Several high school districts in San Diego and Imperial Counties are working to provide their students with practical, hands-on education in sustainability.
To help develop and strengthen clean energy career and educational pathways at high schools throughout the area, the San Diego Miramar ATTE Center has contracted with Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI) to provide support through its program, Energize Schools.
Their joint mission is to help schools invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy curriculum, engaging students in sustainability education and leadership, and their efforts have touched the lives of more than 700 students in San Diego at 11 different high schools.
Renewable Energy Content
Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher Trudy Pachon, at Mount Everest Academy, requested instructional support from the Energize Schools team to add renewable energy content to her class. Energize Schools provided on the job training to her to lead her class in constructing solar USB chargers and helped her design a renewable and non-renewable energy sources unit. Energize Schools staff also helped Ms. Pachon arrange a tour of the General Atomics Tokamak Reactor so that her students could see some of the latest advancements in energy technology.
Green Technology Engineering
At Castle Park High School in Chula Vista, Energize Schools staff worked with Construction teacher Cezar Gamez to add multiple green technology engineering units into his class next semester. Gamez received materials to add hands-on projects in wind energy, hydroelectric, and geothermal technologies in addition to a solar unit already completed by students. Over 90 students in 6 sections of classes will benefit from this green technology content. SEI staff launched the unit by leading a full-day workshop in which students worked in teams to complete the research activities in Unit 2 and 3 of the Introduction to Green Technology course, which focus on energy and electricity.
Clean Energy Career Pathways
SEI continues to engage industry to support the clean energy career pathways in the region and the growth of these and other high school programs by being members of the district and school site advisory boards. Discussions have begun to bring School(s) of Environmental Leadership to these districts to deepen clean energy and environmental career pathways in the area.
For more information about San Diego Miramar College’s partnership with SEI, contact Jonathan Kropp at jkropp@sdccd.edu.
