Awards

Barbara Couch

President, Hypertherm HOPE Foundation

Barbara and Hypertherm have been leaders in promoting work-based learning and career pathway efforts across the Granite State. Recently, Lebanon High School and Thetford Academy started an internship program in which seniors spent a half-day at Hypertherm to integrate work experience with students. The partnership includes a relationship with Fujifilm Dimatix, and students can earn Running Start credits for their work.

Ann Fowler

Director of Student Services, Pelham High School

Ann authored a unique and visionary pathway model for Pelham High School in which students must engage in a related set of cross-curriculum courses, work-based learning experiences and general meetings while also maintaining their overall grades. Pelham’s career pathway approach is a model for partners and schools in New Hampshire.

Jessica Dade

Assistant Executive Director for the Education Foundation and Career Coordinator, NHADA

The New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association (NHADA) has been the gold standard for work-based learning, interacting with students in career and technical education centers and community colleges all around the state. Jessica has worked as an intermediary between the auto industry and schools. She works to ensure every NH automotive technology student can be supported by the industry through work-based learning. Her “can-do” attitude has expanded the horizons of many students with experiences that have given them a foundation for their future automotive-related careers.

Senator David Watters and Representative Rick Ladd

State of NH

Senator Watters and Representative Ladd have been long-time supporters of students through their deep commitment to serving those engaged in career and technical education, extended learning opportunities and community colleges. Their focus has been to create mechanisms by which the industry can better and more easily collaborate, contribute and partner with schools.

Ian Crawn

Concord High School, 2018 Graduate

Ian changed his final senior semester schedule to combine the best technical education and extended learning opportunities. He took classes at NHTI and interned at KM Cheney Concrete of Concord to learn all aspects of the business from writing quotes to accounting. He is currently working toward certification at the Heavy Construction Academy in Brentwood.

Peter McCosker

Hinsdale High School, 2018 Graduate

Peter participated in extended learning opportunities during his junior and senior years of high school. In his junior year, he worked with Newman Construction, where he was engaged in the entire construction process. In his senior year, he worked alongside contractor John Brunelle. Currently, he is continuing his education at Greenfield (MA) Community College.

Carmela Souza

Salem High School, 2018 Graduate

Carmela completed an internship at Spindel Eye Associates (of Londonderry and Derry) while also participating in student council, swim team and science club. She is attending Southern New Hampshire University, as a part of the school’s Advantage Program, which offers reduced tuition.

Ryan Thomas

Manchester Community College, Graduate

Ryan worked alongside staffers at Parkland Medical Center in Derry during his freshman year at Manchester Community College. He gained the knowledge, judgment and skills to become a Registered Nurse (RN); and upon graduation, he was offered a position in the first class of the facility’s StarRN nurse residency program.

Mike Curtis

Director, Future’s Program, White Mountains Regional High School

During his time at the school, Mike has increased the extended learning opportunities for students and opened outside classroom learning experiences in corrections, manufacturing, chemical sciences and other fields. Student involvement has ranged from the valedictorians to those with severe special needs.

Rich Paiva

Director of Technical Studies, Milford High School

When Rich started the Career Focus Internship Program, there were only a handful of sporadic extended learning opportunities. Now, there are more than 50 students each year enrolled in the work-based learning opportunities offered by the program.

Ken Martin

CTE Manufacturing Technology Teacher and ELO Coordinator, Laconia High School

For 15 years, Ken has partnered with community mentors to help students explore their curiosity with hands-on learning experiences. He coordinates opportunities in career pathways such as law enforcement, alternative energy, sign language and the sciences.

Jayne Barnes

Professor and Department Chair, Nashua Community College

For more than a decade, Jayne has promoted the concept of work-based learning. She has partnered with more than seven community agencies to create an internship program for dozens of students.

Kerrie Alley Violette

ELO Teacher, Sanborn Regional High School

Kerrie has grown the extended learning opportunities program at Sanborn Regional High School from 20 students to almost 80 in 2018. She has also developed a two-week “career pathways” boot camp that students take before their internships.

Scott Pope

CTE Machine Tool and Engineering Teacher, Sugar River Valley CTE Center

During his 31-year career, Scott has established a work-based learning initiative with Whelen Engineering to teach students about manufacturing and engineering, and he has been named Teacher of the Year twice.

Mike Alberts

Director of Organizational Development, New England Electric Wire Inc.

New England Wire Technologies was North Country Workplace Education Program’s first business partner and continues to take students each year from plant maintenance to sales and engineering settings. In the last two years, they’ve piloted a 90-day interview program for career-bound students looking for a head start in the workforce.

Tom Ives

Owner, New Hampshire Bindery

New Hampshire Bindery specializes in creating high-end quality bookbinding. For many years, the company has welcomed interns from the Concord Regional Technical Center’s Graphic Design and Creative Media Program, where they ensure every student learns the trade by actively engaging in applied, hands-on work.

Tim Jordan

Service Manager, AutoFair Ford

During the past quarter of a century, Tim has mentored more than 40 work-based learning students from Manchester Community College. The school’s Department Chair, Marc Bellerose, describes Tim as “the model for how work-based learning should be organized.”

Vic Kissell

Senior Manufacturing Supervisor, Maxcess International

Every year, two to three machine tool students from the Cheshire Career Center, where Vic serves on the advisory board, go to Tidland for co-op experience. Many of those students continue with Tidland full-time after graduation.

Eileen Keefe

Chief Nursing Officer, Parkland Medical Center

Parkland Medical Center provides clinical internships and job shadows for multiple Pinkerton academy programs (health science, economics and the academy of business and finance). Eileen sets the tone for the organization by motivating personnel to bring students into the organization and providing work-based learning opportunities.

Kurt Simione

Owner, and Technology Seed Inc.

Technology Seed has provided work-based learning and employment opportunities to Salem High School students for several years. Kurt provides a paid, hands-on learning environment to prepare students for the future.