Everett High Continues to Expand CTE Program

Everett High School is adding two programs to its Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department, as administrators and consultants are hard at work preparing to offer Medical Assisting and Programming/Web Development for the 2019-2020 school year.

The latest step in the comprehensive process took place on March 13, when CTE Director Nelia Braga, Assistant Superintendent Charles Obremski, and consultants Charles Lyons and Roger Bourgeois gave a progress report to the members of the Program Advisory Committees (PACs). 

Braga is leading the effort at its most fundamental level, formalizing the curriculum and hiring instructors. Obremski is in charge of budgetary concerns and reimagining existing space at Everett High to accommodate the new programs. Lyons and Bourgeois are helping the district negotiate the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approval process. PAC members offer valuable assistance to all of Everett High’s CTE pathways, from sharing their knowledge of industry and labor market trends to making suggestions about how to best connect curriculum to workforce needs.

While Medical Assisting and Programming/Web Development will be offered at the beginning of next school year, the approval process will continue into November of 2019, as DESE officials will conduct “desk” reviews, make on-site visits, and undertake safety and equipment inspections.

“This requires a lot of organization and coordination,” Obremski said after the meeting. “There are a lot of moving components, and we’re fortunate to have Mr. Lyons and Mr. Bourgeois helping us every step of the way.” Lyons is the former longtime superintendent and director of the Shawsheen Valley Technical School District, while Bourgeois is the former head of the Greater Lowell Technical School District.

Everett High started a formal CTE Department in the fall of 2018 after the district and City Hall teamed up to secure the funding and DESE approval. Today, EHS offers six state-approved (Chapter 74) programs: Culinary Arts, Health Assisting, Construction, Machine Tool Technology, Hospitality, and Marketing.

“Mayor Carlo DeMaria and city government were instrumental in getting this program off the ground,” said Interim Superintendent Janice Gauthier. “The mayor encouraged us to bring CTE education back to Everett High, and last spring the City Council fast-tracked $700,000 in capital improvement funds that allowed us to construct the space and purchase the equipment and technology we needed to launch the program.” Everett High’s CTE offerings will not end with Medical Assisting and Programming/Web Development. Braga and Obremski are working with Lyons and Bourgeois on launching Electricity, Plumbing, and Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration programs in the fall of 2020.

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