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Public Notice

Posted on March 5, 2021 by webadmin

EASTERN CENTER FOR ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY
PUBLIC NOTICE

The March 10th, 2021 Joint Operating Committee Agenda Session will be held at 7:00 p.m. and the meeting of the Eastern Center for Arts and Technology’s Joint Operating Committee meeting will be held at 8:00p.m. No public will be admitted to EASTERN due to Governor Wolf’s directives. For your safety and convenience, the meeting will instead be live streamed, and members of the public are invited to attend the meeting virtually and participate in public comment sections of the meeting via Zoom. The meeting agenda can be reviewed here after 8:00 p.m. on March 5th, 2021.

The link to register for the Zoom meeting will appear here when available.

Directions regarding the procedures for public comment through the use of Zoom are as follows:

Persons wishing to comment during the meeting should email their comments to Linda McAlpine, Board Recording Secretary, at lmcalpine@eastech.org up until 12:00 pm on Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 regarding any agenda or non-agenda item. Please make sure to include your name and address in the email if you want your comment to be read publicly during the meeting.
The Board President, at the appropriate time during the meeting, will read those comments publicly, limited to the three (3) minute time limit except at the discretion of the President.

Comments and questions shall be limited to issues and should not include any personal or discriminating remarks.

For individuals who are not able to utilize Zoom, public comment may be emailed to Linda McAlpine, JOC Recording Secretary, at lmcalpine@eastech.org up until 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 regarding any agenda or non-agenda item. Such comment will be read publicly at the appropriate time during the meeting. Please note that your name and school district of residence is required in order for your comment to be read publicly during the meeting.

Thank you for your cooperation during this time. Please direct any questions regarding this matter to Linda McAlpine, Recording Secretary.

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School Year 2020-2021 Reopening Updates

Posted on July 31, 2020 by webadmin

Posted Mar 5, 2021

Dear EASTERN Parents,

Next week, we will be asking the Joint Operating Committee (our school board) to approve EASTERN to operate in one of the following two models, effective April 6th:

1. All students attend EASTERN 4 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday)
   1. Option for students to continue to choose 100% virtual
   2. Wednesdays continue to be virtual days.
2. Seniors Only attend EASTERN 4 days per week
   1. Juniors continue with hybrid model
   2. Option for students to continue to choose 100% virtual

*Wednesdays continue to be virtual days for all students

To make a decision that maximizes instructional time for students while maintaining safety, we are asking our parents to commit their student(s) to one of the following options: attending in-person 4 days per week or participating in 100% virtual model. 

When we receive the survey data, we will evaluate participation levels against our program capacities to decide which option will work best. We need every parent to complete the following survey by next Friday, March 12^th.

Click here for the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V2VN8K5.

If you select in-person instruction, you’ll be directed to provide transportation needs so we can communicate that back to the district.

Please be aware that having our students back 4 days per week does not guarantee 4 days of hands-on learning in the labs as some of our programs are unable to accommodate their full enrollment in the lab areas while still maintaining 6 feet of social distancing.  In these programs, students will rotate through the lab area and the theory room, where they may be completing assignments online.  This choice does, however, provide our students with more hands-on learning than they would be receiving now in our hybrid model.

We will communicate a decision on the model we will implementing by Friday March 19^th.

This has been a tremendously challenging year and on behalf of our staff at EASTERN, I would like to thank all our parents and students for their patience and support during these unprecedented times.

Cathleen Plesnarski
Executive Director

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Open House 2021

Posted on February 26, 2021 by webadmin

Click on the Open House invitation below to engage with EASTERN!

If you are interested in a program, please let us know by completing this Student Interest Form.

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College Credit Agreement with Pennco Technical Institute

Posted on March 5, 2021 by webadmin

Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (EASTERN) Automotive Technology, Electrical Technology, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning students can benefit from a new partnership with Pennco Technical Institute (Pennco Tech). This agreement creates a systematic and seamless process in which students can move from high school to Pennco Tech without having to duplicate efforts or repeat courses in their degreed programs.

EASTERN students in all three programs are able to apply for Pennco Tech’s Imagine America Scholarship of $1,000.00 above and beyond the tuition reductions for their program. With this agreement, EASTERN students will have their first term of Pennco Tech’s Auto Tech Degree (AST) program awarded as advance standing, which is 10 weeks of the 60-week program, which is a tuition reduction of just over $5,000. For the HVAC&R program, which is 40 weeks, 4 Terms, at 10 weeks each, EASTERN students will get advance standing for the first 10 weeks, which is approximately $5,500 in tuition savings. In the Electrician Program, which is 30 weeks, 3 terms, at 10 weeks each, EASTERN students will receive advance standing for the first 10 weeks and $5,900 in tuition savings.

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Alumni Spotlight: Jacob Neulight, Computer Network Administration

Posted on March 4, 2021 by webadmin

Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (EASTERN) Computer Network Administration / Cheltenham High School graduate, Jacob Neulight, has been selected for Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Defense Scholarship Program. This program is for qualified and high-achieving students enrolled in IUP’s Cybersecurity program. Through this scholarship, Neulight will receive an annual stipend, a full scholarship, books, and laptop.

During his tenure at EASTERN, Neulight was a leader in the class. He was selected as EASTERN’s Technology Management Systems (TMS) summer intern, a full-time summer position consisting of the updating and reformatting school computers, Chromebooks and technology set-up. He was also the November 2017 EASTERN Student of the Month.

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but the opportunities I received at EASTERN set me up perfectly to get a Help Desk job in college,” said Neulight. “These opportunities helped to fill my resume with experience, which eventually led to me receiving the Department of Defense Cybersecurity scholarship. My advice to students considering a career and technical program at EASTERN is to take advantage of the opportunities offered such as internships and SkillsUSA competitions. Fill your resume with relevant experience and you will achieve the goals you set for yourself.”

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Black History Month Alumni Spotlight: Joseph Waslow, Collision Repair Technology

Posted on March 3, 2021 by webadmin

February is Black History Month. EASTERN is extremely proud of our Black Alum and we are celebrating by focusing on our successful grads throughout the month. Joseph Waslow, a 2008 EASTERN Collision Repair Technology/Abington Senior High School graduate, has been teaching Collision Repair at Swenson Arts and Technology Center in Northeast Philadelphia since 2017.

From a young age, Waslow was interested in the craftsmanship of repairing cars and wanted to learn more about how to do it. Once enrolled in EASTERN’s Collision Repair Technology program as a junior in high school, he learned invaluable work skills such as accountability and professionalism. He was a dedicated student and took advantage of the paid internship experience offered to seniors in many of EASTERN’s programs.

Upon graduation from EASTERN and Abington Senior High School, he began to work fulltime as a Body Technician for several local companies such as Keenan Autobody, Byberry Collision, and finally Sussman Collision, where he stayed from 2010 until 2017. While at Sussman, Waslow became an I-CAR Platinum Technician in Structural and Non-Structural Repair as well as a Structural Role Representative for Honda Profirst Certified, which is Honda’s body shop certification program. Starting in 2014, Waslow began to
substitute teach at the Automotive Training Center. He enjoyed imparting the knowledge he had gained over the years and made the full-time shift to teaching in 2017.

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Black History Month Alumni Spotlight: Fred Fox, Electrical Technology

Posted on February 16, 2021 by webadmin

February is Black History Month. EASTERN is extremely proud of our Black Alum and we are celebrating by focusing on our successful grads throughout the month. Fred Fox, a 2017 EASTERN Electrical Technology/Cheltenham High School graduate, has been enjoying being back at EASTERN as their Facilities Maintenance Technician since July 1, 2020. Fox was hired during a major building renovation, in which his expertise and skills were greatly utilized.

Fox has always enjoyed working with his hands and is always looking for better and more effective ways to fix things. As a student at EASTERN, Fox was considered by many to be a leader in his class. He was EASTERN’s November 2016 Student of the Month, and he was a School-Wide Officer for EASTERN’S student leadership organization, SkillsUSA. In May of his senior year, Fox was interviewed by EASTERN’s Facilities Management Company, and was chosen as a maintenance intern out of a pool of 10 qualified student candidates. With this opportunity, he participated in a paid internship for one year, and then was hired to stay with the company full-time at another location. When Fox heard of the Facilities Maintenance Technician opening at EASTERN, he knew he would be a good fit.

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Black History Month Alumni Spotlight: Jimir Reece Davis, Commercial Art

Posted on February 10, 2021 by webadmin

February is Black History Month. EASTERN is extremely proud of our Black Alum and we are celebrating by focusing on our successful grads throughout the month. Jimir Reece Davis, a 2016 EASTERN Commercial Art /Lower Moreland High School graduate, is enjoying success with a recent musical collaboration with Fat Joe and DJ Khaled, entitled Sunshine (The Light.) A Film graduate of Full Sail University, Davis is equally passionate about film and music, and participating on this musical collaboration and video allowed him to enjoy both.

When Davis was in 10th grade, he learned about Commercial Art at EASTERN, and since both photography and graphic design were of strong interest to him, he enrolled for his junior and senior year. Even as a child, he had an ear for music and would remix his favorite songs for fun. When he was a junior in high school, he was selected as the winner of a song mixing contest held by Azealia Banks, American rapper, singer, and songwriter. That contest was the first of many viral music productions by Davis (under the name Amorphous).

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Virtual Open House at Eastern Center for Arts and Technology

Posted on February 10, 2021 by webadmin

The Virtual Open House for Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (EASTERN) in Willow Grove will be held Sunday, March 7, 2021 from 1 – 3:30 p.m. via Zoom. This is a great opportunity for parents of high school students in Eastern Montgomery County to learn how EASTERN can give students a competitive edge in college or in a specialized career program. The Open House offers an opportunity to hear from EASTERN instructors on the business environment that complements students’ high school academics, and from current students on their program experiences. Zoom links for each program, as well as links to learn more about student success, internships, and general questions, will be posted here on the website on March 1.

The Open House agenda for March 7 includes 4 sessions in which parents and students can visit the classrooms of their choice: 1 – 1:30 p.m.; 1:40 – 2:10 p.m.; 2:20 – 2:50 p.m.; and a final session that each instructor will dedicate to questions and answers. EASTERN’s Student Success Coordinators, School-to- Career Coordinator, and Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator, will also have a continuous link available for the duration of the event should participants have specific questions.

EASTERN’s half-day career programs for 11th and 12th grade students include: Allied Health, Automotive Technology, Business and Technology Professional, Collision Repair Technology, Commercial Art, Construction Technology, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Electrical Technology, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, Networking and Cybersecurity, Protective Services, Robotics and Automated Technology, Veterinary Science, and Welding Technology.

Over the past 55 years, EASTERN has been dedicated to serving its students, constantly updating and restructuring its programs, implementing new initiatives, renovating its facilities to be conducive to students’ education, and bringing in faculty and administration who are dedicated to helping students achieve their goals. EASTERN programs continue to evolve to meet industry standards and local workforce needs.

“Even with the challenges of the past year, our students are learning valuable skills, learning more about their chosen career path, and earning industry-standard certifications.” said Dr. Cathleen Plesnarski, EASTERN’s Executive Director. “Our instructors are professionals in their fields who are going above and beyond to ensure that our students receive the best education possible, and that they are ready for their next step toward college or a career. We look forward to hosting this virtual event and meeting parents in our community.”

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