Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School

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Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School
Address
215 Fitchburg Street Marlborough, MA, 01752 USA
Information
Type	Public
Motto	"Raising The Bar"
Religious affiliation	None
Established	1973
Principal	Mark Hollick
Faculty	107
Enrollment	925
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Blue & Gold
Athletics	14 Interscholastic sports teams
Athletics conference	Colonial Athletic League
Mascot	Aztec
Website	www.assabettech.com

Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School (AVRTHS) is a vocational school located in the city of Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Contents 1 School Name 2 School District 3 Vocational Education 3.1 Freshman Exploratory and Permanent Placement 3.2 Senior Project 3.3 SkillsUSA 4 Academics 4.1 Classes Offered 4.2 Physical Education/Health 4.3 Bell Schedule 5 Attendance 5.1 Documented Absences 6 Grading Scale 6.1 Grade "Q" 7 Student body 7.1 By Grade 8 Office of Inspector General Investigation 9 Other information 9.1 References

[edit] School Name

About 4 years ago, Assabet Valley voted to change the name of the school to its current name, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School. The former, and original name, Assabet Valley Regional Vocational High School was thought to be by the administration an implement of only vocational education. Assabet wanted to pride on its academics and not just its vocational skills, therefore the name was changed. Contrary to belief, the schools name is not Assabet Valley Regional Technical Vocational High School. (AVRTVHS) The name of the school district was also changed, to Assabet Valley Regional Vocational School District. In a nutshell, the word Technical is used in the schools individual name. The word Vocational is used in the districts name. Neither of them are used together in any one name of the school or school district.

[edit] School District

There are 11 towns in the Assabet Valley Regional Vocational School District and they are Marlborough, Hudson, Maynard, Berlin, Boylston, West Boylston, Clinton, Shrewsbury, Westborough, Northborough, and Southborough. It is located in an urban and rural area with the largest city being Marlborough, with a population of over 37,000 people. Since the district operates only one school, all administrative office are located within the high school.

[edit] Vocational Education

Assabet Valley offers 19 different vocational shops. Each shop is required to be compatible for both males and females. The 20 shops offered are:

• Automotive Collision Technology (Auto Body)
• Automotive Technology (Auto Tech)
• Business Technology
• Biotechnology¹
• Computers Programming and Web Development (CPWD)
• Cosmetology (Cosmo)
• Culinary Arts & Chef Training (Food Trades/Culinary)
• Design & Visual Communication (Digital Media)
• Drafting & Design Technology (Drafting)
• Electrical Wiring (EW)
• Electronic Technology² (Electronics)
• Facilities Management (Facilities)
• Graphic Communications (Print Shop/Graphics)
• Health Technologies (Health Tech)
• House Carpentry & Mill Work (Carpentry)
• HVAC & Appliance Repair (HVAC/Appliance Repair)
• Metal Fabrication (Metal Fab)
• Painting and Design Technologies (P&D)
• Plumbing
• Precision Machining (Machine Shop/Machining)

¹New shop as of 2009

²As of 2008, Electronic Technology will start a 3 year phase out.

Starting in 2009, Biotechnology will be a new shop available to incoming freshman. Also starting in 2009, Electronic Technology will be phased out in 3 school years. In addition to Biotechnology, a possible new shop will replace Electronics.

[edit] Freshman Exploratory and Permanent Placement

During the freshman year, students explore nine of Assabet's nineteen technical areas. Following the completion of the freshmen exploratory, students choose the three technical programs they would most desire for permanent technical program placement. Based on grades and attendance, students are placed in their permanent technical programs. Each student is notified of his or her placement in mid-February and will remain in that technical area for the remaining 3½ school years of technical program training.

[edit] Senior Project

Senior project is a graduation requirement at Assabet. Students must select a topic related to their particular technical program, create a research paper, create an actual presentation, and then present it to a panel of judges that includes teachers and professionals in their selected trade. There have been talks that senior project would be removed from the curriculum, but if this did happen it most likely would not happen until 2009 or 2010.

[edit] SkillsUSA

Assabet Valley has been involved with the SkillsUSA program (formerly known as VICA) for many years under the guidance of Steven Yurek, who also heads the Math Department. Assabet is in the Central District when competing on the district level, has hosted the State Competition on several occasions, and often send students to the National Competition The school year of 2006-2007 introduced Kathryn Diaz, the first State Officer ever from Assabet. Assabet is typically a fierce competitor at the SkillsUSA competitions. Students from Computer Programming & Web Development, Electrical Wiring, Health Technologies, and HVAC & Appliance Repair have a good record of winning medals at all levels of SkillsUSA competition. Students that place in 3rd place or higher within a Skills USA are eligible to skip senior project presentations.

[edit] Academics

Assabet Valley provides a comprehensive set of courses that are both challenging and supportive. The newest additions to curriculum include Advanced Placement courses in English Literature and Composition, U.S. Government and Politics, and several nationally recognized Pre-Engineering courses in conjunction with Project Lead the Way.

[edit] Classes Offered

English 9

College English 9

Honors English 9

English 10

College English 10

Honors English 10

English 11

College English 11

Honors English 11

Advanced Placement English 11¹

English 12

College English 12

Honors English 12

Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition

MCAS English Preparation

Electives:

Reading A

Reading B,C

Drama

Novel and Film (Grades 10, 12)

Journalism (Grade 11)

Publication (Grades 10, 12)

Sports Literature (Grade 12)

Creative Writing

Psychology (Grade 11)

Virtual High School¹

SAT Preparation¹

Art (Grade 11, 12)

Art and Film Appreciation (Grade 11, 12)

Spanish I

Spanish II

Spanish III

Portuguese I

Portuguese II

Portuguese III

_{1 - *Classes offered as of 2009}

[edit] Physical Education/Health

Students in grades 9 and 10 are required to take P.E. and health classes as one of their periods. Passing these classes with a 65 or higher average is a graduation requirement. Once students enter the 11th grade, P.E. becomes an elective, and no health classes are required to be taken with it. When in grades 9 and 10, students take P.E. 2 out of 3 trimesters, and the other trimester is dedicated to health.

[edit] Bell Schedule

The academic day at Assabet consists of 6 periods, with each period lasting 58 minutes. Students have 4 minutes to get to their next class, a change from 3 minutes used in previous school years.

• (#) = Reverse week periods

• 7:50 - 7:55: Homeroom
• 7:58 - 8:56: Period 1 (6)
• 9:00 - 9:58: Period 2 (5)
• 10:02 - 11:00: Period 3 (4)
• 11:00 - 11:34: Lunch for all academic students
• 11:38 - 12:36: Period 4 (3)
• 11:58 - 12:34: Lunch for all shop students
• 12:40 - 1:38: Period 5 (2)
• 1:42 - 2:40: Period 6 (1)

• 2:45 PM: Buses depart
• 2:45 - 3:45: Help sessions/Detentions
• 4:00 PM: Late Buses depart
• 5:30 - 6:00: Sports buses depart

[edit] Attendance

Because of its vocational certification process and limited academic hours, attendance at Assabet is of the utmost importance. Students must not exceed the following number of absences or they will receive an automatic failing grade for the term.

• A student may not exceed two(2) undocumented absences in a term.
• A student may not exceed two(2) documented absences in a term. (See below)

Although the handbook states that a student is only entitled to 2 undocumented absences and 2 documented ones, there is much confusion over the issue. It should be noted that students technically receive 4 undocumented absences per term and 4 documented ones. You may receive 2 of each in academics and 2 of each in shop per term.

[edit] Documented Absences

Although it is written in the student handbook, the number of documented absences is not counted against a student on the final report card, although students must have, a required, 500 vocational hours per year. If a student has good cause, as defined in the handbook as doctors visits, RMV appointments, religious holidays, or death in the family, the number of documented days is not a determining factor in receiving a Q grade.

[edit] Grading Scale

The grading scale at Assabet is different from most other schools in the sense that the passing grade at Assabet is a 65, rather than the usual 60. Here is the official grading scale:

• 97-100 - A+
• 93-96 - A
• 90-92 - A-
• 87-89 - B+
• 83-86 - B
• 80-82 - B-
• 77-79 - C+
• 73-76 - C
• 70-72 - C-
• 67-69 - D+
• 65-66 - D
• 0-64 - F
• 64 - Q (See below)

[edit] Grade "Q"

Students with a passing grade who exceed 2 undocumented absences in a term will receive a grade of "Q" which will be considered a failing grade for that term. Suspension from school is also considered an undocumented absence. Students who failed a course, and exceeded the limit of absences still receive the grade they earned. For example, if a student was absent for 3 days, 1 day over the limit, but maintained an average of 60, he/she would receive the 60 and not the Q grade of 64.

[edit] Student body

The student-body has nearly 1,000 students, (936 to be exact). It is broken down as follows:

[edit] By Grade

• Grade 9 - 237 students
• Grade 10 - 242 students
• Grade 11 - 228 students
• Grade 12 - 218 students

[edit] Office of Inspector General Investigation

After a WBZ (CBS) probe into Assabets spending habits the Massachusetts Office of Inspector General audited the schools finances. Highlights include 6 million in funds owed to member communities and excessive spending on education trips to Las Vegas, including a dinner tab for over one thousand dollars for 8 people. The superintendent was also investigated for being reimbursed twice for auto expenses.

[edit] Other information

• Superintendent/Director: Mary Jo Nawrocki
• Assistant Superintendent: Patrick Collins
• Principal: Mark Hollick
• Dean of Students: Gerald Gahagan
• Director of Curriculum: Rob McCann
• Vocational Director: Russell Mangsen
• Academic Director: Shirley Lundberg
• School Motto: "Raising the bar"
• Mascot: Aztec
• Colors: Blue, gold, and white
• Teams: Aztecs, Lady Aztecs*
• Age of school: 35 Years
• Teacher to student ratio: 1 to 8.6
• Address:

215 Fitchburg Street

Marlborough, MA 01752

Middlesex County

Phone: (508)485-9432

[edit] References

[1]Assabet Valley

Coordinates: 42°22′5.6″N 71°33′56.18″W / 42.368222°N 71.5656056°W / 42.368222; -71.5656056