North Reading Public Schools Awarded $5,500 MyCAP Grant

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr (R-Gloucester) joined with local education officials to announce that the North Reading Public Schools have been awarded a $5,500 My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

According to DESE, “MyCAP is a student-driven process designed by a school leadership team to ensure every student identifies individual skills, interests, talents, and passions, uses those to identify careers of interest, to then be able to align with course taking and choice of extracurricular activities and ultimately graduate high school with an authentic plan for success after high school.” North Reading was one of 99 school districts to share in a total of $968,000 in funding released during the latest round of grant awards.

“We are very excited to explore the MyCAP tools and resources and explore how this can be used to enhance our programs at the high school level and to also possibly extend the opportunities for exploring careers through specific lessons beginning as early as grade six,” said North Reading Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Daly. “Our Coordinator of School Counseling, along with middle and high school counselors and other interested educators, will be exploring the MyCAP resources and developing a plan to possibly implement this tool in the future. Our leadership team believes that the MyCAP tool is aligned with our district's strategic plan and we are hopeful that this will be another great opportunity to move our district forward.”

“The high school years are a critical phase for helping students lay the groundwork for a smooth transition to post-secondary education and entry into the workforce,” said Representative Jones. “Offering MyCAP programming and resources to North Reading students will allow them to build a solid foundation for post-graduation success not only in college, but also in their chosen careers.”

“North Reading’s public schools are a place for students to build the foundation to realize their goals and dreams in life,” said Senator Tarr. “The MyCAP program funded by this grant will help them to chart a course to bring success to those dreams, and prosperity to their lives.”