BIDDEFORD — While in high school, Nicole Cartier of Biddeford originally wanted to be a veterinarian. Then the Biddeford High School graduate, Class of 2010, took an accounting class at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology, known as the BRCOT, located next to the high school, and her plans changed.
“I fell in love with accounting,” said Cartier, who is now a junior at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. where she studies accounting. Babson is one of New England’s most recognized business schools.
The accounting and business classes she took at the BRCOT prepared her so well, Cartier said, she tested out of the first level accounting course at Babson, something all freshman in her program are required to take.
Regarding courses at the BRCOT, Cartier said, “I would recommend (them) to anyone, even if you don’t know what you want to do.”
Eddie Murphy, BHS graduate, Class of 2008, has similar praise for the legal studies courses he took at the BRCOT. Murphy is now employed as a patrol officer with the Sanford Police Department.
According to Murphy, he had determined he wanted to work in the criminal justice system when he was a high school sophomore.
The courses he took at the BRCOT “gave me a step up,” he said, when he went to college because he had already gone over a lot of the material.
One of the best parts of the classes, said Murphy, was the invited speakers who spoke to students about various areas of the law and their real world experiences.
“That was one of the things I liked about the classes,” said Murphy.
Now that he’s working, he said, “I’ve been back twice to give (BRCOT students) a first hand of what it’s like. I give them the realization what it’s like and that it’s not like on TV.”
Legal studies and business are just two of the 16 courses of study offered at the BRCOT.
Traditional vocational education courses are offered, such as auto body, building trades, and welding and metal fabrication.
But there are a host of other courses such as introduction to medical sciences and medical assisting, computers in business, early childhood education and retail marketing.
Even the courses such as welding and auto body require more from students than ever before.
When thinking of the BRCOT, “Many have the old connotation of the vocation school,” said legal studies and medical assisting teacher Maureen Redmond.
“Most people don’t know business courses have moved in,” said business and finance instructor Kenneth Crepeau.
Because of the misperception, BRCOT, especially those in the Business Academy, which include Redmond, Crepeau and Richard Dutremble who teaches computers in business, are trying to get the word out about all the school has to offer.
The BRCOT accepts students from BHS, Kennebunk High School, Old Orchard Beach High School and Thornton Academy in Saco.
Depending on the course of study, and whether a student takes the required number of courses in their area, they can earn a certificate.
Some of the courses have articulation agreements with local colleges meaning students also earn college credit toward specific local schools such as the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Southern Maine Community College in South Portland and Husson University in Bangor.
Starting in the fall, several of the Business Academy courses will offer dual enrollment with Thomas College in Waterville. Credits from those courses will be transferable to most colleges, said Crepeau.
By earning college credit in high school, he said, it will reduce the number of courses students need to take at college and save them time and money.
And statistics show that many high school graduates who attend BRCOT go on toward higher education.
The school tracks students who attend the BRCOT two years after they graduate, said Director Peg Lavasseur.
According to tracking records from 2007-11, between 57 percent to 67 percent of students reported they attended a post-secondary institution. Of those, between 51 percent to 66 percent attended a four-year school, and between 34 percent and 49 percent attended a two-year program.
The percentage who were working two years after high school graduation ranged between 21 and 40; some worked while attending a post-secondary program.
Half or more of the students were working in a trade-related field, with the exception of 2008, when only 42 percent were working in a trade-related field.
In addition to classroom studies, many courses offer hands-on experiences and/or are visited by people working in the field. Some programs offer internships as well as preparation on what’s required to get a job such as creating a resume and interviewing techniques.
Students in Edward Driscoll’s drafting class created plans for the expansion of the Saco Food Pantry, which was built in 2010.
More recently, students drew up plans to convert a six-car garage into a rehabilitation clinic for the non-profit organization Our Fathers’ House; that project is on hold, said Leo Menard, a member of the Saco Bay Rotary.
“They did a great job,” said Menard, who was involved in both projects. He noted the students’ plans knocked between $500-$750 off the pantry expansion project.
Both experiences taught students what it’s like to work with clients and other things they’ll have to deal with in the future such as getting plans approved from municipal planning boards.
The students in the CNA program get clinical experience at places such as Seal Rock Health Care.
Students studying early childhood education, run a day-care program at the John F. Kennedy Kindergarten Center.
Those taking retail classes get real work experience at local stores. For instance, those in Linda Verville’s retail class helped put together a temporary store last fall on Main Street in Biddeford and worked at Simply You on Main Street in Saco during the holidays.
Some courses also offer internships or job shadowing.
Each year, Kim Quint, the practice manager at SMMC PrimeCare Pediatric, offers one or two students the opportunity to job shadow at her office.
“It’s a good way for them to get their feet wet,” she said.
Quint is also one of those who go to the classroom to share their work experiences with the students.
Redmond said that’s one of the most important aspects of the courses she teaches.
Westbrook Police Chief Michael Pardue is another annual guest in the legal studies course.
“It’s an excellent career course and provides such an accurate perception of the course and duties for varied legal careers,” he said.
In addition, he said, “I can’t say enough about the quality of students I have found.”
“My experience is with a few of Ken (Crepeau’s) students who I have had in my introductory financial accounting class and later my upper level tax class that I teach at USM,” stated Dr. George Violette in an email. “I think the school and Ken do a really nice job preparing these students for business programs in college. My personal experience is that they are well trained in the basics of accounting. In fact, some of his students have been among my best performing students in past years.”
In addition to past students, instructors, and professionals who work or talk to the BRCOT students, current students have many positive things to say about the programs.
Alex Eon, a junior, said he wants to be an engineer, and is enrolled in the drafting, architecture and engineering program taught by Edward Driscoll.
“I thought this was a good experience before college,” said Eon as to why he enrolled in the BRCOT program.
“It’s great,” he said, “you learn so much.”
“I took this class to get me better prepared for college,” said Corey Collard a senior who will attend the University of Maine in Orono for mechanical engineering in the fall.
“I’m interested in the medical field,” said Tricia Doody, a junior. The courses “give us good experience,” she said, and added, “I realized there were a lot more fields than I knew about.”
“It gives you a good basis, and it’s good to know what you’re getting into,” said Michelle Lovejoy, a junior studying business and financial management.
“All the work you do is relevant to what you want to do,” said Nate Crepeau, a senior who is studying technical writing.
The courses at the BRCOT are valuable not only to help students learn about what they want to do in their future, but their studies even help them learn what they don’t want to do, said Levasseur.
“I learned the unfortunate truth of paperwork in the legal field,” said senior Charlie Duffield who took legal studies last year and is now studying medical assisting.
“Everyone gets something different out of it,” he said about the BRCOT. “I think it’s awesome.”
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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