Every Christmas break and spring break, Hays CISD hosts a "Vampire March" competition among its campuses. The goal is to unplug "vampire" appliances – ones that use as much as 30% of their electricity just waiting to be used. The main culprits are appliances and electronics that have LED lights and clocks. Unplugging these appliances can save up to $1,000 per campus per year. Energy savings is part of the district strategic plan and part of the budget. The district hopes to save as much as $100,000 this year thanks to a green initiative requiring employees take home personal electronic devices. During Christmas break, members of the district’s maintenance department scored campuses to see which ones had the fewest vampires plugged in and personal appliances still in use. Five campuses earned perfect scores and spilt at $3,500 prize. The money goes into campus student activity funds. Four campuses missed winning the contest by only one appliance – a great sign the contest is working.

"Students, staff, and the campus green teams were clearly excited about the contest," said R.C. Herrin, Hays CISD executive director of maintenance and operations. "It takes a real team effort to keep our district focused on saving energy, but it is well worth the effort."