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YouSchools.org in the News
Stonebridge Press and Villager Newspapers
"SUDENT VIDEO PROMOTES BAY PATH" By Ryan Grannan-Doll Staff Writer The video speaks for itself. It starts with clips of students repairing a car and performing mason work. By the end of the film, students joyously pour out of the school with glee, happy they are part of Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School. "Hope to see you next year," students say at the end of the video. The video, however, will be on display this school year. Freshman and juniors in the school's graphic arts program have created a 5-minute video to promote their school and recruit teachers and staff. The video is just one entrant in the "Why My School Is Cool" contest held by YouSchools.org, a recruiting Web site that attracts teachers to work at schools. The first-place winner in the contest will be chosen Saturday, May 15, and the winning school will receive a video camera and iPods. For the students, however, the video is also meant to combat the image that school is a place for students who have done poorly in prior years. "You go to Gay Path," said 16-year-oldWebster junior Randy Denham, quoting what some people have said to him. He said he is "well aware" of the school's image as a dumping ground for bad students. The image is even starker to parents 17-year-old Southbridge junior Javier Melendez has heard from. "So you must be dumb," he said quoting parents he has spoken with. Dumb the students are not. They spend one week doing academic classes and apply the lessons to one week of shop time. Then, the schedule repeats itself throughout the year. The school aims to prepare students for not just but an academic and work career. Many of them pursue careers straight out of the school or go to college to further learn the trade they practiced at the high school. The lessons of the school are evident, especially in the video. The camera shots are steady and clear, while the audio is smooth. The transitions between shots are quick and clean and it even features a scroll at the screen's bottom with facts about the school. A short montage, set to music, is at the end of the video. "We put the real message out there," said 17-year-old Southbridge junior Melissa Zayac. "I feel as a school we need to show ourselves. Otherwise, people might not think of Bay Path as an option." The message becomes even clearer with other accolades thrown the school's way. Students from several shops recently won gold medals at the SkillsUSA competition, a contest where competitors show off their trade skills. The school is also home to the BattleBotsIQ program that has students build combat robots that square off against others in competitions nationwide. If that was not enough, the school holds an annual house building program where students of several disciplines construct most of a new home. This year, students are building a home in Charlton and will construct one in Spencer during the next school year. If Ivester's words are any indication, the students not only have a good chance of winning the video contest, but also of attracting more people to the school. "I think they did a great job," he said. "They had some great music." YouSchools, though already large, hopes to expand. Aspiring teachers from 45 states are currently registered with the site, which also lists 200 schools in 35 states, according to Ivester. Schools do not pay to be on the site. "We're hoping it will no go national," he said. For now, however, Bay Path will continue giving students a technical education, despite what its detractors may think. After all, the quality of the school's education is evident in its students. "We are just as capable of going to college as others," said 17-year-old Chelsea King, a junior from Southbridge. Ryan Grannan-Doll can be reached by phone at (508)-909-4050, or by email at rgrand@stonebridgepress.com |
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