Spring 2007 - University of Massachusetts Lowell

CampusNews
UML Collaborates With Lawrence on
New High Schools
The TEAMS concept is a collaborative effort led by, standing, Deans
Robert Tamarin and Donald Pierson and, seated left, John Ting. The
legislature, led by Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, seated beside Ting,
provided funding for the pilot program.
TEAMS Academy Debuts with Success
More than 270 local students took part recently in the
successful launch of the TEAMS (Technology, Engineering
and Math-Science) Academy pilot program.
The TEAMS pilot brought academically accelerated high
school sophomores to campus for a series of sessions taught
jointly by University and high school faculty. The classes
offered advanced coursework not available to students at their
own high schools, tackling topics such as robotics, crime scene
investigation and math modeling. The purpose of the pilot
was to serve as a test model for a daily, part-time program for
local high school juniors and seniors this fall.
The TEAMS concept is a collaborative effort led by Deans
Donald Pierson, Robert Tamarin and John Ting.
“The pilot was extremely successful,” says Pierson. “All of
the students have indicated that their attitudes toward taking
additional classes are much more positive since participating
in these sessions.”
The Academy will be open to approximately 30 students
who will attend classes on UML’s campus daily. They will
have to formally apply to the program and the intention is
for them to earn both high school and college credit for their
work. In addition to the daily Academy, there is also a
plan to continue with the pilot format for 270 sophomores
this year.
High school students in Lawrence will soon be part of an
educational experience unique in New England.
The City of Lawrence has built six separate high schools on
a new 25-acre campus in South Lawrence to replace the
existing high school across town. The new schools emphasize
six different areas of study and have been developed with the
assistance of UML’s Center for Field Services and Studies
(CFSS) and the support of the Graduate School of Education.
The six schools are scheduled to open in September. They
include: Lawrence High School for Fine and Performing Arts,
Lawrence International High School, Lawrence High School
for Health and Human Services, Lawrence High School for
Humanities and Leadership Development, Lawrence High
School for Math, Science and Technology and Lawrence
High School for Business Management and Finance.
According to Dr. Hector N. Torres, University liaison for
the Lawrence Public Schools, the new model will promote a
more personalized learning environment. “Students who
graduate will be very well prepared for post secondary education,”
says Torres.
Approximately 30 to 40 UML faculty and staff members
have been working with administrators and teachers in
Lawrence for over a year, assisting with the development of
the schools. Six separate committees have been formed with
each one supporting one of the different schools.
Construction is nearly complete
on the six new Lawrence high
schools.
12 UMASS LOWELL MAGAZINE SPRING 2007