Greater Lowell Tech

Greater Lowell Tech’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Themed Float wins City of Lights 2019 Mayor’s Award – Best of Parade

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

For Immediate Release

Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019

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

Greater Lowell Tech Students’ “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Themed Float wins City of Lights 2019 Mayor’s Award

Greater Lowell is Best of Parade!

LOWELL — Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola is pleased to share that the “Charlie Brown Christmas” themed float built by Greater Lowell Tech students won the Mayor’s Award for Best of Parade at the 31st Annual City of Lights Holiday Parade earlier today.

Thousands of spectators attended the parade Saturday in downtown Lowell, which featured various floats, music, marching bands and performances. 

“Students always look forward to the challenge of designing and building a float for the parade, which provides a special opportunity for them to collaborate with peers in other technical programs and showcase their hard work to the public,” Superintendent Mastrocola said. “It’s also a fun, festive project that allows students to celebrate the holidays, use their creativity and skills and contribute to a meaningful community event.”

Students and staff began planning their design for the float in early October, which depicted various scenes from the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” television special and featured “Lucy’s Snow Globe Stand” in honor of the parade’s theme: Festival of Snow Globes. The entire project was overseen by carpentry instructor Patrick Couillard.

Carpentry students at the school framed all of the wooden structures of the float, installed lighting and detailed the trim; CADD students used Peanut character illustrations to create a file for the carpentry CNC cutting machine; Painting and Design students painted the float’s structure and characters; Electrical students wired all of the lighting and generator connections; and Plumbing students threaded the rod fixture holders for the props and speaker stands on the float.

“The project required teamwork and helped me gain a better understanding of having to work with other trades on a project,” said Brady Huard, a senior, of Dracut, who helped frame the float and build the Snoopy house and snow globe stand. 

As students worked with peers from various programs on the float, they also gained a better understanding of what it is like to work with subcontractors.

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Greater Lowell Tech Welcomes Class of 2023 During Accepted Students Night

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

For Immediate Release

Friday, June 14, 2019

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

Greater Lowell Tech Welcomes Class of 2023 During Accepted Students Night

TYNGSBOROUGH — To welcome the class of 2023, Greater Lowell Tech recently held an accepted students night.

On May 22, Greater Lowell Tech welcomed several hundred students from Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell and Tyngsborough to get a firsthand look as to what the next four years of their lives will look like at the school.

“Our accepted students night is a great opportunity for the incoming class to learn more about the place where they’ll be spending the majority of their time over the next four years,” Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola said. “We’re excited to welcome this diverse group of students, who come from different towns with different interests, but with one common goal: a desire to obtain a unique set of skills that will prepare them for future education and job opportunities.”

Upon arriving, students and their parents/guardians gathered in the cafeteria, where administrators and students presented on Greater Lowell Tech’s wide range of career technical education programs and challenging academic courses.

Families were then free to walk around to visit the school store and learn more about athletics, extracurricular activities and other services available to students.

Elias Hall, of Lowell, chose to come to Greater Lowell Tech because of the real-life work experience he’ll obtain. He’s hoping to enter either the Automotive Technology or Automotive Collision and Repair programs while also making a name for himself on the football team.

Kathleen Machado, of Lowell, is excited about starting at Greater Lowell Tech and hopes to enter the Health Assisting program given her desire to help others. For her, she’s open to finding out more about all the school has to offer.

“There are a lot of opportunities here and I thought it would be very interesting to try it out and explore everything,” Machado said of her decision to attend Greater Lowell Tech.

Nichollas Frusco, of Lowell, also hopes to enter the Medical Assisting program to start working toward his goal of becoming a doctor.

“I wanted to come here because I heard the medical assisting field is good and it helps a lot of people,” he said. “I just want to help other people.”

Brendan Clawson, of Tynsgborough, came to Greater Lowell Tech with the hope to expand his coding and web design skills. He is excited about the number of career technical and academic options the school offers.

“I feel like this is a better use of your time, your fours years in high school,” he explained. “You’ll do way more in this school than you would in other schools.”

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Greater Lowell Tech Receives Grants to Support R.I.S.E. Program

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

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

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

Greater Lowell Tech Receives Grants to Support R.I.S.E. Program

Left to right: Assistant Superintendent/Principal Jill Davis, School Adjustment Counselor/R.I.S.E. Coordinator Lauren Friedman, Superintendent Joe Mastrocola, R.I.S.E. Program Clinician Felicia Lumbert and R.I.S.E. Program Teaching Assistant Allison Peluso. (Courtesy Photo Greater Lowell Tech)

TYNGSBOROUGH — Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola is pleased to announce that Greater Lowell Tech received two grants to support its Resilience in Student Effort (R.I.S.E.) program.

First implemented this year at Greater Lowell Tech, the program provides a short-term intervention to improve outcomes for students experiencing extended absences from school due to mental health conditions, medical treatment, concussions or birth/parenting leave.

To support these efforts, Greater Lowell received a $19,000 2018-2019 Health Initiatives grant from the Greater Lowell Health Alliance and most recently, a $92,000 Improving Student Access to Behavioral and Mental Health Services grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Students who access the R.I.S.E. program will receive up to eight weeks of counseling services plus on-site educational support to complete their academic and technical assignments.

“The goal of this program is to allow students the flexibility to obtain the help or services they need and then transition back to their regular schedule ready to learn and work while remaining on track for graduation,” Superintendent Mastrocola said. “We’re extremely thankful to the Greater Lowell Health Alliance and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for providing us with the needed funds to build and sustain this program. We are excited to be doing more to recognize and promote student well-being in school.”

The program wouldn’t be possible without the assistance of the Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition program at the Brookline Center for Mental Health, which has assisted more than 100 schools across the state with establishing similar programs since 2004.

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Greater Lowell Tech Student Places 3rd in Trowel Trades Competition

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

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

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

Greater Lowell Tech Student Places 3rd in Trowel Trades Competition

TYNGSBOROUGH — Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola is pleased to share that a Greater Lowell Tech senior placed 3rd in a trowel trades competition Wednesday.

Masonry students from seven career technical schools competed against each other Wednesday at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School. Organized by the Massachusetts Trowel Trades Association, the competition tests students’ abilities to complete masonry challenges in a set amount of time.

“Today is all about the camaraderie between students and having fun,” said Jay Foster, a masonry instructor at Greater Lowell Tech. “These are real world projects and students are working at the same pace they would if they were on a job site. So it’s a great opportunity for kids to practice the trade.”

Masonry, also known as trowel trades, can be seen in office buildings, homes, schools, factories and municipal buildings. The work involves block and brick laying, tile setting, concrete finishing and stone setting.

Sophomores, juniors and seniors competed individually at the event in a traditional block and brick masonry competition, where they were tasked with building a wall.

Students from all three grades also competed in teams of three in a hardscaping competition, during which they laid paving stones, designed and built a retaining wall.

In both competitions, first, second and third place winners received plaques and tools donated by school and industry partners.

Jeremy Buchoon, a Greater Lowell Tech senior, came in 3rd place in the “block and brick” masonry competition. Nine students from Greater Lowell Tech competed in the competition, and three students from the school helped during the event.

“I put in a lot of hard work and tried to get it done as best I could,” Buchoon said. “It was very fun, very competitive. I only got a second to look around–it was really fast paced.”

Other participating schools included Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, Essex Tech, Greater Lawrence Tech, Shawsheen Valley Tech, Bay Path Regional Tech and Montachusett Tech.

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