CATALYST ‘22

The teachers and staff at Energy Institute High School are teaching the next generation of energy leaders – those who will secure, pioneer and transform the way we produce and distribute the world’s energy for the next 100 years (and the 100 after that…)

On Tuesday, October 4, the Friends of Energy Institute hosted its second annual Catalyst professional development day to ensure Energy Institute teachers have the tools and industry connections they need to help students thrive. Event sponsor, Ovintiv,  powered the learning and made the day possible. Speaker sessions and a field experience were all focused with the driving question in mind: How do we, with 10 years of experience as the first energy focused high school, revisit our purpose and infuse it into the year ahead?  Speakers included Louis Wilpitz, Paul Simon, and William Hood (Ovintiv); Ken Piddington (US Silica); Ginny Philps (GHD); Karthik Soora (Pattern Energy); and Thomas McAndrews (Enchanted Rock). The teachers were also able to visit the Centerpoint Energy Innovation Center. 

 When asked about their Catalyst experience, teachers responded positively:

·      I can see this working in my discussions of Human Environmental Interaction. I also feel more confident in teaching some lessons about energy usage and environmental impact…

·      I plan on utilizing the content from some of our guest speakers (and possibly, the speakers themselves…)

The goal of a professional development day such as Catalyst, is to reinvigorate educators, strengthen their content knowledge and develop connections that enhance the learning environment.Thanks to Ovintiv, engaging speakers and others involved, we were able to meet that goal!