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Grants & Funding, Public Schools, STEM
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Marathon Oil Funds SmartLab HQ at Texas City High School

Written by Bill Laurienti

This fall, Texas City High School, in Texas City, Texas, will have a brand new SmartLab HQ thanks to the generosity of Marathon Petroleum Co. and their support of local education.

The Marathon SmartLab complements the Blocker Middle School SmartLab HQ funded by Valero Energy Corporation in 2013. Together, they provide Texas City ISD students with an opportunity to explore hands-on, project-based STEM education throughout their secondary school career.

Texas City ISD provides a national model for corporate support of local K–12 education.

The Texas City ISD Foundation for the Future works closely with local business and community leaders to support  schools. For their corporate partners, these STEM labs provide valuable publicity and help build a pipeline of future high school graduates with the skills to contribute to their organizations.

Bill Laurienti

Bill Laurienti is a Content Marketing Specialist at Creative Learning Systems. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education (English) from Colorado Mesa University and a Master of Arts in Secondary Teaching from the University of California's Rossier School of Education. Bill came to CLS after 10 years in the secondary classroom. He believes SmartLabs are important tools for engaging unengaged students and helping them access careers they might not otherwise have imagined.

Case Study

Going beyond STEM to teach essential skills

When the team at Jewell Houston Academy, a magnet school in Texas, looked for a STEM program, they wanted one that would not only engage students in STEM careers but could also teach conflict-resolution, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills.

Read about how the SmartLab HQ impacted both learners and enrollment.

View the Case Study

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