Both Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School and Blackstone Valley Region Vocational Technical High School, located in Marlborough and Upton, Massachusetts, respectively, recently received grants to further their life science education.
Massachusetts’ Life Sciences Center awarded the grants to both schools - Assabet receiving more than $67,000, and Blackstone $120,000. The new funds will help these schools purchase new equipment for job training programs. In addition to these two schools, 32 other community colleges, vocational technical schools and work force training organizations in the state received funds.
"That's really good news," said Mary Jo Nawrocki, superintendent-director of Assabet Valley. "Obviously, I'm just thrilled for the entire health technologies department. They spent a lot of time working on the grant and getting it prepared."
Assabet will invest in electrocardiogram machines and textbooks, which will train students to use EKG machines. Blackstone will purchase new science laboratory equipment, which includes laptops and DNA kits. Other schools will upgrade their technology in the classroom, such as interactive whiteboards, computers and HDMI projectors.
Education foundations in fellow Massachusetts towns, such as Beverly and Needham, are issuing grants to further their school systems’ teaching methods.
