A Canon-McMillan school is now "live on the grid" with a wind turbine -- an alternative source of energy that is fast becoming a familiar sight to some Pennsylvanians.

It's taken two years, but the turbine with its seven-foot revolving rotor blades has passed its last inspection and is finally up and running on the North Strabane Intermediate School campus in Canonsburg.

The turbine, which stands between the intermediate school and Borland Manor Elementary School, faces west into the wind. The head of the device swivels to enable the blades to face the wind from any direction.

"A lot of kids can watch it all day long," said elementary technology teacher Cyndy Carroll, who has been in charge of the turbine project.

She first applied for an opportunity to participate in a state grant program in April 2006 to place small turbines at schools, government buildings and public facilities. The district received $10,000 to purchase and install the wind turbine.

The turbine was erected in August 2007, but there have been delays along the way since the grant was awarded in July 2006, Ms. Carroll said. These included getting zoning permits, a software upgrade, getting the model to be UL compliant and a series of tests, the last of which, known as an "acceptance test," was completed in early October.

The turbine was designed with safety considerations. The device sits atop a 35-foot cylindrical pole that is slick and difficult to climb. There also is an emergency shut-off switch.

"I'm just so thrilled for it to be up and running and to have learned so much from it along the way," Ms. Carroll said. "It's really helped me as a teacher."

The turbine won't provide all the electricity the school needs. It can generate 1.8 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power an average home. But it will provide enough power that will enable the district to lower its electricity bill.

It also will be used as an aid in instruction. Ms. Carroll said the turbine has a software program remote connection to a laptop and at any time she can track the turbine's use of power and share it with her students.

"Technology is dynamic," she said.

The wind turbine also helps her teach about various types of energy sources, especially those that may be more utilized in the future. Ms. Carroll said Sandra Cavanaugh, the technology teacher at North Strabane Intermediate School, has had students build their own windmills.

A three-dimensional teaching tool is a way to help students develop problem-solving skills and keep their minds open to looking at things in new ways and looking for new solutions to old problems, she said.

"As a teacher, I'm always looking for ways to bring the world into the classroom," she said.

Ms. Carroll said she is monitoring the turbine operation to make sure it isn't harmful to bats or birds and she hasn't received any complaints about its sound or look.

The turbine is "amazingly quiet" and Ms. Carroll said she would love to have one at her house.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, turbines make a "whooshing" or "swishing" noise as their blades encounter turbulence in the passing air.

"The design is very, very graceful the way the blades are shaped," she said. "I would love to have one at my house."

The wind turbine may be the first alternative energy source mechanism used in the district, but it may not be the last. Ms. Carroll said one of the students in her high school club, Technology Students Association, wants to find money to install a turbine on the high school campus.

A new elementary center may be built utilizing geo-thermal energy, she said.

The wind turbine is a way not only for students to become more environmentally conscious, but it can raise awareness for anyone who sees it, even if it's someone just driving by it.

"It becomes a teaching tool for the whole community," Ms. Carroll said. "It is part of a bigger picture as we all look for ways to improve."