Marathon Petroleum recently celebrated the opening of the Texas City Independent School District (TCISD) Marathon STEM/Robotics Center, which is now ready to welcome local students. Leaders from Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery returned for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 11.
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 kick off 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.
