Edited by: Israel Cobell
THIS WEEK @ ENERGY

MONDAY:
Blood Drive
Monday, February 13, 2017 from 8:30 am -11:00 am. Students that are 16 and older will be allowed to sign up. All 16 year-olds will also need signed permission slips from their parents. Please stay tuned for more information from NHS about signing up and donate if you are able!
TUESDAY:
Guest Lecture Series for Ninth Grade: Mike Marsh, two time Olympic Gold medalist, The Woods Project advisory board member, and business manager at GDF Suez. 

HCC Honors College visit at 11:00am
WEDNESDAY:
State of the School Luncheon 
THURSDAY:
Junior Achievement Guest Speaker for Cohort 5
SATURDAY:
Robotics - FTC Southeast Texas Regional Championship, San Jacinto Community College

By Wilbert Moore



COMING UP @ ENERGY
February 22:
Early Release 

Scholarship Boot-camp 12:30 - 3:30 pm Seniors are encouraged to attend to work on scholarships with Mrs. Schumacher.  Juniors are invited also.  An email with the signup will be sent this week via Naviance. 
February 23:
Cohort 6 Project Showcase 6:00-7:30 pm (check out the flyer below for more information)
February 24:
Robotics - VEX South Texas Championship, Nimitz High School
February 25:
Robotics - VEX South Texas Championship, Nimitz High School
March 13 - 17:
Spring Break
Campus Spotlights

National Honor Society Induction Ceremony
By Reagan Dennis

Last Wednesday was the 2017 Energy Chapter - National Honor Society (NHS) Induction Ceremony. The incoming group of inductees is Energy's largest number yet with approximately 40 students. The induction process into NHS requires strong qualities of leadership, scholastic achievement, service, and character. At the beginning of the ceremony, the NHS officers shared about the importance of upholding these four values as an NHS member. Afterwards, each student was congratulated by Principal Lambropoulos, signed their name, and lit their membership candle. Finally, at the end of the ceremony, the seniors of NHS received their graduation stoles.

This night was very important for me and my peers. NHS gives us the opportunity to serve our community in bigger ways, contribute more to our school, be recognized by colleges, and much more. Congratulations to all of the seniors who will graduate as members of NHS, and congratulations to all of the inductees who will continue to uphold the values of the National Honor Society.

Congratulations to Energy's Elected Student Representatives
11th Grade 10th Grade 9th Grade
Edward Bonila
Luis Alvarez
Trisha Litong
Mark Cabrera
Saige Cade
Kailey Hampton
Jacob Martinez
Gabriel Seyoum (not pictured)
CJ Kaufman
Ben Negron
Leo Wall
Claire Kehn
Eliot Salas
Sofia O'Kelly
Daija Davidson

Texas Wildlife Association Field Trip
Last week, the Texas Wildlife Association hosted a large number of Energy juniors and seniors to observe quail life in their natural habitat.  During this experience, students had to travel an hour south to the Texas wetlands to learn about sustainable living. There, students learned more about sustainability in terms of birds and bovine. Students had the opportunity to catch and inspect insects from the refuge, they learned about quail habitation, and students were able to look at falcons - and other birds - up close. Thank you Texas Wildlife association for providing the Energy Institute with this valuable experience.



HISD Student Led Technology Conference
On Saturday, February 11th, six Energy students attended the first ever HISD Student Led Technology Conference. Our students gave an amazing presentation about how technology is used at Energy and they answered this driving question, "How can project based learning effectively contribute to the deeper learning of content and technology over time?" We would like to recognize Liam Cosgrove, Adrian Fernandez, Michael Lopez, Kai Page, Matthew Diaz and Andrew Farias for all their hard work and dedication and for being selected as a Regional Winner! We would also like to recognize Isaac Sanchez, Marco Gonzalez and Danye Mitchell for supporting their team members and for providing behind the scenes support. As a regional winner, the Energy team will have the privilege of presenting to Microsoft on Thursday, February 23rd.  






Energy Robotics Team Hosts First Competition

This past Saturday, the Energy Institute robotics teams hosted their first competition in team history! The competition was a great success with 28 teams from all over the state competing all day. One of Energy's robotics teams placed second at the inaugural event! A huge thank you to Ms. Alexander, Mr. Hamilton, and Mr. Whitmer for making this event possible. A large component of robotics programs is growing sustainable teams that contribute to the greater robotics community by hosting events and mentoring younger teams. This is just the first of many ways the Energy robotics teams are reaching out to the greater Houston community and becoming a leading team in Houston and the state. All proceeds collected from the event will help the Energy Institute robotics team cover the extensive travel costs, registration fees, and materials needed for our robotics teams throughout their competition season. We are very proud of their efforts and the dedication they have shown to the team. Keep up the great work and outreach!














Dell Scholarship Semi-Finalist
 
We have three Dell Scholarship Semi-Finalist this year. Josh Jandres, James Douglass, Roger Moreno have the opportunity to receive $20,000, a free laptop, and textbook credits. The recipients will be announced at the beginning of March. Last year there were 29 Houston area recipients and 12 of them were from Genesys Works, so wish them luck!

 
New School Building Progress: 
 

STAFF SPOTLIGHT 
by Megan Camario

This week's spotlight goes to first year teacher, Ms. Palacios! Growing up in a small town near the Texas/Mexican border, Ms. Palacios noticed a lot of intelligent kids who had no idea of how to apply their skills outside of high school. She was fortunately guided in the right direction by her mother and wanted to give back to the community the same way her mother gave back to her. "I started by volunteering at Big Brothers, Big Sisters Organization as a mentor to high school students. In 2016, the opportunity arose to do more as a teacher at Energy" shares Ms. Palacios. She was attracted to Energy for its specialization in the technology, engineering, and energy industry. "For me, what makes Energy so different is how they strive to connect education with the real world," says Ms. Palacios.
At Energy, Ms. Palacios teaches the Principles of Engineering course to sophomore students in the Flux Army cohort. "I've always had a passion for technology and science. I enjoy building things, understanding how they work and why. Most of all, I love sharing that passion with others," says Ms. Palacios.
Why did she decided to teach high school students? "I felt that it was the grade level where I could make the most difference given my experience and education," answers Ms. Palacios. In fact, she has B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University, M.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Houston, and M.S. in Engineering Management from University of Texas at Austin! Ms. Palacios was motivated to succeed through the inspiration of her mother and father. "My mother and father are my heroes and inspirations. They were the first generation in their family to attend college. My father worked his way from picking crops in the field as a migrant worker to being an FBI agent. My mother was self-motivated to gain three college degrees despite growing up poverty," reveals Ms. Palacios. Energy thanks you for all your hard work and for being an overall amazing teacher!
Ms. Palacios's Words of Wisdom: "You must do the one thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"Don't let fear get in the way of your goals for college and career. Always strive to be improving yourself.  If you can't do it alone, ask for help. There are teachers and staff here at Energy that want you to succeed and will go out of their way to help and guide you," reminds Ms. Palacios.
SUPPORT OUR
ENERGY STUDENTS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
by Yvette Alvarran
Jesus Ramirez, most known as Jesse by teachers and classmates, is this week's awesome student! He was a participant in the recent art car that was displayed at Houston Live for the Super Bowl. "I had so much fun collaborating with some upperclassmen," Jesse exclaims. Jesse proudly states that he is currently in Energy's first Robotics club in which he gladly works on the website and keeping information of the club up to date. Jesus enjoys reading, listening to music like electronic and rap, and playing video games such as Overwatch. He particularly loves non-fiction books or action books like the Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase series. "I guess you could say I love mythology," he says.
"I aspire to become a professional Video Game Designer or an Animator in a high-end company." Jesse explains that he is aware of how prestigious this aspiration is because it is a highly competitive goal. He would like to pursue a master's degree in either of the two aspirations he has. "I will have to work to the best of my ability to get there." He genuinely would love to either go to school at the University of South California or Full Sail University in Florida.
            How has Energy helped you grow? "Energy has helped me grow both as a student, and as a person. Coming into this year, I got a solid 3 hours of sleep every day, and as a result was struggling to stay awake throughout the day. My teachers have helped shape me into a hard worker that gets 8 hours of sleep a day, keep my grades at a steady level, and become involved in awesome activities such as Robotics and Art Car." Jesse has also decided to apply for several Discover U opportunities to help him on his pathway for the future. He continues to say that PBL was a great way to meet countless of friends throughout the year and make connections.       
Freshmen Advice: "The only advice I would give would to not take the opportunities you get in this school for granted. Try out everything, from clubs to exclusive field trips. Don't take anything for granted throughout your high school life."
By Chance Bednorz

Business Professionals of America, also called BPA, is one of the longest standing clubs here at Energy, formulated by Mr. Alanis during my sophomore year. The club itself is rooted in business with the goal of enhancing the skills utilized in the work force. There are contests in more than 85 categories that fall under five assessment areas, all of which cover a different aspect of the professional business world. Assessment areas range from finance to marketing and communication. BPA is a nationwide competition, with regional, state, and finally national competitions. There are both individual and team events.

Every year, I not only participated in the regional competition, but I have succeeded to the state level alongside my other team member since the club's start-up. State lasts a total of 3 days and is held in a different Texas city every year. Students spend their time volunteering, listening to guest speakers, and of course competing against their fellow counterparts in their category. The Energy BPA chapter has visited Dallas and Corpus Christi in the past two years and will return to Dallas once again this year to partake in the state competition.

Although BPA is a competition, there is a level of friendliness throughout that is unparalleled in comparison to other organizations I am a part of. All of the competitors are quick to give compliments or wish you good luck before you go to compete. Nobody is negative or nasty and we all sincerely wish the best for each other, respecting the hard work each team or individual has put into their content.

As Energy returns to state once again, I am excited to make even more memories in my last year of high school with the other 15 students that placed at regionals. If you or anyone you know has an interest in sponsoring our rather expensive trip to the state competition, please contact Mrs. Baird [email protected] or Ms. Kristick [email protected] for further details. Below are the students' names that are going to state.

Regional Winners: Jacob Garcia, Gabriel Seyoum, Gregg Kryzkowski , Shawn Attar, Christian Kelly, Andrew Farias, Timothy Chung, Chance Bednorz, Caio Carugati, Bryant Manzanares, Francisco Anaya, Abigail Parakoyi, Kaleigh Davis, Avin Pasalar, Thalinee Srichomthong, and Ana Carreon.

HSF General College Scholarships Award Amount: $5,000
Eligibility:
- Must be of Hispanic Heritage
- GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Planning on attending a 4 year University
- Complete FASFA
Deadline: March 20, 2017

The Shell Oil Company Technical Scholarship and Shell Incentive Fund Scholarship
Award Amount:  $2,500 1st year may reapply for $5,000 annually.
Eligibility:  Plan to enroll full-time in one of the following majors (geology, geophysics, physics, chemical, civil, electrical, geological, geophysical, mechanical or petroleum engineering)


Deadline: March 2
Campus Survey
By Matthew Diaz
 
Campus Community, we want to encourage all of our students to look at the different scholarship opportunities; especially our juniors and seniors. Please fill out this form so we can gauge student proactivity.

Click & comment on Campus Survey.
Join the conversation.
ENERGY IS THE PROUD RECIPIENTS OF THE

2016 NATIONAL MERIT AWARDS

THE "HUB"
  












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