CACTC honors skilled seniors

By Jen Cowart
Posted 6/21/17

By JEN COWART On Thursday night, the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center (CACTC) kicked off the 2017 graduation weekend with its annual Senior Certificate Ceremony. According to the school's Director Gerry Auth, 173 students earned Career and

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CACTC honors skilled seniors

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On Thursday night, the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center (CACTC) kicked off the 2017 graduation weekend with its annual Senior Certificate Ceremony. According to the school’s Director Gerry Auth, 173 students earned Career and Technical diplomas this year, in addition to their high school diplomas, which is more than half this year’s graduating class at West.

‘Greatest pleasure in life’

After the salute to the flag and “Star Spangled Banner,” Auth welcomed honored guests, including Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, members of the Cranston School Committee, members of the Cranston Public Schools central administration, Cranston High School West Principal Tom Barbieri, and the faculty and staff at CACTC. He also welcomed the family, friends and guests of the class of 2017, and congratulated the students they were there to celebrate. “Let me first start by saying congratulations to the graduating class of 2017,” said Auth. “You are here celebrating the accomplishments of three years of hard work, fun, technological learning and career skills as you prepare for the future. Not only have you fulfilled the Cranston High School West graduation requirements, but you have also learned a trade, earned a certification, and in some cases, earned college credit.” He cited the 57 medals earned in this year’s SkillsUSA competition by the more than 100 students who competed, with CACTC taking the most medals awarded to any competing school in Rhode Island. He also cited the 51 DECA competitors who medal in their events through the Entrepreneurship program as well as the first 20 students to graduate with an EMT certification. “Each and every one of you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished in your programs,” he said. “Whether it’s learning how to take my blood pressure on good and bad days, learning and teaching how to code using binary, designing an addition, fixing a roof, running a restaurant, raising a child, investing for retirement, or organizing the greenhouse, you learned valuable skills in the last three years.” In talking about what it means to be successful, Auth stated that successful people are not gifted, but rather they work hard, then succeed on purpose. “Therefore, success is not a surprise, it is the result of hard work, preparation, and a couple of please and thank you’s along the way,” he said. “Will you fail? Of course you will. We learn from failure, not from success, and guess what? It’s okay to fail, because if you don’t, that means you were too scared to try. Everything I’ve learned to get to where I am today is because of a failure at some point.” Auth encouraged the graduates to spend their summers getting out of their comfort zones, pushing themselves, trying something new, volunteering and giving back to their communities. “There isn’t a person here who isn’t capable of doing more than they think they can, and guess what, someone will tell you not to try, someone will tell you it’s not worth it, and someone will tell you you’ll fail,” he said. “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. Step out of your comfort zone and please try something new this year. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel whether you accomplish it or not.” He reminded the students that only they can define what success means to them, and he shared with them his own definition of success, which was being happy and having a loving family and he showed them a photo of himself with his children. “I look forward to game day much more than pay day,” he said. “So please, figure out where you want to be, what makes you happy and how you define success. Enjoy the moment, thank your parents, and work as hard as possible to achieve your dreams.”

‘A showcase in the state’

CHSW Principal Tom Barbieri congratulated the students.

“It’s another great day for the Cranston High School West educational community,” he said. “Because of our combined efforts, the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center has 173 graduates. That is more than half of our graduating class. It’s a great achievement. There is a reason why our Career and Technical Center is the best in Rhode Island. Actually, we are looking at 173 reasons and they’re all sitting in front of us.”

He thanked those who guided and supported the students throughout their high school careers, stating that everyone could be proud of the graduates. He then focused his attention on the faculty and staff at CACTC, thanking them for their dedication to making CACTC and its students great.

“I am very proud of you. You now possess having an edge over the others in the world, whether it be in the world of work, or in your post-secondary journey that will continue,” he said. “Continue to strive for greatness and accept nothing less. Congratulations and be proud of your distinguished accomplishments.”

Superintendent of Schools Jeannine Nota-Masse brought greetings from the school department.

“Congratulations graduates, you have accomplished much more than some of your colleagues that will be there on Saturday, so right off the bat, thank you for all your hard work, I personally appreciate that,” said Nota-Masse.

She told the students that as a young teacher, she started out her career in a Providence vocational school setting, calling it, a much different building than what is in Providence now, but yet an excellent program.

“It was the best teaching experience I ever had,” she said. “Those students were dedicated, they came to school every day, they were engaged in their career and tech programs, and they also did well academically. So it’s nice to see that not a lot has changed in career and tech education over the past 22 years.”

She spoke of the many opportunities that the students have been given as a result of choosing to take part in a career and technical education pathways program.

“We are not a private school, we don’t claim to be, but we have given you opportunities that no other private school in Rhode Island can offer you,” she said. “So I am so glad you took advantage of that, and I am sure your parents are too, as it probably saved them a few thousand dollars. The Cranston Area Career and Technical Center is certainly a showcase in the state. I am very involved now in career and tech education policy-making through the governor’s office and wherever I go, when I tell them I am from Cranston, people’s faces light up. They know what you have accomplished, they know what your teachers do here, they know what kind of a facility we have.”

She credited Auth and acknowledged how lucky the students and the district is to have him on board in his capacity as director at CACTC, asking for a round of applause in his honor.

“Thank you for your work, for all the amazing things you have accomplished and produced,” she said. “It is not for lack of passion, it is because you are dedicated and you enjoy what you do. I wish you well, no matter what your life has in store for you, whether it is college, the military, a career when you graduate. You have been given tremendous skills and tremendous opportunities. I am pleased that you have taken advantage of it and I hope that you are able to turn those opportunities into a career that brings you joy and satisfaction over the next many years.”

Janice Ruggieri brought greetings from the school committee, and also as the parent of one of the graduates from the Entrepreneurship program who has watched many of the students grow up from preschool through high school.

“Tonight we celebrate the completion of your programs from over the past three years,” Ruggieri said. “It’s also a time for you to start thinking about the next steps that you are taking, for some of you it will be college or the military, for some of you it may be right to the work force, and for some you may not be sure where you are headed next, but wherever you wind up, you should feel confident that your dedicated teachers and your hard work have prepared you for your next steps. We are so fortunate to have the Career and Technical Center in our district. The opportunities, skills, and hands-on training that you receive here is invaluable and gives you a head-start as you move forward.”

She encouraged the students to remember that the most important people in their lives are those who bring out the best in them, respect them and accept them for who they are.

“I think you’ve all found that in your programs and in this school,” she said. “Those are the ones worth keeping around you. May you be surrounded by those types of people for the rest of your lives.”

‘This is only the start’

Mayor Allan Fung’s greetings from the City of Cranston preceeded the presentation of many awards and scholarships, with the first one being the mayor’s scholarship. He greeted the students and congratulated them on their achievements and successes.

“It is a very special night and we are very lucky in our great city to have the Career and Tech Center and all the wonderful things that the faculty do day in and day out,” he said. “This great school provides our students with a high-quality and hands-on experience to explore career opportunities in our economy of the future, so thank you Director Auth and all the faculty and staff that are here for developing an ever-expanding curriculum that ensures success for our students in their future careers. I commend all of you also, for taking a serious look at possible careers that you might want to pursue, whether it is in aquaculture, child development, cyber security, culinary arts, digital media, robotics or any other choices that you have. I personally have had the opportunity to see what you have been doing whether it is here in the school, like with the culinary program, which we have all experienced, or even for me, with the medical pathways, where I have personally witnessed some of you in the field, at Cedarcrest, even some of you helping my dad, who is there.”

He reminded the students that what they are studying are in fact, the jobs of the future, and noted that in addition to getting hands-on skills, they have also received industry certifications and in some cases, college credits as well, giving them a leg up in the workforce. He stated that local business owners have often discussed with him the challenges they face in finding new employees with the right skills, such as those that the students now have as a result of their programs at CACTC.

“Take your experience that you’ve learned here at CACTC and Cranston High School West, and use it to your advantage when you look for that first job, that internship, an apprenticeship, when furthering your education at a college or trade school,” he said. “When we take a look at the stats here in Rhode Island, the fastest growing job sectors include welding and metalworking, software development, computer controlled machine tool operators, home health aides, restaurant cooks, computer and data analysis, skilled manufacturing. These are the types of career pathways that you’ve been exploring thanks to Director Auth, and to all of the staff who have put together a wonderful program.”

He gave his final congratulations to the students and wished them well in their future endeavors.

“Congratulations on that first step and success in studying and getting that certificate tonight. This is only the start, but we know, all of us know, that you have a very bright future ahead of you,” he said.

Following Mayor Fung’s speech, awards and scholarships were announced, as were the Outstanding Students from each program. A DVD slideshow concluded the event, prepared by Auth and the faculty and staff of each program, honoring the graduates and wishing them well.

The Outstanding Students from each program were named as follows: Aquaculture: Jester Lippert, CAD Drafting: Matthew Cabral, Child Development: Melissa Durfee, Child Development: Daniella Ferranti, CISCO Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics: Michael Marcello, Culinary Arts: Salma Veras, Culinary Arts: Anthony Lemoi, Entrepreneurship: Nicole Sacco, Graphic Communications: Sarah LaFlamme, Interactive Digital Media: Anna Phou, Medical Pathways: Sydney Rainone, Medical Pathways: Cameron Macomber, Pre-Engineering Robotics: Jacob Meyerson, Residential Construction Repair and Remodeling: David Tranghese

The following scholarships and awards were presented to students from the CACTC programs:

Mayor’s Scholarship: Luis Mendoza, Dawn Rotz Scholarship: Morgan DiMaio, Outstanding DECA: Nicole Sacco and Meghan Marchetti, Society of Women Engineers (given out to two juniors each year): Heather DiFazio and Sai Teja Kamsani, Saccoccio Scholarship: Kyle Poland, Outstanding SkillsUSA: Morgan Plage, Chefs Choice Awards: Nicolette Chaulifoux, Medical Pathways Excellence in Community Award: Alice Lim, Excellence in EMT Training: Brianna Fernandes, The Ashley Elizabeth Signoriello Scholarship: Francesca Laurenza, Melissa Pellegrino, Alyssa Ragosta, Early Childhood Excellence Book Award: Alyssa Giammarco, Arianna Mendez, Erika Tennett, Pathway to Education Award: Kristina Anthony, Savannah Bissitt, Samantha Brouillard, IDM Award: Nicholas Tansino, SWATS Award: Zachary Chase, Kassidy Garcia, Angelina Gudoshnik, Alyssa Lonchay, Michael Marcello, and Zachary Terceiro.

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