A Letter from our Chairwoman

From the beginning, Energy set itself apart from any other school in the nation with the focus of “developing the next generation of energy leaders.” 

As a member of the staff during the second year of school build-out in 2014, I was privileged to learn from leading energy industry experts about the unprecedented challenges of the future. These experts, from every corner of the energy industry, all proclaimed the same thing: the energy landscape is changing and we desperately need forward thinking new leaders who will buoy us all to a brighter future. 

With this unique purpose, also came a unique approach. Energy would further set itself apart from other schools with an ambitious curriculum rooted in Project Based Learning (PBL): creating a robust, student-powered innovation incubator in the heart of Houston, Texas. If you’ve had the honor of walking the halls of Energy in non-pandemic times, you’ll know it is not unusual to find a half built robot in a corner of an English room, a mechanical timeline powered by arduinos in a history room or even a fully functioning windmill in a biology room. Wherever you turn, you are met with students who have been challenged not to accept the status quo, but to write a new one -- a better one.

In extraordinary times like these, it has become more important than ever to protect, support and foster the special opportunities Energy Institute High School provides students. We now know that survival in an unknown future will rest upon the shoulders of a new generation, uniquely poised for challenges we cannot fathom. Energy Institute was built for such a time as this: a grass-roots effort to change the winds of education for a brave, new world.

We at Friends of Energy are proud to support the programs and opportunities that excite, challenge and empower the students and teachers of Energy Institute High School. We are a small group of dedicated Houstonians who believe that we can make a difference in our community’s future through investing in education. We are committed to providing the students in our community with every opportunity to reach their full potential and we believe that when this happens, we all reach our full potential. 

It is with swelling pride that I say: we are just getting started. 

Julie Lockhart
Chairwoman of the Board
Friends of Energy Institute