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Methuen recognizes CTE and DECA achievements; committee approves CTE advisory committees
Summary
The school committee honored career-technical students and DECA teams for regional successes and unanimously approved Program Advisory Committees to advise and connect students with industry partners.
The Methuen School Committee on Jan. 13 honored Career & Technical Education students and DECA competitors, celebrated a surge in DECA participation and approved career‑technical Program Advisory Committees (PACs) that will advise CTE programs and help align curriculum with local employers and community colleges.
CTE and DECA highlights - Ella Benson received the CTE SOAR award for her work in marketing and externship experience at Alice & Taylor Photography, and for leadership as Methuen High’s DECA vice president. Maureen Melanson, CTE lead teacher, praised Benson’s academic and professional achievements. - Computer‑science students described winning first place in an applied‑learning showcase with a project that used a pre‑trained computer‑vision library to detect recyclable items. Student Yasmin (Yasmeen) discussed the award and a subsequent industry visit that included job‑shadowing at Liberty Mutual. - DECA growth: Teacher and DECA advisor Josh Regato told the committee that club membership grew from 30 members last year to about 200 this year (a 236% increase) and that about 60 students qualified for the Massachusetts DECA State Career Development Conference in Boston, Feb. 27–March 1. Advisors said the group hopes to qualify for nationals this spring.
Program Advisory Committees (PACs) Under Chapter 74 requirements for approved CTE programs, the committee must approve advisory‑committee membership. The committee voted to approve members nominated to serve on advisory councils that include business and higher‑education partners, parents and students. PAC members will advise on curriculum, power skills (communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence), competitions, externships and articulation agreements with Northern Essex and Middlesex Community Colleges.
Why it matters Advisory committees are intended both to keep CTE coursework aligned with labor‑market needs and to expand college‑credit and externship pathways for students. Committee members said articulation agreements could let students earn community‑college credit for CTE coursework and help advertise tuition‑free pathways.
Vote and next steps The committee voted to approve the PAC membership list and directed staff to schedule meetings between the PAC representatives and the school committee for further Q&A and information sharing.
Statements from students and staff emphasized the role of hands‑on learning in connecting classroom skills to jobs and higher education and noted the unusual scale of DECA participation this year.
