WEST SPRINGFIELD – With the help of a $39,856 Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership Grant, students at West Springfield High School (WSHS) can now take college-level health sciences courses at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and start themselves on a career path in the healthcare field.

“WSHS dual enrollment students will be able to take field trips to local businesses and participate in summer internships. Students will receive college credits at no cost to them and will also receive high school credits for courses taken at STCC that align with high school requirements. The grant will also pay for bus passes so students can get from the high school to STCC and for stipends to pay for books,” Jim Danko, coordinator of Media Relations for STCC, said in a statement.

WSHS has partnered with STCC for the past six years to offer a dual enrollment program in advanced manufacturing through STCC’s engineering technology program. This grant will also help expand the courses available in that program.

“The program helps to broaden people’s perspectives on the engineering field. You get a chance to take tours of area manufacturing companies and see how they operate,” WSHS senior Brogan Brodsky said. “When I first went into it, I thought engineering technology was about standing behind a machine and making parts all day. But that’s not really the case. It encompasses many different fields.”

STCC helped facilitate an internship for Brodsky at a manufacturing company this past summer, and he plans to enroll at STCC next fall to obtain an associate degree in electrical engineering. Because of his dual-enrollment credits, he will be able to graduate in one year.

“We have had a thriving advanced manufacturing pathway, but we found that the majority of West Springfield High School students were interested in a health career,” said Matt Gravel, dean of Academic Initiatives at STCC. The Department of Early College Education looked at what courses were being taken through the standard dual enrollment program and found that a large portion was in health sciences.

“It only made sense,” to create a pathway in that area, said Pamela Westmoreland, the director of Early College Education at STCC.

STCC hosted a Healthcare Exploration Series on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, offering students a chance to “learn about all of the different academic Healthcare programs that are offered as well as tour the Patient Simulation Lab,” said Wesley Carter, program director of Innovation Pathways & Work-Based Learning for WSHS.

Westmoreland said that the state is encouraging a focus on dual enrollment that is structured into an area of study, rather than an à la carte model in which students take courses across different disciplines depending on their interests. She noted, however, that students can still take courses outside of their pathway if desired.

WSHS Principal Vito Perrone said in a press release that 44.5 percent of West Springfield Public Schools’ 4,000 students are economically disadvantaged.

“These numbers reflect the need of the School District to tend to students who may not have a clear pathway to post-secondary education, making our participation in the Dual Enrollment program critical and helping us to ensure that these potentially at-risk students don’t fall behind,” Perrone said.

Twenty-five students are participating in the program between both pathways. The Healthcare Pathway became available to WSHS students for the Fall 2019 semester’s second session, which runs from Oct. 23 to Dec. 13.

“We anticipate approximately 35 to 40 students to be enrolled in STCC Healthcare Early College courses by Spring 2020,” said Carter.

WSHS students can also take dual-enrollment courses at Holyoke Community College. Carter said the school is always looking for new partnerships.

“In addition to the dual enrollment opportunities, WSHS is currently looking to expand the Innovation Pathways program by offering a new series of Project Lead The Way Engineering and Biomedical Science course offerings,” Carter said. “Project Lead The Way (PLTW) curriculum offers students real-life hands-on activities and meaningful projects.”

“Our school could potentially add healthcare to our Innovation Pathways grant. This move would allow our district to receive additional funding per pupil and provide students with new high school healthcare elective courses, additional dual enrollment funding (to increase participation), and transportation for students to attend networking events, healthcare facility tours, etc.,” Carter said.

Westmoreland said that students who take advantage of dual enrollment at STCC will receive college credits even if they decide not to attend STCC for their post-secondary education.

“We’re trying to make sure students succeed in college, whether they come to STCC or not,” said Westmoreland.