SACO — Thornton Academy’s mission is to “prepare students for a changing world.”

A large part of that is giving students the tools to become successful adults.

“Our job is preparing students for life after high school,” said Headmaster Rene Menard.

He said it’s important for school leaders to have a dialogue with the business community, to see what it is schools need to do in order to achieve this goal.

Menard said school officials were at a chamber of commerce breakfast a couple of years ago, and there was discussion about the need for skilled manufacturing employees.

School officials met with officials from Arundel Machine regarding an online curriculum through the National Tooling and Machining Association, called NTMA-U, which companies use to train their employees.

With help from Arundel Machine, Thornton was able to become the first high school in the country to partner with the National Tooling and Machining Association to offer NTMA-U to its students.

Thornton hired a precision machining instructor from Southern Maine Community College to teach the six-semester-long curriculum at the school.

Once a week, students enrolled in the class get to apply what they’ve learned at Arundel Machine or at SMCC.

“It’s designed by the industry and very responsive to the needs of the industry,” said Menard of the curriculum, and evolves and adapts to current changes. The program gives students a hands-on opportunity to work on the latest, high-tech equipment used in manufacturing today.

“It’s the real deal,” said Menard.

The curriculum includes math, blueprint reading, quality control and machine technology. The NTMA-U coursework gives students the background and knowledge needed to pass credentialing exams. Menard said Thornton is hoping to be able, in the future, to partner with a local college so that qualifying students in the program can earn college credits locally.

For a few students enrolled in the NTMA-U, the program has led to after-school jobs that are more like the beginning of a career.

Sixteen-year-old Thornton juniors Paul Jurgiewich and Thomas Teague were among those selected last summer for an internship at Pratt and Whitney in North Berwick, where they were making about $14 an hour.

After the internship, the pair and another student were hired as machine operators, and now make nearly $17 an hour ”“ and time and a half if they choose to work on the weekends.

“My parents are proud of me, my friends are all jealous,” said Jurgiewich.

“I think it’s great,” said Teague. “I’m saving a lot of money.”

Jurgiewich works from 3-9 p.m. four days a week, in addition to school and chores at his family’s farm. Teague works most days after school, and puts in some hours on the weekend as well.

The two said they must maintain at least Cs in their classes in order to continue their work hours. Both said they’ve been able to manage their busy schedules. Teague said he has to make sure he’s on top of his school work, as it’s hard to catch up if he falls behind.

Teague said when he tells people at work he’s 16, they’re amazed.

School to Work Counselor Linda Roth said students like Teague and Jurgiewich will graduate school work-ready, with skills typically acquired post-graduation. She said while some people may complain about a lack of work ethic in today’s young people, Teague and Jurgiewich are “two shining examples” of students who are working hard and taking the right path.

The NMTA-U is a recent development, with the first students starting the program during the last school year. There are about 20 students enrolled in the program.

Thornton also has a job-shadowing program, which was established when Roth began her position nine years ago.

Through the job-shadowing program, Roth matches up students with a business in a field that the student is interested in, and the student spends a day in the work environment.

Over the years, Roth has matched students up with a wide variety of businesses, including banks, a boat yard, a bakery, a hospital and a sheet metal company.

Fifteen-year-old sophomore Kashina Williams last month job-shadowed at Suger, a fashion design and clothing business in Biddeford.

Williams described the experience as “amazing.” She enjoyed meeting Roxi Suger, the owner of the company, and seeing her enthusiasm and passion for her work. Williams saw many aspects of the business, including online orders being filled and clothing being made.

Williams enjoys sewing, art and costume making. She especially likes anime and cosplay, or dressing up in character, her favorite character being Nyotalia Canada. She has also made costumes for school plays.

Williams said she is interested in pursuing a career in costume designing or something similar, and the job shadowing experience was “very helpful.”

“I’ve told a lot of my friends about it,” she said.

Roth said in order to participate in a job shadowing experience, a student has to be in good academic standing, as they have to be taken out of school for a day. Roth said she thinks it’s very important for students to get exposure to jobs they may be interested in pursuing in the future.

“There’s no such thing as a bad job shadow,” she said.

If a student doesn’t like a job shadow, she said, it can lead them to try something else for which they may be better suited.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].