DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex Tech received a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to benefit the school’s construction programs. The grant will be used to assist carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing and heating ventilation air conditioning and refrigeration students with the opportunity to gain authentic work experiences through building projects on campus.
Essex Tech has several on-campus construction projects in need of completion, including reconfiguring current career technical education spaces to meet new industry requirements. Doing so will give students the necessary skills required by employers in today’s workplaces and allow Essex Tech to meet the increase in enrollment requests.
Essex Tech is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 through the Cummings Foundation “$100K for 100” program. The school was chosen from a pool of 574 applicants during a competitive review process. Award certificates will be presented during a ceremony on June 6 at the Atrium TradeCenter 128 in Woburn.
“We are appreciative of the Cummings Foundation for recognizing the value of the building trades, training our future workforce and giving us the funds to do so,” Superintendent Riccio said. “This funding will allow the students to contribute to their school while having authentic work experiences that will open up additional opportunities for post-secondary education and careers.”
Some of the projects students will work on in the upcoming year include:
Catherine Larkin Memorial Practice Cottage — named after former nursing student Catherine Larkin, who was killed in World War II — is a historic building on the property that is in major disrepair and will need to be rebuilt. Once completed, it will serve as a multi-use facility, including a historical museum, service kitchen, office space, an exhibit hall, a learning lab and function space. This new building will also hold up to 150 guests for meetings and events.
— Restoring the Larkin Cottage is part of a long-term fundraising effort by Essex Tech to give the district’s second oldest building (after Smith Hall) a new life. For more information, or to donate, visit essexnorthshore.org/larkin
The second floor of former Essex Aggie school building (Smith Hall), which is currently not being used, will undergo significant renovations to create additional classrooms. This will allow for the district to increase enrollment. (The first floor was renovated for administrative offices when the new school facility opened in 2014.)
The alumni gymnasium/performance center, which was built in 1967, needs a major overhaul to make it more usable and energy efficient. Doing so would make it available to community agencies and organizations for training and activities. It would also provide a new space for student use for a variety of events, including a functional performance space for the school’s drama club.
Once the projects are completed, Essex Tech will have additional space for both CTE programs and academics, allowing the school to increase student enrollment and provide meeting and training spaces for community organizations and agencies.Students will be involved in all phases of the projects, giving them the opportunity to directly contribute to their school while gaining valuable real-life experiences in their chosen profession.
They will also learn about green energy strategies, as these will be employed in the projects to help make each project more energy efficient. “These are all skills that employers in this region are looking for and require in their employees,” Superintendent Riccio said. “We’re thrilled to get these projects started and look forward to the positive impact they’ll have on current and future students, faculty, staff and our community at large.”
Essex Tech received a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to benefit the school’s construction programs. One of the main projects students will work on is renovating the school’s Larkin House, pictured above. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)
