Mrs. Laurie Schlaudt, the lead teacher in the Petroleum Academy at Westside High School in Houston, was selected as the 2018 IPAA/PESA Teacher of the Year.  The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding Petroleum Academy campus personnel who demonstrate excellence and a commitment to the Petroleum Academy program.

This is Mrs. Schlaudt’s fourth year at Westside High School. As a former engineer at Shell, Mrs. Schlaudt is careful in her teaching methods, ensuring that her students understand their assignments and projects. Through her ideas and efforts, the program engages students in real-world, project-based learning so that they are prepared to take on engineering tasks before graduating from Westside.  Due to her engineering career, prior to teaching at Westside, Mrs. Schlaudt has experience which allows her to see the big picture while she is working to prepare her students for their future studies and careers in engineering.