Montville High School and Supercharged Work Together for Edu.

As a student at Montville High school, I have seen a steady decline in interest in our Tech electives. I first noticed last year when a friend (and fellow wrestler) Zack Navarte asked me to sign a petition to keep our electric car program. Mr.Healy, who runs a portion of our tech ed classes, could not offer the program due to the lack of interest. Zack had begun collecting names to keep the class, as well as work with 5 others to build and race the electric car at a competition in Lyme Rock. However, the petition didn't generate enough support. Zack and several others were disappointed. “I thought it would have been a good chance to work with others and introduce us to the critical thinking involved with engineering,” said Zack during our discussion about why he started the petition.

This year Mr. Wheeler, the senior internship coordinator, and Business/Technical Education Department Chair, had sought out to find potential internships for his students. While doing so he met with Shawn Strom, Supercharged’s Event Specialist Manager. Mr. Wheeler had proposed a collaboration to spark more interest in the school's technical education opportunities. Supercharged generously agreed to give an old “go-kart” to the school as a model for the project. Shawn explained in an interview, “I agreed to work with the school for the benefit of the students and to help/support their Tech Ed program.” For the time being the car will be displayed in the senior court, located by the main office with information about the class.

“There are a lot of manufacturing jobs available for students after high school, technical education classes gives those students a jump on those jobs,” said Mr. Wheeler in an interview.

The plan is to take this opportunity to educate students. Once out of high school, General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) Division and other major manufacturing companies can bring in students who are familiar with the processes involved. This gives a window of opportunity for students to separate themselves from competition in a growing field. Our school is part of the EB Summer High School Internship Program, SHIP. According to an information poster for EB internships, EB will accept applications from junior students. The internship provided is a 6-week paid summer program which is an excellent start for upperclassmen. Many students are unaware of this, and having skills from the Tech department increases your chances of getting in. Students who go through the program can even get hired and EB will cover your tuition after the senior year. This along with the other benefits provoked Mr.Healy to appeal to TSA (Technical Student Association) for a new club. The club would provide students with an inside look at how the electric car industry works. Students could also compete with the electric cars by racing them on Supercharged track. The club would both be educational and fun, thus attracting students to partake in the activities and the electric car class. Shawn’s involvement in the club would provide the students with a once a week visit. When asked about expanding the opportunity to other schools he said he wants to see how Montville's program goes first.

Mr. Healy explains the electric car program is not the only class available. Other classes such as Solidworks provide college credit. For students interested in engineering these other classes are a way to get exposure to the kinds of work they will do in the future. With an aware student body, people can really open their doors and get real-life experience. Our technical education teachers want people to be aware of this and this is a good way to begin bringing awareness.