Displaying items by tag: ECHS

BALLSTON SPA — The students from the Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries Early College High School (Clean Tech ECHS) in Malta recently participated in a series of regional manufacturing tours and activities with industry partners as part of National Manufacturing Month. Throughout the first week of October, juniors participated in tours across the region, including RASP Inc., located in Gansevoort, to learn about industrial controls manufacturing; Greno Industries in Schenectady to learn about the manufacturing process of machined parts including CNC precision machining; and P1 Package One Industries in Schenectady to learn about advanced manufacturing, design and engineering. The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) and the Clean Tech ECHS partnered on a manufacturing industry challenge that was presented to 11th and 12th grade students on October 3. CEG kicked off the event with a presentation about recycling and refining waste material in manufacturing and challenged students to identify solutions. Following the presentation, students investigated and developed solutions for reusing food and glass materials. Some students will continue to develop solutions as part of their Capstone Projects and will present them at the Grade Student Project Exhibition to parents, business partners and civic leaders later this semester. The Clean Tech ECHS was developed in 2011 by the Ballston Spa Central School District in partnership with Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The program continues to leverage its relationship with over 45 leaders in business and industry, the New York State Education Department (NYSED), the State University of New York (SUNY) and HVCC to provide authentic learning experiences for students. The program has grown regionally from originally serving 25 students in two school districts, to now serving over 260 students from across 19 school districts in ten counties. Students in the program earn up to 30 college credits from HVCC in this ECHS model.  Students have the option to explore one of four career pathways including Clean Energy, Computer Science & Information Systems, Mechatronics, and Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Innovation. For more information about the Clean Tech ECHS, visit the website at www.bscsd.org/ cleanTech.cfm or please contact ECHS Coordinator Adrienne Snow at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 518-321-7274.

[Photos provided]

BALLSTON SPA — The KidWind Challenge, a middle and high school student challenge is the “ultimate wind energy learning experience for students,” said the official website.

When students partake in the challenge they discover the promise and limitations of wind energy technology, design, build, and test a functional creative wind turbine, and compete with their peers in a supportive environment. Students from Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries Early College High School in Malta, team name Cool Breeze, are traveling to Chicago for nationals on May 8-10. Cool Breeze is made up of juniors from Galway School and Fort Edward School; Erik Malanoski, Lindsey Gilesky, Jacob O’Brien, and Christian Hines from Galway and Derek Lyons from Fort Edward. The team is coached by John Balet, an instructor with the Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries Early College High School Program at Ballston Spa. He facilitated the KidWind project in the classroom for the past three years within a transdisciplinary classroom of juniors with a math and English teacher. On March 17, the team qualified to participate in the KidWind Regional Competition at the GE Renewable Energy Headquarters in Schenectady. Placing second in that competition secured them an invitation to the national competition in Chicago.

“They did not simply design a turbine to produce power. Although this design was a big part of the competition, the team’s knowledge of wind energy, production, marketing, and ultimate environmental implications brought them to a qualifying position at the GE competition,” said Balet via email.

The team is attaining the funds for the trip through a variety of sources, it is not gifted to them through the school or competition.

“The engineering design process we use in this 2-week unit plays a significant role in the students’ competitive edge.  The concepts of wind energy are researched and then students apply what they learn to basic blade designs.  As the students form self-selected teams to complete the classroom KidWind challenge, the instructors do not simply provide the answers, but rather the guidance to suggest different ideas and approaches to the designs.  There is a lot of trial and error throughout the process.  This student team relayed this fact to the judges at the GE competition as they discussed their successes, the challenges they faced both with the design and with their peers as they collaborated on the project, and all that they learned from the numerous failed designs. Ultimately, the judges were impressed with the students’ knowledge of wind energy as well as their candid discussions of the real challenges they faced and how they overcame them,”  he explained.

This is the third year that the Clean Tech ECHS has had a team participate in the National KidWind Challenge.

BALLSTON SPA– On Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. the Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries Early College High School (Clean Tech ECHS) will host the first student project exhibition of the school year at the Hudson Valley Community College’s TEC-SMART.

Families, teachers, and community members are invited to come see what the students present their projects ranging from proposed activities for the Girls in STEM event, a mechanical car challenge, innovative solutions to problems identified in the environment, and marketing ideas incorporating nanotechnology. Over 275 area students in grades 9-12 (representing over 20 high schools) will attend to discuss their projects in the TEC-SMART Atrium.

For more information, contact ECHS coordinator Adrienne Snow at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 518-321-7274.