TRAVIS MANION WEEK OF SERVICE

THIS WEEK @ ENERGY
Monday
Cohort 6 - Final Presentations
After-school: Travis Manion Week of Service
Tuesday
After-school: Travis Manion Week of Service
Wednesday
Cohort 6 - Final Presentations
PTO fundraiser Chick-Fil-A Lunch
Thursday
C-STEM Mural Team meeting B-Lunch @ Room 133
After-school: 
Travis Manion Week of Service

Friday
SPIRIT DAY: Wear orange to celebrate the success of our Vex and FRC teams competing at World's last weekend!
Quantum Squad Panel Presentations
GSA Lunch Meeting
Saturday
STAAR Tutorials

By Wilbert Moore


COMING UP @ ENERGY
May 1 - 5th
Teachers' Appreciation Week
STAAR Biology, US History, Algebra I
May 1 - 19th
AP Testing
May 3rd
Class of 2018: Getting Ready for Next Year
Junior parent meeting for parents interested in supporting prom, graduation, senior activities, and fundraising. 6pm in the cafeteria.
May 25th
Last Day of School
May 26th  Senior Graduation
PTO will begin selling Chick-fil-A sandwiches and chips during lunch on Wednesdays for $5. They will go fast, make sure you stop by the table set up outside the dean's offices. 

Click icon above or visit:  www.energyinstitutepto.org for information on Teacher Appreciation Week volunteer opportunities, your newly elected PTO Board Members, how funds raised are being used to support students and teachers!
You can also buy a polo or update your membership!
BREAKING NEWS: Robotics World Championship Success
By Ms. Rachel Alexander

April 19-22, our FIRST Robotics Team (5892: Energy HEROs) competed in the FIRST World Championships Houston, alongside 400 other teams from 30 different countries around the world. Despite tough alliance matchups in the Newton sub-division, they consistently played strong offense and ended the qualification matches with very strong individual stats. As a result, they caught the eye of the top-seeded alliance in the division and were invited to join teams 118: Robonauts, 1678: Citrus Circuits, and 4188: Columbus Space Program in the division playoffs. The team of four tore up the rest of the competition, quickly earning the title of division champions after beating out the second-seeded alliance led by team 330: The Beach Bots, last year's World Champion team. As division champions, our alliance next played on Einstein Field at Minute Maid Park against the five other division champions. Following the division champion round-robin, our alliance ranked first among the all the division champions, going 4-1 and went into the Championship Finals favored. Unfortunately, our alliance racked up some significant penalties after a team member took a hard hit and became disabled in the opposite team's penalty box, losing the finals to teams 973: Greybots, 1011: CRUSH, 2928: Viking Robotics, and 5499: Bay Orangutans.  Overall, they had a spectacular season and Energy is proud of our FRC team! Go 5892!

Energy Converters
By Luis Alvarez

On Earth Day, the Energy Converters competed in the "When I Grow Up" recycling competition, created by the City of Houston's Solid Waste Management Department and Human Resources Department, where they decorated a cart with recycled material and art supplies. They used a Paw Patrol theme to appeal to children and inform them of the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling. Through this project, they brought awareness to individual ways people can reduce their eco-footprint: saving money, energy, and natural resources, while helping the environment. The Converters, formerly known as the Energy Recycling Club, have consecutively placed in the contest, winning second place in 2015, then first  place in 2016, and second place last weekend .


SENIOR ENGINEERING DESIGN SHOWCASE
By Giselle Guevara

Last Wednesday, the seniors were able to present the final product of their EDD project. These hard working seniors spent their entire year researching a problem and finding a solution. After working alongside industry experts, awesome solutions were created. Through the PLTW design process, seniors came up with different solutions to many everyday problems. To list a few, a group created an extendable control to prevent hand pains from playing video games. Another group created a suitcase with removable wheels to stop luggage damage while traveling by plane. The winning team Passive Kinetics created a kinetic harvesting device to provide an emergency source of power for hikers in the back-country. To reward their awesome work they received a Surface Tablet/Laptop. Good Job Seniors! 

VEX Competition Summary
By Thomas Polasek
Over the course of this entire school year, our the VEX Robotics team has been competing furiously. The VEX Robotics competition, which includes tens of thousands of teams spanning over thirty-two different countries, concluded recently. The robotics team from the Energy Institute (# 3574) competed at a local, state, and national levels successfully; additionally, we qualified to participate in the VEX World Championship. Last Wednesday, the team embarked on their journey to the annual championships at Louisville, Kentucky and competed for three days straight. Near the end of the competitions, everyone crowded into a packed stadium to watch the final six teams play for the title of World Champion. At the end of the competition, the students got a firsthand view of next year's competition. The kids are proud to be present at the World Championships and we are already hard at work on our next year's robots.




SENIOR AWARDS NIGHT
By Chance Bednorz
This past Wednesday, Energy Institute had its last awards night for the first graduating class. Held after the senior EDD exhibitions, the awards highlighted a plethora of students for their amazing contributions to both the school and the classroom. To
kick-start the night, the top 15% of the senior class was recognized for their hard work and outstanding academic performance. Next in line were the "firefly" awards: teacher-given, rather eccentric, trophies that highlighted various students' talents and successes during the year. Mrs. Lambropoulos capped off the firefly awards with her own award for a student she felt deserved special recognition that otherwise might have gone under the radar. Scholarship winners and seniors with internships received formal recognition for exemplifying Energy's excellence outside of the classroom. Lastly, Energy teachers nominated and voted on a top student for skill-specific awards for students that displayed mastery of the twenty-first century skills we pride ourselves on.  The night itself was full of laughs, inspiring speeches, and smiling faces that all printed another amazing memory of the Energy Institute High School into our minds.
Energy's First Prom
By Wilbert Moore
For many high school seniors, prom is a once in a lifetime event. We get dressed in our most extravagant attires, link up with our friends, dates, or special guests, and arrive at the location, ready to dance the night away in an explosion of youth. Truly, this night would be one to remember.

I walked in not really knowing what to expect. After contracts full of regulations were passed out in advance, I was wary as to whether or not things would go smoothly. It was a few minutes past eight when I arrived, and, after taking pictures for my parents and promising that my behavior would be acceptable, I entered the hall. Immediately, my doubts about the night began to fade.
The front desk made entering a simple process, and I was able to both check my name off as well as vote for Prom King and Queen at the same time. I was met with friends, old and new, crowded around the front; some waiting for food and others deciding where to go next. In no time at all, I found myself lost in all the excitement prom had to offer. Music, dancing, pictures, and food were just a fraction of all the fun I found myself enjoying, and as the end of the night came around, I found myself not wanting for it to end.
To any future seniors on the fence about attending their prom, I would recommend wholeheartedly to do so! It is not just another dance, but a celebration of achievement for your class. It is a night entirely for you to enjoy, and one that you will remember for years to come.

9th Grade Guest Speaker Series: Bee Keeper - Scott Williams

Last week, the ninth graders had the privilege of learning about beekeeping from residential bee keeper, Scott Williams. Mr. Williams is an alumni from the University of Houston and previously worked for Solvay Chemicals for more than two decades. During this Guest Speaker Series, Mr. Williams shared with students his experience about raising bees as well as the difficulty the first few years can "be". The main component of a bee's life is pollination, and due to the recent depletion of the world's bee population, this pollination factor is essential for their survival.
FLUX ARMY'S EXCURSION:
Art Museum & Metro
By Megan Camario
Last Thursday, the Flux Army cohort took a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts. On this trip, students were given the assignment to visit parts of the art museum with art from ancient civilizations and list five characteristics about them. Through this assignment, students got to learn more about the civilizations which have been covered in World History throughout the school year. Students got to see things from their textbooks up close, which made this trip a very immersive and fun experience. The trip also helped contribute to the student's current project, where they have been delegated a country to research and learn more about. Additionally, a part of the assignment was also to learn more about the art about each student's assigned country. At the end of the museum trip, students went to Hermann Park to enjoy some pizza and relax before heading back to school. Overall, the field trip was an educational and fun learning experience for the Flux Army Cohort.

Houston Public Media's Edel Howlin
Last week, Energy hosted Houston Public Media's own Edel Howlin. Ms. Howlin has been a frequent visitor to our campus in order to help Energy students compose podcasts connected to their projects. On this trip, she broke down the podcast structure for our students working on their "climate change" in Environmental Science and Engineering. Before recording, students are presenting their findings to a panel of industry professionals to ensure the feasibility of their climate change solutions. With the help and promotion from Ms. Howlin, our Energy juniors will use their find podcast products as Public Service Announcements for the city of Houston. Once again, we thank you Ms. Howlin for sharing with us your time and your expertise; we look forward to the final product!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
By Andrew Farias

This week, we are highlighting one of our Energy stars - Andrew Farias. He is the honored winner of the KPRC Channel 2/Texas Mattress Makers Scholarship 2017.

According to Andrew, "On March 26th - when I was researching local Houston scholarships - I found out about this scholarship online. I sent the link of the application to my Dean, Mrs. MacGregor, and she recommended me for the scholarship. On April 17th, I was surprised in my engineering class by KPRC Channel 2 with a $2,500 scholarship and recognized for my extracurricular involvement and leadership abilities. I intend to utilize this scholarship at Carleton College where I plan to receive a Bachelor's of Science degree in Environmental Studies.

"When it comes to applying for scholarships like the one I received, I would highly recommend to simply Google 'Houston Scholarships' and 'Texas Scholarships' for a wide variety of scholarships dedicated to students just like you. It is important to keep in mind the deadlines of applications. Download applications if they need to be printed, save website links, and put reminders in your calendar for when these scholarships are due.

It is also important to keep in mind that even if you apply for a scholarship, that does not automatically mean you are going to receive it. I would suggest applying for as many scholarships as possible before you graduate because some are limited to high school students and can even be grade level specific. Never give up applying for scholarships if you are not the recipient! There are thousands more out there waiting for you to apply to and you are bound to receive an award."

Andrew, we are so proud of your many accomplishments, and we look forward to watching you shine in college. Congratulations!

For the full segment on Andrew's scholarship: http://www.click2houston.com/community/scholarships
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
By Megan Camario and Reagan Dennis


Energy's very own Mrs. MacGregor is this week's staff spotlight! Mrs. MacGregor attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She achieved a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and two minors in Economics and Communication Management. 

Mrs. MacGregor's hobbies consist of spending time with her three children, as well as, traveling, photography, and visiting National Parks!

Mrs. MacGregor was looking to make a change in others' lives and turned to the emerging of the Energy Institute HS. "I've been in education for about 14 years. I was really looking to do something different. Something that would make a bigger impact. I wanted to find a way to help make students more prepared for the real world," says Mrs. MacGregor.

At Energy, Mrs. MacGregor is a dean; more importantly, she has been the one responsible for helping the seniors finish off strong. She became a dean because it gives her the opportunity work more with students in a different way. Ms. MacGregor says that the most rewarding part of working at Energy is working with the different type of students we have here. She thinks Energy students will be the leaders of the future. One thing Ms. MacGregor would like for students to know about her as a dean is that she always has her students' best interests in mind . She is always looking for special opportunities for students and she always wants to empower her students. Some said some of her favorite responsibilities at Energy are "deaning students, working with students on college related things, organizing events like Senior Honors Night, and working with students on finding special programs and and scholarships." Thank you, Ms. MacGregor, for everything you have done for Energy. We are truly lucky to have you.


Ms. MacGregor's Words of Wisdom:  "The hallmark of originality is rejecting the default and exploring whether a better option exists."  Adam M. Grant, Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World
SUPPORT OUR
ENERGY STUDENTS





by Chance Bednorz

One of the best events we have here at E.I.H.S. is the student awards night. For Seniors, this particular student awards celebration was a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It was full of student support, loud cheers, inside jokes, and an encouraging vibe that left a warm feeling in all of our hearts.

I went home with several of the awards myself. I am extremely grateful to be recognized for all of my hard work and contributions to the school. I am the proud recipient of the Ted Talks award, presented to skilled communicators and presenters through both writing and speaking. I was also nominated for a Tesla award, the highest honor here at Energy. This prestigious award is given to a student that is the physical embodiment of the word "outstanding". To be nominated for this award is an accomplishment in itself.

Despite the excellence of receiving awards and praise, I truly appreciated the talented students that performed in between the awards. Many of the students sang, demonstrating that E.I.H.S. students don't just make robots and solve math problems. Being one of the performers, I felt the most rewarding part of the entire night was the applause and engagement I had with the audience. My talent is spoken-word, a version of poetry that relies a lot on the delivery of the poem itself to convey the emotions and feelings of the author. I consider spoken-word as a modern-day version of storytelling, and to encapsulate an audience with words that I wrote and the way I present them elates me like no other.

The awards ceremony goes beyond waiting anxiously and hoping to hear your name blast through the cafeteria speakers. It is about bonding with your peers and expressing your pride in having such amazing people here at your school. The audience roared with applause, encouraging their friends and getting caught up in the energies in the room.

Being the final awards night we as seniors will ever see at the school, the ending of the ceremony left me with a little bit of emptiness. I am proud to say that I was an Energy Institute student for my high school career but sad to leave it all behind. I have formulated a strong connection with the students and staff here and hope to never forget these people or the memories I have made.
By Reagan Dennis

Shoutout to EVERYONE who received an award at the Senior Awards Night and to Mrs. MacGregor for organizing it.

High-five to Kai Page for being a wonderful addition to the Varsity FRC Team without whom we would not be able to function.

High-five to Diana Prieto. Diana is such a kindhearted girl. Not many people help others the way she does. She always drops whatever it may be to lend that helping hand. Especially helping students to become future interns.

This is shout out goes to to ALL of the parent volunteers who helped out with the sophomore field trip, Senior Exhibition night, Senior Awards night, and the many different activities that took place last week. We'd especially like to spotlight Giselle Guevara's family who worked so hard to make sure prom was set up perfectly. They donated their time, energy, and money to ensure the first prom was a huge success and we are very grateful for you! You are a big part of what makes Energy great!

Huge high-five to Andrew Farias for winning Energy's senior first Tesla Award.

Summer STEM Mentoring positions are available through the Children's Museum especially for Energy students! You will receive training on the different STEM activities to present to students through the month of June. Go to Discover U now for the Summer STEM Mentoring program. 

This summer, city departments are opening their doors to provide opportunities for you to earn while you learn about what it takes to serve the residents of the nation's 4th largest city. Most positions are for 32 hours per week, at $8.00 per hour. Opportunities will be available in a variety of City departments, and include: Health and Human Services, Houston Police
Department , Library Operations and Support, Houston Fire Department, Office Clerical, Public Works Engineering, Information Technology, and many more!

Start Date:        June 12 - August 3, 2017
Eligible Grade Levels: ALL SECONDARY GRADE LEVELS (Must be 16 years old)  

Youth Leadership Institute

The Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) is a four-day, overnight, college empowerment conference for Latino high school juniors. It is designed to give young leaders the practical tools they need to successfully apply to top universities, have full access to scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and set a course for academic and career success. Attendees will enhance their leadership abilities and expand their professional networks by participating in college and career workshops, live on a college campus, and interact with college students and professionals who serve as their mentors.  
Who is Eligible: High school senior in the fall of 2017-2018 academic year
3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent based on your school scale
Identify as being of Hispanic Heritage


Dogs, cats, and critters, oh my! If you love critters and kids become an animal counselor with the Houston SPCA at Camp Critter. This program is only open to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The cost is only $50, so log onto Discover u to be apart of Camp Critter.

ENERGY IS THE PROUD RECIPIENTS OF THE

2016 NATIONAL MERIT AWARDS

THE "HUB"
  












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