WESTFIELD – Westfield Technical Academy’s grand opening on Monday for the Aviation Maintenance Program was followed by the annual joint meeting of the school’s Advisory Committee and the School Committee in the Tiger’s Pride restaurant.
WTA Principal Stefan Czaporowski started the meeting with a state of the school address noting its accomplishments, particularly in the Cumulative Progress and Performance Index (CPPI).
“We’re crushing it,” Czaporowski said.
WTA was recently declared a Level 1 school, due to the progress over the last four years among all students in these measurements, from 73 in 2012 to 93 in 2015.
“Whether you agree or disagree,” he said, referring to the way the state measures progress. “I can’t take away from my staff and students. We were almost a Level 4 school!”
Czaporowski continued with other benchmarks, noting that 40 prcent of the student body is female, the highest number ever. He also said that in 2012, student enrollment was 465, and is projected to grow to 550 next year. He said that enrollment should keep growing, considering that the freshmen and sophomore classes are the largest in the school, at 144 and 150.
General Advisory Chair Ed Watson in his address called the school “a gold mine,” and encouraged the School Committee to invest in it.
“You’re going to get adults coming here to retrain,” Watson said.
He said the school is covered on the shop and technical side, but more teachers are needed on the academic side, especially in mathematics.
“This has the ability to be a magnet school,” he said.
Czaporowski said that the state has made it more difficult for out-of-district enrollment.
“The number I gave as predictions are all Westfield kids,” he said.
Czaporowski said the school is celebrating Career Technical Education month in February with a week of activities on February 8-12.
On Monday, students will speak about their work at the Russell Elementary school from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. That same day will be the annual Allied Health Student CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) Pinning Ceremony at 1 p.m. in the WTA auditorium.
On Tuesday the academy is hosting a community open house from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Visitors are asked to contact Rob Ollari at 572-6533 ext. 60004 to book a tour.
On Wednesday, February 10, North Middle School students will be touring WTA shops from 8:30-10:30 a.m.
On Wednesday and Thursday, February 10 and 11, lunch will be open to the public from 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in the Tiger’s Pride restaurant. On Thursday, the South Middle School band students will perform live during lunch on the stage, following their tour of the shops that morning.
The week will culminate on Friday, February 12, with the WTA Career Technical Program Induction for 9th and 10th grade students from 8-9:15 a.m. in the auditorium.
