MAVA Colleagues,
We are most pleased to share the great news that Whittier Tech senior received the Vocational Technical Secondary Student Achievement Award during the Massachusetts Career and Technical Education 90th Annual Conference in Foxboro on April 1. Kai Reed thanked his family and the Whittier Tech staff in attendance, and urged those in the audience to encourage younger people and share that they can do anything they set their minds to.
MAVA joins MassCTE in extending its congratulation to Kai and wish success next fall when he will enter the honors program in the Marine Science and Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Maine.
David
Whittier Tech Student Receives Vocational Technical Secondary Student Achievement Award
April 7, 2023 Tom Zuppa Client News, School News
Kai Reed, third from left, poses with Whittier Tech staff, from left, Elizabeth Devenney, Deb Santos, Katie Staunton, Bob Beaton, and Lindsey Crovetti.
Superintendent Maureen Lynch is proud to announce that a Whittier Tech senior has been recognized as one of the top students in career technical education in the state.
Kai Reed, an Electronics/Robotics student from Haverhill, received the Vocational Technical Secondary Student Achievement Award during the Massachusetts Career and Technical Education 90th Annual Conference in Foxboro on April 1.
The award is given to students who show commitment and success in both their career pathway and academics. Nominees also must show good personal character and leadership and be involved in their school and community.
Electronics/Robotics instructor Bob Beaton introduced Reed at the ceremony, detailing how Reed overcame the challenges of remote learning, excelling at each step, and always striving for more. “Kai was the student who made me challenge myself to be better,” Beaton said.
Kai Reed, fourth from left, received the Vocational Technical Secondary Student Achievement Award during the Massachusetts Career and Technical Education 90th Annual Conference in Foxboro on April 1. From left, grandparents Wes and Laurie Reed, father Brett Portalla, mother Penny Reed, sibling Gabi Reed, Mass CTE Awards Chair Donald Erickson, and Aunt Bonnie Rouleau.
Reed also worked a co-op job at Rochester Electronics in Newburyport, a global semiconductor manufacturer. Reed’s success there has led to the company hiring more Whittier students as co-ops.
“I have been fortunate to have had you as a student throughout your four years at Whittier Tech,” Beaton told Reed. “Having you as a student is my absolute honor and privilege. There is no doubt in my mind that this is only the first of many awards and accolades you will earn during your career.”
Reed thanked his family and the Whittier Tech staff in attendance, and urged those in the audience to encourage younger people and share that they can do anything they set their minds to. Reed was joined at the ceremony by his parents, Penny Reed and Brett Portalla; sibling Gabi Reed, who will enter Whitter Tech in the fall; grandparents Wes and Laurie Reed; and Aunt Bonnie Rouleau.
A number of Whittier faculty and staff also attended to support Reed: Superintendent Lynch; Principal Chris Laganas; Director of Pupil Personnel Services Kristine Morrison; Vocational Coordinator Paul Moskevitz; Coordinator of Curriculum and Staff Development Dr. Kelly Fay; Coordinator of Data and Assessment Katie Jensen; Director of Community Partnerships Tia Gerber; Vocational Instructors Bob Beaton (Electronics/Robotics), Chris Gerber (Metal Fabrication), and Jane Moskevitz, (Allied Health); and English teachers Lindsey Crovetti, Elizabeth Devenney, Deb Santos, and Katie Staunton.
Reed will attend the University of Maine in the fall, entering the honors program in the Marine Science and Mechanical Engineering Department.
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira
