Years 1 – 4

In Years 1 through 4 at Energy Tech, students make their way through required high school courses that all students in New York State—courses like Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry, Physics, U.S. History, and more. In their first year, students take intensive English and mathematics coursework in order to be prepared to take college courses as early as Year 2. Some of the first college courses students take include Critical Thinking, Algebra II, AutoCAD, and Introduction to Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. In Years 2 and 3, students begin to take coursework on the college campus, and are progressively more responsible for managing a rigorous course load.

In addition to high school and college coursework, students also get to know the world of work. In Year 1, this looks like field trips to labs and work sites, a range of guest speakers, and a lot of project-based learning related to energy and engineering. In Year 2, students begin to meet in small groups with industry professionals for mentoring, and in Years 3 and 4 start working in internships. By the end of Year 4, students are expected to use all of their studies and career activities to decide if they want to focus on an electrical or mechanical pathway.

Students at Energy Tech work closely with teachers and counselors throughout the first four years to plan their high school and college schedules, and are strongly encouraged to also participate in extracurricular and other academic programs. At Energy Tech, over half of our students participate in Saturday classes and clubs, and approximately 80% of students participate in summer programming.