Minuteman Student Adam Powell Of Arlington Wins Prestigious Award

PHOTO CAPTION: Minuteman High School senior Adam Powell of Arlington. Photo by Jenna DeCampo.

By Judy Bass

LEXINGTON - Adam Powell, a student at Minuteman High School, has been chosen to receive the 2018 Walter J. Markham Award.

Following a competitive selection process, this prestigious honor is given annually to one high school senior in Massachusetts who is enrolled in an approved Chapter 74 program and has demonstrated exceptional capability. The award is jointly sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA) and the Massachusetts Vocational Association (MVA).

Mr. Powell, who resides in Arlington, is majoring in Programming and Web Development at Minuteman. He plans to attend either the Worcester Polytechnic Institute or the University of Massachusetts in Amherst to study computer science after he graduates from Minuteman on June 1, 2018.

He will be presented with the Markham Award at Graduation. Mr. Powell will get a plaque, along with $500 to either purchase materials he may need for his future profession or to pay educational costs.

In a letter to Mr. Powell informing him that he had been picked as this year’s Walter J. Markham Award honoree, Dr. Alexandre Magalhaes, chairman of the Walter J, Markham Award Committee and Superintendent-Director of Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in Taunton, wrote: “The Selection Committee is very impressed with your technical, academic and personal achievements which exemplify the ideals of the first Massachusetts Associate Commissioner of Occupational Education in whose name this award is presented.”

Dana Farrill, Mr. Powell’s guidance counselor at Minuteman, praised Mr. Powell’s single-minded dedication to his studies, notable zeal for learning and desire to refine and expand his technical abilities.

“As a Programming and Web Development student,” observed Mr. Farrill, “Adam has spent the last four years learning the ins and outs of computer hardware, software, web development, and systems engineering. At this point in time, Adam is proficient with Adobe Illustrator, C-sharp, Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Basic, Python, Java, CSS, Web Design, and Database Management. Through these experiences, Adam has confirmed his passion for computer programming, software engineering, and game development. He looks forward to honing these skills in college.”

Mr. Farrill continued, “In addition to his challenging Programming and Web Development curriculum, Adam pushes himself academically in and out of school. Throughout his career Adam has been enrolled in Honors, AP, and Dual Enrollment classes. He is ranked in the 1st percentile of his class with a cumulative weighted GPA of 4.7 on a 4.0 scale. In addition to his regular coursework Adam has pursued online classes to enhance his knowledge.”

Mr. Powell participates in SkillsUSA, a nationwide organization that allows students in career and technical education to vie for medals in a host of technical and leadership competitions at the District, State and National levels.

In the category of Web Design, a team comprised of Mr. Powell and another Minuteman student earned a bronze medal at the State SkillsUSA event in 2016. That achievement was followed by a gold medal at the State level in 2017, giving Mr. Powell and his teammate the opportunity to enter at the National SkillsUSA competition in Louisville, Ky. They won a bronze medal. In 2018, Mr. Powell’s two-person team landed a gold medal at the District competition, which qualified them to enter the upcoming State competition.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Powell’s pastimes include being a member of Minuteman’s Jazz Band and a local Balkan folk band.

In describing Mr. Powell’s potential and uniqueness, Larry Lambert, his Programming and Web Development teacher at Minuteman, stated, “He has the ambition and drive to achieve any goal he sets his mind to. Adam is a pleasure to teach, work with, and learn from.”

Minuteman High School is a regional-vocational technical school that opened in the 1970s. It provides students from its ten (10) member towns and surrounding region with a powerful career and technical education coupled with rigorous academics. Through this combination, students gain a competitive advantage in the new economy.