Canton's Blue Hills Regional Adopt-a-Shop Funds New Equipment

By Judy Bass

Adopt-A-Shop, an organization conceived by alumnus and Canton resident ’75 in 2002 to enable individuals or companies to make tax-deductible contributions of money or materials to support the school’s outstanding technical and academic programs, recently funded grants totaling $8,600 for the purchase of tools and equipment for some of its technical programs.

In November, explained Adopt-A-Shop Executive Director Marybeth Nearen of Randolph, the organization sent a notice to Blue Hills teachers that they could submit requests for grants to Adopt-A-Shop for education-related materials that they needed for their programs.  The requests had to be aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks as set forth by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in order to be funded.

Those grant requests then required approval by Blue Hills’ Director of Vocational Programs Denise O’Loughlin.  The following purchases will be made: Tools and equipment to update a tool crib in Collision Repair and Refinishing; Pureflo welding helmets for Metal Fabrication & Joining Technologies; chairs for computer stations for Design & Visual Communications; a custom-made eight-foot-long work table for Cosmetology; and equipment for the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle), which is used by Engineering Technology students to enter robotics competitions.

Two requests were funded by the school itself - for the Computer Technology program, a Hewlett Packard color laser jet printer, and for the Mathematics department, a set of Qwizdom student response system units.

“This [endeavor] is something Adopt-A-Shop believes in,” said Nearen, “[which means] giving students the tools they need to succeed and enriching their programs for success.”

To learn more about Adopt-A-Shop of Blue Hills Regional Technical School or to make a contribution of materials or money, please visit http://www.adopt-a-shop.com/