Northeast Metro Tech Awarded $300,000 Grant for Saturday Program
Posted July 7, 2021
WAKEFIELD — Superintendent David DiBarri is pleased to share that Northeast Metro Tech has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to support the school’s Saturday Program.
The grant will be distributed over 10 years, during which time Northeast Metro Tech will receive $30,000 in funding annually for the program.
The Saturday Program offers students who do not attend the career and technical education school in grades nine through 12, from the district’s sending communities, an opportunity to learn more about industries such as automotive technology, business technology, drafting and design, carpentry, cosmetology, culinary arts, design & visual communications, electrical, health assisting, heating, ventilation & air conditioning/refrigeration, metal fabrication, plumbing and robotics.
“We are so grateful to the Cummings Foundation for awarding us this generous grant and for recognizing the value of our program,” said Superintendent DiBarri. “This funding will allow us to continue offering this program with certainty for the next 10 years, and give more students an opportunity to access career and technical education.”
Divided into three, four-week programs, courses through the Saturday Program are free and are led by a Northeast Metro Tech instructor. Participants in the program follow an abridged version of each shop’s curriculum.
Northeast Metro Tech encourages all those interested to apply for the Saturday Program, the next offering of which will begin in early October.
Students looking to register for the summer offering or a future program can email their school guidance counselor or Program Director Joseph O’Brien at jobrien@northeastmetrotech.com.
This grant is a part of the Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. In total, 140 grant winners were chosen, each receiving a minimum of $100,000.
The Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program primarily supports nonprofits in Massachusetts in the Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties.
For more information on the Cummings Foundation grants, visit cummingsfoundation.org.
###
Northeast Metro Tech Students Rewiring Revere History Museum
Posted November 16, 2022
WAKEFIELD — Superintendent David DiBarri is pleased to share that Northeast Metro Tech students in the Electrical pathway are putting their skills to work as they replace wiring in a 121-year-old museum.
The Revere History Museum was built in 1901, and was previously used as a rectory by the Immaculate Conception Church before the City of Revere was given the property in a land swap in the 1980’s. The City then leased it to the Revere Society for Cultural and Historic Preservation, which converted the building into a 14-room Revere History Museum.
While the building was successfully converted into a museum, and remains open today, insulating the walls and making the building more energy efficient has been impossible with outdated knob and tube electrical wiring in the walls.
As a result, Northeast Metro Tech students are replacing the wiring with a modern standard electrical system while also building upon their classroom learning by applying their skills.
Students will install new code-compliant wiring, new circuit panels in the basement, new emergency lights and exit signs, new smoke detectors, new wiring for air conditioning and heating units, and replace the existing 200 amp service to the building with a new 400 amp service.
“This project gives our students a chance to use their skills in a controlled environment with instructors watching over them to ensure the work is done properly, and in accordance with what students have already learned in the classroom,” said Assistant Principal Jack O’Brien. “This learning experience will reinforce what these students have learned, and will allow them to gain a perspective on their trade that will give them a distinct advantage over others in their field who have not participated in a hands-on vocational program.”
Elle Baker, Open Space and Environmental Planner for the City of Revere, said the project is also a great opportunity for students to learn to do work in historical buildings, where extra care has to be taken so as not to damage the structure and to ensure historically appropriate work is done.
“Everyone at Northeast Metro Tech has been wonderful and the students are really learning a lot from the experience,” Baker said. “It’s not often you get to transform from knob and tube to modern electrical in a building of this size. It’s been an excellent experience for us to work with students, and it’s a great opportunity for the City to have this work done so we can make this building more energy efficient.”
###
Northeast Metro Tech Students Help with Historic Stoneham Fire Station Renovations
Posted February 16, 2021
Stoneham Fire Chief Matthew Grafton and Superintendent David DiBarri are pleased to announce a collaboration between the Stoneham Fire Department and Northeast Metro Tech.
Approximately 30 students from plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and HVAC programs will be working at the 105-year-old Fire Station for the next few months in order to help renovate and update the space. Students will work in groups of five in order to comply with COVID-19 guidelines.
The work will consist of renovating a second floor to accommodate the needs of the department, relocating the kitchen to the second floor and turning the former kitchen space into a gear storage room, and various other small projects, such as replacing the wheelchair ramp at the front of the building.
These projects will help to upgrade the space, as well as increase health and safety conditions at the facility for members of the department. Currently, the kitchen is located right off the apparatus floor and gear is stored nearby as well. Creating this separation of the working and living areas will help to reduce this risk of exposing firefighters to carcinogens left on gear before it is washed and cleaned after being worn and used for a call. The bathroom renovation will help to fix plumbing leaks and repair the dilapidated bathroom to provide an upgraded space for firefighters to use.
Chief Grafton presented the plans to Massachusetts Historic Commission, who approved the plans, to ensure the work maintained the historic nature of the building.
“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Chief Grafton said. “The students learn from their experience, the fire department has a healthier work environment and tax payers are able to save some a significant amount of money by not having to pay the cost of labor. We greatly appreciate Northeast Metro Tech for helping us and are happy to help them gain this experience. This work wouldn’t be possible without them.”
The group initially began working on the project in early 2020, but had to pause their work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Already, the group, who works over the course of a few hours four days a week, has made progress on the bathroom renovations and the completed the new ramp.
“We are thrilled to be able to partner with Stoneham Fire to help our students gain hands-on experience and show their support for our community partners,” Superintendent DiBarri said. “Partnerships like this help to enrich the lives of our students and I know this is something that they really look forward to each week.”
