Your school has earned a place on the College Board's AP School Honor Roll for the 2024-25 school year! On behalf of everyone in the AP community, congratulations to you and your colleagues. The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college success. 

Research shows students who take AP courses and exams are more likely to attend college and graduate on time. The students who enter four-year colleges with credit from AP accelerate their path to graduation and build confidence for college success. And even for those who don’t earn college credit, AP coursework provides early exposure to college-level work and contributes to a college-going school culture.

We know it takes a significant schoolwide effort—dedication from teachers, counselors, administrators, students, and parents—to make AP access a priority. We join you in celebrating this inspiring achievement for your community. Again, congratulations! I'm inspired by your commitment and grateful for the chance to honor your success.

HISD Now: Energy Institute High School Levels Up

Energy Insitute scored a 97 and earned distinctions in all seven categories. Congratulations to the students, faculty and staff for their hard work and dedication!

https://thebuzzmagazines.com/articles/2025/09/when-rhythm-meets-harmony

When rhythm meets harmony

By Sukrish Vikas, age 15 | September 27, 2025

BEATS AND BONDING Sukrish Vikas, a sophomore at Energy Institute High School, played the mridangam in the momentous “EPIC Choir” performance at the 2025 Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. The festival is a grand and joyous annual celebration of the centuries-old classical “Carnatic” music traditions of South India. The event, featuring over 250 performers aged 5-60, was officially recognized as the largest Indian music choral ensemble ever assembled.       

I look up at the crowd of fans and proud families. As the thunder of applause slowly fades into silence, I finally hear my own thoughts – and with a quiet smile, I take in the moment. I feel part of something immensely bigger than myself. It fills me with a sense of pride and purpose. Being in the midst of such a joyful, musically talented community, whose passion shows no signs of wavering, feels rewarding. As I walk off the stage, I silently thank everyone that got me here. Most people don’t get such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

April 2025 was my first time performing at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, the most prestigious arts venue for South Indian classical music in the U.S., participating in “Sishyakulam’s EPIC Choir” (a melodious confluence of ragas and rhythms) as a percussionist. I had never been on such a big stage before, especially with 250 artists, and I was extremely apprehensive. I was to perform alongside the legendary Shri. Neyveli Santhanagopalan, a torchbearer of the Carnatic artform, whose compositions bridge tradition and contemporary class. 

Years of learning and practice on the mridangam (an ancient finger percussion instrument) with my teacher Shri. Ramkumar Raghunathan had prepared me for this day, and I knew that playing for one of the grandest ensembles in Carnatic music history was a true privilege. I still didn’t know exactly what to expect. But I eagerly anticipated contributing my percussion support, while making new friends in the process, throughout the intensive preparation with Shri. Shankar Santhanagopalan that spanned over three months. 

As a team, my fellow mridangists and I helped each other learn the lessons for the accompaniment. When it was time to perform, we were well-prepared. We breezed through the songs and felt quite proud of ourselves. Collaborating with such a welcoming community made me realize two things. First, I will always cherish the mridangam and carry this artform with me throughout my life; and second, sharing this musical journey with fellow enthusiasts has amplified my own drive to learn and continue pursuing what I love. 

Energy Students Explore Conservation and Culture

This summer, eleven enthusiastic Energy students had the incredible opportunity to travel to Belize, a country celebrated for its vibrant ecosystems and rich cultural heritage. The trip was a blend of adventure, education, and hands-on conservation work, leaving the students with unforgettable memories and a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship.

Exploring Conservation Efforts and Local Ecology

The trip kicked off with an exhilarating ziplining adventure through the lush Belizean jungle, providing the students with a thrilling introduction to the country's natural beauty. This was followed by an in-depth learning experience at the Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society (T.R.E.E.S.), where the students met with experts and learned about the concerted efforts by local NGOs to study and preserve Belize's natural habitats and wildlife.

At T.R.E.E.S., the students participated in research activities alongside biologists. They conducted water quality assessments in a local river, vital for understanding the health of aquatic ecosystems and the wildlife that depend on them. The students also engaged in a turtle monitoring project, gaining insights into the habitat and behavior of these fascinating reptiles.

Visiting Yaaxche Research Station and Nim Li Punit

The next stop was the Yaaxche Research Station, where the group learned about sustainable conservation practices in the region. The organization’s approach of balancing natural resource use with conservation efforts impressed the students, particularly their method of limiting the amount of wood harvested to protect forest ecosystems.

A visit to the ancient Mayan ruins of Nim Li Punit provided a historical perspective, allowing the students to explore the rich cultural heritage of Belize and its connections to the natural environment.

Sustainable Farming and Cultural Immersion in Punta Gorda

Traveling south to Punta Gorda, the group met with a local farmer practicing sustainable farming techniques. This visit highlighted the importance of agricultural practices that maintain the land's health and biodiversity without further degrading natural habitats.

The students then immersed themselves in Belizean culture at the Marigold Women's Cooperative. Here, they experienced traditional activities such as chocolate making, corn tortilla crafting, weaving, basket weaving, and traditional dances, offering a deeper appreciation for the local way of life.

Marine Conservation and Reforestation Projects

A boat ride to the Port Honduras Marine Reserve brought the students to the Abalone Caye Ranger Station, where they assisted local rangers in manatee research. They spotted a manatee, collected data on its size and location, and learned about the challenges faced in marine conservation.

Snorkeling in the reserve allowed the students to observe the vibrant marine life and coral reefs, further underscoring the importance of protecting these delicate ecosystems.

The next day, the students participated in a reforestation project, helping to plant young trees along a riverbank. This hands-on activity emphasized the significance of reforestation in combating deforestation and preserving natural habitats.

Learning about Invasive Species and Plastic Pollution

On the penultimate day of the trip, the students traveled to Tobacco Caye and met with scientists at the Tobacco Caye Marine Station. They learned about the invasive lionfish population and even had the opportunity to dissect some lionfish to study their diet, which is crucial for understanding their impact on the reef ecosystems.

The students also took part in a nurdle patrol, searching for and removing tiny plastic pellets from the sand. The scientists demonstrated innovative ways to recycle ocean plastic into building insulation, showcasing practical solutions to environmental challenges.

Reflecting on the Experience

The trip concluded with a sense of accomplishment and inspiration. Guided by their knowledgeable tour director, the students gained invaluable insights into Belize's efforts to conserve its natural resources. The journey not only enriched their academic knowledge but also ignited a passion for environmental conservation and sustainable living. The Energy students' trip to Belize was a transformative experience that blended adventure, education, and cultural immersion. By participating in diverse conservation projects and learning from local experts, the students left Belize with a profound appreciation for the country's natural and cultural heritage. This journey has undoubtedly shaped their perspectives on environmental stewardship and inspired them to contribute to conservation efforts in their own communities.

BELIZE 2024 by Lauren Garcia

HISD Press Release - School Accountability Ratings 2023

TEA State Accountability Ratings - Energy Institute

Children at Risk - Texas School Rankings 2023

Energy's all-girls VEX TEM (3674G) won the Judges Award at the USTEM VEX Robotics tournament held at Waltrip High School on Saturday, December 16, 2023. The Judges Award goes to the team deserving recognition from the Judges for special accomplishments. The team finished with a 3-3 record in a field of 28 teams.

It has been a goal for Mr. Hamilton, the VEX Robotics sponsor, to form an all-girls VEX Robotics team at Energy for the past three years. It is important to him that women are represented in the field of robotics and engineering. The number of women in engineering fields has been on the rise and has reached a record high of 16.5% in 2021. One way that we can help improve those numbers is to continue to encourage our young women to persist and give them the opportunities to excel in these fields.  

VEX Team 3674G members (wearing pink) with the Blanson CTE High School team. 

Team members from L-R: Audrey O, Madison D., Madison S., Valeria M. and Grace H. 

On Friday, December 8th, Energy students participated in the SLB/HISD Holiday Hackathon 2023 held at HCC's Northeast Campus. This annual event features STEM competitions in coding, drones and robotics. Energy had a great time participating in the event. 

Brisa Gomez and Tylor Bullocks-Nelson posed with Tarah Davis from HISD's Office of Engagement with their new laptops.

Building the Future of STEM Leadership at the Energy Institute High School

Building the Future of STEM Leadership at the Energy Institute High School

COMMUNITY HETI

HETI | Greater Houston Partnership 

Established in 2013, Houston’s Energy Institute High School is the first of its kind in the United States. Houston Independent School District (HISD), the nation’s seventh-largest school district, opened the innovative, STEM-focused magnet high school to support Houston’s increasing demand for STEM education and align with the city’s status as a major energy hub.  

As the Energy Capital of the World, Houston is the leading domestic and international center for virtually every segment of the energy industry. It’s home to more than 4,700 energy-related firms, employs nearly a third of the nation’s jobs in oil and gas extraction, and boasts the world’s fourth-largest concentration of engineers. Houston’s economic vitality and growth is inextricably tied to the energy industry and depends on a strong STEM talent pool for the future.  

The Energy Institute High School is uniquely positioned to build a lifelong foundation for those pursuing degrees and careers in the energy industry. The specialized high school prepares students for careers in the energy sector, as well as related fields such as environmental science and engineering, by providing a specialized learning experience centered around science, technology, engineering, and math. The Energy Institute High School integrates the energy theme into its entire STEM curriculum through a wide array of technology, hands-on projects, and experiential learning designed to inspire students and fuel continued interest in the energy field. And with up to 60% of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the school plays a crucial role in fostering equal education opportunities and breaking down barriers to success that many students face.  

“As principal of the first high school devoted to preparing students for careers in the energy field, my goal is to deliver extraordinary firsts in learning,” said Lori Lambropoulos, Principal of Energy Institute High School. “I am thrilled to be the leader of a school that is participating in a thematic approach to the school experience—mingling the exploration of energy careers with cutting-edge education.” 

Over the years, the school has cultivated partnerships with local energy companies, organizations, and institutions—including HETI founding members bp, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and lyondellbasell—to provide students with real-world experiences and coveted industry connections. The Energy Institute High School works closely with an advisory board comprised of energy industry leaders and higher-education professionals to provide programs and enrichment opportunities for students, including:

• A biweekly guest speaker series 
• University campus tours 
• Field trip sponsorships 
• Mentorship opportunities 
• College scholarships 
• Internships and externships 

These partnerships have provided students from Energy Institute High School with invaluable networking opportunities and firsthand insights into the energy industry.  

As the energy industry shifts toward a more efficient and sustainable, low-carbon future, graduates from the Energy Institute High School will play a vital role in accelerating the energy transition, not only in Houston, but across the world. 

Learn more about Energy Institute High School and how you can support their mission through Friends of Energy Institute.  

Nov. 8 is National STEM Day, but at Energy Institute High School, every day is about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The STEM-focused magnet follows an interdisciplinary instruction model that blends science, math, and language arts into project-based learning. This year, students are learning about ancient architecture and civilizations in English and history and using that as inspiration to create their own modern “world wonders” that exemplify Houston culture.

“My group, we’re creating a baseball,” said student Madison Dedman. “In our baseball, we have eateries that kind of reflect Houston. Then, in our physics class, we’re actually creating circuits. So, on the outside of our wonder, there will be lights kind of like Paris, France, or the Eiffel Tower.”

At Energy Institute, students are able to take ideas from concept to prototype inside the campus’ state-of-the-art makerspace, equipped with modern technology such as laser cutters, vertical mills, and 3D printers.

“We’re able to create a product with access to professional tools, machines, and programs,” said student Rishap Subramanaya. “By its definition, project-based learning allows you to make mistakes. Your first solution will never be your best solution.”

Through project-based learning, students are finding those solutions by learning how to work together like they would in the workplace.

“We get to work with a lot of different people in our cohorts and develop awesome soft skills like collaboration and conflict resolution, and those skills are going to be critical in the future,” said student Wii Seaver.

The future has always been on the mind of founding principal Lori Lambropoulos. Prior to the school’s opening a decade ago, there wasn’t a high school in Houston that specialized in emerging careers in energy. One advantage to being in the energy capital of the world is access to leading industry experts who partner with the school and give students real-time feedback on their projects.

“The mission and vision of our school is to get kids excited about the careers in STEM and how they can see these new and emerging types of careers that they can fit themselves into,” said Lambropoulos. “We do a lot of field experiences here where kids get out into the world of STEM so that they can see what a day in the life of these new careers looks like before they even graduate from high school.”

Lambropoulos hopes to one day have an additional makerspace on campus for the community and other schools to use.

“They would actually be able to share experiences together, get younger kids passionate about the world of robotics and STEM and AI and all of the innovative careers that are up and coming,” said Lambropoulos.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in STEM occupations is projected to grow at twice the rate (10.8%) of overall employment (5.3%) over the next decade. HISD is committed to teaching these competencies and preparing students for the workplace and world of 2035.

To learn more about Energy Institute High School, visit their website.

Energy Institute has been awarded the AP School Honor Roll Gold Award, AP Access Award for 2023 and the 2023 AP CSP Female Diversity Award. 

High-precision creation by Rahul Kavaipatti

High-precision creation

By Rahul Kavaipatti, age 17 | August 25, 2023

Buzz Kidz

DREAMBUILDER Rahul Kavaipatti has always had a passion for building things. Now a senior at Energy Institute High School, he built this custom guitar using a precision cutting (CNC) machine and woodworking tools.      

Since I was five, I have had a fascination for building things. I would spend hours building the latest Lego sets only to destroy them moments later to “create something original.” My parents were not amused. My Lego sets that would now be worth many thousands of dollars lie tucked away in a bin. Lost Lego sets aside, the passion for creating has remained with me throughout my life, albeit in increasingly expensive creations. From building custom computers, to creating custom mechanical keyboards, I am never deterred by the challenge of creating something new.

Eventually, I stumbled upon the concept of CNC machining, the power of precise computerized control. Computer Numerical Control (CNC) cuts with a level of precision that is unachievable with hand tools. After nearly two years of self-education, I began the challenge of building my own CNC machine. With help from my parents with materials and help from a friend for construction, I was able to build my very own CNC machine. The strenuous process of building the machine developed my knowledge of engineering, as well as my passion for working with metal and wood. I knew that with the skills and tools I acquired, the possibilities were endless. 

In an effort to combine my love for music and my passion for craftsmanship, I set out to build a custom electric guitar. As a longtime classical guitar player, I knew building an electric guitar was the perfect project to take on. Over the course of three weeks, I researched, designed, and made my guitar from premium materials using my CNC machine and woodworking tools. The instrument construction process was very difficult, but I learned a lot from it and look forward to improving the next build. As I move forward, I hope to continue being creative and inspire others to be creators too. Though learning any specialized skill is difficult, all innovators and inventors should feel eager to take on challenges. Whether you are a student or a hobbyist, with perseverance, you can realize your concepts.

Editor’s note: You can view Rahul’s projects here and follow his Instagram.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

For the second year in a row, the Houston Astros Foundation partnered with Honeywell International Inc. to recognize 10 outstanding teachers from the Greater Houston area for their commitment to excellence in STEM and contribution to creating innovative ways to improve student achievement and interests in robotics and coding.

This year, six exceptional HISD educators were inducted into the 2023 Honeywell Hall of Fame for Robotics and Coding at a Houston Astros game on July 26:

• Djuana Bossette – Pershing Middle School, technology education teacher
• Luis Carreon – Fonville Middle School, STEM teacher specialist
• Ralph Hamilton – Energy Institute High School, technology education teacher
• Gerjuan Oneal – Twain Elementary School, technology education teacher
• Myeisha Webb – Deady Middle School, Mathematics Algebra 1 teacher
• Jennifer Simmons – YWCPA, technology education teacher

Each teacher received $2,000, a Honeywell and Houston Astros gift bag, and Houston Astros tickets.

“I’ve only been teaching coding for two years, so this is a pretty huge honor for me,” said Simmons. “My students are really a testament of why this award was awarded to me because I couldn’t have earned it without their engagement desire to want to learn.”

Selection criteria for being nominated included demonstrating classroom creativity and innovation, increased student achievement and affinity for robotics and coding, leadership skills, and going above and beyond in students’ lives.

“It is an incredible honor to be inducted into Honeywell’s STEM Teacher Hall of Fame along with such outstanding teachers,” said Hamilton. “One of my former students who is graduating from Texas A&M responded to the news by stating that the impact of STEM teachers reaches far beyond our expectations.”

According to HISD’s STEM Academic Instructional Technology Department, their goal is to encourage students to take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process. The department works collaboratively with STEM programs district wide to provide direct support and training, information, and customized instruction.

Schola School Chat - Energy Institute High School - May 2023

TEA School Rating 2021

Art in Code - The Buzz Magazine

Art in code

By Sophie, age 14 | December 27, 2021

Buzz Kidz

CIPHER ART Sophie, a freshman at Energy Institute High School, incorporates coding into her complex art designs. Here, her art is on the ground beside her.

I'm 14 years old and I have loved art for as long as I can remember. I’ve combined my art with another passion of mine – ciphers.

My art consists of two different ciphers. One is a well-known code, but the main centerpiece is a cipher of my creation. Only when the ciphers are both decrypted can a person gain the ability to read the piece as a whole and understand my work in its entirety. 

I am also an enthusiastic writer. I write poems in a 6-5-4 syllable style to encode in my artwork. Each piece I create is actually a poem in disguise. I plan on eventually using it to tell stories that I have been developing.

I like bringing multiple layers into my art. To the casual observer, my art might seem like any other, but to a cryptologist, the real beauty is in the code. For language-arts lovers, they will have a piece of original literature disguised as an art piece. 

I am currently working on more Ring art poems. I am also considering making a separate, unique cipher and combining it with a new language that I'm developing.

I call my creations Cipher Art because no art categories currently exist that accurately describe my style of art. I recently sold out my small collection at the art gallery, Artbinsters, during its grand opening. I couldn’t believe it.

In addition to making cipher art, I also like creating new languages and writing stories. You can follow me on Instagram @idkyworks to see what I do next! I hope you enjoy my art, as well as the written works within it.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

Lemelson - MIT

Energy Institute High School InvenTeam

System to repurpose waste PLA 3D printer filament

Energy and Environment

Houston, Texas
2020-2021

Excitement filled the halls of the new Energy Institute High School on Thursday as the school opened the building for the first time to welcome its incoming students to Freshman Signing Night.

During the event, the incoming class of 2022 officially committed to attending the school this fall and got their first Energy Institute High School t-shirts. Many students and their families arrived early, eager to preview the campus before its formal opening in August.

“It’s amazing. Completely different from anything I’ve seen at a high school level,” said Connease Warren, who brought her son, Parker, to the event. “It has a Google, Silicon Valley feel with all the amenities and aesthetics.”

The $37 million 114,000-square-foot facility was designed for project-based learning and is comprised of three separate buildings, which mimic the look of a high-tech corporate environment.

A central courtyard connects the buildings and features a large covered learning staircase as its centerpiece. Several smaller outdoor gathering spaces throughout the campus provide students with group and individual study options.

“It’s wonderful to see the excitement on the faces of our new students,” Energy Principal Lori Lambropoulos said. “We love our new building and can’t wait to move in this summer.”

During the event, Energy student ambassadors led tours of the building and made presentations on various projects they are working on. They also gave robotics demonstrations and provided information about students clubs.

“It’s awesome,” incoming student James Carvajal said, noting he was particularly excited about the school’s robotics program and the large number of club options.

His mother, Irma Lozano, shared his sentiments.

“It’s impressive. Definitely not a traditional school,” Lozano said. “The technology is wonderful, but I think the students we’ve seen are actually more impressive.”

The new campus is located on Southmore Boulevard at Tierwester Street near both the University of Houston and Texas Southern University. It will open for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

“It feels like a college campus, very modern with lots of great spaces,” said Veronica Lopez, whose daughter plans to attend the school next year. “I’m excited about what she will be learning here.”

Construction is underway at roughly two dozen campuses across the district. Once all current work is finished, HISD will boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the country.

Construction on the new Energy Institute High School soon will reach 90 percent completion, with the building being furnished and outfitted with technology in the spring and teachers and staff moving in next summer.

Crews are currently working on interior finishes such as painting, ceiling panel installation, and sealing and polishing of concrete floors. Installation of carpet in limited areas and outdoor canopies will wrap up this quarter, as will final mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and safety inspections.

“Our new Energy building has been a labor of love for all of us who have contributed to its innovative design,” said Energy Institute Principal Lori Lambropoulos. “The high-tech facility will positively inspire our inventive students and staff to reach for the stars.”

The $37 million project is being built along Southmore Boulevard at Tierwester Street near the University of Houston and Texas Southern University. It will accommodate 800 students.

Designed for project-based learning, the 114,000-square-foot facility is comprised of three separate buildings and mimics the look of a high-tech corporate environment, incorporating multi-level areas for work and projects.

View time-lapse photos of construction

A central courtyard connects the buildings and features a large covered learning staircase as its centerpiece. Several smaller outdoor gathering spaces throughout the campus will provide students with group and individual study options.

Building A, which serves as the main entrance to the facility, features the landmark orange cylinder and houses administrative office and classrooms. The building also contains several flexible learning spaces, including a large covered second-story balcony.

Building B contains additional classroom spaces and science labs, along with additional covered outdoor learning areas.

Located at the rear of the campus, Building C houses the cafeteria and mixed-use spaces, as well as athletics facilities, including a workout room.

More about the Energy Institute High School project

The project, which is funded with district resources unrelated to the 2012 bond, is one of about two dozen schools currently under construction across the district. Once all work is finished, HISD will boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the country.

Eight HISD seniors each were awarded a $10,000 college scholarship through the Women’s Energy Network Houston’s Young Women Energized Partnership.

The scholarships are awarded to exemplary high school senior girls from the greater Houston area with exemplary academic records and who have demonstrated leadership potential throughout their high school career.

The winners will be honored at the Women Energized Network Houston’s virtual 2020 Young Women Energized event, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7. The program will feature breakout sessions on careers in STEM, scholarships, and will be headlined by keynote speaker and BEACON ocean energy probe inventor, Hannah Herbst.

The eight winners are:

The YWN event is open to all HISD students and staff. The full program, speakers, resources, and registration for this year’s event can be found online here. For more information about Young Women’s Network, visit www.ywehouston.com.

Each year, Reliant Energy donates school supplies to HISD schools in August, but this year the company added something extra—a Goal Zero Yeti generator valued at more than $2,000.

The lucky recipients are the students at Energy Institute High School, and they saw a demonstration of the small but powerful generator during their freshman orientation on Aug. 10.

“We’re confident that demonstrating our portable Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium generator will give the event a unique STEM focus,” said NRG Retail Charitable Foundation representative Leanne Schneider. “It will combine the school’s cutting-edge approach with the buzz of renewable energy.” 

The product is a battery-powered generator that can be charged with solar energy and used by Energy’s science and energy instructors.

“One of the things you will be doing here at Energy is project-based learning,” said Principal Lori Lambropoulos. “It is going to revolutionize the way you learn. Working with this type of equipment will help you both now and in the future.”

This year, Reliant Energy is donating school supplies to 4,000 HISD students at 41 schools. The presentation at Energy was the kick-off celebration.

Energy Institute HS celebrates grand opening of new facility

Known for its innovation, Energy Institute — which once programmed robots to shovel dirt at its groundbreaking ceremony — decided to forego a traditional ribbon-cutting, and instead have students use a circular saw to cut a wooden board laser printed with the school’s logo. The cut pieces were then presented to special guests at the event.

“What a journey,” Energy Principal Lori Lambropoulos said as she looked out to the crowd. “This school is the first one of its kind in the nation, and we could not have done any of this without all of you in this room.”

The 114,000-square-foot facility is comprised of three separate buildings that incorporate innovative learning spaces designed to encourage project-based collaboration and communication and showcase students’ high-tech projects and presentations.

“The new Energy Institute High School is simply magnificent,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “This campus really captures the essence of a high-tech corporate environment.”

Glass garage-style doors installed in most classrooms provide transparency, allowing students and staff to view work and projects going on throughout the building. A central courtyard connects the buildings and features a large covered learning staircase as its centerpiece.

“I’m continually amazed at how purposefully the school was designed for students and project-based learning,” Energy sophomore Benjamin Barnes said. “We aspire to be problem-solvers of the future, and Energy Institute is helping us to make an impact.”

During the event, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee expressed her support and best wishes to the school via telephone, and Senator Ted Cruz’s office presented a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol Building.

“We’re home,” Lambropoulos said. “I can’t wait to see where we go from here.”

Energy Institute is one of 13 schools that opened for the start of the 2018-2019 school year and is funded with district resources unrelated to the 2012 Bond Program. More than 70 percent of all school construction projects are now complete, and that number is expected to top 80 percent by the end of 2018.

Energy Institute High School's Valedictorian Derrick Ngo has faced a lifetime of challenges and pain.

Never Give Up- Derrick Ngo, Energy Institute Valedictorian from Houston ISD on Vimeo.

Energy Institute Graduate Reagan Dennis

Energy Institute HS receives architectural award, magazine cover feature

The new Energy Institute High School has been awarded the Citation of Excellence Award by Learning by Design, a magazine that recognizes the nation’s best new education school design and construction.

Energy Institute earned its award with innovative learning spaces designed to encourage project-based collaboration and communication and showcase students’ high-tech projects and presentations.

Designed by VLK Architects, the 114,000-square-foot facility is comprised of three separate buildings with a central courtyard connecting the buildings and features a large covered learning staircase as its centerpiece.  Glass garage-style doors installed in most classrooms provide transparency, allowing students and staff to view work and projects going on throughout the building.

The Spring 2019 edition of the magazine features Energy Institute on its cover and announces the school as one of its distinguished award-winning projects.

“Energy Institute High School features a design that will allow students to learn in modern spaces that are conducive to the school’s project-based learning model,” General Manager of Facilities Design Dan Bankhead said. “It’s truly an honor to be recognized for the work that went into this project.”

The magazine assembled a panel of five architects and education administrators to review projects from across the nation. The projects that earned top awards featured design elements, including sustainability, transparency, and impressive interiors.

Energy Institute opened the doors to its new building at the start of the 2018-2019 school year.  

A big smile spread across Samaya Watson’s face as she looked around the wide, brightly colored hallway adorned with inspirational phrases and clusters of modern furniture, where she and her classmates could gather.

“It feels like I’m in a Disney movie,” the 16-year-old Energy Institute High School junior said, giggling as she joked that she was expecting her classmates to break out into song and dance at any moment. “The atmosphere is different. Everybody just feels excited to learn and do new things.”

The new Energy Institute High School was among the record-breaking 13 Houston Independent School District campuses to open their doors for the first time on Monday — the first day of the 2018-2019 school year.

Designed for project-based learning, the $37 million, 114,000-square-foot facility is made up of three buildings and mimics the look of a high-tech corporate environment, incorporating multi-level areas for collaborative work.

Among the highlights are a makerspace where students can gather to develop creative projects, a technology room, outdoor learning areas, and a central courtyard connects all three buildings and features a large covered learning staircase as its centerpiece.

“We’re super excited. We’ve been preparing for a very long time,” Principal Lori Lambropoulos said. “We brought this whole philosophy to fruition — teachers now actually get to exercise this very unique type of instruction in spaces that are designed for that.

It’s been almost two years since the school — previously located in an old elementary school along Sampson Street, just north of Interstate 45 — formally broke ground on their new building. On Monday, Lambropoulos stood in the driveway in front of her new building, greeting nearly every parent and student who walked passed her.

“Good morning!” she hollered to a student walking up the sidewalk to the front entrance. “Hope you have a good first day!”

This year, Lambropoulos said she’s expecting 750 to 760 students, which is just shy of her 800-student capacity.

Sophomore Ben Barnes is one of those students. The 15-year-old said he was most excited about getting the chance to work in the robotics room and makerspace. He recalled the old building had limited technology, which limited their ability to fully embrace project based learning. But that is no longer the case, he said.

“It seems like a much more welcoming environment,” Barnes said, noting that the new building inspired him to be more confident and positive. “This building stands out. Its appealing to look at. It looks super professional.”

The new school, funded with district resources unrelated to the 2012 Bond Program, is located near the intersection of Southmore Boulevard and Tierwester Street near the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

Mobile investment apps are the wave of the future, and there is a new one on the market designed to turn novice investors into seasoned financial pros – created entirely by two seniors from Bellaire High School.

Co-founded by students Ryan Knightly and James Wei, InvestorPrep is a free mobile app that aims to make learning about investing an easy and engaging process by teaching how to invest in various securities through different styles. The app, which is available on both Apple and android platforms, contains a wide range of lessons from basic investing terminology to advanced investing methods.

“We designed InvestorPrep to make investing more accessible and intuitive,” Knightly wrote in his blog, The Floating Point. “We are both pleased to bring the knowledge of investing to new people every day.”

And now, Knightly and Wei can add the term “award-winning developers” to their already long list of accomplishments.

This weekend, more than 250 high school students, including the InvestorPrep team, presented technology-based projects they have developed throughout the school year at HISD’s third annual Together with Tech Contest.

InvestorPrep won big, taking home the first-place award in the Code.it Category. Bellaire High School almost swept the category, also claiming second place for the Fresh Food App, which helps get fresh, nutritious food to “food deserts” throughout the Houston area.

Projects were presented to a panel of judges from companies such as Baker Hughes, ExxonMobil and Code Park Houston, and they were required to offer a tech-based solution to a defined problem for the communication, transportation, and justice fields, and into one of the following categories: mobile/web app (Code.it), multimedia production (Digital Voice) or working model/prototype (Engineering a Solution).

The top team in each category received $1,300 in scholarship money. The winners of the 2019 Together with Tech conference are listed below:

Code.it 

1. Bellaire High School 
Financial Literacy App (https://investorprep.weebly.com/)

2. Bellaire High School
Fresh Food App – Collecting Food before it is thrown out and distributing it in food deserts.

3. Challenge Early 
Connect App – Consolidated resource app for parents and students.

Engineering A Solution

1. Energy Institute High School
Improving Transportation Efficiency in Houston

2. Worthing High School Hydroponics
Going Green, Eating Green and Saving Green. 

3. Eastwood Academy
Safe Pedestrian Crossing Project

Digital Voice

1. Chavez High School
Anti-Bullying Campaign (physical and digital campaign)

2. DeBakey High School
Autism Awareness Campaign and App creation

3. Kinder HSPVA
Sexual Assault Awareness Campaign (https://outofthecourtroom.weebly.com/)

DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY

In east downtown Houston, you’ll find the nation’s first high school devoted to preparing students to enter careers in the energy field. Energy Institute High School is a STEM-focused magnet program with project-based learning at its core. The school began with an acknowledgment of local businesses and the demand for students to enter the ever-growing energy industry in the Houston area. It has since become a place of learning where “students are exposed to engineering and technology typically reserved for college-level courses, and they also receive instruction from teachers as well as industry professionals.” Daily students are having HQPBL (see hqpbl.org for more) experiences and growing their real-world industry savvy.

The curriculum at Energy Institute is taught entirely in projects, and students move through their projects in a cohort which allows:

• Flexibility in terms of timeframe, as in the lifecycle of a project, more time can be taken for weeklong builds,
• Adaptability with regard to learning spaces, as these can be negotiated to make projects come together.

The cohort model and projects, resulting in opportunities which will prepare Energy Students for college and career. “By the time a student completes four years of HQPBL experiences, the learner will have worked in 20 different groups, on 20 different projects, and given over 30 different presentations.”

We learn from Energy Institute how schools can partner together with industries to provide HQPBL experiences which prepare students to succeed in their next phase of life.

DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY

This case study was produced by Getting Smart as part of the High Quality Project Based Learning campaign (visit hqpbl.org for more). The goal of the campaign is to identify what high quality PBL student experiences look like and work to ensure all students have access to this type of learning. The campaign is supported by Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and sponsored by the Buck Institute for Education.

From High School to Corporate Life - VLK Architects

From High School to Corporate Life by Tim Kunz

Could Solar Power Ever Catch up to Oil and Gas in Houston?

The Little Utility 

A Montrose couple develops “farm-to-market” solar power.

On 12 acres of grassland they stand, all 15,000 of them, roasting in the late-August sun. The panels are deep navy, a blanket of elegant gadgetry mounted on symmetrical steel poles, four feet high and dozens long. They click and buzz every so often, gently rotating a few degrees this way or that, in search of UV rays falling from the sky. Somehow, the machinery looks soft and inviting, like a natural outgrowth of the landscape itself. A white horse grazes on the property next door, paying no mind.

Joey and Nicole Romano pull up in their sedan, baby seat strapped in the back. He pops out first, wearing khakis and boat shoes, a coffee stain dotting his blue oxford shirt. He’s 34, with wavy brown hair and a wide smile. “It’s always an accomplishment when we get out of the house, and get organized by a certain time,” he says, pointing to his freckled wife and their 6-month-old daughter, Camilla, now adorably secured in a Babybjörn. “We are knee-deep in figuring it all out.”

Like a growing number of Houston energy entrepreneurs, the Romanos are on a mission to crack the puzzle that is solar, Texas’s most tantalizing untapped renewable resource. Of the 72,000 megawatts of power pulsing through the state’s grid, a measly 0.7 percent of it is currently pulled from solar panels. Our installed capacity is equal to that of New Mexico’s, a western neighbor with 25 million fewer residents and substantially less open land. And here in Houston, the so-called energy capital of the world, just 2,000 home and business owners have slapped panels onto their roofs, opting to generate their own electricity. This, in a city with over 200 sunny days a year.

Joey walks down a gravel path and unlocks a steel gate. The panels fan out ahead of him. Local Sun—this “farm-to-market” solar project—opened just over a year ago, in February, during the first week of Camilla’s young life. It sits adjacent to a two-lane road in Sealy, with a complicated rural address that reads like nautical coordinates. The Romanos’ first challenge was finding a plot they could afford, one that was close to existing CenterPoint transmission lines and that couldn’t otherwise be put to better use. They hit the jackpot out on the coastal plains, 50 miles due west of Houston, over the Brazos River and down from a Wal-Mart distribution center. “If we were really ambitious, we’d get some type of livestock out here, to work the grass,” Joey says. “We like goats, but they chew through the wires.”

Joey was raised around energy; his father worked for the Zilkha family, first in oil and then in wind, eventually as Chief Financial Officer at Zilkha Energy Company. Nicole is a communications specialist who helps her husband sell their new venture. They’ve got their own experience in renewables—developing solar-powered shipping containers and a 14-unit, sustainable apartment building, in Montrose—but not quite at this scale.

The farm essentially operates as a tiny utility, pumping out 1.5 megawatts of solar directly onto the Houston load zone, enough to light up 300 area homes. To access it, customers sign up for electricity with The Woodlands–based MP2 Energy, the Romanos’ exclusive partner. There are no upfront costs or cancellation fees, and the price (7.3 cents per kilowatt hour, plus delivery fees) is competitive with existing renewable plans, if marginally higher than rates offered by mainstream retailers.

Their primary target is the Houstonian who can’t commit to an expensive, unwieldy rooftop installation but who believes in climate change, and who desires to see, up close, the transformative process by which their iPhones are charged, from sunlight to outlet. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Nicole stormed crunchy farmers markets for some of her earliest marketing blitzes. “It’s our job to make sure that when people do sign up,” Joey says, “they have 40 panels that are out here working for them.”

Getting the enterprise up and running on schedule was hectic. Some 50 people were in Sealy during construction, pile-driving posts into soggy soil, snapping panel after panel into place, laying a Kinder Morgan pipeline, stringing tangled wires. The whole job cost $3 million. And they’d love to build more just like it. Texas is on the precipice of a solar explosion, industry experts increasingly believe, and a small community of entrepreneurs like the Romanos are figuring out, day-by-day and project-by-project, how best to capitalize.

The couple passes their two inverter boxes, white and whizzing with DANGER stickers plastered on multiple sides. For a shady respite, they duck under a row of nearby panels. Joey will give tours of Local Sun to practically anyone who asks, at any time—he’s proud of the ingenuity, and enthusiastic about the future. “That’s the point of all of this,” he says. “Doing things that make us a living, and at night, we can go to bed feeling like we are pushing the ball forward.” If the economics prove out, they could oversee a satellite of solar farms, powering a few hundred or thousand households at a time, leaving the region a little cleaner than they found it, and their wallets a little flusher in the process.

Over his shoulder, Camilla looks warm, but content. Like the equipment overhead, she barely makes a noise.

The Old Guard

At one of Houston’s first solar firms, business is booming.

Cal Morton shimmies into the alley behind Texas Solar Outfitters (TSO), on Shepherd just south of Washington, to peek at his company’s electricity meter. He loves to come out back and track how little dirty energy this solar-equipped warehouse requires, even on a steamy July afternoon, a hot month in a hot year. He leans in, squints at the small numbers, and shakes his bald head in deadpanned disgust: “Oh, that’s a bummer—we’re still barely pulling power off the grid right now. I’m going to go shut that air conditioner off.”

TSO is one of Houston’s most established solar companies, a member of the old guard, which is to say it opened in 2011. Their facility has the feel of a classy auto shop. A copy of Power Magazine sits on an end table in the narrow lobby, underneath aerial photos of the firm’s handiwork, like the two-megawatt buildout affixed to DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. With 24 staffers, they’ve completed about 300 residential installations in the Houston area to date, plus some commercial jobs, doubling the volume of their business every year.

Now 53, Morton has the bearing of a laid-back rancher. His dog Biscuit, “head of security,” naps underneath his dusty wooden desk. He joined TSO a year after it launched, as a sales and marketing executive. Having worked in finance and mobile app development, both in the United Kingdom and the States, he’d reached an age where he felt compelled to pick a field that would motivate him until retirement. That meant building things that “people can see,” and that he regarded as demonstrably “good.”

The environmental benefits of solar were never in doubt. But only recently, as Morton knows full well, have the economics started to make sense. Renewables run into problems when the prices of their entrenched competitors are cheap. Because natural gas is so abundant in Texas, the cost of traditional power generation here is currently low; only seven states paid less, on average, in July of last year. And while the Texas state legislature isn’t necessarily hostile to solar, lawmakers haven’t gone out of their way to incentivize its growth, either: Texas has a fairly unambitious renewable-energy standard, no state tax credits for solar installation, and no net metering, a common policy that allows customers to sell back to the grid their unused power.

In an energy market where regulators have no legitimate control over what type of plants get built, price alone determines what flows into the Texas grid. “If a technology can’t compete based on cost, then for the most part developers aren’t going to invest in it,” says Warren Lasher, senior director of systems planning for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

Lasher, though, has started to see the figures shift in his long-range planning studies. The cost to manufacture a solar panel, once exorbitant, is sinking quickly, by as much as 70 percent since 2010 by some estimates, and with no end in sight. As in the days when personal computers started to attract mainstream users, price reductions and sales volume are directly linked. “We’re really reaching significant scale here,” says Sean Gallagher, vice president of state affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. “Along with that scale has come billions of dollars of investment.”

A handful of municipal utilities in Texas, namely Austin and San Antonio, have already dived in, head-first—two years ago, Austin Energy famously finalized a contract to purchase 150 megawatts for less than the average cost of natural gas. Meanwhile, in November 2015, the Houston City Council approved its own 20-year contract to purchase 30 megawatts, about 7 percent of the city’s annual electricity needs. Commercial utilities will start to follow, from community sites like the Romanos on up. Same with homeowners interested in distributed generation, a jargony term for small power systems like rooftop solar, the type of clients that TSO serves.

ERCOT predicts that 17 percent of the state’s power will derive from the sun by 2031, with no additional coal or natural gas sources added. And if the trends don’t shift too dramatically, analysts at UBS expect solar capacity to triple nationally over the next decade, as wind did before it, eventually becoming “the default technology of the future.”

TSO’s warehouse is attached to Morton’s office. An arcane inventory of clamps and coiled wires rest on massive shelves along two walls. Around the way is an ersatz roof a few feet off the ground, shingled and sloped, on which the technicians train. One young employee, wearing an orange TSO-brand athletic shirt, straps a few panels into the bed of a red pickup, en route to a new job site.

A home system can run anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000. But while a traditional utility can’t guarantee what their power prices will be next year, much less two decades from now—historically, they’ve risen steadily—the fuel that home panels collect is permanently free, so long as the sun rises in the east. Morton is a true believer. Even the meetings that don’t lead to a sale are rewarding, because he’s able to proselytize for a few minutes about the revolution he feels is just getting underway.

“You put solar panels up, connect that to a variable-speed pump, and boom,” he says. “It’s cheap! Reliable. Lasts 30 years. No gears, no grease. The other stuff is just sunshine that was buried 500 million years ago, that you have to go dig up and burn.”

To prove his point, he hops into his SUV and scoots down Shepherd toward K+N Sales, a neighboring appliance wholesaler. When owner Ed Bajorek purchased 101 kilowatts worth of panels for his metal roof, in 2013, friends and colleagues were dumbstruck. “They know him as a penny-pincher,” Morton remembers. “Then they thought, ‘S**t, if Ed did it!’”

Across I-10, Morton spots Lonestar Orthopedics, its own panels barely perceptible, but unmistakably gleaming in the midday haze. He’d stopped in there one day and left a business card, no expectations. It took a year or more to complete the negotiations. “They didn’t call up and say, ‘Hey, I’d like you to come over and spend $250,000 on solar—who do I write the check out to?’ You have to temper your enthusiasm.”

Some of TSO’s best customers, ironically, work in oil and gas. It’s not that they’re atoning for ecological sins, necessarily. Most, Morton finds, are just energy experts with disposable income and a nose for deals. “It’s nice that solar is green—that helps in their decision,” he says. “But this is Houston, Texas! If we only sold to tree huggers, we’d have run out of them a long time ago.”

The New Power Company

Bringing solar to the masses, right from Greenway Plaza.

The walls in Sunnova’s Greenway Plaza headquarters might be painted orange, and the conference rooms might be named for an assortment of sun gods (Apollo, Ra). In press releases, the marketing team might brag about their ranking as the largest private residential solar company in the United States, and the fourth largest, period. But Sunnova executives would like to make one thing absolutely, positively clear: This is not some Patagonia-clad, utopian enterprise. “At the end of the day, we’re a power company,” says CFO Jordan Kozar, in a typical refrain. “We sell electrons to customers.”

This distinction, subtle as it may seem, is crucial to Sunnova’s identity, and the manner by which they’ve positioned themselves in the increasingly competitive renewables marketplace. It’s a Houston-based firm committed to solar because there’s cash to be made. “Contrarian” is one of the executives’ favorite adjectives.

John Berger, Sunnova’s co-founder and CEO, is a tall man with coiffed brown hair and gleaming white teeth. It’s easy to imagine the 43-year-old hobnobbing at the Petroleum Club, maybe catching an Aggies game in a luxury suite at Kyle Field. A Bryan native, Berger got his start on the power-trading desk at Enron, before business school at Harvard and a stint running a venture capital firm. In 2007, with family friend Jordan Frugé, he opened an energy-efficiency products company called Standard Renewable Energy. (Tagline: Review, Reduce, Renew.)

That firm was acquired by GridPoint, who, according to Frugé, “didn’t know what they wanted to do, but they knew they liked what we were doing.” Their next operation, SunCap Financial, was purchased again, this time by NRG, in March 2012. Berger and Frugé replicated that company’s model when they created Sunnova, nine months after that merger.

How does it work? Sunnova installs solar systems on customers’ roofs with no money down. They retain ownership of the actual equipment, servicing it for the duration of the contract, often 25 years. The mechanical work is outsourced to one of Sunnova’s 120 partners, independent outfits, not unlike TSO, with electrical expertise and knowledge of their specific region. All the homeowner has to do is agree to buy clean electricity from Sunnova at a predetermined price, at or below the market rate charged by conventional utilities.

The goal is to minimize the hassle and risk of distributed generation, without losing the advantages. “This is the way to bring solar to the mass-market,” says Lynda Attaway, Sunnova’s chief strategy officer. “It’s not to sell them a $50,000 product, but to sell them delivered electricity. They don’t have to think about maintaining a power plant.”

Around 235 employees work for the firm, spread across portions of three high-rise floors. A Google campus it is not. There’s no personal chef, only a break room with vending machines. The ceilings are low, the cubicles perfectly ordinary. Bosses are sprinkled in among the hordes; Berger squeezes himself low into his chair, perennially fielding calls with what little privacy his office-less existence allows. “It’s not wide-eyed,” says Kris Hillstrand, another executive.

Neither is Sunnova’s financial strategy. While the private company is wary about disclosure, its customer base is in the tens of thousands. The balance sheet is not exotic or over-leveraged—in the first quarter of 2016, they posted positive adjusted earnings. “We have a much more conservative view on the world, more focused on the fundamentals of the business,” Berger says, “whereas the West Coast [renewable] firms are much more, go-go-go, grow-grow-grow, at any cost. That works for a while. And then when it doesn’t work, it’s pretty bad.”

Kozar, a former investment banker who focused primarily on midstream oil and gas companies, has raised an impressive $1.5 billion in capital so far. His elevator pitch is straightforward: In an era of sinking solar technology costs, and in the markets that Sunnova judiciously enters (17 states, along with Guam, Puerto Rico and portions of the Northern Mariana Islands), the dollars finally add up.

As recently as five years ago in Houston, Berger says, “you could put the number of pro-solar people in a phone booth and you’d have had space left over. It was definitely like, ‘What are you doing? Did you get lost? Are you okay?’” Still, the city provides an ambitious renewable company with undeniable advantages: an unparalleled cluster of energy and infrastructure experts from which to draw talent, a reasonable cost of living, distance from the bubble of potential competitors.

Michael Skelly is president of Clean Line Energy Partners, a 56-person Houston-based business with plans to lay down $9 billion worth of transmission lines, connecting the windiest and sunniest areas of the country to those lacking access to clean sources. He can’t think of a better city to call home. “People don’t come up to me at parties and say, ‘Why are you doing renewable energy when you could be poking holes in the ground?’ Maybe they say that when I’m not around, I don’t know. But ours are audacious projects, and people in Houston appreciate that.”

The downturn in the hydrocarbon sector hasn’t hurt, either. Kozar has taken several calls in recent months from old midstream colleagues, all of which come in the form of a friendly catch-up. Most end with inquiries about potential Sunnova job openings. “It’s exciting,” he says, “to see people opening their eyes to what this really is.”

Kris Hillstrand sits on the seventh floor, adjacent to Sunnova’s customer operations department, which he oversees, and which functions like an in-house call center. Young people in headsets occupy a long stretch of desks from the pre-dawn hours until midnight, answering questions from anxious or confused clients. As the company expands its reach into more territories, the volume of queries will necessarily rise. Sometimes, Hillstrand likes to stay late, take off his noise-canceling headphones, and eavesdrop on the conversations. It’s edifying to find out what’s important to people generating electricity for the first time, what they are learning.

“There was a time when we were all highly attuned to weather cycles and seasonality. You understood the peaks and valleys of solar production,” he says. “We’ve kind of divorced from that as a society, as we moved away from renewable and into centralized generation and fossil generation. This brings people back a little bit.”

The Future

These Houston teens are studying the energy of tomorrow.

The semester has just kicked off at HISD’s Energy Institute High School, and sophomore Michael Sanchez is eager to share his work. Short and slender, with bright green Nike sneakers and braces to match, Sanchez loads up a presentation on an interactive classroom projection screen. A small audience—renewable energy teacher Barbara Finberg, principal Lori Lambropoulos, and three incoming freshmen—adjust its chairs to watch. Sanchez pauses a beat to collect himself: “I’ll show you everything you need to see,” he says.

In his first year at Energy, the nation’s only full-STEM magnet school with an energy emphasis, Sanchez and his classmates completed a project called Green Energy Machines. “We were assigned a country, one that’s currently suffering from energy poverty, and we were told to create a set of blades that attach to a hydroelectric or wind turbine.” He flicks through a few slides, explaining how different teams employed different strategies, molding brass or fiddling with the school’s 3-D printer. One model sits on the table in front of the other students, a beautiful little object with a green node on top, like a fancy flower. “This one is a very sophisticated print,” he says, commanding the floor with confidence. “It’s actually incredible.”

At the end of the semester, Finberg brought in a huge fan, and the kids tested their prototypes to see how much voltage each produced. The average output was about three units. Sanchez’s group, using a plane propeller as inspiration, blasted out nine. “Someone topped off at 12 volts,” Finberg remembers, “and I thought it was going to take off, it was going so fast.”

Energy, which opened in 2013, is an atypical high school. Its temporary home is a cramped two-story building on Sampson, a few miles south of downtown, identifiable by the cartoon graphics (an offshore oil rig, a set of mechanical gears, a wind turbine) glued onto the faded brick facade. A sign off the main office—Inspiring the Next Generation of Energy Leaders—broadcasts the administration’s intentions.

For the 705 enrolled students, the curriculum is centered around project-based learning, multi-week blocks in which kids investigate a given problem, participate in workshops around the topic, and formally present potential solutions to their peers. Teachers follow an engineering design process as opposed to a typical lesson plan, and the staff leans on the expertise of its advisory board, 30 or 40 representatives from Houston’s energy industry, who judge contests and deliver thematic lectures. For the 200 spots in each class, Lambropoulos has received as many as 1,600 applications. “The kids that come here give up a lot,” she says. “They are not going to get the traditional cheerleading or football experience.”

Lambropoulos’s dad was a chemical engineer for 37 years, a buttoned-down type with pens perpetually stashed in his breast pocket. At Energy, she sees that quiet nerd stereotype falling away. “Kids get excited,” she says, “and it’s dynamic.” It’s taken her by surprise just how enthusiastic her students are about solar and wind. The topic of renewable energy shows up in classroom surveys and in casual conversations she overhears in the tiled halls. “I don’t have many students who bring up questions about oil and gas,” Finberg adds. “They want to know what’s next. They really want to know, ‘What’s the thing I need to be an expert in, in order to be a leader in this field?’”

Nicolette Beguerisse is a freshman, a polite young woman in a gray hoodie who dreams of attending MIT. Her school ID card, stuffed into an Exxon Mobil lanyard, hangs loosely around her neck. Beguerisse doesn’t have any family or friends in the energy business; she just loves math. When Lambropoulos asks her why she’s excited about Finberg’s renewable energy course, Beguerisse delivers a completely logical answer that might have horrified her Houston forbearers: “I would like to be part of the process that corrects the issues the petroleum industry has created.”

Their first task is to build a solar-power cell phone charger. In a tongue-in-cheek video prompt that Lambropoulos had previously recorded, she pleaded for help, warning her freshmen that their campus electric bills will one day “drive this school into the poorhouse!”

“So first,” Beguerisse says, “we have to learn the basics of engineering. Then we have to learn how to sketch out our idea. We need to know the cost of the bills from the school. We also need to know what materials we are going to use, and their cost.” One classmate was convinced he could restore batteries using potatoes; for their first assignment, they researched his hypothesis, determining it would take 267 spuds to power one house for one single hour. Maybe impractical, they concluded.

Sanchez, the wise sophomore, offers some friendly advice: “As you start building, you’ll start to realize that some things don’t work, or you’ll need to change the design a little. Don’t freak out!”

He turns to Michael Lopez, a freshman with slicked-backed hair and an Altoid addiction. “I really like the idea of renewable energy,” Lopez says, a huge grin spreading across his face. “You can use it, and keep using it, forever! Exponentially! It really is just amazing when you think about it.” 

Filed under

Energy, Oil, Houston Independent School District, Oil and Gas

Digital Tools for Problem-Based Learning

Getting Smart: Houston High Schools Provide Career Options and Choice for Students

By Emily Liebtag and Tom Vander Ark

Across the Houston Independent School District (HISD), there are high schools that range in focus from law enforcement to language. HISD high schools are 1:1, and aim at preparing students to be global graduates. We recently visited two of the high schools in the district and found there to be another focus: providing students with learning experiences that will provide them with career options and exposure.

Energy Institute High School (@EnergyIHS) is creating opportunities for students to engage with businesses, corporate partners and leaders in the field of energy. As one of the only energy-focused schools in the nation, these students will truly graduate with a unique skill set. The project-based school incorporates core subject areas into projects that tie into energy. Within the next year, students and staff will move across the street to a new facility. They currently are making great use of a facility that was previously an elementary school.

Students have a great deal of ownership and agency in their learning at Energy. We talked to a group that was working on a project where they were using heat energy and different metals to create jewelry that represented their culture, interests and background. As seen below, students infused energy into everything they do. They are even thinking beyond energy and engineering issues of today, and considering driving questions about life in the future.

Heights High School, a comprehensive high school in Houston of almost 2,400 students, has a different approach. They provide students with academies to choose from to attend throughout their four years, all of which are focused on a particular career path or trade. Their programs include a Computer Magnet Academy, Health Science Academy, Business Academy, Engineering and Design Academy and Transportation Academy. The school also is an IB school, so students can simultaneously earn certificates in a trade and an IB diploma.

Dr. Connie Berger (@HeightsHighSch) said that making students feel as though they belong to an individual academy within such a large school has helped improve student engagement, dropout rates and student success after high school. It’s clear that her sustained leadership (over 10 years at the school) and team support is making Heights a great place to teach & learn.

Both at Energy and at Heights students have opportunities to work with partners in the field and get real-world experience. Many students have internships with partners and work on projects to help create solutions to problems those partners have.

These visits were in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation. Almost 300 community members from Kansas City have visited schools around the country thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as part of the Kansas City Great Schools initiative (check out #KCGreatSchools and also see their blog), which was designed to expose “community members to cities with concentrations of high-performing public schools serving a similar population of students as those in Kansas City’s public schools.” Participants got a chance to see design-built schools and those still on a journey–each with their own unique structure, culture and curriculum.

School visits can be a powerful part of a professional learning plan and a critical part of a school transformation effort. It expands your sense of what’s possible and informs the path forward. We’re planning fall school visits—contact Megan@GettingSmart.com if you’re interested.

Energy Institute High School unveiled a student-created art car on Monday at Discovery Green that was created in partnership with Noble Energy for this year’s Art Car Parade.

The car was on display Monday night as part of the Super Bowl showcase. The goal was to create a car that revealed how oil and gas companies extend to our everyday lives beyond the gas pump.

Our art car displays images of everyday items that are made from petroleum. The car, which lights up and glows in the dark, was created with pieces made with the school’s laser cutter, 3D printer and other electrical knowledge, such as an LED lighting system using several colors.

“The number of hours the students spent designing everything with engineering software and cutting it using the laser cutter is insane,” said Principal Lori Lambropoulos. “It looks so good that people may not realize the kids actually made all of it.”

Houston Chronicle: HISD to encourage hands-on learning

For More Information:
Dr. Jody Gibson                          
Energy Institute InvenTeam                                         
jgibson6@houstonisd.org                        

Energy Institute High School Students Receive Invention Grant to Create The Slush Buster

Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Initiative Inspires a New Generation of Inventors

Houston, Texas, October 24, 2017 — Energy Institute was recently awarded a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant of $10,000 to create The Slush Buster is designed to prevent biodiesel from gelling at low temperatures. Energy Institute High School is one of 15 high schools nationwide selected as an InvenTeam this year.

InvenTeams are teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors that receive grants up to $10,000 each to invent technological solutions to real-world problems. This initiative of the Lemelson-MIT Program aims to inspire a new generation of inventors.

“The InvenTeams program represents the future,” said Leigh Estabrooks, invention education officer from the Lemelson-MIT Program.  “We place an emphasis on STEM-focused projects to develop interest in these fields among youth.  With InvenTeams, our primary goal is to foster high school students’ passion for invention, in turn inspiring them to consider careers in science, technology, engineering or math.”

Dr. Jody Gibson and Lauren Baird, science and engineering teachers at Energy Institute High School, initiated the InvenTeam application process last spring and attended training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in June to help prepare the final proposal.  A prestigious panel of judges composed of educators, researchers, staff, and alumni from MIT, as well as representatives from the industry and former Lemelson-MIT Award winners, assembled this fall and selected Energy Institute High School as one of this year’s InvenTeam grantees.

The team chose to contribute to the community by increasing the use of biodiesel, specifically HISD buses utilizing 100% biodiesel to reduce emissions. Currently, HISD buses use only 5% of biodiesel in their fuel. The goal of Energy Institute’s InvenTeam is to prevent the gelling of biodiesel fuel in colder temperatures to increase its widespread use.

In collaboration with the HISD Transportation Department, The Energy Institute High School InvenTeam will work with Chris Powers, founder and owner of Houston Biodiesel, a local company that sells biodiesel to a variety of consumers, who will guide the students through the development of their invention.

“Energy’s InvenTeam is addressing societal needs and creating solutions to problems in their community through invention and collaboration. I have high expectations for the team this year and am excited to see what they accomplish!” - Lauren Baird, Energy InvenTeam Sponsor

“Congratulations to the team on working through a very challenging concept. It won’t get easier from here, but it will certainly be more fun!” – Dr. Jody Gibson, Energy InvenTeam Sponsor

Over the next nine months, the Energy Institute InvenTeam will develop its Slush Buster.  In June, the students will showcase a prototype of their invention at EurekaFest at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. EurekaFest, presented by the Lemelson-MIT Program, is a multi-day celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models and encourage creativity and problem -solving.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM

Celebrating invention, inspiring youth

The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding inventors and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.

Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering at MIT, an institution with a strong ongoing commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for K-12 STEM education.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON FOUNDATION

The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives, by inspiring and enabling the next generation of inventors and invention based enterprises to promote economic growth in the US and social and economic progress for the poor in developing countries. Established by prolific US inventor Jerome Lemelson and his wife Dorothy in 1992, to date the Foundation has provided or committed more than $175 million in grants and PRIs in support of its mission. For more information, visit http://lemelson.org.

Energy Institute High School’s Energy HEROs team on Saturday placed second in the world at the Houston-hosted FIRST Robotics World competition.

The HEROs were part of an alliance with three other teams: alliance captain, The Robonauts, and alliance partners Citrus Circuits and Columbus Space Program.

The competition is part of the larger FIRST Championship Presented by Qualcomm Inc., and featured more 400 other teams from 30 different countries. The competition was held at George R. Brown Convention Center, Minute Maid Park, and Discovery Green.

“Given that our robotics team is only two years old, I am ecstatic that Energy and their alliance teams outperformed over 15,000 robotics students,” Principal Lori Lambropoulos said. “To place second in the world is like making it to the Super Bowl for these kids.”

Under strict rules, limited resources, and a six-week time limit, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a brand, hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to play a difficult field game against competitors.

The contest is designed to closely replicate a real-world engineering experience. Volunteer professional mentors also lend their time and talents to guide each team.

Construction on the new Energy Institute High School is almost halfway complete, with one building completely enclosed and the other two soon to follow.

Located at the rear of the new campus, the enclosed building — known as Building C — has a roof, walls and windows, as well as brick going up on the exterior, project officials said. All overhead mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure has been installed, and the building soon will have permanent power access via a CenterPoint Energy transformer.

Buildings A and B, which are at the front of the campus along Southmore Boulevard, are close behind, the project team said. Sheathing and studs have been erected, and window frames, interior plumbing, electrical conduit, and duct work have been installed.

“We are amazed at the progress. Seeing our design actually come to life is thrilling,” Energy Institute High School Principal Lori Lambropoulos said during a recent Project Advisory Team meeting. “We are so proud to be at the forefront of such an innovative, non-traditional school project.”

View project progress

Designed for project-based learning, the 110,000-square-foot facility mimics the look of a high-tech corporate environment, with three main buildings designed to incorporate multi-level areas for work and projects.

A central courtyard with cascading stairs and trellis will expand available space for socializing and learning, and will be visible from the entryway stairs. The $37 million project is being built on 12 acres of district-owned land along Southmore Boulevard at Tierwester Street. It will accommodate 800 students.

“I think it’s perfect,” Energy Project Advisory Team Member Anne Papakonstantinou said as she reviewed the project plans and progress. “Y’all have done well. It’s beautiful.”

More information on the Energy project

All paving is complete at the new site with the exception of the main circle drive, which will be the last to be poured, project officials said. New five-foot-wide sidewalks surrounding the new campus also have been poured, per City of Houston requirements.

Over the next few months, once all buildings are fully enclosed, crews are expected to begin installing the HVAC and electrical systems, as well as the plumbing fixtures and equipment. They’re also expected to complete the construction of interior walls and begin the installation of interior finishes, such as painting and tiling.

The project, designed by VLK Architects and constructed by Anslow Bryant, is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2018.

The next Project Advisory Team meeting is scheduled for July 20, 2017 at 1 p.m. at Energy Institute High School, 1808 Sampson St.

Presentations to highlight how technology has helped transform learning 

Teams from 10 HISD high schools will be making presentations to Microsoft executives this Thursday, Feb. 23, as part of Digital Learning Day. The student presentations highlight how HISD’s one-to-one laptop initiative, also known as PowerUp, has impacted learning both in and out of the classroom.

The ten teams were selected from among 45 high schools who participated in Together with Tech, the district’s first ever student-led technology conference that took place Feb. 11 at Lamar High School. Student presentations at the conference used technology-based platforms that included digital animation, mobile app design, and tools such as Google Earth.  

The 10  winning teams will not only present to Microsoft executives on Digital Learning Day, but will be given a private tour of their Houston facility. The winning teams include students from: Furr, East Early, Westside, Kashmere, Worthing, DeBakey, Sam Houston, Lamar, the Energy Institute, and the Middle College High School at Felix Fraga.

Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for teachers and students to highlight great teaching practices and instructional technology programs that engage students and improving academic outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers and students realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. Share what you are doing for Digital Learning Day on social media with the hashtags #DLDay and #HISD.

HISD’s Energy Institute High School held a high-tech groundbreaking on Saturday as student-built robots took the lead, turning over dirt alongside school and district officials to formally mark the start of construction on their new school. 

The planned 110,000-square-foot building, located at 3501 Southmore Blvd., will mimic the look of a high-tech corporate environment and house the first energy-themed high school in the nation. 

”This project has been a labor of love,” Principal Lori Lambropoulos said of the new building. “This school is the first one of its kind in the nation. We’re making history in the area of corporate involvement, and we’ve made it our mission to attract students that really want a career in the energy industry.” 

Joining in the celebration were HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza and HISD Trustees Jolanda Jones, Mike Lunceford, and Wanda Adams, as well as representatives from several major energy companies that have partnered with the school. 

Lambropoulos said that the school works closely with Houston’s energy industry and its associations with the expectation that graduates of the school will help fill the gap in the energy workforce. 

“This is an incredible moment. It’s not often when the community gets to break ground on a state-of-the-art, brand new school building,” Carranza said. “We’re educating our students today for a future, much of which we don’t even know what is going to look like yet. We’re training them to be successful in jobs that have yet to be created.” 

More than 100 students, parents, staff, and community members turned out for the event, where they had the opportunity to sign a steel beam, which will be used in the construction of the new building. The event also showcased student projects, and seniors were given a small bottle of dirt from the site as a memento of the occasion. 

“The building will not be traditional. Our project-based learning sets our school apart,” said Energy Institute student Andrew Farias, who helped design the building as a member of the school’s Project Advisory Team. “Our new building will serve as a model for future programs, and I can’t wait to see future students break new ground in this innovative space.” 

Designed for project-based learning, the new school will be comprised of three main buildings with multi-level, flexible spaces for individual and group projects. A central courtyard with cascading stairs and trellis visible from the entryway stairs will offer additional space for socializing and learning.  

More about the Energy Institute High School project 

“It was exciting for me, when I visited the school, to see the kids engaged in project-based learning, where they can actually see how their work will apply in real life,” said Trustee Jolanda Jones, whose district includes the planned site of the new school. “I’m hopeful that this school will become a vital part of the Third Ward community, and I’m hopeful that other schools in HISD will be able to model what we’ve done here.” 

The $37 million school, which is funded with district resources unrelated to the 2012 bond, is one of nearly three dozen schools currently under construction across the district. Located at the corner of Southmore Boulevard and Tierwester Street, the school is designed to accommodate up to 800 students and has a target completion date in the third quarter of 2018. 

More information on HISD’s building programs 

“I can proudly say that we did more that just build a school building,” Energy Senior Timothy Chung said as he welcomed attendees to the event. “We built a vision and a culture for the Energy Institute High School to be proud of and to continue to carry on for many years to come.”

Wilson Montessori and Energy Institute High School will hold groundbreaking ceremonies in November to celebrate the start of construction on their new buildings.

The Wilson Montessori event will be held Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 9 a.m. at their school campus, 2100 Yupon St. The Energy Institute event will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, at 10 a.m. at the site of their new location, 3501 Southmore Blvd.

Wilson Montessori is among 40 schools being renovated or rebuilt as part of HISD’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program. The three-story, 90,000-square-foot addition will replace the temporary buildings on the school’s Montrose campus, and showcase a two-story library space designed with large exterior windows to help connect students to the outdoors. Other features include a new replacement dining area, flexible learning spaces, and a new bus loop that has a covered canopy for students.

More information on Wilson Montessori Project

Energy Institute High School, which opened in 2013 and is the first magnet school in the nation with a school-wide theme of energy, is being funded with non-bond sources. The new $37 million 110,000-square-foot-facility, to be located at the corner of Southmore and Tierwester streets, will feature a high-tech corporate design, with three main buildings and multi-level areas for work and projects. A central courtyard with cascading stairs and trellis will expand available space for socializing and learning, and will be visible from the entryway stairs.

More information on Energy Institute High School Project

HISD opened six new schools and three renovations or additions in 2016. By the end of the year, construction will be underway on nearly three dozen campuses — more than at any other time in the district’s history. Once all work is complete, HISD will boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the nation.

EdSurge: How to Turn a District's Edtech Portfolio From a Hodgepodge to an Ecosystem

How to Turn a District’s Edtech Portfolio From a Hodgepodge to an Ecosystem

By Christine Willig     Oct 29, 2016

This fall, Jillian Estrella started her fourth year as a science teacher at the Energy Institute High School in Houston. To most outsiders, Energy Institute High School might feel like a school of the future. There are Smart TVs in every classroom and interactive whiteboards and table tablets in the student media lounge. All course content, assignments, grades, shared documents and study tools are delivered digitally. They are accessible through a centralized online portal that the school district rolled out three years ago.

On the first day of school, students have laptops assigned to them, and through the district portal, they have instant access to dozens of resources and apps—from Khan Academy to Google Drive to McGraw-Hill Education. When Ms. Estrella opens her own laptop on day one, she can click into one of these apps and track what her students are doing and how they are progressing. The various digital programs interact with one another and student data flows between each one. Why? Because school leaders in Houston have focused on solving a key issue: interoperability.

Four years ago, before the Houston Independent School District (HISD) began to tackle the interoperability issue, student digital learning wouldn’t have been so simple and so seamless. For example, if Ms. Estrella wanted her classes to use a variety of different digital tools, she would have to input all the names and email addresses of her students—manually—and generate new usernames and passwords for each of the various programs. Then she would have to figure out a system to help students remember those login credentials.

In the past, “I didn’t make use of as many digital apps because I didn’t have time to input all that information,” Ms. Estrella said, recalling her first year in the classroom. The problem she faced was that the different online tools and programs that were available to her students didn’t operate together and couldn’t exchange information.

Districts often offer a long list of digital resources—usually an a la carte combination of sophisticated learning management systems and adaptive technology programs, as well as a multitude of apps and free “open” resources on the web. But if the systems don’t fit together and the programs can’t “speak” to each other, then basic information can’t be exchanged, and many processes, which should happen automatically, have to be repeated manually.

The interoperability issue is becoming more and more important as the learning experience becomes more digital. In HISD, they’ve gone a long way toward solving the problem. And Energy Institute High School is an inspiring example of how learning can be unleashed when a district’s edtech portfolio becomes less of a hodgepodge and more of an ecosystem.

The educational technology industry is a competitive landscape with well-intentioned providers believing their solutions can make the biggest difference for students. But, as an industry, we need to do what we can to make it easier for schools and districts, like HISD, to build elegant ecosystems.

An important first step toward that is to embrace interoperability standards provided by groups like IMS Global Learning Consortium that, when adopted by districts and companies, will allow digital tools to fit together like a system. L. Beatriz Arnillas, director of IT at HISD, walks through how the the district did it—namely by requiring learning management systems and digital resource providers to adhere to a single set of specifications.

If we want to unlock the full potential of each learner and empower great teachers, like Ms. Estrella, we need to work together to address the interoperability issues that districts and their schools face. Common standards, without tolls or penalties, have historically propelled innovation in many other industries—and it should be no different for education. If we can solve this challenge, we can give teachers more time to teach, offer students access to a wider range of learning tools and, ultimately, provide school districts with a new way to manage digital programs and systems in a seamless, effective manner.

To solve this will mean fewer hiccups. Less grit in the system. More time for learning.

Houston's schools adjust to an oil bust, after gearing up for a boom

Houston's schools adjust to an oil bust, after gearing up for a boom

Educators, students want to be ready for where energy goes next

By Lydia DePillis,Business reporter, Houston ChronicleJuly 9, 2016

 

In 2013, when the energy industry was booming, high school freshman Matthew Diaz knew exactly what he wanted to be: A petroleum engineer.

He enrolled in Houston's Energy Institute, a magnet high school funded in part with nearly $200,000 from the oil industry, in hopes of eventually landing a job that pays an average of $130,000 a year. Then, the oil crash hit, and the attraction faded. Diaz still plans to get an engineering degree but might take it instead to the world of finance - he's interning this summer with a Houston commodity brokerage.

"It has shifted students from being really focused on petroleum to being more generalized into engineering," said Diaz, sitting in the "BP Spot," a green room furnished with a $50,000 contribution from the international oil giant. "So if the oil market tanks all the way to zero dollars a barrel - that's not going to happen, but engineering is still key to everything."

Diaz's assessment is central to how the local education system is reconsidering an industry that doesn't seem as sure a bet as it did five years ago and rethinking how it prepares students for careers so vulnerable to boom-and-bust cycles. Rather than just cultivating a crop of recruits for big oil companies, high schools are equipping students with engineering skills that could take them into a broad range of fields, from wind energy to cyber security to financial services.

That's a safer strategy for young people, who run the risk of getting caught jobless if they graduate into a downturn, as many realized this year after finishing college degrees in petroleum engineering. And it may be more than an economic calculation: Young adults increasingly rank tech companies like Apple and Google as the most exciting potential employers, according to a survey by the National Society of High School Scholars.

That's a problem for oil and gas companies, which will need plenty of engineers in the not-too-distant future, even as they continue to work through layoffs now. And it's not just the inevitable rebound that will drive the need for talent: A wave of people who joined the industry during the boom of the early 1980s are beginning to retire.

But for this generation of prospective hires, there's an additional layer of uncertainty that may discourage bright, young minds from oil and gas.

Over the longer term, technological advances and increased automation could render many engineering positions obsolete as companies find ways to extract more oil with fewer humans, said Chad Hesters, managing director in the Houston office of the global recruiting firm Korn Ferry. He predicts artificial intelligence and increased computing power eventually will take care of a lot of tasks that required college graduates - jobs that are supposed to come back after an oil crash and pay good wages to kids who did what was expected and got a degree in petroleum engineering.

That's something that schools, parents and students haven't yet figured out how to handle.

Petroleum academies

Only a few years ago, the personnel needs of the petroleum industry seemed boundless.

The oil crash of the 1980s - not to mention rising awareness about the role of fossil fuels in climate change - turned a generation of science-minded young people away from careers in drilling and prospecting. Energy companies were having a hard time finding qualified engineers and knew the need would only grow as baby boomers advanced into their 50s and 60s.

In mid-2014, the trade group American Petroleum Institute launched a public relations campaign to change perceptions of the industry, touting job growth projections and six-figure entry-level salaries. A couple years earlier, the Independent Petroleum Association of America - which represents smaller producers - teamed up with another trade group, the Petroleum Equipment and Services Association, to sponsor four "petroleum academies" in Houston and one in Fort Worth to expose young people to careers in energy.

The IPAA said that 1,500 students are enrolled in the academies for the upcoming year but declined to disclose how much it spends on the program.

The most ambitious of academies was Houston's Energy Institute High School, which was the only one to focus exclusively on energy (the others operate as enrichment tracks within a larger traditional high school).

The school was overwhelmed with applications, with more than three kids applying for every available spot. The first classes, chosen by lottery, have enjoyed mentoring opportunities, guest speakers, and visits to corporate campuses of oil and gas company sponsors.

But within a few years, principal Lori Lambropoulos learned through surveys that students were gravitating more toward climate-friendly subjects like algae-based biofuel and super-efficient tiny houses - whether they sensed change in the economic winds or because they thought clean energy is just cool.

For Lambropoulos, the answer to changing interests and job markets was to make sure kids had a broad grounding in math, science, and engineering skills and concepts, which became the Houston Independent School District's approach for all vocational programs.

"We're still going to need engineers, maybe not in oil and gas so much," says Renee Zuelke, head of the district's career and technical education office. "The key for us is keeping it diverse. We're always looking at what's going on in our local economy and building those skills that can't go away, like good math and science."

Milby High School, in southeast Houston, got one of the city's first petroleum academies. Enrollment remained strong last year, with 145 kids participating in the program, but principal Roy de la Garza said he noticed fewer seniors headed to petroleum engineering programs in college. Also, the curriculum shifted after he changed teachers, from focusing specifically on the oil industry to emphasizing a range of engineering skills and types of energy development.

"At the end, they can make a choice," Garza says.

Some schools decided to stop preparing kids for oil and gas careers altogether. Furr High School, in East Houston, had a partnership with Houston Community College that allowed students to get associates degrees in petroleum engineering technology. But Principal Bertie Simmons said the school dropped the program because students weren't finding jobs and because she wanted to focus more on renewable technologies instead.

Need to be job-ready

High schools, of course, have a luxury: They can prepare students for a wide range of occupations, leaving them to choose later. Not so with colleges and universities, which need to focus students in specific courses of study so they'll be job-ready when they graduate. That means the schools have to decide how many to enroll in each degree program.

Starting in the early 2000s, colleges and universities accepted a tidal wave of petroleum engineering students. Nationwide, enrollment in petroleum engineering soared from about 1,300 undergraduates in 1997 to more than 11,389 in 2015, eclipsing the previous high of 11,014 in 1983, according to data maintained by Lloyd Heinze, a Texas Tech professor.

At Texas A&M, petroleum engineering enrollment tripled between 2003 and 2013. Growth was capped in 2013, only because the department couldn't hire enough teachers, said Dan Hill, head of the petroleum engineering department.

Now, another factor is limiting enrollment. The placement rate for Hill's students has declined from 100 percent of graduates finding jobs three years ago to only about two-thirds this spring. Those getting hired aren't making as much, either.

Nevertheless, Hill expects hiring to pick up within the next five years. That's the catch-22 of petroleum engineering education: The best time to start a degree may be at the bottom of an oil price cycle, when students' first instinct might be to run the other way.

Jonathan Holstein was one of those caught at the top. The A&M senior always knew he wanted to go into oil and gas. His dad is an independent driller. He liked science and math, and it seemed like a stable, lucrative career.

"We all came into the program and were pretty well guaranteed a job upon graduation," Holstein says.

But in spring 2015, the bottom fell out - and kept falling until prices hit of $26 a barrel in February, down from more than $100 in June 2014. Now, he and his classmates are preparing themselves as best they can for a harsh job market.

It's an anxiety-ridden existence. Holstein graduates in December and checks oil prices every day. He takes advantage of every networking opportunity, hoping the memory of his face will jump out at a recruiter from a stack of thousands of résumés. If it doesn't, he plans to apply to the Army's Officer Candidate School.

Adding to the uncertainty for Holstein and other petroleum engineering graduates: When companies start hiring again, it's not clear they'll be for the same kind of jobs. Eric van Oort, who heads a technology research group at the University of Texas, says robotics eventually will eliminate the need for people to physically operate drilling rigs in the field. "Those jobs are going to disappear," he said.

Engineering jobs might not disappear, but they will change, van Oort said. They'll focus more on skills needed to operate large, extremely advanced computer systems - skills in high demand across many industries that won't lay people off when oil prices turn south.

"The demand (by energy firms) for people will be very acute very soon," van Oort says. "But you have to see if students are willing to dedicate their lives to this industry rather than going to Google, Tesla, SpaceX, which are quite a bit sexier right now."

At that point, the boom-bust cycle of petroleum education may become more of a problem for the oil companies than the students they're trying to recruit.

July 9, 2016

Lydia DePillis

Business reporter, Houston Chronicle

Lydia DePillis covers the economics of everything in Texas. Previously, she was a business reporter at the Washington Post, a tech reporter at The New Republic, and a real estate reporter at the Washington City Paper. She's from Seattle. 

Houston Public Media: Houston-Area Students Compete in Energy And Offshore Exploration Competition

Jose Saravia (left) and Matthew McEwan (right) review the connections of one of the devices they used in the competition.

The University of Houston hosted a technology competition for students from local high schools, which was sponsored by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the Ocean Energy Safety Institute.

About 120 high school students participated in the first of its kind competition, which took place at UH's TDECU Stadium.

The students learned how an alternative energy called piezoelectricity can be used in offshore exploration. Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials, such as crystals, when pressure is applied to them. The students were challenged to generate and store enough energy to fly and land a remote-controlled helicopter on the football field using piezoelectricity.

Sara Garcia, a 10th grader at the Energy Institute High School, said the event could help her decide what kind of job she'd like to pursue.

"I wanna go into an engineering field, but I haven’t decided. It’s between offshore or alternative energy," Garcia explained.

Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Transfer at the University of Houston, noted there are more than 3,000 companies in Greater Houston associated with offshore technologies, in one way or another, was a plus for hosting the competition.

"That kind of density does not exist anywhere else in the world. These are people who care, this is the future workforce that is gonna come and innovate and make a difference for that industry," Krishnamoorti underlined.

Besides the Energy Institute High School, three schools that participated in the competition: Charles H. Milby High School, Westside High School and the Young Women's Preparatory Academy.

High School Offshore and Technology Stars Challenge on the Gridiron

Houston Public Media

Students at the Energy Institute in HISD collaborate on a interdisciplinary project.

Earlier this year, dozens of tenth graders scattered across the cafeteria at the Energy Institute High School near downtown Houston.

When the school bell sounded, few students budged from their seats.

“So that was the class bell and no one's changing classes because we're actually in our cohorts,” explained engineering instructor Raul Alanis.

This was one massive class that brought four groups of sophomores together. It lasted four hours and combined world history, English, chemistry and engineering into one project.

Alanis roamed the room, checking in on different groups.

“Have you started thinking about how some of this chemistry is going to connect to what you're doing to engineering?” he asked one group.

The two-year-old magnet school in the Houston Independent School District combines that engineering focus with hands-on projects and a high-tech environment. It steers away from the traditional teacher in front of the class, lecturing from the textbook.

It's the kind of school choice some educators want to see more of.

“What we liked about that school is we thought they're doing a great job, it's focused on something that's important to that community and it's based on local control,” said David Anthony. He’s the former superintendent of the Cy-Fair Independent School District and is the CEO of the advocacy group Raise Your Hand Texas.

Schools across the country recently celebrated National School Choice Week. But there are different ways to interpret that choice. Some teachers and parents think of private and parochial schools. Others point to more charter schools, which receive public tax dollars but have independent management. Then there's yet a different kind of choice: more options and innovation within the whole public school system.

Anthony said that he wants to broaden this kind of choice in public schools.

“We're educating a 21st century child and in many instances, we're using a 20th century, or even 19th century model for providing and delivering instruction and having students learn,” Anthony said.

In the Houston Independent School District, most students from kindergarten to 12th grade attend their zoned school — about 68 percent. About one-third transfer to a different campus or magnet program, according to HISD data.

Anthony believes that more districts will experiment, thanks to some new state laws. They now have the option to become so-called "districts of innovation." That gives them more freedom in how they operate.

Some districts have already started to explore that status, including El Paso and Spring Branch.

At the Energy Institute, students said that they enjoy the hands-on style.

“It's giving us real-life experiences, such as group work,” said tenth grader Alexandra Hernandez. “We have guest speakers sometimes and adjusting to different things and different people all around you — just like if you were in the real world.”

For the real world, many students at the Energy Institute have set their eyes on careers in science or engineering.

Energy Institute High School held its second community meeting in November at its current location, 1808 Sampson in Houston’s Third Ward.

The new $37 million school, which is using funding sources unrelated to the 2012 bond, will be built for 800 students on 12 acres of district-owned land along Southmore Boulevard at Tierwester. The planned 110,000-square-foot building mimics the look of a high-tech corporate environment, with three main buildings designed to incorporate multi-level areas for work and projects. A central courtyard with cascading stairs and trellis will expand available space for socializing and learning, and will be visible from the entryway stairs. The school is designed for project-based learning, with areas for collaboration and focused study.

Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2016 with a target completion in the third quarter of 2017.

The Offshore Technology Conference is likely the biggest event in Houston the week of May 2-6, 2016, and about 83 HISD students will be there. The OTC draws experts from around the world to come together to exchange ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge regarding offshore technology. Last year, more than 94,700 people attended the conference.

Students enrolled in Petroleum Academies at HISD’s Energy Institute and Westside High School are attending the OTC (see details below). The IPAA/PESA Energy Education Center has established these academies at four HISD high schools with the goal of making math and science more meaningful and relevant, as well as address the projected loss of 50 percent of engineering and geosciences professionals due to aging. Milby High School and Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy have Petroleum Academies as well.

“The students are looking forward to interacting with industry professionals from around the world,” Energy Institute STEM Coordinator René Flores said. “They are also reinforcing those crucial 21st skills necessary to become an HISD global graduate – professional behavior, team work and collaboration, and communication and presentation skills.”

Students were nominated by their teachers and administrative leadership team for their academic performance and professional behavior. Here are more details about HISD students at the OTC:

May 3: BSEE Tech Challenge Winners 

The eight Westside High School winners of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Challenge at University of Houston (see link here) have been invited to accept their award at the BSEE press conference, which takes place from 2:00–2:50 p.m. on Tues., May 3, in rooms 406-407, level 2, NRG Center. The winning students are Borham Amin, Darian Arasteh, Issam Bernawi, Nicolas Gutierrez, Francisco Llano, Daniel Lutz, Xander Ly, and Thomas Nassab. They won for their use of cutting-edge technology in designing an energy circuit, modifying a helicopter, and developing a flight plan to maximize their score.

May 4: OTC Field Trip

Fifty ninth-graders from the Energy Institute have been invited by BP to attend, and they will get a first-hand tour of the BP suite, a technology presentation, and a tour of the OTC exhibit hall featuring the latest equipment and technology in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m. at the NRG Center. In 2013-14 and 2014-15, 200 and 250 ninth-graders respectively went to OTC to hear from top energy executives and tour the conference.

May 5: Energy Education Institute

Twenty-five 10th- and 11th-graders from Energy Institute will be at OTC’s Energy Education Institute from 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. at NRG Center, courtesy of ExxonMobil. They will attend a free, one-day energy education workshop, and their teachers will receive comprehensive information about the scientific concepts of energy and its importance while discovering the world of oil and natural gas exploration and production. Student activities include a keynote speaker, tour of the world’s leading offshore oil and natural gas technology exhibitions, and hands-on classroom activities all correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills science standards. For more information, see this link.

May 5: OTC Luncheon

In a first-of-its-kind event, 10 Energy Institute 10th- and 11th-graders will make formal presentations on energy topics and ideas to OTC executives at the OTC luncheon. This is a prestigious event usually reserved only for presentations of top energy concepts from around the world that have been vetted and screened. The luncheon presentations were selected by members of the OTC Board, who visited Energy to work with students on the development of their ideas and projects.

STEM across HISD

HISD places a high priority on STEM education and has a variety of STEM programs across the district. Furr High School has a Petroleum Engineering Technology Futures Academy, and Booker T. Washington students are building a rocket and planning to go to White Sands, New Mexico, this summer to launch it, as they did last summer (see story here). Chavez High School engineering students are working with NASA to send an experiment to the International Space Station, and Austin High School is on track to become the premiere maritime high school training academy in the nation.

For a complete list of STEM schools, see www.houstonisd.org/stem. In addition to these schools, HISD has STEM pathways at the following high schools: Austin, Bellaire, Eastwood, Houston Academy for International Studies, Lamar, Madison, Sam Houston, Westbury, and Wheatley.

HISD’s Energy Institute held the last of a series of presentations given by distinguished speakers on April 30, and by the time their special guest was finished, he was as impressed by the students as they were with him.

Norman Augustine is a renowned aeronautical engineer who has served on the prestigious United States Energy Security Council, as well as chairman of the Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee, the Under Secretary of the Army, and CEO of Lockheed Martin.

“The students I met today were as motivated as any students I’ve ever seen at any school I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to a lot around the world,” said Augustine. “The idea of coupling energy to a regular high school education has a great impact in terms of inspiring the young people, because what they’re working on is real-world problems.”

During their whirlwind wrap-up of the semester, Energy Institute High School students, faculty and Principal Lori Lambropoulos also presented at the Petro-Chemical Workforce Development Conference on April 28 and 29.

Energy-focused high school receives a boost from OTC

Energy-focused high school receives a boost from OTC

Energy Institute High School is becoming a power in Houston schools and industry

By Tanya RutledgeUpdated May 2, 2015 12:27 a.m.

Jasmin Jarmon, 14, work on a project at the Energy Institute High School, 812 W. 28th St., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014, in Houston. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

When the Houston Independent School District approached Lori Lambropoulos about heading up a new energy magnet school two years ago, she had only a few months to recruit students, hire teachers and develop a curriculum that would prepare graduates for jobs in the industry.

Knowing she needed as much input as possible from energy companies in a short period, Lambropoulos hit the Offshore Technology Conference, going from booth to booth and gathering information about what skills and traits mattered most to such companies.

The information she gathered during the May 2013 conference, and from visits to other specialized schools and community input, helped form the basis of the curriculum and teaching methods for the Energy Institute High School. The school opened in August 2013 and is this year's beneficiary of the Annual OTC Dinner.

"Because we had to get the school together so quickly, that time at OTC was a critical experience," said Lambropoulos, the school's principal. "We made some pretty important decisions around creating the mission and vision for the school during that time because we had access to all the experts in one place."

The school requires students to work within one of three pathways - geosciences, energy alternatives or offshore technology. It was formed through a partnership between the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association in conjunction with HISD and was launched using a Magnet Schools Assistance program grant through the U.S. Department of Education.

The decision was made to employ cutting-edge technology and project-based learning, with students required to make regular presentations in front of teachers and peers, helping them prepare for the workforce.

"What we heard a lot of companies say is that they did need math and science talent, but what they really found lacking were skills like professional communication through writing, email, discussion boards and creating presentations," Lambropoulos said. "Many high schools have been way behind the game for decades when it comes to pen-and-paper tasks."

The high school recruited 205 ninth-grade students within a period of weeks for its first year. Last year saw 700 applicants for 200 freshman spots, and this spring, the Energy Institute High School fielded more than 1,000 applicants for 250 freshman spots for the upcoming school year. Students are chosen by lottery.

Sophomore Chance Bednorz, part of the first freshman class and now on the energy alternatives track, said he debated about transferring to the school. Although he knew he was strong in math and science, he was not experienced in collaborative learning, projects and presentations.

After a learning curve last year, he can't imagine being anywhere else, Bednorz said.

"At first, it was a bit of a challenge," said Bednorz, who plans to get bachelor's and master's degrees before going for an energy job. "But I have so much more confidence now on getting my ideas across and collaborating with others. This is my passion, and it's such a great opportunity for the future of energy leaders."

Bednorz is one of about 360 ninth- and 10th-grade students at the Energy Institute High School, which has 24 teachers, with 12 more scheduled for the next school year. Once the school is at capacity with all four grades, it will have about 800 students.

By that time, the Energy Institute High School will likely have moved into its permanent campus. Ground will be broken in September at the site of the former Lockhart Elementary School east of the Museum District.

Lambropoulos said she is not sure yet whether the proceeds from the OTC dinner will be used as part of the new campus development or used in some other capacity.

"I can't wait to start those conversations," she said. "There are lots of areas of need."

The Annual OTC Dinner has donated more than $925,000 to charitable organizations over the past four years. Past recipients include Medical Bridges, Offshore Energy Center, Engineers without Borders and the Gulf of Mexico Foundation.

May 1, 2015|Updated May 2, 2015 12:27 a.m.

Tanya Rutledge

Energy High School Participates in IPAA/PESA PetroChallenge

Industry Partnerships Benefit Magnet Schools

Forty HISD students experienced what it would be like to be a surgeon and an engineer at  Pumps and Pipes, where thousands of medicine, energy and aerospace professionals and researchers exchanged ideas and explored crossover technologies in each industry.

“The aerospace, energy and medical fields have different techniques, but they basically use the same concepts,” said Energy Institute High School sophomore Shawn Attar.

Students from Energy, Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Furr High School, Kashmere High School, Lamar High School, M.C. Williams Middle School, and South Early College High School attended the annual event Monday, Dec. 8 at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. The event is organized by ExxonMobil, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, University of Houston, and NASA.

Students were welcomed to the event by NASA astronauts aboard the international space station and explored interactive stations with cardiovascular devices and underwater robotics for students to test. They also got to wear scrubs and try their hands at using endoscopy surgery tools and 2D technology medical devices used by doctors in surgery procedures such as abdominal surgery.

“You have to keep a steady hand to perform the procedure correctly otherwise you could make a mistake that can prove fatal,” said Energy Institute tenth-grader Amber Farias.

Farias won the surgical informatics challenge by using the endoscopy tools to move foam pieces and jumping Mexican beans into a petri dish. She completed the task in five seconds compared to other students who finished in 15 to 20 seconds.

“I think it was really beneficial for the students to see different industries come together to solve one problem,” said Energy Institute magnet coordinator Jenna Moon. “What we’re trying to teach our kids is project-based learning, critical thinking and collaboration because these are skills they need to be successful in their future.”

How do you build a school so it doesn’t look like a school? And why?

The Project Advisory Team at Energy Institute High School has spent a lot of time coming up with answers as they plan and design a $37 million campus for the nation’s first school dedicated exclusively to energy studies.

“We have eradicated the use of the word classroom,” said Jim Jelliffe, of VLK Architects. “It’s not your traditional school.”

Instead, imagine a 110,000-square-foot hi-tech corporate environment, a structure you might see in Silicon Valley, with multi-level areas for work and projects. A central courtyard with cascading stairs and trellis will expand available space for socializing and learning.

“When you walk into the school, you’ll immediately see learning going on,” Jelliffe told a crowd of more than 60 people who turned out Tuesday to hear about the new school.

The community meeting was held at the Energy Institute’s temporary quarters at 1808 Sampson, in Houston’s Third Ward. The event was the first of three gatherings to update the community on the project’s progress.

Principal Lori Lambropoulos discussed the school’s novel approach to teaching through project-based learning. The goal is to develop students with a strong academic foundation in science, technology, engineering and math, and who are skilled at communicating, taking initiative and pursuing leadership opportunities.

“These skills are just as valuable as your students making A’s and B’s on their report card,” she said.

Avin Pasalar, a 10th-grader at the school, said she’s especially excited about the outdoor learning spaces. Pasalar, along with several of her fellow students, has been serving on the Project Advisory Team to ensure student opinions are incorporated into the design of the new building.

The innovative architecture, she said, will have a positive impact on students. “The more inspiring the place, the better ideas we get,” she said.

The new school will be built for 800 students on 12 acres along Southmore Boulevard at Tierwester, on land previously used by Lockhart Elementary.

Richard Tesson, a parent, said he’s thrilled with the new location and the preliminary designs. His daughter, Alexandra, has been thriving in the school’s project-based environment. “It’s just a natural fit,” he said.

Five girls from HISD’s Energy Institute High School got to speak with a best-selling author, learn from female leaders in the energy industry, and network with other industry professionals on Feb. 11, 2014, after becoming the first students ever to participate in Baker Hughes’ annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit.

Students Kaleigh Davis, Amber Farias, Giselle Guevara, Nancy Mastache, and Rose Moreno were selected to attend the event after some of their classmates made a very favorable impression on company representatives during a facility tour that took place last summer in The Woodlands.

“The organization was so impressed with the way our students represented themselves and the school that they decided to invite a few students to attend for the first time ever,” explained Energy Institute Dean of Students Noelle MacGregor.

The invitation was limited to female students, since the summit was coordinated by the North American Women’s Resource Group (an organization within Baker Hughes), and women are still under-represented in many STEM-based industries.

While at the summit, the students heard from former U.S. Marine Captain and best-selling author Courtney Lynch and received autographed copies of her book, “Leading From the Front.” They also attended a breakout session on the subject of the power of language, and Davis was commended by its moderator for having the courage to ask a question when many of the company’s own employees were too shy to do so.

“I loved hearing the professionals talk about how they enjoyed working for Baker Hughes,” said Davis. “I can’t believe I met and shook hands with Courtney Lynch. What an unbelievable experience!”

HISD Energy Institute High School

This fall, HISD is opening the first Energy Institute High School in the U.S. The school will prepare students for careers in geo-sciences, energy alternatives and offshore technology.

Texas-based VLK Architects has been selected to design the new $37 million Energy Institute High School, one of HISD’s newest and fastest-growing magnet programs.

The school, currently located on West 28th Street, will double its size next school year when it adds another freshman class of 200 students. The school will eventually accommodate 800 students in grades 9 -12. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for college and careers, particularly in the fast-growing energy industry, with an emphasis on math, science, engineering and project-based learning.

An HISD committee, in conjunction with input from teachers, students, and parents, selected VLK to design the new school in late March. The decision came after 16 firms submitted qualifications for extensive review.

All the firms were evaluated using several criteria, including experience, quality of services, and commitment to HISD’s stated goals for participation by minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs).

Three finalists were chosen to then make a presentation to the school’s Project Advisory Team, which will help plan and design the new campus. That feedback helped guide the district’s choice of VLK Architects.
The location of the new school is still being finalized. Until the new building is complete, the campus will be temporarily housed at 1808 Sampson Street.

“We’re very excited to be working with VLK to create a 21st century school that will innovatively connect the secondary classroom to the world of work, higher education, and current technology,” said Principal Lori Lambropoulos. “We are committed to pioneering and updating educational experiences through our collaboration with VLK and our school community to create new learning environments.”

VLK was also selected by the district to design the new Condit Elementary School, under the 2012 bond program.

As part of its contract to design the Energy Institute High School, VLK has committed to contracting no less than 28 percent of its work to M/WBE consultants.

HISD Wins $12 Million for Magnet Schools

Six HISD schools have been awarded a combined $12 million in federal grant funds for new magnet programs that emphasize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction.

“This is fantastic news for HISD students, and for local taxpayers,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “We have heard loud and clear from the business community that demand for graduates with a strong foundation of science, technology, engineering and math has never been higher, and that this demand will continue to grow. In addition to strong neighborhood schools, new magnet programs like these make HISD even more competitive as parents and students explore all of the great school choices available to them in our city.”

Magnet School Assistance Program grants, administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement, provide funding to districts for up to three years. The awards help school districts bring diverse groups of children together through the use of innovative educational programs, creating more school choices for parents.

“Magnet schools help increase public school options for parents and students in communities across the country,” U.S. Education Secretary Duncan said in a written statement. “These grants will help students gain access to challenging curricula that will help prepare them for college and 21st century careers.”

All six new STEM magnets were designed with themes aligned with local and global industry demands. The magnets are whole-school programs, meaning every student in these schools will benefit from an instructional approach that emphasizes a challenging STEM curriculum. They offer field-based learning experiences, STEM expert lectures and demonstrations, robotics programs at the middle school level, work-based learning for high school students, distance learning, and dual credit coursework through local college partners. Former magnet programs at the schools included in the grant had struggled to draw students.

Two of the six new STEM magnet programs are at middle schools. They are:

• The Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan
• M.C. Williams Middle School (Engineering Academy)

The remaining four STEM magnet programs are at the following high schools:

• Furr High School (The Green School)
• Kashmere High School (Chemical and Process Technology Institute)
• The Energy Institute High School
• South Early College High School (Advanced Technology Institute)

Magnet applications for the 2014–2015 school year will be accepted beginning Nov. 4, and must be submitted no later than Dec. 20, in order to be among the first considered for acceptance.

Energy Institute HS Ribbon Cutting

Members of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and the Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association (PESA) gathered with Houston energy executives and HISD officials on Wednesday, August 14, 2013, to mark the opening of the new Energy Institute High School, the first of its kind in the nation. The revolutionary partnership between local industry leaders and HISD staff will ensure that students receive the skills necessary to compete in today’s 21st-century workforce. “The energy industry is front and center here in Houston,” said Sara Ortwein, president of ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, “so it’s not only visionary but appropriate that our city, the energy capital of the world, be home to the nation’s first school dedicated to the study of energy.”

To kick off the grand opening, Energy Institute High School hosted its first Advisory Board meeting at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. The board, which consists of executives from Halliburton, Shell, Apache, and other top energy companies, is charged with providing HISD and Energy Institute staff insight into the field and how to prepare for energy careers. They will collaborate with the district to develop and continually update the institute’s curriculum.

“We know that building a strong future for both Houston and the energy industry depends on developing the skills, talents, and, most importantly, the passions of our young people,” said Ortwein, who is also an Advisory Board member.

During the meeting, HISD Superintendent Terry B. Grier was recognized for his continued dedication to integrating the energy industry into HISD schools. “We are excited and thrilled about where we are going with this new high school,” said Dr. Grier. “We’ve got a fantastic principal, strong leadership, and great advisors. We want to develop this into the country’s finest high school.”

Students at the Energy Institute will explore geology, offshore technologies, energy management, oil and natural gas production, energy alternatives, and much more. HISD has expanded its existing partnership with the IPAA and PESA to enhance the school’s instruction with the goal of preparing all Energy Institute students for college and/or energy-industry careers right after graduation.

“I can’t tell you what an honor it is to be here,” said IPAA President Barry Russell. “We are looking forward to transferring some of the booming aspects of the energy industry to the students.”

Following the Advisory Board meeting, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Energy Institute, located at 812 W. 28th St., to celebrate the new partnership. “I foresee such good things for our students – opportunities that will change their lives – and I can’t wait to get started,” said Principal Lori Lambropoulos. “I look forward to creating a school that will make this city proud and provide our students with opportunities that are unique, original, and aligned to what industry corporations want to see in their upcoming professionals.”

Energy Institute students will explore the energy field through guest speakers, mentoring, field trips, summer camps, paid externships, and scholarships. All classrooms will utilize state-of-the-art technology, and teachers will receive training and real-world insight from industry leaders. The institute will begin with ninth-graders and add a grade level each year, eventually serving grades 9-12.