She clicked a remote. A holographic map of their project—a swarm of air-purifying drones—spun in the air. "The math works if we use Zara’s wing design as a passive solar collector. The surface area is actually perfect."
Maya, a junior from the Science magnet, wiped graphite from her fingers. Her partner, Leo, from the Global Leadership magnet, was arguing with Zara from Fine Arts. nisd magnet high schools
Just then, the door swung open. Mr. Delgado, who taught the cross-magnet capstone course, held up a tablet. "Good news. The city just approved funding for the first prototype. And..." he paused for effect, "they want all three of you to present at the school board meeting next month." She clicked a remote
"It needs to be functional ," Leo insisted, tapping the drone’s chassis. "Our proposal to the city council has to show real-world application." The surface area is actually perfect
The late-afternoon sun slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the consortium’s shared research lab. To an outsider, it looked like a standard classroom—but the cluttered whiteboards told a different story.
The three students exchanged looks. Two years ago, they’d been strangers from different sides of the district—the robotics nerd, the debate kid, the painter. Now? They were the team that could actually change their city.