Colleagues,
We are pleased to share this wonderful article published by the Taunton Daily Gazette.
MAVA extends its best wishes and congratulations to Superintendent Andrew Rebello and the entire staff at Bristol-Plymouth! Such an exciting school year ahead for the entire school community!!
David
What new B-P Super says about new building, dress code & approach
Emma Rindlisbacher The Taunton Daily Gazette Sept. 4, 2026
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<![endif]>This school year, Bristol-Plymouth students have a new school building, a new superintendent, and a new set of standards that Superintendent of Schools Andrew Rebello says will teach them professionalism as they prepare to enter the workplace.
"We teach everything. We teach them math, English, the shop. How come we don’t teach professionalism?" Rebello told the Gazette. "That’s something that is starting this year."
Starting this school year, there will be a new dress code during shop classes, Rebello said. There will also be a new professionalism and career readiness course, although he said there would be more details about that in October. Overall, Rebello said that professionalism will be "something we intentionally teach and develop, rather than simply expect."
Rebello was chosen by the B-P school committee to succeed retiring Superintendent Alex Magalhaes for the 2026-2027 school year. He officially began the job in August. He gave the Taunton Gazette a tour of the new B-P school building, which recently opened and will be students’ new home this school year. Here’s what he told us about his approach to being superintendent and what the new school year will bring.
New dress code, professional expectations
B-P students currently are required to wear their student IDs during the school day, which mimics the IDs that are worn by employees in many workplaces.
And starting this school year, there is a new dress code for shop classes. The schedule at B-P is divided up into two types of classrooms, academic classrooms and shop classrooms.
Rebello said the specific dress code will depend on which shop students are enrolled in. For students studying health-related shops such as dental or nursing, they will be wearing scrubs, he said. Other students will be wearing polo shirts and pants.
He said the dress code is similar to policies of nearby technical high schools, specifically Diman in Fall River, where Rebello previously worked, and Greater New Bedford. Freshmen students will be required to follow the dress code from the start of the school year. Returning sophomores, juniors and seniors will be required to follow the dress code starting in January.
Ultimately, Rebello said that requiring "workplace-appropriate attire" is a way to ensure that students face the same expectations of professionalism in the classroom that they will face in the workplace.
"We’re trying to build our high school experience to mimic the workforce. So, for six-and-a-half hours a day, can we create that professional environment here?," he said.
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<![endif]>Good work habits important
As a technical school, B-P teaches a wide variety of skills. Students can study everything from carpentry to health care to culinary arts to robotics. But Rebello said the technical skills are only part of what students need to learn to be successful.
"Are you showing up ready? Are you continuing with your tasks? Are you asking for help when you need it? We are trying to teach the fundamental traits," he said. "That’s what we hear from employers. They want kids that are going to show up, be able to communicate."
"In an age of AI, in an age of cell phones, students need to be able to think, make good judgment calls, work on teams, and show up ready," he said. "That’s our fundamental purpose here going forward."
"We’re trying to get these kids ready for life," he said. "Everything from being able to stay off your cell phone for six-and-a-half hours a day, for every student to be wearing their ID. Some of these small things that will help them in life, that’s what we’re trying to build here."
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<![endif]>Reaction to new school building?
Rebello spoke positively of the new school building, which opened this summer before the start of this school year.
"Safety is our first priority always," he said. "That’s why when you walk in, there will be a vestibule, there will be a system to give your ID cards."
The new building features a central courtyard. And Rebello said that the building gets a lot of natural light.
"We were very intentional … about getting natural light into this building, to make it vibrant, lively," he said.
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<![endif]>‘The demand is there’: 800 applications for 360 seats
Ultimately, Rebello said there is a lot of demand for the type of technical education B-P provides.
"We had over 800 applications for 360 freshman seats, so the demand is there," he said. "I think that really shows what parents and students want this day and age. They want options. They want the skills."
Chapter 74 Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education
LEARNING THAT WORKS FOR MASSACHUSETTS
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira