The Career Champion Network has refined its organizational structure, and effective Fall 2022, is launching five committees to perform the work of the organization, under the direction of CCN’s Executive Committee. The five committees now planned are:

Employer and Union Engagement
Fund-raising
Student Supports
External Relations
Communication

The primary purposes and related action plans for each of these is presented here.

Employer & Union Engagement Committee

In recognition of the central role of external partners in the quality of any CTE school, the Employer and Union Engagement Committee is responsible for efforts to connect with relevant businesses and unions, both current partners and new ones, to support collaborations with them, for the betterment of the school and its Chapter 74 programs, and for the benefit of the students. This work will be done in collaboration with current Program Advisory Boards (PABs) and its General Advisory Board (GAB) leadership.

Major tasks will be:

Recruiting new members for the school’s existing Program Advisory Boards and its General Advisory Board, and ensuring that they understand the full scope of the role

Helping provide training to members of the PABs and the GAB, to optimize their role at the school

Targeting organizations with relevance to the Mayor’s Green New Deal to help build capacity at the school to provide students with skills needed for the green economy

Identifying and connecting with potential partners for any new programs that the school might pursue, such as biotech, robotic and solar businesses, as well as early childhood experts

Supporting efforts to enhance the health care programs at the school

More specific work, consistent with the above, include:

Maintaining close connections with Emily Medina, new CTE Director

Developing opportunities for training of both new and current PAB members about their role, to deepen their connection to the school, and improve the quality of PABs, and enhancing the work of the GAB

Creating a list of target businesses and unions to join PABs in collaboration with the CTE Director, developing methods of outreach to them that ensures coherence and non-duplication, and working with the Director to onboard new members

Work with the CTE Director and the Co-op Coordinator to seek co-op placements from PAB members

Work with PAB members to identify needed credentials by program, and to systematically identify ways to modernize programs to help them keep up with changes in industry

Support the development and dissemination of a range of materials about Madison Park and CTE to potential new partners

Committee Membership

Co-Chairs: Shailah Stewart and Carlos Aramayo
Members: Jay Ash
Elijah Evans
Ed Jordan
Antoine Melay
Kevin McCaskill
Jen Benson
Mark Erlich
Amy Nishman

Fundraising Committee

The CCN is dedicated to growing resources for the betterment of the school. The Fundraising Committee is charged with the oversight and coordination of all fund-raising efforts for the Career Champions Network, and for the Madison Park Career Tech Foundation. Toward this end, the Committee will undertake the following activities:

Developing fundraising targets and specific methods to achieve these fundraising goals

Working with the CCN media committee to publicize the work of the CCN to potential individual and institutional donors

Create a donor page on the CCN website soon to be in development

Assist the Madison Park Voc/Tech High School administration apply for local, state, and federal grants to advance the school’s mission

Reach out to individuals and friends requesting donations on behalf of the CCN and the school

Sometime over the next year, consider planning a public fundraising event for CCN and Madison Park

Advocating for additional funding for Madison Park from the Boston School Committee, the City of Boston, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Committee Membership

Co-Chairs: Barry Bluestone
Members: Jim Caradonio
Jay Ash
Mary Jo Meisner
Anne Bailey Berman
Eric Stange

Student Support Committee

The Student Support Committee is charged with guiding CCN work that directly impacts students. To ensure school approval and guidance about student-centered initiatives, the Committee will strengthen ties with school staff, both administrators and teachers, and sustain engagement with them. Its ongoing connections with faculty and students will help ensure the sustainability of any programs it supports.

The Student Support Committee will build upon several initiatives that CCN is now engaged in that are intended to more directly support students, including:

Efforts to support student motivation and engagement, including incentive programs such as the Cardinal of the Month, and others TBD

Supporting an expanded Attendance initiative at the school

More extensive career exploration opportunities, including 9th Grade Exploratory and such possible ideas as job shadowing, field trips and tours, guest speaker series, all in partnership with PAB members and the GAB leadership

Deeper methods of student college and career planning, using MyCAP as the main structural element

Addressing academic and technical skills of students, through supports for better instruction, remediation and credential attainment

Supports for adult students and out-of-school youth, via afterschool and evening programming as well as summer programming

Committee Membership

Co-Chairs: Jim Caradonio
Members: Shailah Stewart
Norm Gorin
Elijah Evans
Kevin McCaskill
Penny Nickle
Loie Williams
Russ Eckel
Judith Baker
Liem Tran

External Relations Committee

This committee will be responsible for connections between CCN and a range of external stakeholders and allies, as well as public agencies and officials that have impact on the school, in order to:

Offer them opportunities for collaboration with CCN for the benefit of the school

Share information and best practices that are important for the improvement of the school

Advocate for a range of issues that affect the school, from accessing new resources, to ideas about strategy, efficiency and coherence in the District’s approach to Career Technical Education, to the importance of new programs and new capacity to offer them, and more

Encourage a commitment to career technical education and, more generally, career readiness, for all the students in Boston (both at Madison Park and other middle and high schools).

Support efforts by BPS, the City of Boston and the Commonwealth to address facility needs

Specific activities will include:

Planning meetings with key officials to share news and information about the school, e.g. new Superintendent Mary Skipper

Creating a short list of key organizations that are allies, and plan coordinated efforts with them, including the Friends of Madison Park, and the Boston PIC

Supporting school efforts to work with alumni of the school

Participating in community conversations about Madison Park

Committee Membership

Co-Chairs: Jay Ash
Members: Barry Bluestone
Lew Finfer
Glynn Lloyd
Colette Phillips
Jerry Rubin

Communication Committee

The Communication Committee is responsible for publicizing important information about Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and Career Technical Education to stakeholders and the larger community, as well as sharing the central purpose and activities of the Career Champions Network. Among its targets:

Helping to provide media coverage for Madison Park accomplishments

Helping to arrange media presentations by the Madison Park leadership team so that they can tell the MP story

Help encourage eighth grade students and families to select Madison Park as their first choice for high school

Disseminating the origins and history of the CCN and its relationship with the Madison Park Vocational Technical High School, the Friends of Madison Park, and other institutions associated with its work

Publicizing the ongoing activities of the CCN

To accomplish these tasks, the Media Committee will undertake a number of specific activities:

Support the creation of videos about the school, in partnership with the Media Program and the school’s Director of Communications

Write articles including OpEds for major news organizations to advance the interests of Madison Park, its administration, faculty, and students

Link Madison Park’s leadership team to media outlets including newspapers, radio, and TV so that the head of school and top school administrators can tell the Madison Park story themselves

Collaborate with relevant staff to get the word out in the fall about Madison Park to current eighth graders and their families

Working with the IT staff at Madison Park, develop a fully functional website for the CCN providing the organization with a social media presence

Committee Membership

Co-Chairs: Barry Bluestone and Bob Nesson
Members: Eric Stange
Don Walsh
Colette Phillips