Schools

Few Options at Area Vocational Schools, Watertown to Work with Students to Find Best Solution

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Medford High School and Vocational Technical High SchoolOne of the options for Watertown students seeking a vocational education is in Medford. The options for Watertown students looking for a trade or vocational training program have shrunk recently, but local school officials will work with them to try to find a place for them at Watertown High School or in surrounding districts. The School Committee heard the report from the Vocational, Technical, and Career Education Options Ad Hoc Committee on March 27, and unanimously adopted the recommendations. The study of vocational programs in Watertown and at other schools in the area found that spots are difficult to find these days, especially for incoming ninth-graders in the fall of 2023. School Committee member David Stokes, the chair of the ad hoc committee, said that many of the schools in the area have been undergoing changes in leadership, have recent or ongoing construction projects, or both.

Schools

Vocational Committee’s Draft Recommendations Urge Students to Apply to Medford

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Medford High School and Vocational Technical High School

A committee looking at vocational education options for Watertown students recently created a set of draft recommendations, including that Watertown students apply to Medford’s vocational program and to continue to examine whether the City should join the Minuteman Vocational High School district. The Ad Hoc Career, Vocational, and Technical Education (CVTE) Committee has been meeting for months, and the chair, School Committee member David Stokes, presented the draft report to the School Committee on Dec. 5. The draft report, and the recommendations, will be discussed at the CVTE Committee meeting on Monday, Dec. 12.

Schools

Watertown Student Completes Evening Workforce Skills Course Aimed at Adults

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Minuteman High SchoolPictured here are adult students who completed the MTI Automotive Technology program in the spring of 2022: (from left) Anthony Luca of Arlington, Declan Gallagher of Watertown, Brandon Perry of Peabody, instructor William O’Neill, Andrew Caron of Bedford, Armand Pishdochian of Waltham, and Samuel Cluett of Acton. The following information was provided by Minuteman High School:

Twenty-three adult students from the Greater Boston area recently completed evening courses in automotive technology, carpentry, cosmetology, and electricity at Minuteman Technical Institute in Lexington. These students have gained critical knowledge in trades with high demand for skilled workers and that provide long-lasting, economically sustainable careers. Minuteman Technical Institute (MTI) – the adult evening division of the Minuteman Regional Technical School District – offers 10-month and 15-week career technical education programs throughout the year. The 15-week programs are tuition-free for most applicants due to support from the Massachusetts Workforce Skills Cabinet.MTI is accepting registration for tuition-free 15-week programs that begin in September: CNC Machine Operator, Carpentry Pre-Apprentice, Facilities Manager, Robotic Technician, and Welding.

Schools

Watertown Exploring Variety of Options for Vocational Education

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The group exploring vocational and technical education options for Watertown students has found a variety of possibilities, but the ad hoc committee has not come up with recommendations yet. Watertown could look to join a vocational high school district, join into an agreement with another community that has a vocational program, expand the number of offerings at WHS, or use a combination of those options, said School Committee member David Stokes, who chairs the Vocational Technical Ad Hoc Committee. “It seems like we haven’t gotten very far, but we have done a whole lot,” Stokes said. “We are farther along than a lot of people think, because we haven’t produced anything yet, but it is coming shortly.” The committee was formed after students seeking vocational or technical education programs struggled to get into Minuteman High School in Lexington.

Schools

Minuteman Student from Watertown Earns SkillsUSA Medal

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Minuteman High School vocational technical school in Lexington. The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Seven Minuteman High School students recently received gold medals at the 2022 SkillsUSA Massachusetts Awards Ceremony and will head to the national competition in Atlanta this fall. In total, 16 students from Minuteman received medals at the state competition. SkillsUSA is a national organization that strives to teach workplace, personal, and technical skills to high school and post-secondary students. Minuteman and numerous other career technical education high schools participate in the statewide competition each year. Students often present projects they have completed that demonstrate the core SkillsUSA framework, which includes workplace skills, personal skills, and technical skills that are grounded in academics.

Schools

Committee to Study Vocational Education Finalized, Will Get Help from Consultant

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The ad hoc committee that will study vocational and career education available to Watertown students will have four members of the public, and a consultant will assist members. The Vocational, Technical, and Career Education Options Ad Hoc Committee will have a total of nine members, and will meet monthly from February to June. Ultimately, it will come up with recommendations to the School Committee. The committee was formed after access to Minuteman High School was reduced for Watertown students after the vocational school opened its new campus in September 2019. Watertown is not a member district, but instead pays tuition for students to attend the school located in Lexington.

CTE

Committee Looking at Vocational, Technical Education to Include Parents & Residents

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The Watertown Public Schools will form a committee to look at the options for vocational and technical education available inside and outside the district, and the group will include parents and community members. For many years, Watertown has sent dozens of students to Minuteman High School in Lexington for vocational and technical education. Superintendent Dede Galdston said that the City is not part of the Minuteman High School District, but rather pays tuition for each resident to attend. “Watertown is a non-member, tuition-paying entity for Minuteman, which has worked for decades, but that changed with new (Minuteman) school — there are not as many students who can go to Minuteman,” Galdston said. Other vocational schools in the area, including Medford and Somerville, have vocational programs which are open to students who do not live in the district.

Minuteman High School

Finalists for Minuteman High School Superintendent Visiting Campus in January

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Minuteman High School vocational technical school in Lexington. The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Dear Minuteman Staff and Families, 

As many of you know, our current Superintendent-Director, Ed Bouquillon, plans to retire at the end of June following a successful 15-year tenure leading the District. The Minuteman School Committee launched a formal Superintendent Search Process in October. 

A Screening Committee of faculty, staff, parents, and School Committee members has recommended three finalists to the Minuteman School Committee. The finalists are scheduled to visit Minuteman on three consecutive Wednesdays – January 5, 12, and 19 – to meet with and answer questions from students, parents, faculty and staff, and advisory committee members. 

The three finalists are Dr. Amy Perreault, Assistant Superintendent for Minuteman; Dr. Kathleen Dawson, Deputy Superintendent of Orange County Schools in North Carolina; and Kevin McCaskill, Assistant Superintendent for the Office of Secondary Schools in the Boston Public Schools. The finalists were first announced at the December 14 School Committee meeting. Read the candidate’s resumes at minuteman.org/suptsearch Each of the three candidates will spend the day at Minuteman on three Wednesdays in January. During their time at Minuteman, the candidates will meet with stakeholders for questions and take tours.