Open House last week was a great success!  Students, parents, and teachers interacted through technology, worked with Vex robotics kits, and completed cohort protocols as part of their "Day in the Life" of their Energy student.

Energy students kept busy over the summer and we are excited to feature their experiences in our weekly newsletter.  This week learn about eleventh grade student Zachary Martinez' summer experience with the Student Conservation Association.

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) was a great summer activity that I would recommend to any high school student. We got to spend time outdoors and experience a hard working environment. I also got to meet a lot of friendly people and help beautify our community. Over the four week program we worked in a number of different areas around Houston; including Lake Houston where we planted small trees and installed bricks on a trail, Buffalo Bayou in which we pulled weeds and took a boat ride down the bayou. We also volunteered at Herman Park to install barbecue pits, repair a trail, and transfer  young Texas native vegetation to larger greenhouse containers. In my time spent with the SCA crew the crew leaders, team members, and partners were all outgoing and interesting people to work with as well as being very knowledgeable to help you learn about the environment, the ecosystem and its creatures. I highly recommend this program as a Fantastic Learning Opportunity!

We can't wait to see parents of our ninth grade students Thursday at 6pm for Open House.  You will have an opportunity to meet each of your child's teachers, learn about their cohort, and experience for yourself how learning is different at Energy!  

Students will bring home a copy of their schedule Thursday, in case you arrive on campus without your child's schedule you can pick one up in the cafeteria.  Representatives from Energy Boosters PTO and DiscoverU will be in the cafeteria for parents to visit with and learn more about student opportunities and ways to get involved at Energy this year. Additional parking will be available in the student parking lot located behind our faculty parking lot. We look forward to seeing you Thursday night!

Saturday was the kick-off and Boot Camp try-outs for the Energy Robotics program!  We had a phenomenal turnout of over 80 kids who will be placed on  VEX Robotics, First Tech Challenge, First Robotics and Sea Perch robotics teams.

 

The students participated in a robot build, tool safety protocols, and electronics and programming sessions.  They also watched "reveal" videos on the FRC, FTC, VEX and Sea Perch competitions and submitted their ideas for strategies. 

 

Hats off to Ms. Alexander for organizing the event and to Mr. Whitmer and Mr. Hamilton for their assistance throughout the day. As well as our mentor for the High Energy teams, Mr. Gary Eskelson who did a fantastic job with the tool shop presentation and testing.

 

Kudos to all of these students and their parents.  We are looking forward to a phenomenal year. 

Tomorrow we will have our first guest speaker of the school year.  Dr. Ty Ferre will be visiting Houston as part of The National Groundwater Association and will be presenting to employees at ExxonMobil, members of the Houston Geological Society and students at Energy!  We are very lucky to have Dr. Ferre visiting campus to speak with our eleventh grade students.  To learn more about Dr. Ferre and his lecture series visit  The Darcy Lecture Series .  Eleventh grade students, please remember to dress professionally or in your Energy school polo and khaki or dress bottoms (no jeans).  

Please consider supporting Energy Institute's NEW See Success fundraising campaign!!  This fundraiser is a great opportunity for our families to financially support programs that benefit our children and their school.  Let' s make the first year of this campaign a great one!!

 

Contributions are tax deductible, and any amount is meaningful. Please donate by November 1, 2016.

See Success donation levels are as follows:

  

Wind  ($10-14; includes membership in the PTO)

Solar  ($15-49; includes Wind incentives plus access to the           online student directory)

Geothermal  ($50-99; includes Solar incentives plus                       recognition in the Energy E-News)

Hydro  ($100-249; includes Geothermal incentives plus a               school polo)

Electric ($250+; includes Hydro incentives plus breakfast             with the principal)

Energy Institute PTO welcomes corporate matching donations. It is a great opportunity to allow your companies to support your children's education and maximize your contribution to Energy Institute. Please contact Carol Strickland at   [email protected]   for corporate matching donations.

For questions about See Success, please contact any of the following:

Jennie Biggs , PTO VP at  [email protected]

Carol Strickland , PTO Fundraising Chair at  [email protected]

Shelley Nadel , PTO President at  [email protected]

Be sure to check the newsletter each week for important information from the deans and Mrs. Schumacher regarding college fairs, testing information, and visits.  

Lunch Visits Coming Soon:

Monday, September 12th: U.S. Naval Academy

Tuesday, September 13th: University of Texas - Austin

Monday, September 19th: University of St. Thomas

Wednesday, September 21st: Application Drive #1 (more info to come)

Monday, September 26th: Pennsylvania College of Technology

This November, as the country watches the drama of election night, a group of Energy seniors will be in the midst of the action in Washington, D.C. Traveling to D.C. for a week, students will have the opportunity to:

Students depart Sunday, November 6 and return Friday, November 11. The trip is organized by Close Up, an award-winning educational travel organization with decades of experience leading school trips to Washington.  Space for this trip is limited and the deadlines are tight! Close Up can accommodate up to 20 seniors, and payments and forms must be completed quickly. Total cost is $1737.00; initial deposits of $400.00 are due September 20th, with the remainder due by October 28. Further details will be coming soon. Until then, please contact Mr. Lamb at [email protected] or visit  Close Up Election Week Program.

Did you attend a summer camp or participate in an exciting program this summer with DiscoverU?  You are invited to attend the DiscoverU Alumni Summit Saturday, October 1st at Cameron-Schlumberger.

Students will participate in workshops on networking, resume writing, and this year will include a FAFSA application session for seniors.  For more information about this year's DiscoverU FLO Summit be sure to attend an informational meeting this Friday during B lunch in the BP Spot.  All students who completed FLO's last year are invited!  See Ms. Moon for more information.