Lt. Governor Karyn Polito is Keynote Speaker at Minuteman High School Advisory Committee Dinner

By Judy Bass

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito voiced strong support for vocational-technical education when she delivered the keynote address at the Advisory Committee Dinner at Minuteman High School in Lexington on October 14.

“The work you do is so valuable to all of us,” she told an audience of 225 business and municipal leaders plus members of the Minuteman staff, emphasizing the pivotal role that vocational education plays in workforce development and economic growth.

“Vocational-technical education is working in our Commonwealth and is something we need to do more of,” Polito noted. She added that she wanted to celebrate the success achieved by Minuteman in offering its students
a competitive advantage due to its robust academics and challenging, hands-on technical instruction.

The occasion was a gathering of Minuteman’s advisory board members, which occurs at least twice annually. The Chapter 74-approved career programs of vocational-technical schools like Minuteman are required to have a panel of professionals active in each technical field that is taught - along with others such as parents, students, and education experts - providing guidance on issues like curriculum, relevant industry trends and state-of-the-art equipment.

Minuteman is an award-winning regional high school that provides students with a high-quality career and technical education, coupled with a thorough grounding in mathematics, English, science, and social studies. Students can select from more than one dozen career and technical education programs and a challenging academic curriculum, including Advanced Placement courses. Typically, more than 60 per cent of the school’s graduates pursue college or advanced technical training.

Mentioning some of the Baker-Polito Administration’s major goals, such as building stronger communities, creating a more efficient state government, and increasing aid to schools and towns, Polito said, “We have a lot more work to do to support you,” referring to the state’s vocational-technical high schools. “We want to make sure we give you what you need to succeed.”

She cited one specific area in which Massachusetts is “particularly challenged” – the workforce skills gap. Polito lauded vocational-technical schools for providing educational opportunities to students that help to close that gap, including internships and externships, as well as targeting the cultivation of students’ much-needed “soft skills” like practicing teamwork, knowing how to dress appropriately for the workplace, and always being prepared to do the job.

Polito said Minuteman’s school building project is very exciting, a topic covered at length by Superintendent Dr. Edward A, Bouquillon in his remarks. The project has steadily continued to evolve from its inception in 2008, when Minuteman first approached the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the state agency that helps reimburse cities and towns for the construction of new school facilities, to the present.

Two significant milestones that moved the project forward took place this year. In the spring, Minuteman’s School Committee gave its approval for the construction for a new school for 628 students. In August, the MSBA’s Board of Directors also approved this option. MSBA Chairperson and State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg spoke in favor of this action.

The next hurdle, Dr. Bouquillon said, is securing local approval from Minuteman’s 16 member towns (Acton, Arlington, Belmont, Bolton, Boxborough, Carlisle, Concord, Dover, Lancaster, Lexington, Lincoln, Needham, Stow, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston) to fund a new Minuteman building by June 30, 2016. The total cost cannot exceed $144.9 million, with the state reimbursing a minimum of 40 percent of the eligible costs, up to $58 million. The net cost to Minuteman’s 16 district communities is expected to be $86.9 million.

Dr. Bouquillon outlined the numerous advantages of having a new school building. It would house 16 programs and 21 career majors that will be in demand in the competitive 21st-century global economy; help to narrow the skills gap; feature a modern educational setting equipped with the latest technology; ensure that Minuteman retains its accreditation; and facilitate private-public collaborative efforts.

Sounding an emphatically optimistic note, Dr. Bouquillon said, “I want to take failure out of the equation.”

General Advisory Board Chairman Christopher Bateman spotlighted some of the notable successes attained by advisory committee members recently, such as the creation of the Minuteman Futures Foundation to encourage partnerships between business, industry, the Minuteman School District, colleges and charitable foundations in support of career and technical education.

In addition, Bateman said, advisory committee members also:

• Volunteered as mentors for Minuteman’s highly popular Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program.

• Sparked the creation of Minuteman’s first annual Art and Design Show for students in Design and Visual Communications, Programming and Web Development, Art, and Music

• Developed a model student internship program for Culinary Arts students with Lexx Restaurant in Lexington. This model will be able to be replicated throughout other programs

• Developed paid student internships at 12 additional businesses as a direct result of the individual efforts of advisory committee members.

• Secured a donation from the Hub Foundation of five new Miller welding machines valued at $10,000 for the Metal Fabrication and Welding program

• Helped secure approval of Advanced Placement credit for successful completion of curriculum in the Programming and Web Development program

• Developed individual vision statements for each program and action plans for implementation

• Coordinated guest speaking engagements and field trips for several career and technical education programs

The following individuals each received a plaque in recognition of their distinguished advisory committee service: Aaron Brathwaite, Cosmetology, member since 1987; Daniel Dirocco, Welding, member since 2011; Edward Farrell, Postgraduate Automotive, member since 1997; Michael Lewis, alumnus 1999, Programming and Web Development, member since 1997; Sharon Lewis, alumna 1999, Programming and Web Development/Office Technology, member since 1997; James Roderick, Engineering, member since 1990.

“You should be proud of what you accomplished this year,” Bateman said. “I look forward to the future of Minuteman High School.”