Minuteman School Committee Reaches out to Business Community, Alumni

At Tuesday night’s meeting, representatives from its General Advisory Board (GAB) discussed ways to improve relationships with surrounding business communities and plans to strengthen its alumni base. In the upcoming months, is looking to expand co-op and internship opportunities for students, and more importantly, change perceptions of Minuteman — inside the corridors of the school and out.

General Advisory Board Chair Scott Coppock spoke before the committee, outlining the GBA’s progress since he became chair in fall of 2009. Coppock said when he stepped in as chair, he discovered that Minuteman has cultivated relationships with other 350 industry partners through the years, but communication since waned with many of them. After a stringent review process and a mass survey sent out to all existing partners, Coppock and his GAB counterparts are working to create a network that can benefit both students and enhance the school’s image in surrounding communities.

“We asked them (the industry partners) about the effectiveness of the advisory boards and how much they felt that they were a part of the unit here at Minuteman,” Coppock said. “We now know our strengths and weaknesses and what we need to do to mobilize our advisory boards.”

The survey also shed light on which internship and co-op programs have been successful and which ones need improvement.

“We looked at each program individually so we can see which ones are outdated and not serving our students,” said Coppock. “We looked at the industries we’re currently involved with and which ones we’re not. We know what we need to grow into and grow out of so we can really serve the students better when they get out of here.”

GAB and School Committee members agreed that building a larger, stronger and more diverse alumni network will be vital in increasing student opportunity. The GAB is looking to highlight alumni achievement at upcoming school events and bring in alumni to speak with current students and their parents at the school, as well as prospective “Minuteman families.”

“We have to cultivate a greater sense of pride about what it means to be a Minuteman alumni,” Coppock said. “We need their involvement with co-ops and to let people out in the community know what the school is all about.

Many School Committee members contributed their ideas about how to improve alumni relations and suggestions of possible industry partners to bring into the fold from their respective towns. Belmont representative Jack Weis commented on the “strong nexus” already in place and Superintendent Dr. Ed Bouquillon commended the GAB for its work thus far.   

“I’ve been in business a long time, never been associated with such a capable board,” Bouquillon said.

Others chimed in with success stories about alumni who are already changing the perceptions of Minuteman out in the community.

“Some people think that if they send their kid here, he’s going to come out and just be a plumber or an electrical technician. But I know of students that have graduated and gone on to law school or are now working on computers in Silicon Valley,” said Boxboro Representative Cheryl Mahoney.

In the upcoming months, the GAB will continue to build relationships with industry partners and alumni. The School Committee and the GAB will use these networks as  “productive outreach tool” as Minuteman looks to recruit students and attract new member towns to the school.

“We need to show people that students who come out of Minuteman do have a future—and a productive and successful future at that,” Mahoney said. 

The GAB will meet again at the end of the school year to assess its progress and create new goals for the 2011-2012 term.

The Minuteman School Committee will meet again on May 10. Items on the agenda will include graduation, student handbook approval and sub-committee reports. For more information on the Minuteman Career and Technical School, its advisory boards and school committee, see the school’s website.