Chelmsford High School Receives $22K Grant

CHELMSFORD, MA –The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded Chelmsford High School a $22,400 grant to develop a new program at the school called Innovation Pathways.

The Innovative Pathways programs are designed to give students coursework and experience in high-demand industries such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, life sciences, business and finance and advanced manufacturing.

Another goal for the programs are to create strong partnerships with local employers to expose students to career options and help them develop knowledge and skills related to their chosen field of study before graduating.

Chelmsford High School Social Studies Coordinator Stephanie Quinn, who helped spearhead the effort said she hopes to see the program implemented as early as next year.

“This is our planning year,” she said. “We are hoping to begin programming next year with students enrolling in the Pathways.”

The high school will offer Innovation Pathways in the fields of Information Technology and Business and Finance.

“We have many classes that relate to all the Pathways,” said Quinn. “We specifically looked at Information Technology and Business/Finance because a lot of the pieces are already in place. Our students can learn about these pathways as early as middle school, and it will enable them to figure out what they may want to pursue.”

While Chelmsford High students have recently been able to earn college credit through a dual enrollment program with Middlesex Community College, the new program will include added coursework for students to continue. It will also connect students with internships with local businesses and capstone, semester-long research projects.

The new program falls in line with the school's efforts to have kids college and career ready, said Jon Morris a K-12 Science Coordinator who also helped coordinate the effort.

The high school already has partnerships with Worker’s Credit Union of Chelmsford as well as MassHire of Lowell, and is currently looking for partnerships with Merrimack Valley-based businesses to offer internships for its students, consistent with the Innovation Pathways project.

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