By Chris Frost
Eagle Times News Editor
NEWPORT, NH — Balloons, celebration, rain and eager anticipation highlighted the groundbreaking ceremony at SAU 43 School District’s new CTE (Career Technical Education) building on Monday, Sept. 18.
The $15.4 million facility replaces the current CTE building after 30 years and will improve every program the school offers, officials said.
Superintendent Donna Magoon said the groundbreaking is amazing, and she looks forward to the building’s completion in early April.
“The community voted to have a new CTE center, and we were able to get funding from the state,” she said. “Because the cost of everything is going up, we ended up not having enough money. We sent something to the state saying because of inflation and the cost of goods, it cost us more than we anticipated, and the state gave us more money.”
CTE Principal and Director Eric Perry said the new building integrates both agricultural programs into one space, allowing more inter-program collaboration.
“It will offer a larger space for our small machinery maintenance and forestry programs,” he said. “There will be a new greenhouse to replace our aging greenhouse and offer modern mechanics to operate.”
Perry also said the new CTE will have an animal grooming lab, which they currently don’t have, and additional classroom space for animal and plant sciences.
The new CTE courses will offer significant career opportunities, he said, especially in its forestry and natural resources programs, and will span conservation law and arborists working with tree companies.
“They often work alongside power companies and land management,” Perry said. “In agriculture, there will be food and animal management; just about every career we can think of is touched by agriculture.”
Local agricultural businesses will have a more prepared workforce thanks to the new building, too.
“With more space, we’ll be up to industry-level standards. It will certainly help with the local workforce and economic development,” he added.
Magoon said the district plans to offer students plenty of internships inside and outside the area, providing them opportunities to enter the workforce immediately.
“We also offer the program to eighth graders. Some of our eighth graders are coming into our programs, seeing what’s out there and getting a little taste of that,” she said. “When they go into high school, they can choose one or two areas they like. They may like animal science or welding. It gives them a little taste to help move them forward.”
Magoon said many organizations reach out to the school district looking for interns.
“Our programs are good, solid programs,” she said. “We have good teachers who have been in that field for many years, and they have contacts too. We’ve been fortunate with our programs and the students going on after our programs.”
Selectman Jeff Kessler was proud to be at the groundbreaking.
“It’s a great program, and it will continue to be a great program in these facilities,” he said.
Plant and Animal Science Teacher Deb Stevens said the greenhouse classroom was showing its wear and tear, and the new CTE moves the learning into high gear.
“We don’t just teach horticulture anymore; we teach plant science, animal science and companion animals,” she said. “The kids are getting an idea of what it is to look at being a vet tech or becoming a groomer. There aren’t enough groomers in our area anymore.”
Visit sau43.org for the latest information on the project.
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