Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School

Starting the program was student speaker Melody Jeanty, a senior in Automotive Technology and resident of Mansfield. Jeanty spoke about her experience from both cooperative education and the classroom. She plans to design robots and advance the automotive industry as an electrical engineer after graduation. Jeanty shared, “During the summer, I explored the chip shortage topic in-depth, even making it the focus of my junior year thesis…In my externships at car manufacturers, I found the picking system could be improved which is why I want to couple Automotive with Electrical Engineering.”

Following Jeanty's remarks, Colin Gould, a senior Electrical student and resident of Easton, shared his experiences. From the time he was four years old, he knew he was going to work in the building trades. Gould was originally unsure of which program to choose, once he got to Southeastern, he found his passion in Electrical and is now on his journey to become a licensed electrician. “My freshman year shop teacher would say ‘over-deliver’...Every [licensed] electrician is required to complete 600 instructional hours and 8,000 work hours. When I graduate, I will have 300 instructional hours and 1,500 working hours completed from the school as well as an additional 1,000 hours from two summers and overtime, which I believe is the exact definition of over-delivering,” Gould said.

During the event, Superintendent Holly McClanan provided direct insight into what makes vocational education special, alluding to the delightful breakfast both prepared and served by Southeastern’s Culinary Arts students and staff.

Superintendent McClanan opened, "We are so thankful to have had this opportunity to meet and build relationships with our district partners and legislators.” Her presentation highlighted topics on expanding access to high-quality Career Technical Education, the high percentage of students working in their field post-high school and the debate surrounding admissions policies.

“By successfully receiving competitive grants, coupled with student work, Southeastern will be able to build a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) wing, which will open up more seats for the district's nine communities,” added Superintendent McClanan.

Superintendent McClanan further highlighted the high percentage of students who are working in the chosen career pathway post-high school. “The Class of 2023 post- graduation survey showed us that students are continuing in their vocational careers at high percentages and that we are continuing to meet the demands of the regional economy.”

Superintendent McClanan then discussed vocational school admissions which have recently captured attention at the state level. Legislators were informed how Southeastern’s thoughtful admissions policy using measures of success for both schools and the workplace has been used to expand equitable access. Most importantly, Superintendent McClanan highlighted the opportunity Southeastern has to interview prospective students. She stated, “We believe student voice is important, and by having the opportunity to interview every applicant, we get to understand every individual student and provide them with a job skill early on.”

Following remarks, attendees participated in student-led tours, visiting six of Southeastern's vocational programs: Carpentry, Electrical, Engineering Technology, Nurse Assisting, Precision Machine Engineering, and Video & Performing Arts.

Liz Kalaijian, John Guilfoil Public Relations, LLC