Story by: Nancy Bonds, GCCISD Director of Communications
Goose Creek CISD has earned national recognition as one of only six awardees across the Gulf States selected for the Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience grant, a competitive funding opportunity supported by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program (GRP) in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Environmental Literacy Program.
Pictured, from left, Leia Miller, GCCISD Director of Career & Technical Education; Dr. Randal O’Brien, GCCISD Superintendent; Dr. Michelle Peters, University of Houston Clear Lake; Cameron Jackson, GCCISD; Orjanel Lewis & Rebecca Matlock, ExxonMobil; Dr. Priscilla Sanchez, Lee College; Tracy Prothro, The Baytown Wetlands Center; Charles Johnson, Baytown Mayor; Richard Clem, GCCISD School Board Vice President; Dr. Susan Jackson, GCCISD Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction; and Ginger McKay, GCCISD Director of Federal Programs. Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman.
The district’s project, Empowering Youth for Urban Resilience: Hurricane and Stormwater Solutions in Baytown, Texas, will receive $690,000 over the next three years. Led by Project Director Ginger McKay, the initiative positions Goose Creek CISD students at the center of regional resilience efforts by giving them opportunities to investigate the environmental challenges that directly affect the Baytown community.
Through hands-on research and fieldwork, students from the STEM Academy and Maritime programs will examine local flooding and stormwater issues using NOAA storm data, geographic information systems (GIS), and real-time environmental observations. Their learning experience will be strengthened through collaboration with long-standing community partners, including Texas A&M University at Galveston, the Baytown Wetlands Center, ExxonMobil, Lee College, and the University of Houston–Clear Lake.
Over the course of the project, students will create public service announcements focused on storm preparedness, help design an interactive resilience dashboard for the community, and plan a student-led Urban Resilience Summit to showcase their findings. The grant will also provide 50 $1,000 scholarships to students who demonstrate exceptional civic engagement, leadership, and public communication skills during project events.
This work supports Goose Creek CISD’s continued commitment to integrating STEM learning with civic responsibility and environmental literacy. By engaging students in authentic problem-solving to address Baytown’s vulnerability to flooding, the project strengthens both students' career readiness and the community’s long-term resilience. The national grant is part of a broader $4 million investment supporting place-based education projects across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Goose Creek CISD extends its appreciation to the many partners whose support and collaboration helped bring this award to fruition: Mayor Charles Johnson and the City of Baytown; Tracey Prothro with the Baytown Wetlands Center; Connie Tilton of ExxonMobil; Dr. Dini Adyasari of Texas A&M University at Galveston; Dr. Priscilla Sanchez of Lee College; Dr. Michelle Peters of the University of Houston–Clear Lake; and district contributors Richard Clem, Dr. Susan Jackson, Ginger McKay, Leia Miller, and Cameron Jackson.
Goose Creek CISD celebrates this exciting milestone and looks forward to the meaningful student leadership, community partnerships, and innovative solutions that will emerge as the project unfolds.