

     In a world facing climate crisis and social division, schools like Big Apple offer a blueprint for hope. A place where the sun lights up more than just classrooms, it lights up the hearts of the next generation.


Reference 

Chia, Y. T. (2020). Mindfulness in Singapore schools: A quiet revolution in student well-being. Ministry of Education Singapore. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.sg/news/mindfulness-in-schools

Green School Bali. (2023). About us: Learning for sustainability. Retrieved from https://www.greenschool.org/about/

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