Sometimes big ideas come in tiny packages.

Recently, 200 students from Drew Charter School, east of Atlanta, took turns touring Southern Company’s Energy Reimagined exhibit for a glimpse at a tiny house and its innovative, energy-efficiency features and connected home products.

For example, window “shades” in the house are “closed” by flipping a switch that activates particles that turn the glass opaque for privacy. A BMW i8, a plug-in hybrid, was also on view.

Watch the video to hear from Courtney Bryant, the STEAM project manager at Drew, about what it’s like to see young people understand a concept for the first time because of a hands-on experience.

Drew, the first charter school in the Atlanta public school system, focuses on project-based learning. It’s been certified as an official Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) School by the Georgia Department of Education — the first one in the city of Atlanta to receive this designation.

The school is an integral part of East Lake Foundation community revitalization efforts. The East Lake Foundation was established in 1995 to transform the neighborhood and create new opportunities for the families who live there.

Southern Company sponsors the Foundation as part of its efforts to help make a difference in the communities it serves.

“Partners such as Southern Company really help us provide real-world experiences for our students,” said Bryant.

One student, Degreer Harris, remarked, “This program has really just allowed me to think outside of the box and allowed me to create and do things in a classroom that I think I never would have been able to do anywhere else.”