Five Massachusetts Schools Win AMP it up! Challenge
May 8, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kelsey Abbruzzese, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086 & 617-448-9077 (cell)
kabbruzzese@massdevelopment.com
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| AMP it up! Challenge winners Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School with MassDevelopment Project Manager of Manufacturing Initiatives Larissa Matzek (second from right) |
Five schools from across Massachusetts have won the fourth AMP it up! Challenge, which invites students to research an advanced manufacturing innovation in their region and show its impacts in a two-minute video. Each school will receive $3,000 in prize money. The winning schools are below, with asterisks noting schools that have won the Challenge in previous years:
- Greater New Bedford Technical Vocational High School*, for its video about Craft Inc. in Attleboro
- BMC Durfee High School* in Fall River, for its video about Dorothy Cox Chocolates in Fairhaven
- Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton, for its video about Uxbridge’s Lampin Corporation
- Melrose High School*, for its video about Southbridge’s SJC Drums
- West Springfield High School, for its video about Sullivan Paper Company in West Springfield
To see the videos, visit ampitupma.com/challenge, and read about 2015, 2016 and 2017 AMP it up! Challenge winners online.
“The AMP it up! Challenge presents a fun and creative way for students to explore careers in manufacturing and the important roles these companies play in their communities,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss. “Congratulations to these five schools on their informative, entertaining, and well-produced videos about Massachusetts manufacturing innovations.”
“We want to congratulate the Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech Engineering Technology and Media Technology students for winning the 2018 AMP it up! Challenge award. Both groups of students joined forces to research, visit and document the inner workings of Craft, Inc. and their manufacturing operation,” said Angela Basse, Engineering Technology Teacher at Greater New Bedford Regional Voc-Tech High School. The students not only learned a great deal about the advanced manufacturing process of coffee clips and other self-fastening and non-self-fastening hardware, but also gained the utmost respect for this local manufacturing company who provides a safe workplace, where employees share a deep sense of pride in where they work and what they do.”
“I am very proud of our students’ work. To be recognized by MassDevelopment’s AMP it up! Challenge is an honor. This collaboration between FRED TV, and our business community, showcases the best of Fall River,” said Rene Kochman, Director of Media Technology for FRED TV at Durfee High School.
“I am so proud of Casandra and Michelle for their work showcasing Lampin Corporation and manufacturing in Massachusetts,” said James Woodward, teacher at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School. “It’s videos like Michelle and Casandra’s that show people the manufacturing industry is thriving, and an incredible number of products are made not only in the USA, but in their own backyards.”
“Melrose High School and MHS-TV are extremely excited to have participated in the AMP it Up! Challenge for a second time,” said Anthony DiBenedetto, teacher at Melrose High School. “The entire process is really interesting for the students and helps to build a variety of skills. It is always great when you can combine student interests and work with other members of our community like businesses to promote the awesome things we both are doing.”
“I am so proud of the efforts of the students at West Springfield High School,” said Michael Richard, Superintendent of Schools, West Springfield Public Schools. “Their commitment to excellence complements their dedication to improving our community partnerships, and our collaboration with Sullivan Paper is just one example of this! The AMP it up! Challenge provided our students with an extraordinary experience in creativity, problem-solving, and community relations.”
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2016, MassDevelopment financed or managed 352 projects generating investment of more than $4 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create about 8,200 jobs and build or rehabilitate about 4,200 residential units.
