It’s not every day that a freshman in high school gets to talk one-on-one with a former astronaut and current NASA chief, but for Energy Institute High School students Chisom Anyanwu, Matthew Brack, Timothy Chung, and Avin Passalar, meeting NASA Director Ellen Ochoa was beyond comprehension.
“I just can’t believe it,” said Passalar. “I could have talked to her for hours. She had such amazing things to say about being a woman in the space industry.”
HISD principals and administrators from the 11 high schools involved in the district’s PowerUp initiative now have a better understanding of what effective digital instruction looks like, thanks to a recent trip to Mooresville, N.C. The Mooresville Graded School District has had a one-to-one program in place for six years and is partnering with HISD to offer guidance and best practices as the district prepares to distribute more than 18,000 laptops to students next month.
In mid-November, PowerUp principals along with members of HISD’s High Schools Office, the Curriculum, and Professional Support and Development departments, spent several days inside Mooresville secondary classrooms observing teaching and learning using computers and digital technology. Principal Delesa Odell Thomas from the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy found the trip was eye-opening.
Hundreds of HISD parents came out to the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy on October 3 to learn more about digital citizenship and the district’s one-to-one laptop initiative. YWCPA is one of 11 HISD schools where students will be given laptops to use at home and at school as part of the PowerUp initiative.
“I really think is a great idea,” said YWCPA parent Charlotte Goins, who attended the meeting with her teenage daughter. “Students today need certain skills to succeed in the work force, and by using computers they can develop and sharpen these skills.”
Monday marked the first day of the new school year for the Houston Independent School District, and everyone—from parents to the superintendent—expressed excitement about what that would mean for students.
Superintendent Terry Grier visited several campuses to welcome students and teachers back to class, including Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.
Baylor is one of two new secondary campuses opening this fall to offer students a highly specialized curriculum. (See related article on the other one, Energy Institute High School.)
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.”
HISD, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), and Houston energy executives will gather to officially open the district’s new Energy Institute High School at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
The school, located at 812 W. 28th Street, is the first of its kind in the nation and represents a collaborative effort between a public school district and industry leaders. The school’s vision is to focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while breaking the barriers of a traditional classroom. It will provide students with hands-on learning and externships in the fields of geoscience, alternative energy, and offshore technology.
What: HISD, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), and Houston energy executives will gather to officially open the district’s new Energy Institute High School. The school is the first of its kind in the nation and represents a collaborative effort between a public school district and industry leaders. The high school will provide students with a rigorous STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum, hands-on learning, and externships in the fields of geoscience, alternative energy, and offshore technology.
At least 80 people applied for entry into one of Houston ISD’s newest high schools, the Energy Institute High School, on Wednesday afternoon at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.
The Energy Institute High School will capitalize on Houston’s renowned energy industry, representing the fields of geoscience, alternative energy, and offshore technology. Corporate partnerships at the full magnet school will help provide a strong foundation in chemistry, engineering, science and mathematics. Students will be encouraged to see how professionals operate and are provided with numerous real-world experiences which provide an edge for future college coursework.
The first-round application screening deadline for two new magnet schools, the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan and the Energy Institute High School, has been extended to May 23.
Parents and students interested in attending The Energy Institute High School are invited to attend an open house on Thursday, May 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 West 18th Street). The new HISD magnet school is currently recruiting ninth grade students for the 2013-2014 school year. Subsequent grades will be added each year so that the campus will eventually serve students in grades 9-12.