Community Happenings newsletter - July-August, 2023

Happy Summer Vacation!

Summer is finally here!

Central Office will maintain the following Summer hours through late August:
Monday: 8:30am-3:30pm
Tuesday: 8:30am-3:30pm
Wednesday: 8:30am-3:30pm
Thursday: 8:30am-3:30pm
Friday: Closed

We wish all our Winchendon families a happy, safe and restful Summer break!

School Supply Drive Until August 21

GFA Federal Credit Union and the Winchendon CAC are sponsoring a School Supply Drive. Please bring any items you wish to donate to the Winchendon CAC, 5 Summer Drive, by August 21. A list of needed items is attached below. Backpacks are being donated and filled by GFA Federal Credit Union. A list of needed supplies is below.

Local Students Receive Bachelor's Degrees from UMass Amherst

AMHERST, Mass. - Approximately 5,500 students received bachelor's degrees in over 100 majors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Undergraduate Commencement on May 26, 2023 at the McGuirk Alumni Stadium.

Below is a list of students from Winchendon who earned a degree.

Yang Yi Chen
John Robert Porter Jennings Jr
Abigail Whitney Parks
Amanda Rasmuson

Monty Tech Practical Nursing Program Celebrates Silver Anniversary

2022 Monty Tech graduate Kari McGivern
Photo courtesy of Katy Whitacker

FITCHBURG, Massachusetts - July 31, 2023 - Monty Tech's Practical Nursing Program is truly a hidden gem. With no prerequisite courses, reduced rates for in-district learners, evening hours, and program completion in under one year, access to this program is unparalleled.

For twenty-five years, Monty Tech has hosted this remarkable evening training program, serving largely a non-traditional student population, many of whom are looking for a career change, or are encouraged by the program's success rate and quick training schedule. What may not be so evident to students when they first apply, though, are faculty and staff members like Terri Dushion, Laural Aiesi, Bambi Luchock and Cheryl Koula who serve as extraordinary resources to students entering the program and the healthcare field.

"Our program is very personal in that we all are invested in the success of the students," states Dushion, a full-time faculty member since 2019, recently serving as Interim Program Director. "We look at each student and identify what it takes for them to succeed. We provide support through advising and open office hours, and hope the students know that we are there for them on every level." Recent graduate Eilish Lancey affirms that the faculty's student-centered approach is the key to success. While Lancey was not always a top student, at Monty Tech she found her stride, "At Monty Tech's PN program, I won the Academic Excellence Award for having the highest grade point average of 96.6! The instructors were truly amazing; the content they taught us and the pacing of it really allowed it to stick and be applicable in daily practice."

The accelerated schedule can be daunting, admits Dushion, "but students like the idea of completing nursing school in 41 weeks. Students like how they can significantly change their lives by entering a profession in less than a year. Our program is designed to be a starting point for individuals who want to become a nurse and will eventually further their education."

And it's not just the Monty Tech faculty that sets this program apart, it's the numerous "partnerships with our clinical sites which allow our students a variety of learning experiences. Our clinical sites often reach out to students with offers of employment," continues Dushion. Maybe it's the programs longevity, remarkable NCLEX pass rates, or reliance on faculty reputation that encourages clinical sites to partner with the program. Or maybe it's the quality of candidate they are seeing coming out of the Monty Tech program that keeps them coming back for more. Either way, its graduates like Eilish Lancey and Kari McGivern that make Monty Tech so proud. McGivern, a 2022 graduate, is now making a difference, working as an addiction nurse, as well as a school nurse. Because of her Monty Tech foundation, she learned to think critically, seeking the root of a patient's concerns. "The program pushed me to learn and ask the 'why' of each of my patients' conditions," states McGivern. Encouraging others to consider entering this important field, McGivern would certainly recommend Monty Tech, "The teachers in this program will go above and beyond to prepare you to pass the boards. I have made lifelong friends!"

The Monty Tech Practical Nursing Program, located in Fitchburg, is an accredited post-secondary school, and looks to serve approximately 50-60 students annually, encouraging applicants from our sending district of 18 cities and towns. To learn more about Monty Tech, visit https://www.montytech.net/lpn.

United Way Youth Venture at Mount Wachusett Community College Receives Youth Mental/Behavioral Health Grant

GARDNER, MA - August 10, 2023 - The United Way of North Central Massachusetts (UWNCM) has granted the Mount Wachusett Community College United Way Youth Venture (UWYV) program with a grant of $10,000 to address mental and behavioral health issues experienced by young people throughout the North Central region of Massachusetts.

The UWYV program is a partnership between the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, Mount Wachusett Community College and Ashoka's Youth Venture. The program exists to empower youth through support for innovative, community outreach proposals and help them gain essential experience that will help them to become future leaders and innovators of our community.

The UWYV will utilize grant funds to provide a trauma-informed environment for youth of all backgrounds to direct their passion and skills to solve community problems initially perceived as outside of their control or ability. The grant will fund new part-time UWYV staff to meet the capacity needed to carry out the program initiatives within Fitchburg, Gardner, and Winchendon during the 2023 - 2024 school year.

"The ultimate goal of this multi-phased effort is to expand capacity, providing UWYV approaches and resources to educators," notes Lauren Mountain, UWYV Director. "These programs have shown that with a little creativity and a lot of empathy, our community can holistically support our youth."

"As the 2022-2023 school year progressed, it became obvious that students and teachers are struggling with their own and others' mental health challenges at higher levels than before," Mountain continued. "And in the midst of this troubling observation, the smallest wins made such a difference, a bright spot and a reminder of our potential as a community to fully thrive. UWYV is a supplier of wins and many bright spots for our youth."

One of the key components of this grant program will be helping racially diverse participants develop self-efficacy and leadership skills to bring back to their respective communities and schools. The programming will teach students how to engage stakeholders to make change while also providing students a voice in designing their service project. While program staff will serve as guides in the process, students will be the voice in selecting the challenges and solutions which will be presented. By designing and implementing their own project, they will be leaving the program with the tools necessary to advocate for other changes they see as valuable to themselves and their community.