South Carolina seventh-grader: a ‘clean energy hero’

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) surprised a South Carolina seventh-grader with its Clean Energy Hero Award after the student’s actions led his school district to purchase a propane school bus.

Jack Kendrick, a student at League Academy in Greenville, South Carolina, is PERC’s Clean Energy Hero Award winner. Photo courtesy of PERC

PERC honored Jack Kendrick, a student at League Academy in Greenville, South Carolina, with the award after he successfully petitioned his school district to purchase its first propane school bus designed for special education students.

“Jack’s love of buses, and specifically propane buses, has struck a chord with all of us,” says Tucker Perkins, president and CEO of PERC. “He is an unsung hero who’s fighting for an environmentally friendly ride to school not because he wants notoriety, but because he cares about his classmates and his community. He embodies what we want in our first-ever recipient of this prestigious award, and we are honored to celebrate him.”

After seeing other propane buses at his school, Kendrick, who has autism, wrote a letter to his school district requesting a propane bus for special education students. The letter, which read “out with the old, in with the new” and featured a drawing of a propane school bus, resonated with the transportation director for the state Department of Education and the state superintendent. At the beginning of the 2020 school year, Kendrick’s propane bus was adopted into the fleet.

Kendrick accepted the award and a gift during a celebration event at League Academy. Mary Leslie Anderson, principal of League Academy, also accepted a $1,000 donation from the Propane Council that will benefit the school’s science programs.

“At League Academy, we’re preparing the next generation of leaders in our country, and we’re proud to see how engaged students like Jack are creating a better world,” Anderson says. “His determination to petition the district for a propane bus that will create a cleaner environment for his fellow classmates is a great example of civic engagement and something from which we can all learn.”

With the addition of Kendrick’s propane bus, Greenville County Schools now has more than 20 propane buses in its fleet.