BELCHERTOWN — Robots, 3-D printers and computer processors. Belchertown High School is in for a 21st century upgrade this year.
According to State Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, the Belchertown school system is sailing toward a $100,000 appropriation from the state to purchase equipment that will expand its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program at Belchertown High School.
Belchertown could see the new equipment as early as spring 2017, Belchertown School Committee chairwoman Dawn French said.
“This is really exciting for us. It’s in the midst of being created. Right now, we have no STEM program at all at the high school, we just have basic level science,” French said. “The high school is the starting point. We would love to see that trickle down and make its way to younger students.”
And for a school that operates on a tight budget, the funding is key to expanding programs, French said.
According to French, the high school eliminated several teaching positions at the end of the 2015-16 school year, but was able to save a band program and Junior Varsity sports programs that were “on the docket for a while to be cut.”
Balancing a tight budget is a difficult and daunting task, French said, so the STEM funding is an exciting chance to start a new program. An introductory STEM program exists at the middle school, but it is not near the caliber of the new project, according to French.
“Here you have a community that prides itself on a wonderful school system,” Lesser said. “They are doing everything right, they just needed a little help from the state.”
The idea for the project came from a School Committee meeting June 21. Lesser attended the meeting to ask the community what he could do to help the schools.
According to Lesser, curriculum director Shawn Fortin raised his hand. The school had open classrooms and willing teachers to create a strong STEM program, but it needed help to purchase technology like programmable robots and 3-D printers, Fortin explained.
“I was really taken with what he said,” Lesser said. “I was able to add language into an economic development bill, it’s a big $1 billion bill, and secure $100,000 for the Belchertown school system.”
Fortin was unable to be reached for comment.
According to Lesser, the next step is for the Baker administration to release the funding, which could happen as soon as this year. Lesser said he is optimistic that the funding will come through. The flexibility of the funding will allow the school to decide how it is used and what is purchased, Lesser added.
Belchertown High School will join the ranks of neighboring communities like Longmeadow High School, Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative, Chicopee Comprehensive High School and others that have robotics programs, Lesser said.
The use for the funding is “totally up to the school,” Lesser said. According to French, the STEM equipment will likely be incorporated into the curriculum during the school day and then used in afterschool programs.
Lesser said the project could open up opportunities to collaborate with the University of Massachusetts engineering program and other colleges and universities in the area. He added that experience in robotics and other technology-related fields could lead to employment opportunities after high school.
“We know there are so many jobs in the field, especially in Western Massachusetts,” Lesser said. “There are well-paying jobs in these fields close to home.”
A report recently released by Newsweek ranked Belchertown High School as the 13th best school in the state.
“We are so very proud of this accomplishment,” Principal Christine Vigneux wrote in an email. “We have a great high school where outstanding teaching and learning takes place every day!”
In the national Newsweek ranking, Belchertown High School stacked up 359 in a pool of 500 schools. It is the only high school in Western Massachusetts to appear on the list for 2016. Longmeadow High School made the list in 2015, but did not reappear this year.
“It’s definitely something we are very proud of,” French agreed.
Additionally, Belchertown will welcome a new member to the School Committee at the end of the month.
Retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Jeff Charron was appointed July 28 to fill a vacancy created when former member Richard Fritsch abruptly resigned in June.
“He’s brand new at the end of August,” French said. “We’re excited to get started with him, and we will keep moving forward our district.”