UTEC Blog

UTEC Open Mic-ness!

Submitted by Sovanna on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 1:30pm

On Wednesday November 30, UTEC hosted it’s second Open Mic of the year and had 19 young people perform music and poetry! There were over 70 young people in attendance to support their friends and enjoy the performances and food. We also had special performances from Lowell’s own Jasper Som and members of UTEC’s lyrical program FreeVerse. We even had a few staff members go up to the mic!

It was a great event and even greater to see the youth of Lowell be able to express themselves through their performances.

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"UTEC" Was "In The Heights"!

Submitted by Sovanna on Tue, 11/08/2011 - 1:45pm

An off Broadway presentation of the Tony Award winning play, “In The Heights”,  was held at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium last Thursday, November 3, 2011, and UTEC was there in force. UTEC, along with a combination of community partners and teens, filled nearly 200 seats in the theatre. Staff and teens alike were blown away by the show, and many of those who’d never had a chance to see a musical were quick to inquire as to when the next would be. This was a big night for UTEC and a big night for the city of Lowell.

Keep checking the UTEC website and UTEC Enrichment Facebook for information on upcoming events such as this.

Silk Screen Extravaganza w/ American Textile History Museum

Submitted by Sovanna on Thu, 10/27/2011 - 10:08am

Yesterday, ten UTEC teens began another installment of thematic silk screen programming at the American Textile History Museum (ATHM). This is the follow up to the Peace Quilt Project we worked on last spring, and marks the fourth collaboration between UTEC and ATHM over the past two and a half years. This cycle, the youth involved in the project will be focused on using different methods of silk screening to create shirts and hoodies displaying positive messages.

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Terence Lee: September 2011

Submitted by Sovanna on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 10:54am

The Alternative Diploma Program (ADP) is a small alternative school setting where eligible young people can get their Lowell High School Diploma. Officially, I am the AmeriCorps ADP Specialist, which means I’m supposed to provide direct support for ADP. Because things are always changing at UTEC, all the things I actually do here aren’t necessarily included in my job title. For example, I spend every afternoon teaching the GED class alongside the AmeriCorps GED Specialists. Sometimes I do tutoring in the mornings and afternoons for different students who are preparing for specific tests. One of the things I’m also responsible for is helping young people who are interested in pursuing higher education and who want guidance on getting there.

Zachary Tretheway: September 2011

Submitted by Sovanna on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 10:33am

So it’s been a month and I have been coming into my own as the Activities Coordinator here at UTEC. Working within the Enrichment department has been amazing and I’ve met some incredible people. We spent the month planning and prepping for our October launch as well as preparing for the big Back to School Kick Off. The Kick Off consisted of a variety of things. We invited the students of LHS and the entire Lowell area to come down and enjoy some free food and free entertainment. We obtained donations from some of the best restaurants in Lowell. To name a few that donated: Bany’s Restaurant, Santoro’s Pizza, Eggroll Café, Suppas Pizza and copious others. We jammed about a hundred or more kids into our drop-in zone and it was amazing to see them all having a great time.

Adrian Macdonald: September 2011

Submitted by Sovanna on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 10:18am

As the Athletics Coordinator at UTEC I am part of the enrichment department. We offer programs to all youth in the community with the goal of helping the teens grow as people. My job is to be in charge of the athletically related programs with the basketball team and drop in and healthy bodies being the biggest emphases.  While these programs seem easy to pull off, I found out quickly that organizing them would be difficult with our gym under renovation.

Luckily, I am an AmeriCorps member, and as I pledged in the AmeriCorps Pledge, “when faced with adversity, I will persevere.” So, I have spent much of my first few weeks trying to find alternatives to basketball in the gym. For example, we have started playing flag football on Monday at Shedd Park.

Mario Marchesi: September 2011

Submitted by Sovanna on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 11:06am

My first month serving with AmeriCorps at UTEC has been one of the most enjoyable months I have had in a long time. The month started out with AmeriCorps training where we built connections with one another, explored Lowell and some of its vast amount of resources and became a team. After the first week of training the fourteen of us were separated into our respective departments. I work in the education department as a “GED Specialist” where myself, Terence, Amelea and our supervisor Deanna work with our Workforce Development Teens helping them to prepare for their GED exams. At first I was intimidated by the classroom because I had never formally taught in a classroom setting and was very nervous.