Students and faculty at Westfield Vocational Technical High School will once again join others across the nation during the month of February to celebrate Career Vocational and Technical Education (CVTE) Month. CVTE Month provides CVTE schools across the country an opportunity to demonstrate how CVTE educates students to be college and career ready and prepares them for high-wage, high demand career fields. Our school has planned a week of daily activities to commemorate CVTE Month from February 9 – February 13.
The weeklong celebration kicks off on Monday, February 9 with tours of our CVTE programs for interested eighth grade students from South Middle School in the morning. At 1 p.m., we will host our annual Allied Health CNA pinning ceremony in Tiger’s Pride. On Tuesday, February 10, we will be giving shop tours for eighth grade students from North Middle School. Also on February 10, we will recognize students that will be inducted into the National Technical Honor Society with a ceremony in Tiger’s Pride at 1 p.m. Our Annual Open House will be held on Wednesday, February 11 from 6-8 p.m. and is open to prospective students, as well as members of the local community. Tiger’s Pride, the school restaurant, will also be open to the public for lunch from 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Also on Thursday, February 12, our students will be visiting classrooms at Franklin Avenue Elementary School to promote literacy and to talk about their CVTE program experiences. Finally, on Friday, February 13, our school will be featured on abc40’s Honor Roll Live with Brittany Decker from 5-7 a.m. The activities planned over the week illustrate the rigor and relevance CVTE courses offer our students.
While a week of activities gives a snapshot of what happens here at WVTHS, we also want to take a moment to recognize the progress our school has made in the last three years. One area of considerable progress is in student academic achievement. We have seen our MCAS scores improve significantly. In fact, in 2011, 40 percent of our students scored advanced or proficient on the math exam and 53 percent scored advanced or proficient on the English Language Arts exam. In 2014, that number improved to 67 percent in math, a 21percent increase, and to 90 percent in English Language Arts, resulting in a 37 percent increase. On the math exam, we also saw an increase in students scoring advanced from 14-35 percent over the same time period.
Over the last three years, our enrollment has also been on the rise. In 2012, 465 students attended WVTHS. That number increased to 484 for the 2013 school year and is currently at 501. We are projecting an enrollment of 525 for next school year. Last fall, for the first time in recent school history, more students applied to WVTHS than we could accept. We had over 200 applicants and accepted over 150 students, our largest incoming class in over a decade. Student graduation rates are also improving at WVTHS. This class of 2014 started with 117 students. On June 5, 2014, we graduated 114 students. Those students that did not march with their class on June 5 did receive high school diplomas over the summer or from other districts. That being said, for the first time in many years, WVTHS had a 0 percent dropout rate.
For over one hundred years, the City of Westfield has recognized career vocational technical education as an integral component of its public school system. Westfield Vocational Technical High School has enjoyed tremendous collaboration and support from the city, school department, parents and local business. It’s this cooperation combined with a dedicated staff that has provided the means to increase student achievement, increase enrollment and reduce dropout rates over the past three years. These community partnerships also allow our CVTE programs to invest in students’ lives with the latest technology and skills that will prepare them to become successful employees as well as future leaders. WVTHS staff and students are extremely appreciative of the support from the community. For more information about Career Vocational Technical Education and Westfield Vocational Technical High School, please call 413-572-6533.
Stefan Czaporowski
Principal
Westfield Vocational Technical High School
