About Jessica Sacco

Jessica Sacco is an Account Executive at John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC.

Posts by Jessica Sacco:

January 17, 2019

Greater Lowell Tech Receives Skills Capital Grant for IT and Cyber Security Programming

Jessica Sacco ⋅ Client News, School News ⋅ cyber security, governor charlie baker, Greater Lowell Tech, IT, Skills Capital grant ⋅ 0 Comments

Greater Lowell Technical High School
Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola
250 Pawtucket Boulevard,
Tyngsborough, MA 01879

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Greater Lowell Tech Receives Skills Capital Grant for IT and Cyber Security Programming

Back row, left to right: Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy, GLTHS School Committee member Curtis LeMay, of Lowell, and Gov. Charlie Baker. Front row, left to right: GLTHS Information Technology instructor Paul Pesce, Peggy Sarmento, Technology/Allied Health Cluster Chair, Lisa Martinez, Director of Technology, Enrollment & Information, Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola, GLTHS School Committee member Paul Morin, of Dracut. (Courtesy Photo)

TYNGSBOROUGH — Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola is pleased to announce that Greater Lowell Tech received a $68,503 Skills Capital Grant from Gov. Charlie Baker this afternoon to support its Information Technology/Programming and Web Development program.

Skills Capital Grants, which are administered through Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito’s office, are designed to help high schools, colleges and other educational institutions invest in the most up-to-date training equipment to give their students an advantage when they continue in their chosen field or particular area of study. The awards cover a broad range of fields, from construction and engineering to healthcare and hospitality.

During a ceremony at Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, Gov. Baker, along with Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy and Secretary of Education James Peyser recognized grant recipients.

Gov. Baker spoke of the competitiveness of the Skills Capital Grants, recognizing the schools that earned grants due to their successful programming and relationships with local employers and businesses.

“I am constantly amazed and impressed with the quality of the students and the quality of the programming that I see when I have a chance to spend some time at these schools,” Gov. Baker said.

Students in GLTHS’s Information Technology/Programming and Web Development program earn industry-recognized credentials and complete Advanced Placement Computer Science courses. GLTHS plans to partner with the Greater Lowell Workforce Board to provide training opportunities to adults through its evening school and workforce training programs.

“This Skills Capital Grant will be essential in allowing us to expand our programming to address the need for Information Technology professionals in our area,” Superintendent Mastrocola said. “Thank you to the Baker-Polito administration for recognizing this need and supporting GLTHS with our endeavor to train the next generation of cyber security professionals.”

Funding from the grant will allow Greater Lowell Tech to purchase equipment to furnish a new state-of-the-art computer lab with 18 student training stations, 20 computers and materials for networking, security and cyber operations.

“This grant will further help us prepare students for post-secondary education and careers,” said Technology/Allied Health Cluster Chair Peggy Sarmento. “Our students are excited about the program, and what they learn is directly aligned with current events surrounding cyber security.”

“With the additional resources we will receive through the Skills Capital Grant, we will continue the pathway for Department of Defense initiatives pursuant to cyber security,” added IT instructor Paul Pesce. “The career opportunities in this industry are astronomical. Every company across all industries needs protection.”

The Skills Capital Grants are awarded by Gov. Baker’s Workforce Skills Cabinet. Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito created the Workforce Skills Cabinet in 2015, bringing together the secretaries of education, labor and workforce development, and housing and economic development in order to align education, economic development and workforce policies, and to strategize around how to meet employers’ demand for skilled workers in each region of the state.

###

January 17, 2019

Pentucket to Hold Community Meeting on New Building Project

Jessica Sacco ⋅ Client News, School News ⋅ building project, community meeting, Groveland, Merrimac, Pentucket, West Newbury ⋅ 0 Comments

Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket to Hold Community Meeting on New Building Project

Representatives from Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury to Join Discussion

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew would like to invite community members to attend a public meeting next week on the proposed building project for the Pentucket Regional School District.

WHEN:

Thursday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.

WHERE:

Merrimac Town Hall, 4 School St. The meeting will take place in Sargent’s Hall, on the second floor.

WHAT:

Officials from Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury — the three towns that make up Pentucket — will meet to share information on the proposed school building for grades seven through 12.

Both the middle and high school buildings, which were designed and constructed in the 1950s, have outlived their useful lives and are in need of significant physical improvements to extend their purpose for another 50 years.

The proposed building project is expected to receive an estimated 40 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and will:

Create a middle school and high school building that will be used for the next half century.
Address the infrastructure of the high school, which cannot be replaced without repairing the entire building — a venture that would cost more than $70 million without any MSBA reimbursement.
Provide an optimal learning environment for students, including updated science labs and modern learning spaces where collaboration and technology are focal points
Replace corroding pipes in the middle and high school
Remove all hazardous materials that are currently found throughout the buildings

Next month, the district will have a more exact estimate of project costs, which are currently estimated at $155.2 million. With the MSBA’s support, Pentucket taxpayers would be responsible for $95.2 million of the project’s cost. Residents will first vote on the project at their spring town meetings, and if the measure passes, it will appear on the ballot in May.

“With representatives from all three towns present at this meeting, this is a great opportunity for residents to come find out more about the project and ask questions,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “Our goal is to ensure that every voter is fully informed on the scope of this work and what it means for our students, communities and taxpayers.”

###

January 17, 2019

GLTS Receives Skills Capital Grant for Health Careers Program

Jessica Sacco ⋅ Client News, School News ⋅ GLTS, Gov. Charlie Baker, health careers, Skills Capital grant ⋅ 0 Comments

Greater Lawrence Technical School
Superintendent John Lavoie
57 River Rd, Andover,
MA 01810

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

GLTS Receives Skills Capital Grant for Health Careers Program

GLTS received a $125,000 Skills Capital Grant from Gov. Charlie Baker this afternoon to expand its Health Careers program. Left to right: Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy, GLTS health instructor Lindsay Gangi, Superintendent John Lavoie, Elizabeth Bennett, Director of Grants, Community & Workforce Development at GLTS, Gov. Charlie Baker and Secretary of Education James Peyser at the podium. (Courtesy Photo)

LAWRENCE — Superintendent John Lavoie is pleased to announce that Greater Lawrence Tech received a $125,000 Skills Capital Grant from Gov. Charlie Baker this afternoon to expand its Health Careers program.

“I am constantly amazed and impressed with the quality of the students and the quality of the programming that I see when I have a chance to spend some time at these schools,” Gov. Baker said.

The GLTS Health Careers program incorporates certified nursing assistant students and those in medical assisting. To expand the Health Careers program, the grant funding will be used to purchase new equipment and programming, including an electric Hoyer lift, CPR feedback manikins, practice management software and electronic health record systems, a geriatric simulation suit, virtual dissection program, computer on wheels, and baby, pregnancy and mental health simulation devices.

“There continues to be a number of open positions in the healthcare industry because of a lack of skilled/qualified candidates,” Superintendent Lavoie said. “With this Skills Capital Grant, we will be able to ensure that students are trained in the latest technological advances that will set them up for post-secondary education and careers. Thank you to Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito for supporting GLTS in its mission to provide a 21st century education to students.”

January 15, 2019

AYHSC Director Earns Motivational Interviewing Certification

Jessica Sacco ⋅ City/Town News, Client News ⋅ Arlington, behavioral health, Department of Health and Human Services, Intensive Training in Motivational Interviewing ⋅ 0 Comments

Town of Arlington
Department of Health and Human Services
Christine Bongiorno, Director
27 Maple St.
Arlington, MA 02476

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Contact: Christine Bongiorno
Phone: 781-316-3170
Email: [email protected]

AYHSC Director Earns Motivational Interviewing Certification

Karen Koretsky earned a certificate in Intensive Training in Motivational Interviewing at UMASS Medical School’s Center for Integrated Primary Care. (Courtesy Photo)

ARLINGTON — Health and Human Services Director Christine Bongiorno is pleased to announce that Arlington Youth Health and Safety Coalition Director Karen Koretsky earned a certificate in Intensive Training in Motivational Interviewing at UMASS Medical School’s Center for Integrated Primary Care.

Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based approach to help support individuals who struggle integrating a health behavior change. It is a particular form of conversation that is patient-centered, collaborative and non-judgmental.

Those who complete the certification can use the powerful and effective skills acquired through the program to help individuals discover their own reasons for making a change.

“Motivational Interviewing honors the fact that most people feel ambivalent about changing a behavior and a trained practitioner can reduce that ambivalence by engaging the patient in what is known as change talk when appropriate,” Koretsky said. “This is an ideal practice to use with teens, who by nature seek autonomy. Motivational Interviewing acknowledges that individuals have to want to move toward change in order to successfully do so. My hope is that I can help youth facilitate healthy behavioral changes. ”

Koretsky’s course completion required more than 90 hours of training and included acting patient encounters, coaching feedback, labs and online courses. She hopes to use her Motivational Interviewing skills when talking to youth in the community about prevention and helping those trying to exit the cycle of risk behavior.

###

1 2 3 4 5 >»