Page 35 - BusinessWest September 30, 2024

“The more we looked at the program, and the more we looked at what we think students are really going to need to succeed in life — not only these early-college credits they’re earning, but also work-based learning — we realized that the best place for a school was going to one where students were going to get ease of access to work-based learning opportunities and see themselves as part of the industry and commerce of the city of Springfield.”
He recalls phoning Matt Brunell, co-executive director of the Spring- field Empowerment Zone, which Discovery High is part of, and say- ing, “this is crazy ... but we should at least give it a look.”
They did, and that was the offi- cial start to a journey that ended on Aug. 28, when the 250 students at Discovery High turned out around 7 a.m. for a different kind of first day at a different kind of school.
One with lots of windows and
penthouse (literally) views of the
city, the Connecticut River, neigh-
boring communities, and much
more. One where students take an
elevator to get to class, and might
share one with a lawyer, accountant,
or nonprofit manager — or maybe
one of each. One where they take a
PVTA bus, not a yellow school bus,
to school. One where the cafeteria
looks like your typical school cafeteria ... except it’s 17 floors up and has seats that face windows that provide those views.
That aforementioned journey came complete with a whole host of challenges, a super-tight deadline (the first day of school can’t be moved), and the chance to do something really special, said Evan Plotkin, president of NAI Plotkin and co-owner of 1350 Main. He told BusinessWest that bringing a high school, especially this one, where students start taking college courses as freshmen, to downtown Springfield, presents intriguing opportunities for the students, faculty, the businesses in the building — and other buildings downtown — and the city itself. These opportunities include student internships at down- town businesses, being next door (again, literally) to the Spring- field Symphony Orchestra and a block or two from the Quad-
The classrooms at the new Discovery High have glass at the front and back and were designed to resemble workspaces at tech companies.
Staff Photo
rangle and its many learning opportunities, and just being part of the dynamic in the city’s central business district.
Add them all up, said Declan O’Connor, principal of the school, and what emerges is an opportunity for students to attend school at a place that looks and feels like the world of work — where they will hopefully be in a half-dozen years or so.
“This was about identity building,” he explained. “Our school is a STEM high school — we’re an early-college high school, but we’re also a STEM school. Most of our kids are going to work
Local Business? Local Lenders.
Adam Baker Maura Guzik Mike Buckmaster Jim Alexander
VP, Commercial Lending VP, Commercial Lending SVP, Commercial Lending VP, Government Banking & Treasury Management
877-682-0334 GreenfieldCoopBank.com
Jay Seyler
VP, Commercial Lending
Chelsea Depault
VP, Commercial and Municipal Lending
MEMBER FDIC MEMBER DIF
BusinessWest
<< COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE >>
SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 35