Patch Framingham, MA --The following is a press release from the marketing/PR firm hired by Keefe Technical School:
When students make the choice to attend Keefe Regional Technical School in Framingham, for high school, it’s a decision that paves the way to four-year colleges and successful careers.
The common misconception that graduates of a Career and Technical School have fewer options than students graduating from a traditional high school couldn’t be farther from the truth for the Class of 2013 Keefe Tech graduates. Their choice to attend Keefe Tech has highly impacted their success as students, their career paths, and their opportunities for pursuing a four-year college education.
“Our goal is for students to leave Keefe Tech with a realistic plan for success in a careerfocused major,” said Adrienne Schiaroli, Director of Guidance and Admissions at Keefe Tech, in a press release. “Students who come here make a big decision and a commitment to a career program as freshmen. We are so proud that as seniors, they can utilize their high school experience to make thoughtful, educated decisions about their futures."
One of those seniors is Molly Dee of Natick, a Design and Visual Communications student, who will attend Boston University after graduation to pursue a double major in Graphic Design and Advertising Communications. Dee chose to go to Keefe Tech for high school after learning about the school’s Design and Visual Communications program. In addition to her honors level academic classes, her Design and Visual Communications education gave Dee a competitive advantage when applying to college.
“My portfolio of work helped me tremendously with my college interviews. My teachers helped me build my portfolio during my four years at Keefe, and it showcases all of the different elements of my creative process, from inspiration photos to artwork drafts,” said Dee.
In addition to Boston University, Dee was accepted to Northeastern University,
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and School of Visual Arts in New York City.
“I’ve had enormous opportunities at Keefe Tech with a full high school experience, and I’ve been able to delve into a field that I know I love,” said the 2013 graduate.
According to Schiaroli, one of the benefits of career and technical education is that students gain field-specific knowledge and insight, enabling them to make informed decisions about their career paths and the college programs they are interested in pursuing.
“Our seniors are not just being accepted into college, they are going to schools
that offer amazing majors and choosing programs that lead to careers in growing fields," said said in a press release.
When deciding whether to pursue her four-year degree at University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Massachusetts Boston, Keefe Tech Health Careers senior Sarah Lundberg of Ashland made her choice based on her interest in Biochemistry.
“Being a student at Keefe means that I was able to get a head start on my career while also getting the academic foundation that I need to be successful in college,” said Lundberg, who decided to attend UMass Amherst’s College of Natural Sciences to pursue a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Lundberg will begin her freshman year at UMass Amherst with two college laboratory courses already completed at Framingham State University through Keefe Tech’s dual enrollment agreement with the University. She also received her Nursing Assistant Certification in May of 2012, and is certified in First Aid, CPR, and Alzheimer’s Care.
When faced with the task of applying to the right colleges, Lundberg received assistance from Keefe Tech Grade 12 Guidance Counselor Andrea Fisichella.
“Ms. Fisichella helped to give me direction based on my career interests so I could make sure I applied to colleges that had great biology programs,” she added.
“As a guidance counselor, I’m so proud of our seniors’ accomplishments and seeing their hopes and dreams come to fruition. Our students work very hard and are extremely motivated. They are getting into top schools, they are going into great programs, and they are truly interested in their majors,” Fisichella said in a press release.
For Sam Comfort of Hopkinton, finding his true calling didn’t follow the
traditional career technical path at Keefe Tech. A student of the school’s Plumbing career program, Comfort is also a four-year member of the wrestling team, and was named a three-time Tri-Valley All-Star and the 2013 Sectional Champion.
“I chose to come to Keefe was so that I could have a typical high school experience while also seeing the career technical world. They also offered a great, free sports program. At first I wanted to play football,” Comfort explained, who is also a member of the school’s cross-county team. “In my freshman year, my football coach suggested that I try wrestling to improve my football game, and I ended up sticking with wrestling.”
It wasn’t until Comfort was hired as a mentor for Keefe Tech’s Summer Discover program in 2012 that he realized that he wanted to pursue a career that combined his love of athletics with teaching.
“I’d like to become a wrestling coach, a Physical Education teacher, or an Athletic Director,” said Comfort, who will attend Rhode Island College in Providence in the fall, where he will earn a degree in Physical Education and also be a member of the college’s wrestling team. “I’d love to be able to come back and teach or coach at Keefe Tech,” he added.
“As they end their four years at Keefe Tech, our students have choices when it comes to their postsecondary options. Every student at Keefe graduates with a skill set that enables him or her to go straight into the workforce. However, many choose to pursue further education based on what they’ve learned about their aptitudes and interests during their time here. They are able to make informed choices about earning degrees in fields in which they have already excelled,” said Schiaroli.
Many members of the Keefe Regional Technical School Class of 2013 have been
accepted to top colleges and universities in competitive majors and programs. These students include Mackenzie Fairbanks of Hopkinton, an electrical program senior who will attend University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for Electrical Engineering, Carpentry senior Jeff Bruno of Holliston, who will attend Creighton University and will major in Secondary Education-History, Health Careers senior Olivia Morrison of Ashland, who will attend University of New England in Maine on a Physician Assistant track through a major in Medical Biology, Matt Stacey of Natick, an Information Systems technology student attending University of Colorado at Boulder for Computer Engineering, and Carpentry senior Cassius Shearer of Ashland, who will attend Westfield State University to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice.
Additional colleges and universities that members of the Class of 2013 have been accepted to include Assumption College, Butler University, Culinary Institute of America, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Merrimack College, New England Culinary Institute, Roger Williams University, St. Anselm College, State University of New York at Oswego, Suffolk University, University of Maine Farmington and Orono, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Connecticut, University of New Hampshire, University of Southern Maine, and University of Tampa.
Joseph P. Keefe Technical School is a four-year, public high school located in
Framingham and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and
Colleges. In addition to 13 career and technical programs, Keefe Tech offers a complete college preparatory program to students from the communities of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton and Natick. Reported by Patch 5 days ago.