Welcome to the Starting Line
I thought the rush of professional motorcycle drag racing was one-of-a-kind until I started seeing the parallels to working with students at BVT. I get the same feeling of pride watching our students discover their passions, work through adversity, and succeed in their endeavors that I get when I cross the finish line. It’s watching your hard work pay off in a very big way, and in short — it’s exhilarating!
The strategies and values featured in this blog are derived from my observations and experiences in competition, leadership roles, and life. They’re the same ones we instill in our students to help them understand commitment, overcome adversity, embrace healthy competition, and find happiness in life. We teach our students to be fearless in their pursuits and foster a desire to pursue lifelong learning. We’re also sure to teach them about balance — there is time for fun in everyone’s world Here at BVT, we want our students to work hard, but also enjoy the ride.
The amber lights just flashed — you’ve got the green light to read on!
THE SPRING ISSUE OF THE LINK IS HERE!
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Artificial Intelligence, whether you have noticed or not, is already an integral part of your daily life. What started not too long ago as a mosquito in the tent, has rapidly and subtly become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives. Since it is our mission as educators and parents to prepare our youngsters for careers and successful futures, when it comes to AI...we are ALL-IN!
On the precipice of the changing season, where summer falls away, and the start of school demands our fullest attention, I’m excited for the new school year with many new paths and opportunities opening before us. This optimism is expressed to our incoming students at each Freshman Orientation where I make two promises — by the time they graduate, they will be career-ready and life-ready. For this to happen, they must quickly learn to respect their shop environment, others, and themselves. In doing so, they become independent, responsible young adults, which we insist happens SOONER, NOT LATER.
Most who suggest that today’s vocational students should predominantly go directly into the workplace from high school mean well. There are, after all, countless examples of graduates who achieved great success with their vocational diploma, hard work, and determination. BVT alone has a robust body of alumni to illustrate this possibility. I am not only proud of their professional achievements, but also impressed by their tremendously positive economic impact to the region. Nonetheless, the times are changing, or perhaps not changing enough, and this path is progressively becoming challenging to replicate for today’s graduates. When it comes to their careers, they must take a LEAP OF FAITH.
Perhaps it is the angle of the sun or a slight change in the weather that tickles the innate sense that it is time to return to school. We look forward to our familiar routines and the comfort they provide, and we enthusiastically anticipate our annual traditions. At BVT, every school year kicks off with the Freshmen Cookout. It is hard to imagine not greeting our new students and their families without breaking bread. Welcome to our home where we — EAT TO LIVE!
Each time I craft one of these articles, I’m challenged with captivating you with educational wisdom and perspective that is original, engaging, relevant, and thought-provoking. Sometimes the words come with ease, and other times it’s a process (brainstorming sessions, research, writing, and rewriting). What gives these articles “soul,” as my editor would put it, are the personal stories I share to help illustrate and support the subject. So, let me tell you about LONG DIVISION & DEAD BATTERIES.
Civilization has evolved because of our ability to communicate ideas, speak, debate, and ultimately reach a greater understanding of our world and our place in it. In addition to our verbal speech, the ability to write has allowed us to record our collective knowledge and preserve it for future generations. It is easy to see what becomes of our collective wisdom when we lose the ability to exchange ideas freely and LOGOS IS LOST.
The thrill of a new school year is upon us! And with it, there is a nervous yet appealing angst, regardless of how many times you’ve experienced it. It is an odd juxtaposition to be both anxious and elated simultaneously. Yet it is a predictable response to breaking the summer routine, anticipating the challenging work ahead, and reuniting with our school community. In addition to the social aspects of a new school year, students and staff return with challenging goals in mind. One goal we should all consider this year is increasing our awareness of how we use our phones, electronic devices, and social media — I call this awareness: DIGITAL HYGIENE.
Even if you’re not a country music fan, you are probably familiar with the hit Johnny Paycheck song, “Take This Job and Shove It.” Not only is it a catchy tune, but also to some degree, I think everyone finds it relatable from time to time when workplace frustrations arise. It is normal to be frustrated with one’s job on occasion, after all, it is work and not play. But, if you find yourself humming Paycheck’s song regularly and harboring the sentiment within, it may be time to rethink your career choices and find GREATNESS elsewhere.
The changing of the seasons, celestial orbits, and the rhythmic exchange of night to day and back again are so overt, we rarely give them much thought. Why would we? Fairly consistent cycles are predictable, maybe even taken for granted. It is fascinating, however, when we recognize cycles in unsuspecting areas like human behavior, history, philosophy, and ideology. We perk up and take note of those, and sometimes it becomes apparent that we haven’t lived long enough to realize that we have come full circle. Here’s some FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Without a doubt, everyone shares my hope and enthusiasm to start a new school year without pandemic complications. There is extra excitement in the air to move on from Covid and begin a whole new chapter at BVT. Our incoming freshmen will experience vocational-technical training for the first time, and we all look forward to putting our full focus on our mission to bring our students closer to career, college, and life readiness. One challenging aspect of accomplishing this mission is giving cogent advice to our children, as we might have given to OUR YOUNGER SELVES.
The human mind is an amazing thing. We have the ability to focus very intensely on the tiniest details while simultaneously handling most of our daily tasks without thought. By design, we can choose where to expend our mental abilities and when to relax them. Young or old, there is never a bad time to pause and — THINK IT OVER.
In the pursuit of producing well-rounded and prepared graduates, we must go beyond the world of academia and career studies. It is also our mission to teach our students important life skills and traits such as good citizenship, character, leadership, and organization just to name a few. Let us focus on one such life skill: BALANCE.
It is with great pleasure that I welcome everyone back for the start of the 2020–2021 school year. Although it has been quite an unusual summer for us all, I hope that you are well-rested and enthusiastically ready to commence another exciting year at BVT. Our school community consists of a strong partnership between our staff, parents, and students. Our shared vision and approach to learning continues to produce the best possible learning environment for our students. As schools across the nation prepare for the new school year, apprehension abounds concerning the safety and health of in-person versus distance learning. Let’s take a moment to look at a particular aspect of that apprehension and synchronize our expectations with the expression: RISK!
One of the hallmarks of BVT is encouraging our students to take pride in their work—to compete even when no one is looking. Our students encounter success in life because they have experienced competition and deeply understand the value society places on merit. They also learn to be resilient in failure. Let’s face it, you can’t win all the time. Our students are strong and have the fortitude to try and try again (and again...). We WIN SOME; we LOSE SOME, but we never give up the fight.
Life often meanders between the predictable and the unlikely. It is precisely the unpredictability of life that makes it challenging to navigate, but also makes it exciting to be alive. John Steinbeck captured one aspect of the human condition in the classic novel, Of Mice and Men, with the famous quote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” We are free to dream and pursue accordingly, but we are constantly reminded that dreams don’t always come true. The fatalist may accept downturns as bad luck, Murphy’s Law, or perhaps it’s just the way the cookie crumbles; however, the resilient and determined confront misfortune with an alternate plan and come to learn THE VALUE OF PLAN B.
It is with great pleasure that I welcome everyone back for the start of the 2019–2020 school year; hopefully the summer months have provided you the relaxation to commence with excitement and enthusiasm! We’ve always valued and relied upon the partnership between our school, parents, and our students. It’s important to not only have great communication, but also to share a common vision and approach to learning. As we prepare to hit the ground running in August, let’s take a moment to look at a particular aspect of communication and synchronize our expectations with the expression: BECAUSE I SAID SO!
Let’s examine the intricacies of passion — there is much to ponder on how it’s born, its value in our careers, and its role in the fulfillment of our lives. In this article, I will illustrate the tremendous achievement that precipitates when PASSION MERGES WITH UNCOMMON SKILL.
Serving as the Assistant Superintendent-Director/Principal of BVT is never a dull job, in part, because the educational landscape is always changing. I need to keep a keen eye and ear out for arising challenges to our mission, and as a school we must stay nimble in our responses. Ensuring that our students are career and college ready also means that they are fit — FIT FOR LIFE.
We are pleased to welcome our students and families to the 2018–2019 school year. This beginning is always an exciting time for us as we embark on a new journey together. Each year, we reaffirm our commitment to the lesson learned in the age-old adage, “If you give a hungry man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Today, in addition to teaching our students self-sufficiency and independence as the adage suggests, we must also teach the dichotomy inherent within: EMPOWERMENT vs. ENTITLEMENT.
I’m proud to say the 2017–2018 school year is off to a fantastic start. Our newest students are acclimating well to our school, and our returning students continue to excel. While our students are immersed in their academic and vocational classrooms, they are learning so much more than just the theoretical skills and ideas being presented to them. One of the most important skills all of our students are learning is one that may frustrate them at times, but is crucial for their success in both their personal and professional lives: PROBLEM SOLVING
I am honored to welcome everyone back to another challenging and rewarding year at BVT. As we start a new school year, it seems fitting to remind you that being a part of the BVT family means no one has to tackle challenges alone. Our commitment to the whole student is an example of addressing one of the greatest concerns in education today: students’ emotional well-being. BVT, along with schools throughout the state, are focusing on social and emotional learning. At the core of addressing young people’s emotional well-being is ADAPTABILITY.
One can’t help but notice how rapidly our modes of communication have evolved in recent years due to advancements in technology and social media. We are more connected with one another than at any other point in history, and it is exciting and challenging to teach students the art of communication in such an era. Amidst all of this change, however, one thing has remained the same: NICE MATTERS
As individuals, our students and staff exhibit an unusually high degree of professionalism, focus, and tenacity to their craft, so much so that one could use those words to accurately describe the culture of the school. Many visitors to BVT ask me to put my finger on the secret ingredient to creating such an enviable school culture and climate. I would never suggest it is a singular component, but it is hard to miss one commonality at work—as our students continue to drive toward academic, career-technical, extracurricular, and sporting success, they display a trait many envy but only a few embody: COMMITMENT
Welcome to another exciting and rewarding year at Blackstone Valley Tech. By the time this newsletter reaches mailboxes throughout our 13-town district, we will be several weeks into the new school year. With the longest school calendar of any public school in the state, BVT’s commitment to getting a head start each year is a reflection of the value we place on NEW BEGINNINGS.
As winter recedes and the spring trimester gets underway, the school year’s not-too-distant finish line is coming sharply into focus and Valley Tech’s students are planning accordingly. Whether underclassmen shaping schedules for next year, or seniors weighing college acceptance letters and offers of employment, I encourage our students and their parents to consider a topic that perhaps seems most germane to graduating seniors, but is actually an important part of the entire BVT experience: COURAGE
As the second trimester begins, I congratulate the students, staff, and families of Blackstone Valley Tech on a first trimester that finished as strongly as it began. Each fall, the teamwork required to get BVT running like the proverbial “well-oiled machine” is made possible by a skill that often goes unnamed, yet plays a vital role in our students’ preparation for the workplace: THE ART OF DIPLOMACY
It is an honor to once again welcome students, parents, and staff to another exciting year at Blackstone Valley Tech. It is most appropriate that the start of this new school year coincided with the launch of our new website, as the decision to revamp our home base in cyberspace represents one of BVT’s core philosophies: CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
As I write this final letter of the 2014-2015 school year, Blackstone Valley Tech is still riding the enormous wave of pride stirred by Governor Charlie Baker’s inaugural visit. On one of the most significant days of their personal and political lives, Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito chose to share their inaugural spotlight with Blackstone Valley Tech, its students, and its staff. In doing so, the Governor revealed that he values one of BVT’s most powerful tools: POSITIVE RECOGNITION
The 2014-2015 school year is only a few months old, but I’m happy to report that Blackstone Valley Tech’s newest students and staff are off to a great start. Their quick acclimation is no surprise, as it doesn’t take long to develop a strong sense of belonging when you join our community of shared values. We’ve discussed many of those values over the past several issues, including healthy competition, physical and mental health, critical thinking, and pride and passion. I ask you now to please consider two more shared values that make BVT unique: GETTING INVOLVED & GIVING BACK
It is an honor and a privilege to welcome students, parents, teachers, and staff to the start of another exciting year at Blackstone Valley Tech. Commencement of the 2014–2015 school year is an especially jubilant time, as this fall marks the culmination of BVT’s 50th anniversary. Looking back on fifty years, it is clear that one cornerstone of Valley Tech’s culture is as important today as it was in 1964: HEALTHY COMPETITION
It is once again an honor and a privilege to welcome you to the latest issue of the BVT Link. This year, the Link lived up to its name by linking Valley Tech’s principal and parents, and giving us the opportunity to explore the concepts of critical thinking and health & wellness as they relate to your child’s success. Today, I present two more closely connected concepts that will help your child live a rich and fulfilling life: PRIDE & PASSION
It is my privilege and honor to welcome the Blackstone Valley Tech parents to the Winter 2013 issue of the BVT Link. It’s hard to believe that one trimester of our “new” school year has already passed since my last letter, in which I called on everyone in the BVT community to refocus our minds and energy on the common goal of student employability. As we move forward with employability at the heart of our efforts, it’s essential to explore a specific element of our success: WELLNESS
It is with great enthusiasm and honor that I welcome everyone back to another challenging and rewarding school year at Blackstone Valley Tech. As we return to the rigorous routine of life at BVT, it’s essential that each and every one of us recalibrate our sense of purpose and remind ourselves of WHY we are here at Blackstone Valley Tech. Whether you are a student, teacher, parent, or administrator, the mission that we share at BVT can be summarized in one vital word: EMPLOYABILITY