Over my last eighteen years as a superintendent in Connecticut, I have witnessed a transformation in the relationship between business and education. At first, they had a slow awareness of each other. Now, it has become a virtual requirement for such partnerships to be established and flourish in a community. As superintendent of the Wallingford Public School District, I was blessed with the opportunity to collaborate with incredible businesses, community partners, my fellow educational staff, students, and families. Through this collaboration, we developed something that truly transformed the entire STEM Town.
Connected Needs
Every school district that receives Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education funding must establish a community advisory group to ensure that the district is establishing programming that best meets the needs of students and maintains relevance in the business community. This committee can be one of the most powerful groups if a superintendent chooses to leverage them in such a manner. I was fortunate to assemble a great group of business, community, and educational leaders in Wallingford committed to improving education. At the same time, we wanted to ensure the town’s growth. This symbiotic connection was essential in fostering a relationship that resulted in mutual benefits for the economic well-being of the town and educational opportunities for its children.
A STEM-Minded Workforce
In the many meetings held each year, the need to develop a STEM-minded workforce was clear. Wallingford, Connecticut, being the number one per capita international exporter of goods in the United States, required trained personnel to fill new positions as well as those to be vacated by a veteran workforce. Without these positions filled, companies would be faced with difficult business decisions. The worst-case scenario for the town would be if the companies chose to leave Wallingford for another town or state. The town was already reeling from the announcement that one of its largest taxpayers, Bristol Myers Squibb, was relocating to New Jersey.
At the same time, the companies identified a need for present and future staff in the STEM fields, and our students and families were beginning to discuss the need for increased programming in these areas as well. The district’s challenge was not the vision for such opportunities but the financial resources to bring them to fruition.
The true opportunity that presented itself was that in order for companies to get a well-educated workforce, the school district needed to provide the programming in which to do so. This intersection of the two needs was where the magic happened.
Reaching Our Goals
Based on this emerging realization that in order for business and the school district to reach their goals, we needed to increase our partnerships, the idea of proclaiming the Town of Wallingford a STEM Town was born. When the idea was presented to the group, consisting of parents, business leaders, community leaders, and educators, many asked what a STEM Town is and what the criteria are for being named one. The response was easy to state based on the prior discussions and thoughtful conversations.
The STEM Town designation means that we would all focus on the problem of STEM education and workforce development. We will work collaboratively to make a greater impact than if we worked in silos on our own. By coordinating efforts to increase student awareness and interest in STEM fields before, during, and after school, we planned to impact the number of students who pursue such pathways in our high schools, college, and the world of work. In addition, by doing so, we believed this increased awareness in students would also impact families. By focusing on the opportunities that students have before them in our town, state, and nation, we hoped parents would support our efforts by supporting their children.
Reaping the Benefits
Lastly, we believed local businesses would reap the benefit of a STEM Town designation through the mindset shift that needs to occur in assisting all citizens in their deeper understanding of the many fields and industries in Wallingford. We also hoped that by putting forth publicly that Wallingford is a STEM Town, businesses investigating a move into the town would choose it due to our community commitment to this mission.
The excitement around the STEM Town launch was infectious. Working with students from Quinnipiac University, a documentary was created. The documentary highlighted the needs of the school district and community. It offered a wide range of voices from students, parents, community leaders, business members, and educators. Its premiere became the event of the fall and was an incredible success. The documentary was important because it celebrated the hard work and collaboration occurring across the systems within the town. It also publicly declared we were doing this. There was no going back. Now, all that was left for us to do was to make the impact we intended to have on our community. Little did we know that impact and how it would impact the state.
STEM Town or Bust
During the ensuing days, weeks, months, and now years after the first showing of the STEM Town Wallingford documentary, success grew. Key areas of success fell into a couple of categories: educational initiatives and community/business initiatives.
Educational Initiatives
The district embedded the development of new Career Technical Education coursework within its strategic plan for implementation. Recognizing key areas of need for businesses within the town, the focus was placed on Advanced Manufacturing and Medical Careers. The Advanced Manufacturing courses were developed. Business members at the table offer the authentic feedback necessary to ensure student relevance. The expansion of Medical Careers courses meant an increased number of graduates exiting high school with the nursing certification and the necessary clinical hours for entry into a wide range of medical fields.
Interest in STEM
In addition to the coursework development and implementation at the high school level, we wanted to make sure that we grew the interest in STEM as early as possible in our system. Working with career and college counselors, the district STEM coordinator, and the district CTE coordinator, a wide range of opportunities for student exposure and exploration were developed. The key was maintaining authenticity in each experience for our students. We did not merely want to create another career day. We wanted students to have an embedded experience of exposure to STEM throughout their entire educational journey in our district.
Messaging all that we were doing in our district and community was essential. A creative way to integrate the schools and businesses was a community-wide STEM scavenger hunt. This took place over the summer, culminating in a town-wide event. The key to this STEM scavenger hunt was that families were encouraged to complete the challenges at local manufacturers. At this time, they could receive tours and learn more about the businesses. This was very important to all of us in our desire to let our community know how safe manufacturing is and what amazing career opportunities lie ahead for their children. This event was a huge success. Based on this result, design challenges were integrated into the entire district on a monthly basis. STOP, DROP, and DESIGN was another great way to get students of all ages (K–12) to take a moment to engage in fun STEM experiences.
Community/Business Initiatives
The community jumped into the STEM Town initiative with great enthusiasm. The mayor made a declaration with representatives from the state legislature presenting a proclamation signed by the governor. The Economic Development Commission started using the title in its messaging to present and prospective companies. Town organizations like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Spanish Community of Wallingford, and the Wallingford Library, developed STEM-focused programming for students and families.
HUBCAP Wallingford, a non-profit community, business, and education partnership, became the epicenter for an employment pipeline program for adults and graduating high school students. Working with local industry leaders, the volunteers at HUBCAP with the Wallingford Public Schools provided six-week training sessions, resulting in an opportunity for an interview and employment at the final session. The classes focused on employability skills, resume writing, and interview skills. Candidates did take a math and reading assessment. If necessary, remediation was provided.
Did it work?
You may be asking yourself, “Wow, this sounds great, but what has the impact been? Did it really work?”
I am proud to say emphatically, “YES!” STEM Town made an incredible impact on the Wallingford community and continues to do so. Some of the key success indicators came in the places we had planned—education and business.
Education Successes
Key educational Indicators of the success of the STEM Town initiative include the following:
- Implementation of an Advanced Manufacturing pathway consisting of four courses articulated with Goodwin University
- Increase in Advanced Manufacturing Certificate from the Connecticut Department of Labor to over sixty students annually
- Expansion of medical careers programming to three full-time staff members, tripling the number of student candidates for the program
- Establishment of the only United States-based International Space Station in collaboration with the Victorian Space Science Education Center in Melbourne, Australia
- Over $175,000 of donations annually for STEM resources
- 2019 Thomas Champions of Industry Award
Business Successes
Key business indicators for the success of the STEM Town initiative include the following:
- First increase in the grand list in over ten years
- Expansion of international companies in town
- Increased collaboration and support from local businesses
- Employment of 80 percent of the candidates from the HUBCAP Pipeline Program
- State and national recognition for its work around community workforce development
STEM Town Takeaways and Beyond
I am pleased to report that STEM Town continues to be alive and well in Wallingford, Connecticut. The community, business, and education partnership is strong and mutually rewarding. There is a great sense of pride in the work accomplished, but there is also a healthy sense of continued urgency to grow and be ahead of the curve for students and businesses.
There are a few key takeaways from the entire STEM Town experience:
Dream Big
The most important thing is to dream big. STEM Towns did not exist before ours. We did not let that stop us. We just used that as a reason to go even bigger than initially imagined.
Never Underestimate the Power of a Community
I continue to smile in amazement at the power within the community. Once a common goal was established, everyone was on board and wanted to help. From donations of money and time to just a friendly call of encouragement, galvanizing people around an important common cause does work.
Keep Students at the Center
Always keep your eye on the prize: student success. In the end, that is all that matters. Listening to students and their needs is essential in getting their buy-in and that of their families.
I have moved on to assume the role of Superintendent of the Goodwin University Magnet School System. In this position, I work with schools within our system. I spend a tremendous amount of time partnering with districts across the state to develop and implement unique STEM programming. The new position has been particularly rewarding and exciting. I continue working with Wallingford as we plan even more exciting new STEM and advanced manufacturing initiatives.
About the Author
DR. SALVATORE MENZO
Dr. Salvatore Menzo, based in Connecticut, is in his twenty-ninth year in public education. Sal has spent more than half this time as a superintendent across three districts. Starting out as an educator in a socially and economically diversified school district, he recognized the need to establish partners for his students with local businesses and resources. This philosophy influenced his work as a Connecticut superintendent in Marlborough for over four years and twelve years in the Wallingford Public Schools. Now, as the superintendent of the Goodwin University Magnet School System, Sal maintains a focus on STEM and workforce development. He continues to apply a collective impact approach, collaborating with local businesses, community organizations, and state-wide groups, to develop a nationally recognized framework for employment pipelines.
An Educational Leader
In his work in workforce development, Sal has been recognized as an educational leader locally, nationally, and internationally. He has been called upon to speak at many state, national, and international convenings on workforce development as a resource and example for others. Additionally, he was a featured speaker at the White House regarding workforce development for defense supply chain companies. He was recognized by the Thomas Industries North American Manufacturing platform as one of the 2019 Champions for Industry. In addition, as the only educator, Sal has been appointed by the Secretary of Commerce to the Connecticut Export Council. He is a member of US Senator Chris Murphy’s Manufacturing and Aerospace Advisory Council.
Over the last three years, Sal led an international aerospace collaborative with Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This partnership is providing one-of-a-kind STEM experiences for students while engaging local businesses in the development of pipeline programs for students as potential future employees.
With a strategic mindset situated in education with an understanding and appreciation for business, Sal is committed to working with other companies and communities to assist in ensuring their economic sustainability and growth. He is very passionate about preparing high school graduates for success while supporting the employment needs of the industry.
Sal received his undergraduate degree from Connecticut College and the University of Sydney. He was conferred his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Connecticut.
