New Information Technology Pathway at NHS

By Emily Cutts

NORTHAMPTON — A new program set to begin this fall at Northampton High School is aimed at preparing students for a career in the information technology field.

The high school has created the Information Technology Innovation Pathway through a partnership with Greenfield Community College and Tech Foundry, a Springfield program that trains and places high school students and others at entry-level technology jobs throughout the region.

“We really need to keep innovating the structures within our school in order to meet the needs of our students,” Northampton School Superintendent John Provost said, noting that how this is done is basically the same way it was a century ago. “The world has changed, kids have changed. I was excited by the opportunity to try and do something different within the context of a high school structure that may have greater relevance for students.”

The new program, funded by a $140,000 grant from the state’s Executive Office of Education, will prepare students to prosper in a very important and growing sector, Provost said. The program is open to students entering ninth and 10th grades.

Molly McLoughlin, the district’s digital literacy and computer science coordinator, is visiting all eighth-grade classes in the district to introduce students to the program. She has yet to make the introduction to current high school freshman, but said the new program has already surpassed its first-year enrollment goal of 12 students.

To view the full article from the Gazette click HERE.

Students interested in applying should visit THIS page and fill out the Google Form (Go to the Tech tab at the top of the school webpage: Innovation Pathways).