Tennessee has had a good year of energizing teachers and students this school year. Their biannual Energy Camp was held for 20 teachers during the month of July. These teachers received loads of energy information, materials and resources to take back to their classroom. During Energy Awareness Month, students participated in TEEN’s annual Bookmark and Placemat Design Contests with the themes "Energy Rocks" and "Renewable Energy: It's a Natural." In December, the regional NSTA conference was held in Nashville, and TEEN gave 500 Tennessee teachers attending special gifts with information on our program and services. We also conducted a workshop on NEED and how to participate in the program at the conference. During the months of January-March, TEEN conducted personal visits to Supervisors of Instruction in 25 counties to make them aware of our program and services.

Over 180 students and teachers attended the annual Tennessee Energy Education Awards luncheon in May. Seven schools received statewide awards of excellence. Huntingdon Primary School for the second year in a row was selected as the NEED 2006 Primary School of the Year. They were presented with the Tennessee Youth Achievement Award from the Governor's Office. West Carroll Elementary School was a finalist in the Rookie School of the Year competition. A large delegation of Tennesseans from six schools will attend the NEED Conference. This summer TEEN will host a group of 25 teachers on a three-day Bus Tour of energy related sites in Tennessee.

Sponsor: Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

TEXAS
TX NEED Project
Contact: Mary Spruill
The NEED Project
PO Box 10101
Manassas, VA 20108
TEL: (703) 257-1117
FAX: (703) 257-0037
EMAIL: info@need.org
WEB: www.need.org

NEED programs in Texas provide energy education curriculum materials and training to K-12 students and teachers. Special programs are offered through the Ocean Star Rig Museum in Galveston. Working with state and local energy associations, NEED trains lead teachers at its Energy Conferences for Educators held each summer. These educators present workshops in their school districts and at programs sponsored by the Texas Association of Science Teachers and other regional associations.
With the support of new sponsors, NEED provided workshops and materials to several new regions in 2005, especially in the greater Houston area. School districts throughout Texas have begun to adopt NEED into the curriculum across several grade levels to teach the energy component of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. New programs in Houston Independent School District, Calhoun County, and Leander Independent School District build on successful Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District programs.

Sponsors: BP; Dominion; American Petroleum Institute – Houston Chapter; Association of Drilling Engineers – Houston Chapter; Mitchell Properties; AEP; Schlumberger; Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association; Devon Energy; Hydril; Premiere; Offshore Energy Center; Chevron Texaco; GlobalSantaFe; Paragon Engineering; Kenneth and Ruth Arnold; FMC Technologies; Oil and Gas Rental Services; Saudi Aramco; OEC Society; Noble Drilling; Shell Exploration and Production; Halliburton and the Halliburton Foundation; Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and Spring Branch ISD.

VIRGIN ISLANDS
Contact: Leila Muller, Coordinator
Virgin Island Energy Office
200 Strand Street
Fredricksted, St. Croix, VI 00840
TEL: (340) 773-1080
FAX: (340) 772-0063

The Virgin Islands NEED Coordinator received training at a NEED Energy Conference for Educators and is assisting in the development of a comprehensive NEED program for schools. Training programs for teachers and students to implement NEED activities continue on St. Croix and St. Thomas with Virgin Islands Energy Office staff and director, Victor Somme, providing guidance to local educators for the implementation of NEED programs in their classrooms. Workshops and curriculum materials are provided to participating educators.

Sponsor: Virgin Islands Energy Office.

VIRGINIA
The NEED Project
PO Box 10101
Manassas, VA 20108
Tel: (703) 257-1117
Fax: (703) 257-0037
Email: info@need.org
Web: www.need.org

NEED offers workshops, curriculum materials, graduate and continuing education credits, and other services to interested schools where funding is available. Many Virginia school districts have adopted NEED materials as their core energy education curriculum. All NEED materials are correlated to the Virginia Standards of Learning for Science. New programs in 2005 will bring more schools to the Virginia NEED Network. NEED continues to be actively involved in the efforts of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers.

Sponsors: AEP; Dominion; Chesapeake Public Schools, and the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy.

WASHINGTON
Contact: Mary Spruill, Program Director
The NEED Project
PO Box 10101
Manassas, VA 20108
TEL: (703) 257-1117
FAX: (703) 257-0037
EMAIL: info@need.org
WEB: www.need.org

New NEED programs have been sponsored by BP with training provided to interested educators. NEED is working to expand its programming in Washington schools.

WEST VIRGINIA
The NEED Project
PO Box 10101
Manassas, VA 20108
TEL: (703) 257-1117
FAX: (703) 257-0037
EMAIL: info@need.org
WEB: www.need.org

With the support of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia, more than 150 schools are participating in NEED programs. Curriculum materials and training are provided to all interested educators. NEED works with NEED Lead Teachers Linda Fonner and Wayne Yonkelowitz and the West Virginia Science Teachers Association to promote NEED’s energy education programs to science educators across the state.

Sponsors: Membership of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia.

WISCONSIN
The NEED Project
PO Box 10101
Manassas, VA 20108
TEL: (703) 257-1117
FAX: (703) 257-0037
EMAIL: info@need.org
WEB: www.need.org

NEED is working to expand its programs in Wisconsin schools.

WYOMING
The NEED Project
PO Box 10101
Manassas, VA 20108
Tel: (703) 257-1117
Fax: (703) 257-0037
Email: info@need.org
Web: www.need.org

The Wyoming NEED program began with support from BP and the Xcel Energy. The first group of lead teachers from southern Wyoming trained to deliver NEED programs in their region. Local workshops are planned where teachers will be introduced to the NEED curriculum and receive all of the materials NEED has to offer.

Sponsors: Xcel Energy; BP, and U.S. Department of the Interior - Minerals Management Service.