Winchendon Weekly News school newsletter - Wednesday, January 18

Mount Wachusett Community College Announces President's and Dean's Lists for Fall 2022 Semester

GARDNER, MA - January 13, 2023 - Mount Wachusett Community College is pleased to announce our Dean's and President's Lists for the fall 2022 semester. Students who complete a minimum of 12 semester hours are eligible. The Dean's List requires a 3.30 to 3.99 grade point average while the President's List requires a 4.0 grade point average.

The following Winchendon students were named to the lists:

President's List
Aidan Bourque
Chloe St Peter

Dean's List
Alexia Allard
Maxx Chanthachack
Sydney Comire
Amy Fasulo
Em Forest
Adam Garcia
Kelsey Pelkey
Kevin Pesce
Drew St. Peter
Lexi Thiers
Jennifer Thurlow
Leyda Turbides
Breanna Whittier

SNHU Announces Fall 2022 Dean's and President's Lists

MANCHESTER, NH (01/13/2023)-- It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following Winchendon students on being named to the Fall 2022 Dean's and President's Lists. The fall terms run from September to December.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.500 to 3.699 for the reporting term are named to the Dean's List. Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 and above for the reporting term are named to the President's List. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

Dean's List
Samantha Thiers

President's List
Aaron Gagne
Britney Randall
Kiley Donahue

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private, nonprofit institution with a 90-year history of educating traditional-aged students and working adults. Now serving more than 170,000 learners worldwide, SNHU offers approximately 200 accredited undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, available online and on its 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH. Recognized as one of the "Most Innovative" regional universities by U.S. News & World Report and one of the fastest-growing universities in the country, SNHU is committed to expanding access to high quality, affordable pathways that meet the needs of each learner. Learn more at www.snhu.edu.

MWCC Selected for Nursing Pathways Expansion Exploration Grant

GARDNER, MA - January 17, 2023 - Mount Wachusett Community has been selected by the Massachusetts Workforce Skills Cabinet Executive Office of Education (EOE) to receive a Nursing Pathways Expansion Grant with a total grant award of $525,000.

The Nursing Pathways Expansion Exploration Grant was developed by the Commonwealth to provide resources to public colleges and university nursing programs, including nurse aid training, practical nurse programs, and registered nurse programs to increase the nursing workforce talent pipeline and improve career pathways for the nursing profession. The funds provided may be used to support program planning and implementation of program-related staffing, technology, equipment, and operational costs to increase student enrollment.

MWCC will explore incorporating the Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) program into early college/dual enrollment pathways currently operating at multiple local high schools. These students will work towards completing prerequisite and co-requisite courses for the nursing degree programs while also completing the CNA program. Similarly, the credit bearing nursing programs are looking to explore collaboration with workforce development programs through the MWCC Division of Lifelong Learning. Students in these programs would also complete the CNA certification and may enroll in the CNA to Practical Nurse walkway program to complete the prerequisite and co-requisite coursework. These pre-college programs provide students with a pathway into the field with an industry-recognized certification, while also preparing students for further education.

"The Nursing Pathway program's stackable credential structure will ensure that students are developing skills critical to a variety of nursing professions," stated MWCC Dean of the School of Nursing, Kimberly Shea. "Students will be able to enter the workforce in well-paid, high-demand roles while they pursue their next credential."

The stackable credentialing begins with the CNA program. Students who complete the CNA program may then enroll in the licensed practical nurse (LPN) program. Students may leverage their CNA certification to find employment while working towards their LPN, and then as an LPN while working to complete the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program. Through this tiered training process, students may elect to enter any of the three high demand career fields while continuing to pursue the next level of credentials. Further, students may also take advantage of the currently established transfer agreement with Fitchburg State University to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing online after completing the ADN.

The Nursing Pathways Expansion Exploration grant will also enable MWCC to supplement clinical components at regional health care providers with simulation equipment. Nursing simulation equipment allows students to safely practice skills without compromising patient care or safety.

Monty Tech Receives $1.9 Million Grant to Expand Career Technical Education

FITCHBURG, Massachusetts-January 19, 2023-Monty Tech's electrical and carpentry programs have just received a huge boost from the state. In one of Governor Baker's final award ceremonies, the school was awarded a Skills Capital Lab Modernization Grant, funding that will help school officials update and expand existing training programs, to improve access to career education. In recent years, Monty Tech has received more than $2.5M to improve programs across the school, but this latest award, which put the school at the $4.5M mark will not only benefit Monty Tech students, but also those from partnering school districts: Fitchburg Public Schools, Gardner Public Schools, and Narragansett Regional Schools District.

Monty Tech's $1,887,127 grant will allow the school to expand the campus, creating two all-new electrical and carpentry training shops in a currently unoccupied 16,000 sq. ft. space just down the road from the Monty Tech campus. "We know that there is a tremendous demand for our vocational training, but we have been limited by space," said Katy Whitaker, the school's Development Coordinator. "These funds will not only allow us to renovate this empty warehouse to create a state-of-the-art training facility, it will give us the funding we need to purchase the equipment, technology and instructional supplies and materials needed to get these programs started. Without these funds, this partnership and the training opportunities for 80 more students would not be possible."

The grant is an exciting way for Thomas Browne to mark his first year as Monty Tech's superintendent director. Browne, who served as the school's principal for eight years, became the superintendent in July 2022. "The regional workforce is seeing an increased demand for people skilled in the trades, and with students in Fitchburg, Gardner and Narragansett interested in pursuing related careers, building a training program for them is simply the right thing to do," said Tom Browne, Superintendent-Director of Monty Tech. "We are fortunate to have local Superintendents who are willing to get creative, to develop student schedules that will accommodate this new program, and promote these new training opportunities so that students in their own districts may benefit."

Using the newly repurposed and remodeled space, the school will partner with Fitchburg, Gardner, and Narragansett Regional Public Schools to develop the new Carpentry and Electrical training programs, which will serve 80 students annually. 40 Juniors and 40 Seniors will be admitted to the program, where they will learn Carpentry or Electrical technical skills, earn industry recognized credentials, and have an opportunity to work with area employers through a program similar to Monty Tech's existing co-op program. "We are so proud of the programs offered at Monty Tech, and to have an opportunity to replicate what works, and create two new labs that will benefit even more students is a win-win," said Ryan Rege, the school's Director of Vocational Programs. "Our students and instructors are looking forward to getting into that space to build out this new training facility. The construction experience students gain while working on this project will be a wonderful opportunity for them, and creating a space that will be used for many years benefiting countless students. We are so pleased to provide a pathway to a vocational career to those students."

While details of the partnership are yet to be finalized, school officials are confident the new training programs will enroll students from Fitchburg, Gardner and Narragansett beginning Fall 2024.

Monty Tech, located in Fitchburg, is a public high school that serves 1,435 high school students from 18 cities and towns, providing cutting-edge vocational-technical programs and a comprehensive academic program. To learn more about Monty Tech, visit montytech.net.