Today the Electricity and Heavy Equipment Operation programs proudly participated in the ABC Maine Craft Championship, the largest statewide workforce development event. High school students from across the state gathered at the Augusta Civic Center to explore a wide range of skills and experiences within the construction industry. The event featured over 40 contractors, businesses, and schools who set up booths, tables, exhibits, and hands-on activities to engage students and provide them with a glimpse of their future workforce opportunities. Additionally, some exhibitors hosted career fair style tables, offering valuable information about employment and training opportunities within their organizations.
We are absolutely thrilled to share that our two electrical competitors, Ben W. and Griffin S., both earned impressive placements, with Ben securing 3rd place and Griffin finishing 6th out of 20 competitors. We couldn't be more proud of their accomplishments and our students' respectful behaviors during this trip.
A heartfelt thank you to the Associated Builders & Contractors of Maine for making this enriching learning experience possible for our students. Your support and commitment to workforce development are truly appreciated!
On Sunday, March 23, WRVC Culinary Arts students helped prepare, cook, and serve a dish at the ACF (American Culinary Federation) CascoBay Chapter's Annual Banquet Dinner. Students Worked with Chef Nikkol Mulligan, the Executive Chef of the Black Point Inn. The dish they presented was a pan-seared skate wing served over cauliflower puree with lemongrass and ginger tomato jam! Yummy! Thank you to our students who helped at this event.
WRVC Futures Fair: A HUGE thank you to our Futures Fair coordinator, Mrs. O'Toole, for the impeccable job she did bringing this special career-focused event together for our students, local businesses, colleges/universities, military, and our trades-related stakeholders! 👏👏👏 A heartfelt thank you to all the students and staff who contributed to the setup and cleanup efforts, as well. We received such positive feedback from our vendors, who were impressed by the organization, friendliness, and engagement of our school community. Our visitors couldn’t stop raving about how delicious the food was—thank you to the Culinary Arts program for making it all possible... Everything was AMAZING! 🤩🤩🤩 Thank you to the MELMAC team for their continued support with this event, we appreciate all you do for WRVC.
A huge thank you to Bonny Eagle Middle School for inviting WRVC to their Career Day, and to South Portland Middle School for including us in theirs as well! We had an absolute blast connecting with the students and sharing what WRVC is all about. We can’t wait for more opportunities to engage with these amazing schools in the future!
A special shout-out to Ms. Atripaldi and Ms. O'Toole for representing WRVC with enthusiasm and dedication at these events. We truly appreciate all of your hard work!
WRVC students and staff having a blast at the Maine SkillsUSA Competition Opening Ceremony!
Our very own Lorelai N. (Cosmetology, Tech I student) graced the Maine State SkillsUSA Opening Ceremony with her beautiful rendition of our National Anthem! She started this special event off with heart and prideful energy and received a standing ovation. Thank you, Lorelai—your voice is a gift!
Business I Students Earn Microsoft Office Specialist Certification
Five first-year business students have earned their first industry credential - the Microsoft Office Specialist (Word) certification. This endorsement helps job seekers stand out to potential employers seeking qualified business employees and signals expertise in Microsoft Word.
Tina N., Will P., Edson N- B., and two other students
ProStart Invitational Competition (Culinary Arts) Follow Up: Our ProStart Invitational competitors (please see the News Article) received $1,500 scholarships for placing 2nd in this challenge! We wanted to share the information we received to help celebrate our students, Chef Hernandez, Captain Anestis, Chef Rascati, and other school personnel who helped to make this happen. We especially want to thank Hospitality Maine, ProStart, and the Culinary Institute of America for their generosity and belief in our students! ---As a recognition of their exceptional achievements, we are excited to share that the Culinary Institute of America has awarded scholarships to the top-performing teams in the 2025 ProStart Competition:
First Place Award: $2,000
Second Place Award: $1,500
Third Place Award: $1,000
These scholarships serve as a well-deserved recognition of your students’ hard work and success. We hope this scholarship will help them continue to grow and pursue their culinary dreams.
Management from MJJM Salons “Super Cuts”, Breanna and Melissa, came and helped the students with long layered haircuts, consultation, and answered the numerous questions our Tech I students had about the cosmetology industry. Our deep appreciation to Breanna, Melissa, and their hair models!
The Electricity Tech I students are actively engaged in hands-on practice, building their skills in bending conduit, installing armored BX cable, and fishing stranded wires. Their interest for learning is evident as they practice these essential techniques in the mock-ups.
Our talented Ms. DeCosta competed in the Maine Intl Pageant and took first runner-up for Miss Maine Classic Beauty! If that isn't cool enough, Ms. DeCosta's hair salon, Salon Mimosa, won the 207 Award for best hair salon for 2024... the salon received this prestigious award for its third consecutive year! Way to go, Audrey DeCosta and Team Mimosa!
Hazardous materials are transported every day on our roads, railways, and stored in warehouses or industrial sites in Maine and throughout the nation. Firefighters have to be ready to respond to incidents involving hazardous materials. They need to Identify the material involved, set up safety zones, evacuation areas, and mitigate the incident.
This weekend, the firefighting students went to Gorham Central Station to attend a hazmat class. After attending, they earned hazmat awareness and operations pro-board certifications. They learned to don hazmat class B ensemble, and how to emergency decontaminate another person. They also learned what to look for at a hazmat scene and absorbed some valuable real-life experience from the instructors. Here are some pictures from the last day of the course.
You 'N' Me Nursery School (WRVC Early Childhood Occupations) received a thankful social media post from their special friends at O'Donal's Nursery- Gift and Garden. The O'Donal's crew loved their heart suncatchers that our "Littles" made for them. ❤️❤️❤️
Dezarae Caron, the owner of Nail Junkie, recently provided an engaging workshop for Tech 2 Cosmetology students. During this interactive session, she demonstrated various nail art techniques, including the creation of stunning designs, the application of flash polish, and the cat eye effect. Additionally, students learned the essential skills for effectively using gel products. This hands-on experience has greatly enriched the students' understanding of modern nail care practices. Thank you, Ms. Caron for sharing your knowledge with our Cosmetology students!
Our Electricity program continues to brighten up our Culinary Arts dining room by replacing lighting that was not energy-efficient and outdated! Our new LED lights will provide better lighting and save our district money! Thank you, Mr. Clark & our Tech II electricity students!
Rotary's recent luncheon was expertly prepared and presented by seniors Sebastian M. and Aiden M as part of their Senior Menu Project. Throughout the remainder of the year, our Tech II student partners will collaborate once a month to create, cook, and serve a menu of their choice to our weekly Rotarians. This week’s menu was inspired by the vibrant flavors of Cuban cuisine. Sebastian and Aiden curated a delightful selection that included a soup, salad, two main entrees, two sides, and a dessert. They diligently searched for recipes, designed the menu, identified the necessary ingredients to be ordered through our provider, Sysco, and assigned kitchen responsibilities to their peers. As an added touch, the chefs were permitted to invite two guests to join them in tasting their culinary creations as they took center stage in serving our esteemed guests. Both students truly shined, showcasing their skills and culinary knowledge while presenting this exquisite menu. The Rotarians left with rave reviews! Stay tuned for the upcoming months to see what exciting offerings the next groups will bring to the table.
Heavy Equipment Operation (HEO) Students Complete Unit on Portable Fire Extinguishers
The Heavy Equipment Operation (HEO) students have successfully concluded a comprehensive unit on portable fire extinguishers. Tech 1 focused on Class A fires, which involve ordinary combustibles, while Tech 2 concentrated on Class B fires, specifically those involving flammable liquids. This experience provided the students with essential knowledge and skills for fire safety management for things they will encounter in their trade. How fortunate that our HEO teacher, Mr. Henry, is also a retired firefighter!
The Business program recently had a project where the students had to create a Holiday Pop-Up product for their shop to sell at a fictional market. This was an entrepreneurial lesson that the students needed to figure out how to make a unique product, advertise using social media, find their target market, and use the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) method to ensure they would have a quality and sought-after product. The students did a wonderful job; it was a great experience to get them thinking like entrepreneurs.
Guest Speaker Visit: We were thrilled to welcome Connor Boucher, a former Culinary Arts student, as a guest speaker in our Culinary Arts Tech II class! Connor is currently pursuing his studies at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. We are incredibly proud of Connor and grateful for the time he dedicated to sharing his culinary journey and future aspirations with our students. His insights and experiences truly inspired everyone in attendance!
Today's Festive Meal, expertly planned, prepared, and catered by our Culinary Arts program, was a remarkable occasion that united our entire student and staff community at WRVC. The food was not only impressive but also exceptionally delicious. We invite you to view the photos that include the menu. This event provided a wonderful opportunity to enjoy each other's company while indulging in a culinary extravaganza. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Chef Hernandez and the Culinary Arts students for their dedication in making this day so special. A special thank you also goes to our servers and volunteers—Dr. Lancia, Dr. O'Donnell, Dr. Mazjanis, Mrs. Russell, Gan-Gan, Bernadette, Lindsay, and the many WRVC staff members—who generously donated their time to ensure the event's success.
