Gov. Charlie Baker

Medway Middle School Students Win Award for Designing Adaptive Children’s Toy

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Medway Public Schools
Armand Pires, Superintendent
45 Holliston St.
Medway, MA 02053

 

For Immediate Release

Friday, June 7, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Medway Middle School Students Win Award for Designing Adaptive Children’s Toy

MEDWAY –Superintendent Armand Pires is pleased to share that a group of Medway Middle School students won an award this Tuesday for an adaptive toy they designed for the annual Project Lead the Way Children’s Hospital Design Showcase.

Seventh grade students Kelsea Anderson, Lily Bariteau, Ellie Copeland, Caitlin MacNeil, Emma Reardon and Bella Vallieres were among 110 students from 16 Massachusetts schools that attended Mass STEM Hub’s second annual design showcase for Project Lead the Way on Tuesday, June 4, at the Merck Research Laboratories in Boston.

Student groups were challenged to design, test and build an adaptive toy for a child with cerebral palsy for the showcase using their knowledge of the engineering design process, critical measurement and mathematical modeling, computer-aided design and cerebral palsy. Students learned about these concepts in a Design and Modeling Project Lead the Way (PLTW) unit earlier this school year.

At the showcase, students presented their projects to doctors and patients of the cerebral palsy unit of Boston Children’s Hosptial. Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Children’s Hospital CEO Sandra Fenwick also attended the showcase and met with students in the competition.

“This showcase was such a wonderful opportunity for our students to challenge themselves,” Superintendent Pires said. “They created incredibly thoughtful, useful projects, and it’s so exciting to see them using the knowledge they gained this school year to create something meaningful.”

Anderson, Copeland, Reardon and Vallieres were awarded the Practitioners’ Pick award at the showcase, which is given to the project with the most real-world promise at the competition each year. The four students built a multi-functional fidget contraption for the competition, which they designed to support cognitive, sensory and physical therapy for children ages one through 12 with cerebral palsy. The toy features matching, spinning, listening and drawing games for patients to play independently or with an occupational therapist. These features of the toy were designed to engage the cerebral palsy patient’s imagination and senses while strengthening eye-hand coordination.

MacNeil and Bariteau partnered to build a “Toys for Kids Fruit Matcher” toy for the showcase as well, which tasks the patient with matching a soft, squishy “fruit” to a cup the same color as that fruit. MacNeil and Bariteau designed the toy to provide cognitive, physical and sensory therapy to children with cerebral palsy during occupational therapy, and to help patients stretch their finger and hand muscles.

“Project Lead the Way has done a wonderful job of engaging our students and making them excited to learn about STEM topics,” said Medway Middle School Principal Craig Juelis. “This showcase gave students an opportunity to see first-hand how the topics they’re learning about in class can be applied to help others and make an impact in the world, and that’s truly incredible. Congratulations to each of these students on a job well done.”

Project Lead The Way is an initiative of Mass STEM Hub, an organization providing access to and support for premier STEM programming. Project Lead The Way aims to make STEM part of students’ regular school day. The program offers K-12 curriculum in engineering, computer science, and biomedical science that engages students in problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.

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*Media Advisory* Gov. Charlie Baker to Address Essex Tech Graduates Tomorrow

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Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Dr. Heidi T. Riccio, Superintendent
565 Maple Street
Hathorne, MA 01937

For Immediate Release

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

*Media Advisory* Gov. Charlie Baker to Address Essex Tech Graduates

DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Gov. Charlie Baker will deliver the commencement address at Essex Tech’s graduation ceremony tomorrow.

WHEN:

Friday, June 7 at 6 p.m.

WHERE:

North Shore Agricultural & Technical School, 565 Maple St., Hathorne (Danvers) on the football field

WHAT:

Gov. Baker will deliver the keynote address during Essex Tech’s graduation, which will focus on the importance of career technical education.

“Gov. Baker has always been supportive of career technical education and we’re thrilled to have him speak to students about the value of the skills they’ve worked hard to obtain over the last four years,” Superintendent Riccio said. “Our vocational and agricultural programs are what make Essex Tech unique. Each year, students graduate with industry credentials that directly prepare them for the workforce or post secondary education.”

Members of the media who are interested in attending will have parking spots reserved. Those interested in attending are kindly asked to RSVP to Jessica Sacco at [email protected]

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Essex Tech Receives State Chapter 74 License for Post Secondary Training in Advanced Manufacturing

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Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Dr. Heidi T. Riccio, Superintendent
565 Maple Street
Hathorne, MA 01937

For Immediate Release

Friday, March 22, 2019

Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Essex Tech Receives State Chapter 74 License for Post Secondary Training in Advanced Manufacturing

Pilot Program Launched by Gov. Charlie Baker

DANVERS — Adults looking to obtain post-secondary training in Advanced Manufacturing can do so through Essex Tech, which recently became the first school in Massachusetts to receive formal approval for its Chapter 74 Post Secondary License in Advanced Manufacturing.

The license is part of a pilot program launched by Gov. Charlie Baker to help meet the market labor demand in Advanced Manufacturing.

Administered through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Chapter 74 sets the standard for vocational technical education. Essex Tech received this license for its post secondary program in Advanced Manufacturing in January, signifying it has obtained what vocational leaders refer to as the “gold standard” in Career and Technical Education for this program.

“To hold a Chapter 74 License indicates that the state has determined that a program has everything necessary to properly train students. The Chapter 74 License is meaningful because it demonstrates that you have a high quality program,” said Bonnie Carr, Director of Workforce Development and Adult Education at Essex Tech. “We know that there is a shortage of skilled workers in Advanced Manufacturing, so we’re excited to be able to offer this program to help adults secure careers in this opportune field as well as create a pipeline for employers in the Advanced Manufacturing industry.”

Students who sign up for the course though Essex Tech’s NightHawks Adult Education Program have the opportunity to complete three 300-hour sessions of training for a total of 900 hours.

Over the course of the program, students will learn basic, essential and advanced skills, including manual and CNC machining, material sciences, computer aided design, lean manufacturing, quality control, robotics and automation and advanced CNC. Students may earn industry credentials, such as OSHA, NIMS and MACWIC.

The program also includes tours of advanced manufacturing companies, career readiness training and a career fair so that students will be well equipped with the skills needed to obtain jobs at local manufacturing companies. Harmonic Drive, Bomco, Prattville Machine, Innovent, Synventive, GE Aviation and Magellan Aerospace have also partnered with Essex Tech through various avenues, including offering student tours, sitting on the school’s Advanced Manufacturing Program Advisory Committee and attending career fairs.

There are currently 20 students from Beverly, Gloucester, Everett, Lynn, Marblehead, Newburyport, Peabody, Salem, Swampscott and Revere in the program, which began this winter. Participants dedicate 20 hours a week to the work, meeting in the evenings on weekdays and all day on Saturdays. They are expected to complete the first 300 hours in mid-May.

Essex Tech also partners with MassHire, Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium, North Shore Community College and North Shore Community Action Program to help and advise students as they prepare for their future careers, future education and gain a clear understanding of industry expectations.

The second 300 hour session, Essential Skills Training, for those who have acquired basic skills, is scheduled to begin in June.

For more information visit essex-adulted.coursestorm.com.

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GLTS Receives Skills Capital Grant for Health Careers Program

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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.

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.

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.”

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.

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