Durfee High’s Career and Technical Programs Expand Significantly, Offering More Students Real-World Skills

Students from the construction craft laborer program in the CTE Program at Fall River Public Schools gain real-world experience in the field, working to repair an underground pipe. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)

FALL RIVER — Superintendent Dr. Tracy Curley and Principal Dr. Jessica Stephens are proud to report that the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at B.M.C. Durfee High School is undergoing significant growth — expanding the number of pathways available in Fall River Public Schools, providing valuable industry credentials and preparing students for rest of their professional lives.

This school year, the high school established the first construction pre-apprenticeship program for high schoolers to be certified by the Massachusetts Department of Labor; graduated its first group of students in the Durfee After Dark cosmetology program; and expanded the new CTE Co-Op Program from 7 to 40 participating students after it was first introduced in 2023-24.

Now with a total of 10 career pathways and 27 dedicated teachers, the CTE program at Durfee served nearly 1,000 Durfee students during the 2024-25 school year, including 138 graduating seniors who gained valuable training certifications that will allow them to enter directly into a trade, go to college, or do both at the same time. Those graduating seniors were all applauded for their accomplishments during the school’s fourth annual CTE Cords and Awards Ceremony on May 29, after each of them completed at least 900 hours of technical training at Durfee.

“We’re really exploding,” said CTE Director Cindy Sylvia. “There are a lot of moving parts. Our CTE Program is the same as if a Regional Vocational School was dropped into Durfee in that we have the same state and industry requirements. We’re able to give our students that same access to career training, but there’s more flexibility. If a student truly doesn’t connect with their CTE Program they can possibly switch to a different CTE Program or leave the program altogether without ever leaving Durfee. At the same time, any Durfee student who wants to get into a CTE program can do so. And our teachers are passionate about what they teach.”

Those 10 career pathways include criminal justice (the newest addition to Durfee’s CTE program lineup), construction craft laborer, cosmetology, culinary arts, engineering, environmental science and technology, health assisting, marketing, design and visual communications, and early education and care. During freshman year, students enrolled in the CTE program get to rotate between all of the career pathways, spending seven consecutive school days in each of them, before submitting a ranked list of choices.

“Students spend over 900 hours in their programs which really gives them a deep understanding of their program,” Sylvia said. “Most kids really don’t have an idea of what they want to be or do at young age and these programs really give them a competitive advantage in their chosen fields. For years, people always use the phrase: “college and career ready.” Well, I don’t believe that. I want our students to be first career ready and then college ready, so they have at least an idea what they want to do and what it takes to get there.”

All students in the CTE program end up moving on from high school with at least one industry recognized credential, such as OSHA 10, thus providing essential workplace safety training. And many leave with industry-specific certification and licensure, such as the health assisting students who earn their Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) certification, and those in early education and care who get theirEarly Education and Care (EEC) teaching license.

“Our CTE program provides so many quality opportunities for our students to prepare themselves for prosperous careers in some of the most high-demand jobs today,” said Principal Dr. Stephens. “We applaud all the work that’s being done by our teachers and Ms. Sylvia to make this all possible. We are extremely proud of our CTE students for all the hard work they put into their education and career training, readying themselves to accomplish great things in the future.”

“I’d like to commend Ms. Sylvia and all of our CTE teachers for the amazing work they do to produce such impressive outcomes for our students, allowing them to receive a hands-on education that prepares them for their future careers,” said Superintendent Dr. Curley. “Our CTE program empowers our students to set forth on amazing paths, whether they choose to enter into the workforce immediately upon graduation or pursue further education in college. This program provides a strong foundation for our students to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential.”

Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program

The CTE program’s construction craft laborer pathway, a first-of-its-kind pre-apprenticeship program, is now providing a direct route to careers for Durfee graduates in partnership with the New England Laborers Union.

“It’s a unique pipeline,” Sylvia said. “There are other high school construction programs, but they’re not certified by the Department of Labor. When our kids graduate, what that means is, they have a bid into the Laborers Union apprenticeship program. No other vocational schools have that available.”

The construction program, with 15 seats available for each class, works closely with the New England Laborers Union on the curriculum. 

“They do a lot of masonry, a lot of concrete, scaffolding, welding and trenching,” Sylvia said. “These students are really skilled. They are technically sound.”

After completing a certain level of training using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology, construction program students have the opportunity to operate heavy equipment under instructor supervision, including a skid steer, an excavator and a telehandler. The telehandler and skid steer were purchased during the 2022-23 school year with a $500,000 Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant Program, written by Sylvia and Carlton Medeiros, the Construction Craft Laborer Instructor.

“The students learn to demonstrate advanced operations on these machines,” Sylvia said. “During these incredibly valuable experiences, job site safety and safe operation of machinery are always stressed as the top priority.”

Once they finish training alongside an instructor supervisor and turn 18 years old, construction program students can go to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and apply and test for their heavy equipment operation license. And in addition to their OSHA 10 certification, students in the construction program earn certifications for OSHA Scaffold Competent Person, OSHA Hot Work, and OSHA 30.

“If they go into construction, this could provide them an extra $15 or $20 per hour on their paycheck,” Sylvia said.

Durfee After Dark Program

Supporting students unable to fit CTE classes into their daytime schedules, the Durfee After Dark Program provides an opportunity for career training from 3 to 5 p.m., four days a week.

This year, the Durfee After Dark Program saw its first four cosmetology students graduate after being in the program for three years. The Durfee After Dark Program provides additional capacity for the highly sought CTE pathway, which has a maximum capacity of 15 seats during the school day due to the number of sinks that are available in the school, in accordance with regulations of the Department of Public Health and Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering. The Durfee After Dark Program means an additional 15 students are able to get the $30,000 value of the required 1,000 hours of cosmetology training needed to get a state license.

The Durfee After Dark Program also provides the school’s CTE opportunities for students from the Robert L. Medeiros Resiliency Preparatory Academy, an alternative school, who don’t have the opportunity to pursue a career pathway during the daytime.

“I’m really excited for the After Dark program because it’s opening the doors to so many students who are unable to get into the first choice coming out of the Durfee Discovery exploratory program freshman year,” Sylvia said.

CTE Co-Op Program

In addition to hands-on classroom experience provided through these pathways, Durfee High School also offers a CTE Co-Op Program, which gets students into the field, working and earning money while they earn school credit.

This program was first introduced during the 2023-24 school year. During its first year, just seven students were working as part of the CTE Co-Op program.

But this year, 40 students participated in the CTE Co-Op Program, logging over 8,500 hours and collectively earning more than $130,000.

“Just two years in, we’re seeing great results,” Sylvia said. “This was something that I really wanted to bring to Durfee. If we’re going to have a true CTE program, we need a robust co-op program. It was a big piece of the puzzle that was missing. Now it has really taken off.”

Sylvia credited Co-Op Coordinator Melissa St. Pierre with matching students with appropriate jobs that allow them to learn and gain invaluable experience.

“Our co-op coordinator is phenomenal. She’s getting them out at hospitals, long-term care facilities, and advanced manufacturing,” Sylvia said. “Our marketing kids are doing some amazing work. One of our chefs works at Castle Hill in Newport, a five-star restaurant. Our students really do shine.”

Public Access Programs

In addition to working in the community, Durfee High School students are able to ply their technical abilities on campus as part of the Public Access Programs at the school. These are student-run business operations, including the Granite Grille restaurant, Elevations Salon, the Summit School Store, and The Early Learning Center.

These businesses provide services to the public at a reasonable price. The Granite Grille restaurant runs from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; Elevations Salon operates from 8:15 to 10:30 a.m., Wednesday through Friday; the Summit School Store during school hours; and the daycare is open 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.

“All of these operations were incorporated into the CTE program,” Sylvia said. “They are all operated professionally and provide vital work experience for our students. And our customers really appreciate the service. The Granite Grill has grown into a full-service restaurant, and people really love going there for lunch.”

SkillsUSA and DECA

Two key outlets for CTE students at Durfee to gain experience and develop as professionals are SkillsUSA and DECA. These organizations allow CTE students to shine, competing against students from other comprehensive and vocational schools at state and national competitions. 

In early May, 43 Durfee High School students attended the 51st Annual SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference in Marlborough, dominating the cosmetology categories, including four students finishing in first place and a total of 10 students placing. As a result, three Durfee students will compete in the SkillsUSA Nationals in Atlanta from June 23-27. (All students at Durfee that are enrolled in a CTE program are members of SkillsUSA.) Meanwhile, Durfee sent 18 students from the school’s DECA program to the International Career Development Conference held in late April in Orlando, Florida. 

“It’s impressive,” Sylvia said. “Our kids don’t just get the education, but they excel at it and take it to a level where they can compete with the best of the best from throughout the country. For some of them, this is their first time on a plane. I think that’s a special moment that we can share with our students.”

‘Durfee CTE growing, glowing and going places’

Sylvia, who became the director of CTE for Durfee in 2021, said that the CTE program existed for many years before her arrival. But the Durfee CTE program has truly taken flight since the new high school building opened in 2022.

From here, the CTE program will only grow, improve and help more Durfee students achieve their dreams.

Durfee CTE is growing, glowing and going places,” Sylvia said. “Durfee CTE is where knowledge and technical skill go to work. We are proud of the opportunities we provide for students to develop essential skills, engage with industry professionals and prepare for successful careers. Our students are truly becoming career and college ready.”

###

Graduating seniors from Durfee High School’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program were celebrated for their accomplishments on May 29 during the school’s fourth annual CTE Cords and Awards Ceremony. Each of graduating CTE students completed at least 900 hours of technical training. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)

A student from the culinary arts pathway as part of Durfee High School’s CTE Program plates a meal that he prepared. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)

A group of culinary arts students represented Durfee High School at an event held at the Massachusetts State House. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)

Students in the cosmetology pathway of the CTE Program at Durfee go through 1,000 of training in order to get their state license by the time of graduation. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)

Following their 900 hours of training, health assisting students in Durfee High School’s CTE Program get to earn a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) certification from the Massachusetts Department of Health. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)