Southeastern Regional Voc Tech Students Plan Advisory Board's Fall Dinner Meeting

All vocational schools are mandated to meet twice yearly as a Chapter 74 Perkins funding requirement, so Vocational Director Leslie Weckesser seized the opportunity for a team building exercise for Business Marketing students. Using the school’s mission to go paperless, Ms Weckesser gave students an assignment: Come up with a solution by the end of the day by creating a detailed planning process for the Fall Advisory Board meeting.

Business Marketing instructor Rebecca McInnis described the Fall Advisory Board Dinner Meeting as “a phenomenal project for the high school students” that are acting as liaisons and driving the event process and planning. The vocational initiative is a collaboration of shop teachers, local business industry, parents, students and post secondary educators who come together twice a year to discuss new trends and developments, industry updates, co-operative learning, externship opportunities for students and make recommendations for equipment specific to the school’s many vocational majors.  

Over the past few weeks, Business Marketing students have taken over the scheduling, creation and distribution of invitations and agendas, with seniors driving the event planning. Each Business Marketing senior was assigned an industrial shop area, acting as liaison to contact each and every committee member of that group, working with the various shop teachers and Ms Terri Tello (Secretary to the Vocational Director) to assemble updated contact lists into spreadsheets. They are also responsible to report regularly to Ms Weckesser and Ms Tello on the project status.

Students used several technological sleuthing methods to find missing contact information, such as emailing teachers for further information or looking up companies online. With updated contact lists, each student designed and emailed electronic invitations to his or her assigned group. After one shop cycle, or 6 school days, students followed up by telephone with those that didn’t respond. Students stayed organized and learned to problem solve by sending regular emails to recipients whose electronic invitations might have gone into spam. For the participating students, the project was all about communication among professionals. “Students are turning our annual dinner as an opportunity for building their personal communication skills. I’ve been very impressed with their phone skills – they’re very professional and willing to step out side of the box and their safe zones whether working alone or in pairs”, said Ms McInnis.

The involved seniors are invited to the event scheduled for November 1, 2012. Board members will enjoy dinner, organized by Business Marketing Juniors who are also putting paperwork and handouts together, and supplied by Culinary Arts students in the school’s cafeteria.  Breakout meetings by industrial and individual shop areas will follow. Ms McInnis, appreciating the importance of Advisory Committee meetings said “Southeastern relies heavily upon the Advisory Committee for recommendations for equipment specific to shops. Their recommendations are taken seriously. Those recommendations drive the shop”.

With the conclusion of the Advisory Board Committee meeting project, Business Marketing seniors will continue to develop their roles as liaisons by marketing their assigned shop throughout the school year through their involvement in any services or goods sold in each department.

Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School is a public 9-12 vocational high school located in Easton, Massachusetts, serving approximately 1,255 students from the city of Brockton and the towns of East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton, Sharon, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater.