What`s Inside - Shawsheen Valley Technical High School

A Newsletter About Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
W I N T E R
2 0 1 5
1 0 0 C o o k S t r e e t
B i l l e r i c a, M A 0 1 8 2 1
w w w. s h a w s h e e n t e c h . o r g
Bedford - Billerica - Burlington - Tewksbury - Wilmington
Page One
Lyons Wraps Up
Successful, Illustrious Career
New Shawsheen Leader Works
Toward School’s ‘Golden’ Future
Page Two
Shawsheen Tech Students Earn
More Than 90 Adams Scholarships
New Teachers Join Shawsheen Family
Page Three
Project Explore Program
Page Four
Shawsheen Tech Project is
Literally For The Dogs
Page Five
Machine Technology Students Enjoy
Valuable Experience
Page Six
Galinos Enjoys A
Memorable Encounter
Troisi Enjoys
Leadership Training
Page Seven
Shawsheen Tech Dental
Assisting Students Take A Big Step
Shawsheen Football
Fans See The Light, Literally
Page Eight
You Should Know
LYONS WRAPS UP - SUCCESSFUL,
ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER
For the past three decades or so, Charles Lyons’ passion has
been Shawsheen Valley Technical High School in Billerica.
The recently-retired Superintendent/Director, whose last day on
the job was September 30th, said he had nothing but fond memories as he reflected on his long, successful career in Billerica.
“This place has a positive culture about it,” he said. “The staff enjoys coming to work every day and the students enjoy coming to
work every day. As an administrator, that’s your biggest responsibility, you want to create an environment that is conducive to
learning.”
Lyons came to Shawsheen after working at Minuteman High in
Lexington and those experiences helped him appreciate what technical high schools offer
their students. “All along, I think students want to see a purpose and a meaning for going to
school,” he said. “More than any other type of education, we give students relevance every
day. We’ve been able to have extraordinary success because the students see meaning in
their learning. They realize if they pay attention and come to school, they can go out and start
a career and follow their passion intelligently. They can build a family and have a sustaining
income and really be productive in a field in which they chose. That only happens in career
vocational technical high schools.”
Lyons summed up his career on Cook Street with a smile.
“This place is special,” Lyons said. “I’ve been to many different high schools in the state and I’ve
been asked by commissioners and superintendents all over the state to visit their schools and
they don’t hold a candle to Shawsheen or its employees.” 
NEW SHAWSHEEN LEADER WORKS TOWARD
SCHOOL’S ‘GOLDEN’ FUTURE by Rick Sobey - Lowell Sun
Norman Rockwell’s “Golden Rule,” the iconic drawing of
individuals from various races and religions, men and women,
young and old, sits in Tim Broadrick’s office.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Rockwell
wrote on the illustration, which ran on the cover of The Saturday
Evening Post in 1961.
“The Golden Rule: That’s what it’s all about,” Broadrick said while
gazing at the drawing in his Billerica office.
“One of the reasons we’ve been so successful here is because
we’ve done a great job helping our wide range of students
recognize their best path to take,” added Broadrick, who became
superintendent-director at Shawsheen Tech on Oct. 1. “You can
graduate from Shawsheen and later become a doctor. You can
graduate from Shawsheen and have a great career at a family
construction company. A more and more diverse student population will continue to come,
and educating them on their options will continue to be important.”
His new post is a far cry from the 45-year-old’s first job, driving a tractor on a Warner, N.H.,
farm at age 13. He’s worked since, joining Shawsheen in 2003.
Broadrick, a father of five (Alyssa, 24; Zoe, 23; Olivia, 20; Oliver, 15; and Nora, 11) and married
to Kristin, began teaching adults at Shawsheen’s night school, then became lead teacher for
graphic arts, followed by the director of technical programs two years ago.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding, having an impact on students’ futures,” he said. “There’s
nothing like watching a student graduate who didn’t believe he could make it. I absolutely
feel a sense of pride. I feel like I’ve helped make that happen.” 
one
What’s Inside
SHAWSHEEN TECH STUDENTS EARN
MORE THAN 90 ADAMS SCHOLARSHIPS
For the second straight year, more than
90 seniors at Shawsheen Valley Technical
High School earned the prestigious John
and Abigail Adams Scholarship.
It’s the second straight year that 91 students have been honored, tied for the most
in Shawsheen’s history.
“It is particularly gratifying to see increasing numbers of Adams scholarship recipients at Shawsheen Tech each year,” said Tim
Broadrick, Shawsheen’s SuperintendentDirector. “This is a testament not only to the
hard work of our dedicated professional
staff, but also to the work ethic and resilience of our students. I couldn’t be more
proud.”
Eligible students score in the Advanced
category in either the Mathematics or the
English Language Arts section of the Grade
10 MCAS test and score in the Proficient or
Advanced category on the second subject
(Mathematics or English Language Arts).
These students also have a combined MCAS
score on these assessments that ranks in the
top 25 percent in their school district.
In all, 39 Billerica residents received the
scholarship including Derek Abreu, Shaelyn
Ahern, James Barden, Evan Boczenowski,
Tyler Boutwell, Tyler Brown, Zachary
Buckland, Christopher Burns, Anthony
Cardaleen, Tyler Cormier, Casey DeCosta,
Lucas DosSantos, Joanne Foster, Isabel
Galinos, Anthony Godin, Noah Godwin,
Caitlin Graham, Joshua Hallee, Kimberly
Hayes, Matthew Hein, Charlotte Henderson,
Bryanna Ippolito, Shayne Lanni, Nicholas
Limberti, Shawn Lunt, Kerrie Malloy, Kasey
Mearls, Cailee Mitchell, Connor Morey,
Michael Moriconi, Lindsey Morris, Jake
Nardello, Eileen O’Neill, Ryan Phelan, Eliana
Purtell, Cameron Rebidue, Xenia Rodriguez,
Lynne Snook and Joseph Taylor.
Thirty-three Tewksbury residents were
honored, the most-ever in a year from
Tewksbury. That group consisted of Shane
Araujo, Lauren Barletta, Ryan Barry, Paul
Browne, Cole Bugley, Scott Callahan,
William Catyb, Steven Conley, Derek DeCost,
Matthew Ducey, Michelle Farraher, Brenna
Ferreira, Garrett Goempel, Olivia Gouveia,
Cole Haley, Molly Harrington, Emilie Hines,
Janina Yutkins-Kennedy, Nicole Kopacz,
Charles MacMillan, Nicole Malfa, Ashley
McCreedy, Daniel McCrevan, Marie Merlino,
Gabriella Molinar, Jackson Roane, Jared
Roane, Haley Souza, Alexander Tate, Robert
Temmallo, Katelyn Vocell, David Volpe and
Steven Wink.
Wilmington scholarship winners were
Andrew Brown, Rachel Canty, Michelle
Doucette, Sarah King, Kaitlyn McLaren,
Connor O’Brien, Brendan O’Flaherty,
Thomas Prior, Damian Rachdorf, Katelyn
Stevens, Adam Surette and Sean Walsh.
Seven Burlington students honored including Dennis DelFavero, Austin Hamilton,
Elisabeth Heghinian, Jessica Keddy, Allan
McCombs, Meredith Meehan and Cameron
Tierney.
Students awarded John and Abigail
Adams Scholarship by the Department of
Education receive full tuition to state universities. 
NEW TEACHERS JOIN SHAWSHEEN FAMILY
two
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
welcomed eight teachers and three aides
to its family this school year, a group
that includes an exciting combination of
experience and enthusiasm.
Billerica resident Lauren Merrill is a new
social studies teacher at Shawsheen.
A recent graduate of the University of
Massachusetts at Lowell, Merrill graduated
from Billerica Memorial High where she
enjoyed participating in musical theatre at
BMHS.
In her spare time, Merrill enjoys lifting
weights and working out and hopes to
become involved in Shawsheen sports in
some way in the near future.
Jessica O’Neill and Edward O’Mara are
new science teachers.
O’Mara will teach biology and chemistry.
He most recently taught at North Andover
High School after graduating from
Merrimack College.
O’Mara previously taught summer school
at Shawsheen before taking the full-time
job at the school.
A native of Salem, New Hampshire,
O’Mara hopes to some day coach hockey.
O’Neill, a native of Mansfield, will teach
biology and physics. A graduate of RPI,
O’Neill has several experiences outside
of the classroom including working as a
research assistant at McLean Hospital and
an educational tutor at Education Inc.
“I’m excited,” she said. “Everyone has been
very helpful and very nice. It seems like a
great place so far.”
O’Neill enjoys skiing and dancing in her
spare time and is also hoping to become
involved in the school’s ski club.
Michael Carter is the school’s newest
automotive teacher and brings a wealth of
experience to the department.
Carter is an ASE advanced specialist and
Master Automotive Technician that worked
at DeLuca Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep for
the past 11 years and with an independent
repair shop before deciding on a career
change.
“I worked with students at the dealership
as mentor,” said Carter. “I was a student at
Nashua Community College and was a coop student at the dealership while I was [in
college] and I kind of feel like teaching is my
chance to give back to the next generation
of students.”
A native of North Andover and a 2001
graduate of North Andover High, Carter still
resides in North Andover with his wife and
two young children.
James Largenton left his position as an
electrician for the town of Arlington for the
past nine years to become a new electrical
teacher at Shawsheen. A 1994 graduate of
Shawsheen, Largenton is excited to return
to his former school.
“I started my whole career here,” said
the native of Wilmington, who still lives in
Wilmington with his wife and two children.
“I thought it would be pretty cool to come
back. The new shops they have here are
very nice, I’m very impressed.”
Al Chase is the new electronics teacher at
Shawsheen.
Chase’s background is in electrical
engineering and he was in the industry
for 15 years working at Analog Devices in
Wilmington before turning to education.
“I’ve thought about teaching for quite
some time,” Chase said.
Chase grew up locally, but now resides in
Southern New Hampshire with his wife and
two children.
The mathematics department welcomes
continued on page 3
New Teachers Join Shawsheen Family
continued from bottom page 2
(left to right) Timothy Francis, Rob McIsaac, Heather Tate, Michael Carter, Scott Hewitt, Pat Kelly, Lauren Merrill, Jessica O’Neill, Ed O’Mara, James Largenton and Al Chase.
Winter 2015
www.shawsheentech.org
100 Cook Street
Billerica, MA 01821
(978) 667-2111
Managing Editor: Carissa Karakaedos
Assistant Superintendent-Director
Design by:
Sheryl A. Evans
Creative Designer
www.Evans-Studios.com
Shawsheen Valley Regional School
District School Committee
Bedford
Donald Drouin, Esq.
Glenn McIntyre
Billerica
Kenneth L. Buffum
Paula McShane-Lambert, Chairman
Burlington Robert Gallagher, Vice Chairman
Paul V. Gedick
Tewksbury Patricia W. Meuse, Esq., Treasurer
Lisa Puccia
Wilmington James M. Gillis
Robert G. Peterson, Esq., Secretary
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School admits students
and makes available to them its advantages, privileges
and courses of study without regard to race, color, sex,
religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation
or disability.
the school’s newest graphic arts teacher.
Hewitt is no stranger to the building as he
has worked as a long-term substitute for
the past two years. Hewitt comes from an
athletic background. He was a three-sport
athlete at Minnechaug Regional High School
in Wilbraham and played lacrosse at the
University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
His brother coaches lacrosse for the Div. 1
program at Wake Forest University.
Hewitt still plays lacrosse in summer
leagues and eventually hopes to coach the
sport, but at the moment he’s anxious to
start working with Shawsheen students.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “I’ve been
working toward this for a couple of years
now. Teaching is always something I
thought about doing. Hewitt, a resident
of Melrose with his wife and two children,
worked for Target Marketing Group for nine
years before his move to Shawsheen.
Heather Tate, Tim Francis and Rob McIsaac
are new aides at the school.
McIsaac is a Shawsheen graduate and
a former assistant wrestling coach for the
Rams under head coach Mark Donovan.
McIsaac, who will work in the Dean’s Office
with in-house suspension, earned a degree
in history from Salem State University before
entering the teaching world. He worked at
Tewksbury Memorial High School as an aide
and a substitute before taking the position
at Shawsheen.
Tate works in the Dean’s Office as an aide.
A former special education substitute at
the Merrimack Education Center, Tate has a
degree in business administration.
Francis will be an aide in automotive.
An ASE certified automotive technician,
Francis has experience in the industry as
a former commercial parts sales manager
and an assistant chief of engineering for
automotive and work equipment. 
PROJECT EXPLORE PROGRAM
Shawsheen Tech will once again offer the Project Explore program to middle school 7th
graders. Project Explore is a quality after-school program offered to 7th grade students
who reside in the Shawsheen Tech Regional School District. It provides a great opportunity
for students to visit the school and explore eight different vocational technical shops/labs
for a four-week period. School busses are provided to transport students from their middle
school to Shawsheen Tech as well as to a bus stop near their home upon completion of the
program each day.
Two separate four-week sessions are offered in January and in March on Tuesdays &
Thursdays from 2:15-4:45.
three
Patrick Kelly. Kelly previously taught at
Nashoba Tech in Westford and brings a
wealth of experience to the position. Kelly
didn’t waste any time making an impact
on the world of athletics at Shawsheen,
immediately taking over as the Ram’s cross
country coach.
Scott Hewitt comes to Shawsheen as
SHAWSHEEN TECH PROJECT IS LITERALLY FOR THE DOGS
BY RICK SOBEY, [email protected]
four
With temperatures hovering around 30
degrees and freezing rain coming at any
moment, high-school juniors arrived at the
dog pound.
But it wasn’t for a class field trip to learn
what the Billerica Animal Control division
does on a daily basis (running a facility for
dangerous, stray and quarantined animals);
there were no dogs at the pound, in fact.
The juniors from Shawsheen Valley Tech,
instead, came to the pound with power
tools and hammers -- getting right to work
on their renovation project.
“We’re treating this like a real-world construction, having them dress for the cold,
dress for the warm, dress for whatever elements come their way,” said Brian Smith,
Shawsheen Tech department chair for the
construction cluster.
He looked out at the carpentry students
wearing hats and gloves in the chilly weather, along with hard hats for safety.
“This major renovation is just a phenomenal experience for the kids,” Smith added.
“It benefits the town and gives the students
great hands-on experience. They’re learning
all the different facets of construction.”
Shawsheen Tech construction programs
have been renovating the dog pound over
the last few months.
The facility, located off Old Middlesex
Turnpike, has needed repairs and improvements for some time -- including major roofing modifications, expansion of the kennel
bin, block work, plumbing work, electrical/
lighting, heating, and masonry work.
As a result, the police department, which
oversees Animal Control, reached out to
Shawsheen Tech for some help.
“As an alum of the Tech, I knew right
away that they had these construction capabilities,” Deputy Police Chief Roy Frost
said. “This facility hasn’t been updated in a
long time, so we’re thrilled to partner with
Shawsheen Tech and complete this project.”
Christine Gualtieri, one of the animal control officers in Billerica, said the building’s
condition “wasn’t horrible”.
“However, several updates were needed,
she said; for instance, the roof was starting
to sink in.”
Also, winters can be a struggle with all of
the snow; workers need to shovel out every
single kennel (14) to ensure each dog has
a clear area to run. By building a new roof
that’s extended over the outdoor kennel
area, the dogs will receive better protection
from the elements, Gualtieri said.
“It will give the dogs more of an opportunity to go outside,” she said. “I know that if I
was a dog and the outdoor kennel area was
covered, then I’d be more apt to go out.
“We’re just really excited and can’t wait
until it’s done,” she added. “We can’t thank
Shawsheen Tech enough.”
Above: Junior Robert Peterson attaches roof beams at the
Billerica dog pound. SUN/Rick Sobey
Right: Shawsheen Valley Tech junior Duncan Lawrence works on
the roof renovation of the Billerica dog pound on Tuesday.
In addition to the roof, the students
demolished the building’s interior and removed all of the insulation during the start
of the project.
Just the other day, the carpentry students mounted all the trusses on the roof,
which has been Duncan Lawrence’s favorite
part of the project so far.
“This school gives you an outside classroom,” said Lawrence, a 17-year-old junior
from Wilmington.
Rick Weadick, carpentry instructor at
Shawsheen Tech, said real-life experience is
critical for students.
“It shows them how to overcome obstacles,” Weadick said. “There’s a lesson involved in each phase, and they can tie it
together with the classroom.”
Their goal is to complete the roof before
snow starts flying.
“We’ve been fortunate with the lack of
snow so far,” said Police Lt. Troy Opland,
supervisor for Animal Control. “These students are just doing an exceptional job.”
With the assistance of public and private
funds, the department secured limited
funding for the project. Opland said they’re
still compiling everything to determine the
project’s final cost.
“These students have totally changed
this building,” Opland said. “I’m just amazed
with the progress.”
Any dangerous, stray or quarantined
animals in Billerica will be housed at
Chelmsford Animal Control during the project. 
MACHINE TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS ENJOY VALUABLE EXPERIENCE
There’s a saying that is often associated
with activities and programs at Shawsheen
Valley Technical High School.
A win-win situation.
It’s a win-win situation when Shawsheen
students work through the school’s cooperative education program, gaining valuable
real-world experience while saving local
companies money and providing excellent
work. It’s a win-win situation when students
work on projects throughout area communities at a fraction of what these jobs would
cost on the open market.
On Oct. 21, the Machine Technology program at Shawsheen experienced another
win-win situation.
Students visited Pace Industries in
Billerica in recognition of national manufacturing week. Pace, one of the largest and
most diversified die casting companies in
the world, hosted the Shawsheen students
and instructors for an informative session
which included several speakers and a tour
of the company’s state-of-the-art facility.
The students left with T-shirts, safety glasses and hard hats, all compliments of Pace
Industries.
“I thought it was great that we had the
students here,” said Bill Donovan, the president of Pace Industries’ Cambridge Division.
“I think there was a lot of enthusiasm on our
part to see young people here and to be
able to show them what manufacturing is
all about, particularly the type of manufacturing we do.”
Donovan, colleagues Bob D’Ortona and
Meghan Foley and several additional Pace
representatives provided demonstrations in
the latest die casting technology. These presentations included some sample parts that
Pace manufactures for motorcycles, drones,
military defense and airplanes.
“These parts captured the attention of the
students and stimulated an engaging question-and-answer session,” said Larry Retelle,
a teacher at Shawsheen who attended the
presentation along with fellow instructor
Tony Bazzinotti. “Participants were given
several handouts with useful information
for the students to reference during their
time at Shawsheen as well as when they enter the industry. Pace employees talked with
the students about the requirements needed to be successful in the modern Machine
Technology industry. They also spoke about
all the great opportunities available in various professional occupations in this fascinating industry. This was a great learning
experience for our Machine Technology students.”
“I think the students were really interested and maybe a bit surprised by the variety
of things that we did,” Donovan said. “Many
of the manufacturing sights, particularly
around here, are only focused on one aspect
of manufacturing.”
Donovan admits, his company is anxious
to welcome the next wave of employees
into the industry.
“The reality is that as the economy continues to improve a bit, we’re looking for
people,” said Donovan. “We need that next
generation coming in to grow into the positions that are going to become available.
There’s a lot of opportunity and we’re really
anxious to get students interested.”
Donovan said the manufacturing industry is an exciting place for a student to look
for a career.
“There was this attitude maybe for the
past 20 years that manufacturing maybe
wasn’t the way to go,” he said. “But from
a standpoint of earnings, challenges and
learning experience and the personal reward you get from manufacturing, all of that
stuff is exciting to a lot of us. We’re trying to
spark that excitement in the students.”
“There’s a good future in this shop,” added
Retelle. 
five
Shawsheen Tech students listen attentively to a presentation provided by Pace Industries of Billerica recently.
COURTESY PHOTOS
GALINOS ENJOYS A MEMORABLE ENCOUNTER
If Hilary Clinton is elected president of the
United States in 2016, maybe, just maybe,
Chelsea Galinos will get a little credit.
“That,” said Galinos with a laugh, “would
be nice.”
Earlier this year, Galinos, a 2012 graduate
of Shawsheen Valley Technical High School,
not only met Hilary Clinton at an event in
New York, but she was able to take a photo
with Clinton.
As it turns out, Galinos had something
that impressed the former First Lady.
As Clinton made a speech and answered
questions at New York’s Parsons School of
Design, where Galinos is a student, Clinton
saw a painting that Galinos did of Clinton in
one of her classes back in October of 2014.
When Clinton saw the piece, she personally signed it.
“I literally just ran up there [to the stage]
and handed it to her,” Galinos said. “I asked
her if she could sign my painting and she
took the painting out back and signed it.”
Clinton even posed for a photo with Galinos,
a Billerica resident and a former Design
and Visual Communications student at
Shawsheen.
“I always tell my students to capitalize on events and certain moments,” said
Michael Azevedo, a Design and Visual
Communication instructor at Shawsheen. “I
received this frantic text from Chelsea from
the event saying ‘What do I do?’ I said, ‘It’s really simple. Get up as close as you can, find
someone that looks super important and
put the painting in their face, and I guarantee you’ll meet her.’ She basically said OK,
hung up and a half-hour later I get a picture
of her with Hilary Clinton.”
Azevedo said he isn’t surprised to see Galinos
rubbing elbows with famous people.
“She is an amazing person,” said Azevedo,
who laughed when telling another story
about Galinos getting a photo with model
Karlie Kloss. “She’s doing extremely well.”
The drawing and photo of Clinton and
Galinos appeared in the New York Times
twice and the presidential hopeful surely
turned a few heads when she was so willing
to pose for a photo with a college student
like Galinos.
Galinos, 21, said her path from Billerica to
New York was made possible by her years of
excellent learning at Shawsheen.
“If it wasn’t for [Shawsheen], I wouldn’t
be here at Parsons,” she said. “They really
helped me build my portfolio.”
Since her time at Shawsheen, Galinos has
embarked on a college career full of exciting
decisions.
Originally attending Parsons to pursue a
career in fashion design, Galinos switched
gears during her freshman year to pursue a
business degree.
In the time since, she has spent a year
of school in Paris where she also saw many
other places in Europe, she’s interning at
NYC TV, she designed her own board game
and has not only pursued illustration and
photography, but is also dabbling in the film
industry.
“I’m getting really into film,” said Galinos,
who has much of her work on display at
www.chelseagalinos.com. “When I get out
of school, I want to do production design.”
“It’s endless with her,” Azevedo added with a
Chelsea Galinos, a 2012 graduate of Shawsheen Tech, was able
to take a photo with presidential candidate Hilary Clinton earlier
this year in New York. COURTESY PHOTO
chuckle. “Just endless.”
Galinos, a senior, is set to graduate in the
spring of 2016 with a degree in Strategic
Design and Management, but she’s mulling
graduate school and a degree in sustainability.
When school is done completely, she’s
looking forward to potentially searching for
a job in Europe, maybe even back in Paris,
and perhaps she’ll have a few more famous
encounters along the way.
“She was a great student,” Azevedo added. “She was very driven, super articulate,
super intelligent and very creative. She was
definitely one of those students that really
absorbed things like a sponge. I can’t say
enough positive things about her.” 
TROISI ENJOYS LEADERSHIP TRAINING
six
There was a time that Shawsheen Valley
Technical High School senior Nick Troisi of
Billerica hated public speaking.
These days, he’s an old pro.
A student in Shawsheen’s health assisting shop, while Troisi builds a career for
himself in the medical field, he’s also gaining valuable experience as a state officer in
SkillsUSA, a career and technical student organization serving more than 320,000 high
school and college students.
As part of his duties as a state officer,
Troisi attends several leadership seminars,
some of them around the country.
In September, he joined officers from all
50 states and went to Washington, D.C. for
the 2015 Washington Leadership Training
Institute (WLTI), a five-day training seminar
where the students not only met Senator
Elizabeth Warren, but also learned some
valuable leadership skills.
“It’s a huge deal,” said Karen Meister, a
teacher at Shawsheen and Troisi’s shop advisor at Shawsheen. “It affords these students
opportunities to not only represent their
school, but to represent career and technical education as well.”
“It was awesome,” said Troisi, a Billerica
resident. “We learned a lot. I definitely feel
like I came back a stronger leader.”
Troisi said the students had a productive
meeting with Senator Warren.
“We talked to her about career and technical education and college student-loan
debts,” he said. “She really listened to us.”
A SkillsUSA competitor as a sophomore
in the Health Knowledge Bowl competition
where he won a bronze medal at the state
finals, Troisi decided to run for state officer
the next year at the urging of Meister.
“I really wanted to get more involved with
SkillsUSA,” said Troisi, who was the SkillsUSA
secretary at Shawsheen before running for
state officer. “[Meister] told me to join the
continued on page 8
SHAWSHEEN TECH DENTAL ASSISTING STUDENTS TAKE A BIG STEP
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
dental assisting instructor Gwen Cardoos
just loves it when her students take big
steps toward their future.
So it’s easy to imagine Cardoos’ excitement when recent graduate Jillian King and
current senior Xenia Rodriguez passed the
Radiation Health and Safety certification of
the Dental Assistant National Board (DANB).
Rodriguez also earned the DANB’s
Infection Control certification last year.
The Radiation certification allows those
that pass the difficult test to administer
X-rays to patients.
As part of the process, Rodriguez and
King had to study how to take X-rays, from
placing the film in the mouths of patients to
the different types of X-rays available, and
what purposes they serve. There were also
safety requirements that the girls had to
learn.
“It’s huge,” said Cardoos, who was also
quick to praise Shawsheen junior Hannah
Barry of Billerica for passing her infection
control test recently. “These are very important certifications.”
Cardoos, a Certified Dental Assistant
and a Registered Dental Hygienist who
has worked at Shawsheen since 2012, was
proud of her students and admits, the test-
ing isn’t easy.
“It’s very intimidating,” she said. “Few that
do it, actually pass.”
But thanks to the way Shawsheen prepares its students, King and Rodriguez ended up doing just fine.
“I’m planning on becoming a dentist,”
said Rodriguez, a Billerica resident and also
a member of the school’s undefeated cross
country team this fall. “The first time I became interested in [the dental field] was in
fourth grade when I got my braces. I was
completely fascinated by it.”
She admits, her time at Shawsheen has
certainly been a big factor as she continues
to pursue that dream. Rodriguez said the
teachers helped prepare for the testing and
that working through the school’s cooperative education program has also been beneficial. Rodriguez works at Complete Dental
Care in Burlington with Dr. James Kostas.
“All the experience I get [through the cooperative education position] being with
patients and learning how to react in an office in different situations is amazing,” she
said. “It made me realize that this is actually
what I want to do because now I see it and I
see exactly what I am going to have to deal
with.”
King is making progress toward a career
Xenia Rodriguez of Billerica recently passed her radiology test.
COURTESY PHOTO
in the dental field as well. She works with Dr.
Rachel Perlitsh at Wilmington Orthodontics.
“[These certifications] will help with future goals and attaining employment in
a dental office,” said Lorraine Reppucci,
another one of Rodriguez’s instructors at
Shawsheen. “All of the instructors of the
program are extremely proud of these accomplishments. It is something they should
be very proud of.” 
Saturday, Oct. 3 was quite a day at
Shawsheen Tech.
While celebrating the school’s homecoming weekend, the Ram football team
won for the second straight week, defeating Commonwealth Athletic Conference rival Whittier Tech, 28-14, under the lights at
Cassidy Field.
In the first-ever night game in program
history.
“It was a great night for Shawsheen Tech,”
said Tim Broadrick, the Shawsheen’s superintendent. “Our students and other members of the community showed that night
football can bring big crowds and great
school spirit to this campus.”
“It was a lot of fun and a great atmosphere,” said Shawsheen Athletic Director
and head football coach Al Costabile. “It’s a
night that the boys will remember for the
rest of their lives.”
Shawsheen played under lights that
stood 26 feet in the air were rented and
brought to the school on Friday.
A large crowd saw the Rams lead from
start to finish, scoring the game-sealing
touchdown with just 2:11 remaining when
junior Craig Rich busted loose for a 59-yard
scoring run and then booted the extra point.
It was the second straight win for
Shawsheen.
“We got some great feedback,” said
Costabile. “We’d love to try to do it again
next year. Hopefully, we’ll have [permanent]
lights soon.”
Broadrick said that hope could become a
reality in the future.
“Our school committee recently endorsed
a master plan to enhance our athletic facilities in the coming years,” Broadrick added.
“Tonight’s game highlights what a great
addition a new, lighted football field will be
for our athletic programs, our student body,
and our communities.” 
seven
SHAWSHEEN FOOTBALL FANS SEE THE LIGHT, LITERALLY
Shawsheen football players get ready for a play during game
under the lights at Shawsheen’s Cassidy Field. COURTESY PHOTO
Troisi Enjoys Leadership Training
of a group of people and talk, but he really
recognized that as something he wanted to
overcome and master. By being a state officer, it forces him to have to
leadership team. I did and I
be able to do that.”
loved it.”
“Nick is not in my shop so I
When her next suggestion
first met him as part as our ofwas the state office, Troisi
ficer team,” said Heidi Lloyd,
was surprised.
a graphic communications
“I had never thought
instructor at Shawsheen and
about it before,” Troisi said
the SkillsUSA advisor. “I was
of being an officer. “But the
immediately impressed with
next day I said ‘I want to run
his drive and attention to
for [state office].’”
detail so I was not surprised
“I really encouraged him
when he decided to run for
to run for office because I
state officer. I felt he would
thought it would be a good
be a perfect fit for the state
way for him to improve
officer team and when he
himself and have some recampaigned, the students
ally great experiences,” said
from across the state felt the
Meister. “He represents us
well, he really does.”
Nick Troisi of Billerica visited the White House same way and he was voted
Troisi was elected last during a recent leadership training seminar he in. I am excited for him as the
skills that he will come away
year by his peers at the state attending in Washington, D.C.
with after this experience
COURTESY
PHOTO
conference last May and
will be things he can use his
even did some of that public
entire life.”
speaking along the way.
Outside of his SkillsUSA obligations, Troisi
“For Nick, that has always been a chalworks through Shawsheen’s cooperative edlenge,” Meister said with a laugh. “It takes
ucation program and hopes to attend nurssome practice to be able to stand up in front
Nonprofit Org
U.S. Postage Paid
No. Reading MA
Permit 7500
eight
ing school at a local college like Salem State
University or Plymouth State University.
Troisi said his time at Shawsheen has
been valuable as he looks to the future.
“I’ve loved every second of it,” said Troisi,
who initially was interested in business or
culinary arts when he arrived at school, but
was eventually drawn to health assisting. “I
hope to [work in the medical field] for the
rest of my life.” 
You Should Know
DECEMBER
12/24 - Winter Break
1/5/16
JANUARY
7 Financial Aid Night
18 Martin Luther King Day - No School
20 8th Grade Career Night
FEBRUARY
1 Application Deadline
(8th grade applications)
11 Parent/Teacher Night
15-19 February Vacation
Community Services
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
100 Cook Street
Billerica, MA 01821
continued from bottom page 6