BVT Haas Award 2015: Drafting and Engineering Technology instructor Michael Faticanti, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology instructor David Lewis, 2015 BVT graduates Jacob O’Donnell of Northbridge and Derek Sloan of Hopedale, Assistant Superintendent-Director/Principal Anthony Steele, and Vocational Curriculum Coordinator Thomas Belland. Jacob and Derek were recently named winners of $5,000 Gene Haas Scholarships to assist them in their pursuit of engineering degrees.
UPTON – The school’s annual Senior Awards Night might be held each May, but earning more than $1.5 million in renewable scholarships and awards is a year-round endeavor at Blackstone Valley Tech, where a pair of 2015 graduates were recently named winners of the Gene Haas Scholarship.
Drafting and Engineering Technology graduate Jacob O’Donnell of Northbridge and Manufacturing and Engineering Technology graduate Derek Sloan of Hopedale were awarded individual Gene Haas Scholarships of $5,000 help them in their pursuits of engineering degrees. Each year, the Gene Haas Foundation provides funding for vocational school students pursuing continued career training, especially in machining-based or engineering programs at the college level.
This fall, Jacob will study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and Derek will study Manufacturing Engineering at Fitchburg State University. Valley Tech Assistant Superintendent-Director Anthony Steele congratulated Jacob and Derek on earning the Gene Haas Scholarships and expressed confidence that the young men will carry on the financial responsibility emphasized at BVT.
“I know Jacob and Derek will be smart with their money,” Steele said. “Heading to college, they are going to have a lot of expenses coming their way, and the Gene Haas Scholarship will give them a significant leg up.”
UPTON DAILY 