Legislators visit Quincy High School to see career pathways preparing students for the region’s energy and technology economy

On April 24, members of the Washington State House and Senate Energy Committees joined NCW Tech Alliance and a constellation of regional partners to explore the connections between energy production, innovation, and economic development in Central Washington. The Central Washington Industry and Innovation Learning Tour was supported by Chelan PUD, Douglas PUD, Grant PUD, Link Transit, Grant Transit Authority, Microsoft, Helion, the Port of Quincy, Sabey, and Quincy School District. Together, these partners opened their sites, shared expertise, and helped shape a day that highlighted both the region’s infrastructure and its people.

The tour made several notable stops across Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties. One of the most anticipated was an afternoon visit with staff and students at Quincy High School. At the request of Representative Alex Ybarra, who began his public service as a Director for the Quincy School Board, attendees spent time at the high school to understand how local students are preparing for careers in the industries that are reshaping the region.

Learning that builds confidence and connection

Principal Felicie Becker welcomed the group to Quincy High School and described the school’s commitment to giving students real opportunities to explore their interests and build skills that matter. A student panel representing the school’s Career and Technical Student Organizations spoke candidly about what these programs have meant for them. They described classrooms and labs that feel like early steps into the workforce and talked about the confidence that comes from learning by doing.

One student shared her experience raising a goat through the agricultural program. She explained that she was able to participate at no cost because of the district’s support and the facilities that make hands‑on agricultural learning possible. She described the project as a turning point that helped her build responsibility, discover new strengths, and feel more connected to her community.

Students across programs echoed a similar theme. When their interests aligned with course activities, they felt more engaged, more motivated, and more certain about their future. Several described a stronger sense of belonging and purpose because they could see how their learning connected to real careers.

Inside the CTE Learning Labs

After the panel, Career and Technical Education Director Elizabeth Avril and instructors Nick Heuker, Camille Jones, and Christopher Quintero led a tour of several CTE spaces. Legislators visited the health sciences lab, where students practice foundational clinical skills, and the construction workshop spaces, where students learn carpentry, framing, and applied building trades. These environments help students at Quincy High School blend their academic learning with technical training and gain experience with tools, equipment, and problem‑solving approaches that reflect real industry expectations.

Linking education to regional growth

Earlier in the day, legislators and guests visited Helion’s fusion energy construction site, Microsoft’s Malaga data center development, and the Douglas County PUD renewable hydrogen production facility. These stops illustrated the scale of energy and technology investment underway in Central Washington and the workforce needed to support it.

Leaders were transported across the region with LINK Transit and the Grant County Transit Authority. The travel together provided opportunity for conversation and reflections about the Quincy community's long relationship with data centers. Patrick Boss, representing the Port of Quincy, shared that data centers have been a bedrock of the local economy for twenty years and how their presence has supported visible improvements in public spaces and community infrastructure. In the context of power, innovation, and long‑term planning, his remarks positioned Quincy as a reference point for legislators as they return to shape statewide policy.

Investing in human potential

The extensive CTE programs in Quincy are an example of local innovation and alignment that strengthens the region’s most important future resource: human potential. In a moment when Central Washington is experiencing rapid growth in energy and technology, students and educators reflected on how the region can extend this resource and transmit youth energy, not only electrons.

The Quincy visit offered legislators a clear view of how the region is preparing its future workforce and why that preparation matters. Central Washington is building new energy systems, new technologies, and new opportunities, and students are already stepping into that future with curiosity and confidence. The day closed with a reminder that the region’s greatest advantage is not only its infrastructure or its innovation capacity. It is the young people who are learning, building, and imagining what comes next.