Cheney Tech Home to Connecticut's Fifth E-House

Howell Cheney Technical High School opened its latest classroom last week - only, this classroom is unlike any other at the Manchester-based technical high school. 

Cheney Tech hosted a ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, to mark the opening of Connecticut's fifth E-House, which students and staff at the high school help to build on school grounds in partnership with Energize Connecticut. 

"Considered the nation's first high-school laboratories for learning 'green' construction, the E-House initiative provides a clean energy and energy efficiency curriculum for the school's architectural, carpentry, electrical and plumbing faculty and students," according to information provide by Energize Connecticut. 
“Since opening our first E-House in 2011, we have seen over 1,500 students at five different tech schools across the state participate in the initiative,” said

Connecticut Technical High School System Interim Superintendent Nivea Torres. “As a result of this experience, our students are armed with the necessary skills and knowledge to obtain internships or full-time positions, or continue their studies in a relevant field."

One such student who stained practical real-world work experience while working on the Cheney Tech E-House was David Santiago, last year's valedictorian at Cheney Tech who is now a freshman studying education at the University of Connecticut. 

“We poured many hours into building the E-House, which not only equipped us with real-world skills, but also helped create a greater sense of community here at Cheney Tech,” said Santiago. “I know the skills and work ethic I developed by working on the project will help ensure my future success, and I am proud to have been a part of something that students will be able to use and learn from for many years to come.”

Connecticut's first E-House opened at E.C. Goodwin Technical High School in New Britain in 2011. Other E-Houses exist at Oliver Wolcott Regional Vocational Technical School in Torrington, Grasso Technical High School in Groton and Platt Technical High School in Milford.