Middle School Technology Department Unveils New Classrooms

By Larissa Lytwyn

If Newtown Middle School tech-ed students dropped a tool or paintbrush on the floor last year, it may have been hard to spot.

That is because the school’s technology classroom floors were splattered with paint spills, scratches, and scuffmarks.

Tables, too, were marred with paint and polish stains, nicks and cuts. Miscellaneous pieces of wood were propped against the back walls; the paint on cabinets and shelves were cracked and peeling.

This year, the same classrooms are shiny and spotless.

Over the summer, technology education teacher Donald Ramsey and his son spent long hours refurbishing the rooms.

Buildings and Maintenance Administrator Dominic Posca provided supplies.

During the October 7 school board meeting, Board member Earl Gordon discussed his seventh grade son’s excitement about the makeover.

“He can’t wait to get into the classroom,” he said.

The refurbishing is part of the Middle School’s technology department’s ongoing curriculum and aesthetic development. Mr Ramsey heads the Middle School Technology Education Advisory Group that among other accomplishments, administered surveys last year to Middle School students and parents about their attitudes toward technology education.

Most students, the survey found, enjoy technology education “some,” while a similar majority “like to know how things work” and “enjoy working with their hands.”

This year, the addition of new, safer saws allows students to cut directly. The colorful new classrooms, with smooth silver-gray floors and brightly paneled tables and stools, further add to student excitement.

Mr Ramsey believes that technology education should be implemented at Reed Intermediate School. “The younger grades are ready,” he said. He chuckled, “The creativity of these students outmatches adults!”