by AMBER PITTELL
Correspondent
WESTFIELD – Starting June 30, a new chapter in the history of technical education in Westfield will be written, as the Westfield Vocational Technical High School becomes Westfield Technical Academy.
The School Committee voted unanimously Monday to approve a proposal that will change the school’s name.
School Committee member Diane Mayhew said that the Committee’s decision to approve the name change was heavily impacted by comments from members of the school community.
“The overall view,” she said, “is that they are in support, not necessarily of the word ‘Academy’, but that vocational need to be taken out of the naming of it.”
“There is some dissent to the name change, from the older generation,” said Committee member Kevin J. Sullivan. “The people affected and controlled by the change, the students and staff, overwhelmingly support it. Because of that, so do I.”
Sullivan had some questions about the use of the word ‘Academy’ but said he was convinced by the presentations given by students and administrators during a previous subcommittee hearing.
According to Principal Stefan Czaporowski the decision to change the school’s name the result of a recent marketing study that was conducted to measure interest in programs offered at the school and to determine the educational future of the school. Other outcomes of this study include the addition of a new aviation maintenance technology program that will be offered in September.
He said that the school also sought the approval of its students, faculty, and parents before deciding to change the name.
“We surveyed the students at lunch on March 30,” he said. “and we also surveyed faculty and parents online. Overall, we found that people are in support of the name change. The students were in overwhelming support by a margin of about three out of four.”
Czaporowski said that he is hoping the new name will better represent the modern state of the school and the accomplishments of its students.
“Vocational is an antiquated term,” he said. “I hope this will be for the students something that they can feel comfortable with, that represents them. People see the word ‘vocational’ and they think that the students aren’t going to college, and that’s not the case anymore. We have 58 percent of our students going to college now. We have dual enrollment courses and articulation agreements now.”
Czaporowski also noted that the name change will bring Westfield’s technical education program in line with federal government standards around the language used to describe these educational programs.
“The government has stopped using it [vocational] for several years,” he said. “It is career and technical education now.”
While a lot of the decision to change the name seems to be about increasing the modern nature of the school Czaporowski was also quick to praise the school’s history.
“We’re not trying to move away from the past,” he said. “We don’t want to disrespect our alumni; in fact, we want to respect and honor them.”
At Monday’s meeting, he presented a plan for a plaque which will hang in the newly-named high school, commemorating all of the changes that it has gone through since 1911. He also announced that starting in September an Alumni Association will be formed.
Kate Shaughnessy, a 2013 graduate of Westfield Vocational Technical High School, said that she is not sure changing name of the school will have the desired impact on the community’s perception of the institution.
“I think the word vocational gives people the wrong impression of what the school has to offer,” she said. “Just changing the name isn’t a sure way to change that impression. Westfield Vocational Technical High school gave me a world of opportunity, but the reason I am where I am is because I took what they gave me and used it to the best of my ability.”
“I think that the negative view that people in the community have comes from students who do not take advantage of the opportunities Westfield Vocational Technical High School has to offer and that is unfortunate. Maybe changing the name will change that,” she said. “I think the real question I have is why it is necessary? The school has 12 great programs to offer and gives students many opportunities to excel. Why don’t they show the community that, rather than just throwing a new name up on the building?”
