Jenny Casares has been teaching reinforced science curriculum to nearly 60 students – two required chemistry classes and an advanced placement biology course mainly for seniors. Photo by Mary Candee

As scientific experiments go, an ambitious one of sorts unfolding at Alamo Heights High School could be termed a resounding success.

A state-of-the art science facility built last fall – through proceeds from a $48.5 million, voter-approved bond package passed in 2005 – has given way to renewed interest in science among students. In tandem with the new Alamo Heights High School building, the district funded a new teaching position solely through a special foundation.

“The facilities themselves are really as good as any place you’ll see at a college or university,” Brown said. “It’s taken us to a whole new level.”

In designing the new 22,000-square-foot facility, Brown said school district officials consulted with Texas State University professor Dr. Sandra West, regarded as an authority on science facilities. The resulting structure boasts a dozen state-of-the art science classrooms, each with individual laboratories and chemical storage areas.

But in describing the new program, Brown said the biggest curriculum asset comes in the person of Jenny Casares, the high school’s teacher for academic excellence in science hired expressly for the new facility.

“She is conducting science enrichment for kids who are really passionate about science,” he said.

Bonds also paid for a new fine arts center at the junior high school, as well as an enlarged cafeteria and enhanced student drop-off points, a redesigned front office and foyer and revamped auditorium interior. The proceeds also financed a new high school fitness area and second gym.

But the most visible aspect to bond-funded work – arguably the coup de grace – is the new science facility, an elegant glass-encased structure visible from street level. The science milestone goes beyond mere bricks and mortar, as Casares herself will attest to.

“I can think of several students who have said ‘that’s it, that’s what I want to do,’” Casares said of some of her most science-minded students. Since August, Casares has been teaching reinforced science curriculum to nearly 60 students – two required chemistry classes and an advanced placement biology course mainly for seniors.

“The wonderful thing about this is students are actually doing hands-on experiences — running labs, performing physical therapy techniques, even suturing. It’s amazing and wonderful.”

The advanced placement class in particular has given Casares real opportunity to pique students’ interest in science. In addition to organizing course work, much of her time involves identifying science-related members of the community willing to give her students facilities tours – scientific field trips, as it were – to further spark their curiosity.

A recent outing was to the University of Texas Health Science Center’s Science Expo. Casares said she is also always on the lookout for further hands-on experience – shadowing scientists in particular – for students to learn practical knowledge of fields they might one day pursue.

“I have many of the students’ resumes on file, so they’ll be ready to go,” Casares said of some of the more serious-minded students. “I get everything from ‘I want to do endocrinology’ to ‘I want to be a chiropractor.’ I have students who are really focused, and I try to line them up.”

Still just in her 30s, Casares herself is the picture of young ambition in the pursuit of science. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science at Texas A&M University and a master’s in biology at the University of Texas-San Antonio, Casares worked in the pharmacology department at the UT Health Science Center before securing a job as a science lab coordinator at the University of the Incarnate Word.

It was at UIW where colleagues encouraged her to pursue teaching, and she spent three years at Jefferson High School before arriving at Alamo Heights High School.

“I have to say, I’ve always had a nice rapport with my students,” she said. “I love science, and it’s rewarding that I get to teach what I love every day.”

Casares is continually on the lookout for professionals willing to let her young scientists-in-the-making witness their jobs firsthand. “I think it’s important for those in the science community to show students what they do and how they got there,” Casares said.

Those interested in hosting her students can contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it