8 schools have been selected to take part in the Wind For Schools program in South Dakota. As part of the project, the schools will get a small wind turbine. Among the 8 schools selected, Memorial Middle School in Sioux Falls.

Wind turbines have become more prevalent on the plains of South Dakota. Now much smaller versions of the turbines will be going up near 8 South Dakota Schools. It's part of the Wind for Schools project announced by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. The goal: to help our children learn about wind energy at an early age, and inspire them to pursue careers like electrical and mechanical engineering. PUC Chairman, Gary Hanson says, "Kids and schools will receive a great hands-on teaching instrument and the community gets a grass-roots understanding of wind energy."

Memorial Middle School in Sioux Falls is among the 8 schools selected. The other seven school districts are: Douglas, Sanborn Central, Faith, Selby, Aberdeen, Elkton and Stanley County. Organizers say such a project would not have been possible if it wasn't for partnerships with each district's local electric company. 32 schools applied for the program. Now the PUC hopes the project will gain momentum in the years ahead. Hanson says, "We know in the future there's tremendous opportunity for this program to spread across the State of South Dakota, and we're eager to see that." Hanson tells KSFY he expects work to begin on the wind turbines within the year. Again, they'll be about 4-times shorter than turbines you typically see.