Whittier Regional Vocation Technical High School

I must admit that I had reservations about sending my daughter here. When I was a teenager, Whittier was the place where all of the misfits were sent. However, the school has made quite a transformation in the past 20+ years. It is highly regarded as one of the top academic institutions in the area. As an educator, I want a top quality education for my child, and I’ve certainly found it here at Whittier.

My son talked me into attending this school instead of Haverhill High
I was reluctant at first concerned about the image of a «vocational» school. I was pleasantly surprised that the image vocational schools are given is way off the mark
Not only was he allowed hands on exploratory work in about 9 fields, he was evaluated according to his interests and learning style.
The teachers are strict and the administration tolerates little
They expect the kids to show up and show up on time. They let the parents know everything that is going on with the student… if they’re late, absent. If your child is out of school, they follow up and expect a reason. The kids are expected to behave, keep their noses clean and respect each other
What I like about the school is that they prepare them for real world. They don’t baby them
My son was OSHA and «WORK READY» certified and will be going on COOP in a job in his field
The only down side is the lack of resources for the kids in the form of guidance. I know the guidance counselors are trying but there are no programs in the Freshman year that guide, inspire and assist the students to think of college as a possibility –not on a grand scale anyway
I was in constant contact regarding the COOP programs and they seem to be in a rut, relying on a few employers for the jobs instead of trying to get as many employers on board as possible to expose the kids to all kinds of work in their field
My son has had to get me involved in order to get something done or nothing gets done at all. The guidance counselors know whose parents are involved and whose aren’t. So if a kid has the misfortune of having parents who don’t get involved or give a crap, they have little voice
If you have your child attend here, you won’t be sorry. Really
The teachers can be quite awesome and the administration will not tolerate a slack teacher
The kids come out independent and ready to work. Just make sure you get to know your guidance counselor well and don’t think that if your kid can’t get the resources he needs to look beyond high school by himself, its automatically it is their fault. You have to push a bit