HCPSS Team Excels in Sustainability Competition

March 27th, 2013

The Sustainability Team from Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL), the centralized academy facility for the Howard County Public School System, placed second in the Howard University School of Business sustainability case competition. The team was awarded $3,000 in collegiate scholarships to be split among its members.

The Howard University competition, “The DC Schools Sustainability Project, A College Mentoring Partnership,” paired 15 DC-metro high school teams with Howard University students to create strategies for energy use reduction within their high school campuses to make them more sustainable places to work and learn.

The ARL team researched various sustainability ideas for the building that would reduce energy costs by $354,000 per year. The recommendations included using an automatic PC shutdown at night, resealing doors and windows, replacing overhead garage doors, repairing metal doors, installing ultra high-energy efficient toilets, installing light sensors and replacing the HVAC system. The team further recommended implementing an energy savings committee including a student club and increasing the current recycling program.

The ARL students involved included 11 high school seniors from across the county in five academies. Taylor Bruner, Dominique Eaton, and Edward Lee (Academy of Finance); James McQuarrie and Lucas Redman (Construction Management Academy); Nathan Rennich, Kristen Reid, and Donavan Silva (Architectural Design Academy); Michael Walker and Nisa Zaidi (Cyber Security Academy); and Zohaib Raja (Visual Communications Academy) were supported by teachers Robert Hodge, Robert Leiby, Vipul Savalia, Tina Lebaron, and Maddy Halbach.

The HCPSS Applications and Research Laboratory provides career education for students who participate in centralized Career Academies. Students acquire academic, professional and technical skills through rigorous instruction and real world experiences. Academies include Architecture, Automotive Technology, Biotechnology, Construction Management, Cyber Security Networking, Health Professions, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Finance, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Systems and Project Engineering, and Visual Communications.