MWCC Providing Free Summer Acceleration to College Program
Mount Wachusett Community College is offering a FREE Accelerated Summer Program for 2021 high school graduates who struggled with Math and/or English MCAS to prepare them for college-level coursework as early as this fall. Funding for this program was included in the Baker-Polito Summer Learning Programs which included funds for fourteen community colleges in the Commonwealth to support high school graduates.
The Accelerate Summer program will provide significant support in the career search process, as well navigation through the application, enrollment, financial aid process, and registration at MWCC.
Each student is supported by an assigned career development counselor. The counselor will guide them through the completion of a Career Development Plan, including identifying career goals and credentials they might need to support entry-level employment including aligned certificate and degree programs offered by MWCC.
Courses will begin the week of July 12 and run through September 3, 2021.
For more information please contact Nick Colello at 978-630-9835 or ncolello@mwcc.edu.
The Accelerate Summer program is being offered by the Adult Education & Training Center and the Division of Access & Transition at Mount Wachusett Community College.
Sizer School: Commit to Make a Difference!
Riverside Park in Fitchburg with the mural of Marion Stoddart.
Photo credit: photo courtesy of the Sizer School
"Learn all you can about whatever you care about." That was 93 year old Marion Stoddart's response to a teenager in the Reclaiming Sunshine Club at Sizer School who asked her advice for young people wanting to make change. The exchange came during a June 22nd Commit! event organized by Environmental Stewards of NewVue Communities and the CounterAct Climate Change Project.
Sixty years ago, Marion Stoddart, a local young mother of three, took on big business, politicians, and public skepticism, and in the process discovered her life purpose and helped change the world. The Work of 1000 documentary, shown at Commit! tells Marion's story while also inspiring and motivating people to get involved locally to make a difference.
Against a backdrop of the many problems facing the world, many wonder, "What can I do to make a difference?" Students in Sizer's Reclaiming Sunshine club were most moved by the film's message that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when we work together. As Marion Stoddart explains in the movie, "You don't need to be someone special or super bright or super anything. You can just be an ordinary person who first has a vision of what you would like to have happen who then commits to that vision."
This summer residents from across North Central MA have the opportunity to explore interests and how to make a difference during an Environmental Stewards Pilot Program offered by the NewVue Communities. The program is designed to help connect, educate, motivate and empower people from across North Central MA to advocate for and help create a just, healthy future for us all.
Organizing Steward, Carolyn Sellars, who will be facilitating the program with Francisco Ramos, NewVue's Community Organizer explained how the program arose: "During the 2020 Organizing Steward's program two issues kept arising, justice and the environmental crisis. In my fifty years following environmental issues, I know how inextricably intertwingled these two issues are. The good news is there are many multi-solving solutions already available that can help address both and I want to share this good news with others. Most importantly, I want people to know that there's a part for each of us to play. No one has to do everything but everyone should do something. We've designed the Environmental Stewards Pilot Program to help people figure out what their 'something' might be."
The free 8-week Zoom program will meet Wednesday evenings starting July 14th. The program is open to people of all ages and backgrounds. The first six weeks will cover an overview of various topics with extra resources available for those wanting to go deeper into learning on their own. The final two weeks will be a chance for people to pick an Environmental Stewardship concept they'd like to explore using Commit! How to Turn Your Vision of Change into a Reality, a handbook developed by Marion Stoddart and Work of 1000.
Sellars will lead an informal walk on July 1, 2021 at 6 p.m. at Riverfront Park in Fitchburg. Overlooking a mural featuring Marion Stoddart, you can learn more about the many human and planetary benefits of this urban park as well as learn more about the Environmental Stewards Pilot Program. We encourage you to come early or stay later and take in some of the nearby First Thursday events happening that day.
Marion Stoddart: Work of 1000 will be available to watch online free until June 30th. Visit the link to the movie (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/marionstoddartworkof1000/)
And use the password: YouMakeADifference. The DVD of the movie is also available to borrow at many local libraries.
Mount Wachusett Community College Earns Master Automobile Service Technology Accreditation from the ASE
The MWCC Automotive students and alumni gathered for an end of year celebration at the Linus Allain Ave. facility in May.
Photo credit: photo courtesy of MWCC
GARDNER, MA - June, 28, 2021 - The National Institute for Automotive Excellence has found that the automotive technology program at Mount Wachusett Community College meets the strict industry standards required for ASE Program Accreditation.
"We commend you and your staff for maintaining your program's standards and continuing to meet the industry's requirements," noted ASE President Michael Coley in a letter to MWCC President James Vander Hooven. "The explosion in automotive technology makes your high-quality automotive training program more valuable than ever."
Established in 1979 by Professor Peter L. Kaufmann, the automotive program was originally launched in tight quarters alongside the college's facility department. In 2019 construction began on a new state-of-the-art facility on Linus Allain Avenue in Gardner.
The new facility welcomed students during the height of the pandemic. Over 90% of MWCC's Automotive Technology students returned to school in fall 2020, a rate on par with the school's popular nursing program.
"The success of this program can be contributed to a number of factors, our brand-new Automotive Technology facility is one," stated Veronica Guay, Dean of the School of Business and Technology. "More importantly, the mentorship and leadership of our Automotive Technology Program Director and Professor Eric Almeida is key to the programs success."