Rochester students learn advanced manufacturing as part of a school partnership with Great Bay Community College

Thanks to a new partnership between Spaulding High School and Great Bay Community College, students can now earn a certificate in Advanced Composites while finishing their last year of high school. The partnership is part of the school’s Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) program. From Seacoast Online:

A dozen students from Spaulding High School will spend part of their senior year taking classes for high school and college credit at Great Bay Community College’s Advanced Technology & Academic Center in Rochester.

After a careful selection process, including placement testing, students will be registered for classes in the Advanced Composite Certificate program. Beginning in the fall, they will take classes at Spaulding in the morning, and be on campus at Great Bay in Rochester from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, from September through April.

“The last two months they will take the final course for the certificate at the high school, so will finish at the same time as the high school calendar year,” said Debra Mattson, director of the Advanced Technology & Academic Center. “Students will be earning both high school and college credits. Once they are able to demonstrate high school completion, they will matriculate into the ACM program and receive their college certificate.”

Dean Graziano, Extended Learning Opportunity coordinator for Rochester schools, suggested the program after meeting with Mattson and former Great Bay president Will Arvelo. He wanted to find a way to reward ambitious high school students who were ready for the challenge of college and eager to begin their careers…

The program is rigorous. Students will be expected to keep up with college-level expectations, and will have to develop organization skills to manage their time wisely to complete their homework. A high school advisor will work with the students on these skills, and Great Bay faculty “are very much used to supporting students who need help in these areas,” Mattson said.

In addition, the students will be able to take advantage of college resources, including tutors and the Center for Academic Planning and Support.

The program demonstrates the college’s responsiveness to community needs, Mattson said. “We are truly committed to the success of students, the community and local employers,” she said. “We are committed to helping the state with the 65-by-25 initiative. We are team players — we meet regularly with employers and the Creteau Center at Spaulding High School to work on ways to bridge the gap between high school grads and employer needs.”

From: Students learn advanced manufacturing | Seacoast Online