SPRINGFIELD — As Springfield Public Schools’ director of Chapter 74 technical programs, Shelly Zayas said she is witnessing firsthand a growth period for the Springfield High School of Science and Technology; and she wants others to witness it with her.
“We’re really trying to add a lot of things to the school to get the city and people to see that this is a good school,” Zayas said in an interview at Sci-Tech. “Once you see it, it’s a different vibe.”
Part of that Zayas’ excitement comes from the fact that Sci-Tech and Roger L.Putnam Vocational Technical Academy were two of 12 schools in the state that were recently able to certify programs for Chapter 74 funding.
According to the state’s announcement, that includes funding for business technology, early education and care, and medical assisting at Sci-Tech, along with a radio and television broadcasting program at Putnam.
Zayas said that the funding, which approximately amounts to $7,500 per student, pays for everything that is needed for the programs, like special computers, conference tables and podcasting equipment for business technology; and mannikins for the medical assisting program.
According to Zayas, these programs are important for a multitude of reasons. For one, students are receiving real-world experience, which Zayas said is key to student success.
For example, Sci-Tech is partnering with the childcare and day care center Playful Minds Gerena for early education and care students looking to receive their infant-toddler teacher certification.
According to Zayas, the Chapter 74 funding the district receives can fund a 14-person passenger van to transport students to the day care center for training hours.
The experience the students receive within this partnership will be critical to their future career, according to Zayas.
“When the students are done and licensed there, they’re able to go off on co-op, and they’ll be able to go and get jobs at any of the childcare centers,” Zayas said.
The district is using other ways to create a real-world simulation in all their vocational programs, according to Zayas.
For example, students in the medical assisting classroom at Sci-Tech are able to work on real-life procedures on the mannequins the school received, while students in the business tech classes are working in stations that emulate a business office.
“It’s very important that we train them 100% what it’s like in the real world before we bring them out to the real world to get their practice,” she said.
The same “prepare for the real-world” mindset is also apparent in Putnam’s radio and television broadcasting program, which became the most recent of 22 shops at Putnam to be certified for Chapter 74 funding.
Tom LaMondia, the Chapter 74 director for Putnam, said that the students gain experience through a broad spectrum of broadcasting, whether it be creating YouTube videos, promotional materials or advertising videos for businesses to use.
The program has been around for a decade, but it was recently certified through the state for the funding, according to LaMondia, who added that the program’s name will eventually change to multimedia and broadcast production due to the variety of projects students explore.
“It’s not just radio and TV, there’s a lot more right now geared toward social networks and other media networks,” LaMondia said.
The radio and television broadcasting program at Putnam, as well as the three recently certified programs at Sci-Tech, are not the only ones the school district hopes will receive Chapter 74 certification. According to Zayas, there are at least a couple more programs on the horizon.
Currently, the district is hoping to get Chapter 74 certification for a hospitality program and a programming and web course, as well as an information technology program at Central High School.
In all, Zayas said there are 11 vocational programs students can choose from, including six after-dark programs for 11th and 12th graders, and five daytime career programs for students who just enter high school. The district expects to introduce an after-dark criminal justice program next year, as well.
According to Zayas, the majority of these programs were brought in based on what the interests of the students are.
“We’ve been working really hard the last three years on the day programs and the last five years on the after dark programs to be able to offer these to as many more students as possible,” Zayas said. “It’s been really successful.”
Zayas said that some of the money from Chapter 74 will help the Springfield School Department fund dual enrollment classes in some of these programs. She said they already have partnerships with area colleges like Holyoke Community College and American International College so students can receive college credits for their work.
It is all part of a plan for the district to make sure students are successful in wherever they want to go in life, and for Zayas, that path begins with the experience they gain within these programs.
“It’s important for us that even if our students are getting career ready, we want them college ready, too,” Zayas said. “I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished and all the hard work the teachers and students have put in.”
