Greater Lawrence Tech

Greater Lawrence Technical School Receives $100,000 Grant to Grow Career and Technical Education Partnership Programs

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

For Immediate Release

Friday, Oct. 25, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Greater Lawrence Technical School Receives $100,000 Grant to Grow Career and Technical Education Partnership Programs

LAWRENCE — Greater Lawrence Technical School was the first in the state to offer “after dark” programs to address the growing demand for Career and Technical Education (CTE) among students, and has just been awarded $100,000 from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to expand that initiative.

GLTS launched its “after dark” CTE partnership program with Lawrence High School during the 2018-2019 school year, allowing 21 juniors to take their core academic courses at Lawrence High from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. before traveling to GLTS to study Machine Tool/Technology/Advanced Manufacturing from 2:30-5:30. This school year, those students have continued their studies through the program, and GLTS launched a second, two year program in HVAC for Lawrence High students this fall as well.

The two-year “after dark” programs at GLTS allow students in their junior and senior years to earn a certificate in Advanced Manufacturing or HVAC.

“Unfortunately, every year we receive more applications than we have space for,” Superintendent John Lavoie said. “That’s a reality that technical and vocational schools throughout our state face. These career fields are booming and have a wealth of employment opportunities, and we’re thrilled to open up our programming to more students.”

Approximately 1,000 students apply to GLTS annually, with about 400 being accepted.

As a result of the success of GLTS’s program, DESE awarded $500,000 to six schools, including GLTS, throughout the Commonwealth this October to support the development and expansion of additional CTE Partnership programs. The $100,000 grant will support the new HVAC program at GLTS as well as the second cohort of students entering the Machine Tool/Technology/Advanced Manufacturing program.

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GLTS Students Repair Vehicle for Local Nonprofit

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

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

GLTS Students Repair Vehicle for Local Nonprofit

LAWRENCE — A car repaired by Greater Lawrence Technical students last spring is making a difference, thanks to a partnership with a local nonprofit.

Last spring, Greater Lawrence Tech juniors and seniors repaired dents, replaced a door and re-painted a silver Honda sedan.The vehicle had been donated to the nonprofit organziation Second Chance Cars by a Brookline woman.

Second Chance Cars works with area nonprofits to provide cars to veterans and formerly incarcerated people in need of a personal vehicle to access job opportunities, among other quality of life needs. According to a recent report by MassINC, the majority of gateway city residents rely on personal vehicles as a result of limited public transportation and as jobs have moved outside of their cities of residence.

“Our partnership with Second Chance Cars allows our students to use their skills to help someone in our area in a way that could completely change their life, and knowing their work is having a meaningful impact on our community is incredibly rewarding for them,” Superintendent John Lavoie said. “We’re thrilled our students were able to repair this vehicle, and thankful that they had such a wonderful opportunity to take their work and make a difference for someone else.”

Since the car was repaired, Second Chance Cars began working with the Lawrence Dream Network to identify a local person in need of a motor vehicle. This month, the Honda was awarded to a Merrimack Valley woman who was previously incarcerated and is working to rebuild her life and establish herself in the job market.

“GLTS has been an amazing partner to Second Chance Cars, fixing up cars we get donated professionally and at a very low cost,” said Second Chance Cars Executive Director Dan Holin. “We literally could not afford to provide our cars to low income veterans and returning citizens if GLTS in particular, as well as other vocational schools, did not support our cause.”

Second Chance Cars provides refurbished vehicles to individuals for a $900, 12-month loan at 0% interest. This allows beneficiaries of Second Chance Cars to earn the vehicle affordably and rebuild their credit. To learn more or to donate a vehicle, visit www.secondchancecars.org/.

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Greater Lawrence Tech Receives $80,000 School Safety Grant

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

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Greater Lawrence Tech Receives $80,000 School Safety Grant

LAWRENCE — Students, staff and faculty will soon benefit from new security equipment at Greater Lawrence Tech, thanks to a grant from the Baker-Polito administration.

Greater Lawrence Tech is among fourteen regional vocational technical, agricultural and independent schools who were allocated funding, receiving $80,000 from the state. The Baker-Polito Administration awarded $7.2 million in grants to more than 140 Massachusetts schools this October in an effort to support school security initiatives.

“Security is of the utmost importance to all of us here at GLTS, and we’re incredibly thankful the Baker-Polito Administration recognized our need for this funding,” Superintendent John Lavoie said. “As new best practices, equipment, procedures and mechanisms are continually developed to bolster school security, we are always working to revise and improve upon the safety protocol and systems we have in place.”

The funding at Greater Lawrence Tech will allow the school to purchase and install electronic safety systems for all outside doors this school year, as well as an outdoor Public Address (PA) system that will facilitate communication between school officials inside the facility and people on the fields of the campus. The school will additionally install external network cameras as a result of the award.

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Greater Lawrence Technical School Hosts Forum on “After Dark” Programs

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

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Greater Lawrence Technical School Hosts Forum on “After Dark” Programs

Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffery C. Riley Speaks on Importance of Vocational Education Opportunities for Students

LAWRENCE — Administrators and educators from throughout the Commonwealth gathered at Greater Lawrence Tech Monday to learn more about a new programming initiative that’s allowing more students to access vocational education opportunities, and prepare for high-paying, in-demand careers after graduation.

The forum featured the school’s “after dark” Machine Tool Technology/Advanced Manufacturing and HVAC programs. In addition to administrators and educators, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley attended and spoke at the event, along with several members of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Last school year, GLTS launched a pilot “after dark” program through which 21 juniors from Lawrence High School had the opportunity to take their core academic courses at Lawrence High from 11 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m., and then travel to GLTS, where they took Machine Tool Technology/Advanced Manufacturing courses from 2:30-5:30 p.m.

The two-year program allows students in their junior and senior years to earn a certificate in competency in Advanced Manufacturing . This school year, Greater Lawrence Tech also launched its second, two-year “after dark” program in HVAC.

The “after dark” programs allow more students to access vocational programming, which is in high demand throughout the state. Approximately 1,000 students apply to GLTS annually, with about 400 being accepted.

“For us, as it is with many of our vocational sister schools, we have more students apply each year than we have seats for,” Superintendent John Lavoie said. “We felt we had a responsibility, particularly to inner city students, to provide the opportunity for them to learn skills in a life changing career. We have found this program is far exceeding our expectations. Students are really excited and embrace the opportunity.”

Funding for the Greater Lawrence Tech pilot programs was provided by the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. As a result of the success of the Greater Lawrence Tech program, additional grant funding has been made available by the state to support planning and pilot two-year “after dark” vocational programs at schools throughout Massachusetts, with the potential for schools to receive annual funding in the future.

“Kids report over and over being disengaged, where that does not hold true with kids in vocational schools because they can see the real world every day,” Commissioner Riley said. “More and more kids want to be in it, but we don’t necessarily have the capacity. Many students didn’t know they wanted to take vocational education or didn’t get in. What this allowed them to do is get a second bite at the apple. It worked out really well. This is a model that could be a way to open more seats across the Commonwealth.”

Essex Tech launched a similar program last school year, which allowed students from Gloucester High School to take half of their courses at Gloucester High before being transported by bus to Essex Tech to learn landscaping, masonry and carpentry skills. This school year, Essex Tech expanded that program to allow Salem and Peabody Public School students to participate in an Advanced Manufacturing program or a Construction and Craft Laborer program. Essex Tech has partnered closely with the Construction and Crafts Laborers Union Local 22 to make the Construction and Craft Laborer program a reality.

“Essex Tech is excited to expand vocational offerings to Peabody and Salem,” said Essex Tech Superintendent Heidi Riccio. “I am happy to welcome students to our campus who may have been put on a waitlist or realized later on that they wanted to develop strong technical skills that can take them into high paying careers upon completion. This program is exactly what the North Shore needs as we address the skills gap, workforce needs, and expansion efforts of vocational education.”

Students from both the Greater Lawrence Tech and Essex Tech programs shared their experiences at Monday’s forum.

“When we had a meeting last year at Lawrence High, I wasn’t really focused on what I wanted to do after high school, but when they talked about this, it was something I could do after high school,” said Rafael Paulino, a senior at Lawrence High who is taking part in the Advanced Manufacturing program at Greater Lawrence Tech. “It just hit me like a truck, and it makes me want to go into engineering.”

“This program is going to be helpful for me, it’s going to be better for my future,” said Emerson Gomez, a Salem High School junior participating in Essex Tech’s Construction and Craft Laborer program. “My parents wanted me to do it, and said it was going to be better for my family and a better experience for me.”

“I said to myself, I need to go to college, but didn’t know what I wanted to do,” said Darwin Belliard, a Lawrence High senior taking part in the Advanced Manufacturing program at Greater Lawrence Tech. “Now I have decided: I want to go to college, and I want to study mechanical engineering. This course helped me make that decision.”

The Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation was founded in 1970 by Richard and Susan Smith, and awards approximately $14 million in grants each year to support positive changes in the Greater Boston area in fields including health, education and economic mobility.

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