Superintendent John Lavoie
57 River Rd, Andover,
MA 01810
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Russell Bourassa Seated as Methuen Representative on GLTS School Committee
ANDOVER — Superintendent John Lavoie is pleased to announce that Russell Bourassa is Greater Lawrence Tech’s newest Methuen School Committee member.
A GLTS alumnus and resident of Methuen since 1953, Bourassa joins the School Committee with 10 years working in vocational education and 30 in the automotive industry.
“We’re excited about the wisdom and contributions Russell will bring to the table,” Superintendent Lavoie said. “It’s always great to have an alum give back to the GLTS community and I look forward to working with him on future projects and endeavors.”
Following his graduation from GLTS, where Bourassa chose automotive technology as his area of technical study, he landed a job at a Volkswagen dealership in Methuen.
Bourassa also owned his own business, Russell’s Foreign and Domestic Auto, and later worked at Little Car Care in Lawrence.
In 2000, Bourassa began substitute teaching at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, spending time in every shop and each academic subject. At the same time, he worked to obtain his state teaching certificate in automotive technology, and from 2006-2009, taught night classes for adults.
“When I was a kid I often thought about building race cars for a living, which is why I chose a career in auto tech,” Bourassa said. “As I got older, the race car thing didn’t pan out, but I found that I really enjoyed working on cars and later teaching others the craft.”
In 2017, Bourassa, who is now retired, wanted to give back to his community and GLTS, so he decided to make a run for School Committee.
Bourassa officially stepped into the role on Jan. 1 and believes his background with vocational education will serve the committee well.
“My goal is to help GLTS and its students prosper,” Bourassa said. “I think I have the experience, both in education and in one of the school’s vocational areas of study, to help guide GLTS forward.”
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