Buchanan High School
CTE Engineering Design & Environmental Resources Pathways
(Energy Academy)
Engineering Design & Environmental Resources Students Become Tomorrow's Problem Solvers Today
From launching explorations to delivering safe, clean water to communities, our students find solutions to pressing problems and turn their ideas into reality. Our pathway empowers students to step into the role of an engineer or environmentalists, adopt a problem-solving mindset, and make the leap from dreamers to doers. The program’ s courses engage students in compelling, real-world challenges that help them become better collaborators and thinkers. Students take from the courses in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path they take.
Building a Strong Foundation for College and Career
Each of our pathway courses engages students in interdisciplinary activities like working with a client to design a home, programming electronic devices or robotic arms, or exploring algae as a biofuel source. These activities not only build knowledge and skills, but also empower students to develop essential skills such as problem solving, critical and creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and perseverance.
Pathway Requirements:
- Complete OSHA on-line safety Certification. (A voucher will be provided for you.) (Completed during the summer, prior to 9th grade.)
- Attendance at monthly Guest Speakers at lunch.
- Participation on Industry Tours.
- Maintain a grade of C or higher in all Core & Elective Courses.
- Complete a minimum of three elective courses including an introduction, concentration, & capstone course. (Students in our pathway take both an elective and and a core course each year. This is in place to allow students in both 9th & 10th grades to join the pathway.)
- Complete 6 hours of Job Shadowing (Occurs in 11th & 12th grades)
Engineering Design Pathway:
- Introduction to Design:
Students dig deep into the engineering design process, applying math, science, and engineering standards to hands-on projects like designing a new toy or improving an existing product. - Honors Principles of Engineering:
Students explore a broad range of engineering topics including mechanisms, strength of structure and materials, and automation, and then they apply what they know to take on challenges like designing a self-powered car. - Honors Engineering Design & Development: Students identify a real-world challenge and then research, design, and test a solution, ultimately presenting their unique solutions to a panel of engineers.
Environmental Resources Pathway:
- Chemistry/ Environmental Engineering - Water: Using Chemistry skills and concepts learned in this course, students solve environmental engineering problems related to water and its interactions with the environment. Students will use a systems-based approach to understand that all environmental systems consist of matter and will apply this knowledge to solving current and future global water issues. This course explains the basic chemistry required to understand crucial environmental interactions in order to encourage students to take a critical approach to solving complex water-related issues on a local and global scale.
- Honors Environmental Sustainability: Students investigate and design solutions in response to real-world challenges related to clean and abundant drinking water, food supply, and renewable energy.
- AP Environmental Science: AP Environmental Science provides students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.
For More Information Contact:
Denise Jameson - Environmental Resources Lead Teacher
Michelle Beakes - Engineering Design Lead Teacher