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- Texas City Independent School District (TCISD) celebrated the opening of its new state-of-the-arts robotics center, supported by Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery.
- The ribbon-cutting event was held less than a year after the school system broke ground on the much-anticipated robotics and STEM center.
- TCISD Marathon Robotics/STEM Center is its official name, after Marathon committed a multi-year investment in the project in 2022 to help advance the district’s STEM programming.
Less than a year after crews broke ground on the much-anticipated Texas City Independent School District (TCISD) Marathon STEM/Robotics Center, the facility is now open and ready to welcome students. Leaders from Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery returned for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 11, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with school and community leaders at the event.
In 2022, Marathon committed to providing a multi-year investment in the project through TCISD’s Foundation for the Future to advance the school district’s programming in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In 2023, refinery leadership took part in the groundbreaking ceremony to kickoff construction of the state-of-the-arts robotic center.
“This is a historic day for TCISD, as well as for the thousands of students and families we proudly serve,” said Dr. Melissa Duarte, Superintendent of TCISD. “This new center will create opportunities for countless students for many years to come and we can’t thank the community and partners like Marathon enough for helping us make this day possible.”
The new facility, located behind the district’s industrial trade center is part of a larger project that includes a new La Marque High School and stadium for the fast-growing school system. TCISD serves nearly 8,000 students in La Marque and Texas City.
“We are so proud to be part of this transformational project, and watching it come together, from start to finish, has been a real joy for all of us,” said Dave Leaver, Vice President of Refining at the Galveston Bay refinery. “Even better than that is knowing the best is yet to come for the students of Texas City ISD, whose educational experiences in robotics will be further advanced within the walls of this top-notch facility.”
Marathon’s grant is helping with the purchase of robotics equipment and materials for the new facility. The school aims to advance its award-winning robotics program and provide new opportunities for even more students.