Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education,
We are pleased to share this terrific story from our colleagues at Monty Tech. Yet another incredible partnership between a Chapter 74 Vocational Technical School meeting the needs of a member community of their regional school district.
MAVA extends its sincere congratulations to the students and staff who provided a much-needed service to a member community!! Great effort…we are all proud of you!!
David
Monty Tech students build custom bookshelf for Fitchburg Library campaign donors
Donors’ names will be on the spines of books in READ shelf at renovated library
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Students in the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School welding and metal fabrication program, pictured here, along with members of the Fitchburg high school’s autobody program created a custom made, larger-than-life bookshelf made up of the letters READ for the names of the Fitchburg Public Library’s Legacy of Learning campaign donors to be displayed in as book plaques. (COURTESY FITCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY)
By dray | Sentinel & Enterprise
PUBLISHED: July 8, 2026
FITCHBURG — The Fitchburg Public Library (FPL) OWL Capital Campaign team recently faced a pressing question — how can donors to the library’s Legacy of Learning campaign be recognized in a public space for their generosity?
The team was looking for a creative, artistic way to say thank you for the gifts of $125 to $500 in a prominent space in the new library. After much exploration, discussion, and fine tuning, a concept emerged: using books that will serve as donation plaques and rest in a larger-than-life bookshelf made up of the letters “READ.”
The team unanimously and enthusiastically agreed on the concept but quickly realized that a large READ bookshelf is not something that can be bought off the shelf — no pun intended. It was clear that a custom project was needed and the question then became, who could build it?
Enter students in the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School welding and metal fabrication and autobody programs. The welding and metal fabrication program, a part of Monty Tech since the school was established in 1965, currently serves 64 students who develop a wide range of technical and hands-on industry skills through multiple processes that prepare them for careers in welding and manufacturing.
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<![endif]>Students in the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School welding and metal fabrication program working on a custom made, larger-than-life bookshelf made up of the letters READ that they created for the Fitchburg Public Library’s Legacy of Learning campaign.(COURTESY FITCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY)
It took only a few meetings with Monty Tech welding and fabrication faculty member Heather Gray and school administration for it to become abundantly clear that the READ bookshelf project had found its makers. After all, the Monty Tech students have a lot of experience at taking on one-of-a-kind fabrication requests, including horse trailers and plows, steel railings, copper cupolas, metal signage, and custom brackets.
One of their most memorable and recognizable projects is the giant, bright red, steel figure Thurston sculpture at the Fitchburg Art Museum. Every piece of Thurston was cut, welded, and painted by students in Monty Tech’s welding and metal fabrication and automotive collision programs under the supervision of the artist Douglas Kornfield.
As Gray put it, “Versatility is at the core of what we do” and she further explained the appeal of the READ fabrication.
“What I found most intriguing about this project was how engaging and hands-on it was for the students,” she said. “It gave them the opportunity to apply and showcase the skills they’ve developed from freshman through junior year.”
Bringing the READ bookshelf concept to life proved to be a great collaboration among Monty Tech students and faculty and the OWL Capital Campaign team.
“The students benefited greatly from working alongside instructors and community members,” Gray noted. “It gave them real-world experience in communication, problem-solving, and adapting to client feedback.”
The Monty Tech Class of 2027 members who worked on the project shared their perspective.
“The letters have been a challenge overall, but the project ultimately was a great learning experience,” the seniors said in a joint statement. “We had to find measurements and check each other’s math constantly to ensure premium quality to the best of our abilities. Not only that, but we also had to show leadership and discuss everyone’s roles while striving for efficiency and quality.
“The most rewarding part of this project was seeing the final product after about three weeks of hard work,” the students said. “Once we finished the final stage of fabrication, we felt proud of our effort and excited for it to be displayed.”
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<![endif]>Once fabricated, the READ bookshelf made its way to Monty Tech’s auto body and collision repair shop for a finishing paint job to complete the project. The letters are currently stored at the library’s temporary location awaiting installation by Monty Tech students once the space in the new library is ready.
Through the Legacy of Learning campaign, donors are able to support the library project and pay tribute to a loved one or their own business by ‘reserving’ a book in the READ shelf that will be featured prominently in the lobby of the new FPL building and two lines of up to 25 characters of personalized text will be featured on the spine of individual donor “books.”
The FPL OWL Capital Campaign, which includes the Legacy of Learning community campaign, is focused on raising $3.5 million toward the design, construction, furnishings and equipment as part of the total $40 million library renovation project. Additional support for the renovation project will be provided through a variety of funds from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners through the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program and a combination of the City of Fitchburg’s American Rescue Plan Act funding and the City of Fitchburg.
Chapter 74 Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education
LEARNING THAT WORKS FOR MASSACHUSETTS
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira