Schools Launch Plan to Relocate BPS Students to Wentworth
Officials at Wentworth Institute of Technology and the Boston Public Schools’ Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (EMK) have devised a creative plan to allow 60 EMK juniors and seniors to attend their regular classes on Wentworth’s Huntington Avenue campus beginning March 29.
“BPS is very excited to welcome our high school students back to in-person learning, and we appreciate this opportunity to strengthen our existing partnership with Wentworth,” said BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius. “The university already offers dual enrollment opportunities to EMK students, and now will provide a new home for EMK juniors and seniors, along with the breadth of facilities, tools, and resources that our students need to succeed academically.”
All BPS students in grades 9-12 who opted into hybrid learning will return to school buildings on March 29 or April 1, depending on their hybrid learning group. EMK students in grades 11 and 12 will relocate to the Wentworth campus to ensure they are learning in a facility that adheres to public health guidance, with adequate ventilation and the same health and safety measures employed in all other BPS facilities.
The Wentworth campus has proven to be a safe place to be during the pandemic, and the EMK students will benefit from that. A host of COVID-19 health and safety protection measures have been working to protect the university community and local neighborhoods where some students are living while they attend Wentworth. The university's virus positivity rate remains well below city and state rates.
The temporary move to Wentworth will give the EMK students full access to campus technology and provide them an opportunity to see and feel what the college experience is like. The relocation also adds another facet to the longstanding, close relationship between BPS, the City of Boston and Wentworth.
Since its founding more than a century ago, the Institute has worked to develop college and career pathways for students from its neighboring communities—helping them to attend and graduate from the university with the skills and expertise sought by potential employers. Today, Wentworth’s Center for Community & Learning Partnerships and other university departments continue to provide advancement opportunities for Boston youth, through scholarships and cooperative learning programs, and leading education initiatives for BPS students, including Beacon Pathways, RAMP, Future Lab and Dual Credit.
“We know from our own experience that students want to be together and learn in person, and we are pleased to be able to help make that happen for these students,” said Wentworth President Mark A. Thompson.
The EMK students will be at Wentworth for 11 weeks and will follow the COVID-19 protocols that are currently in place at the university. For example, the EMK students and staff will be tested for the virus twice weekly—just as Wentworth students and staff on campus have been doing. Students and staff will also wear face coverings, practice safe distancing, and follow other health and safety precautions.
The Kennedy Academy for Health Careers is a college preparatory and vocational high school for Boston students exploring careers in health and health-related professions. The school’s website characterizes the academy as a place where students prepare themselves to realize their own dreams of becoming the doctors, nurses, researchers, and social workers who will make up the diverse healthcare workforce of tomorrow.
Wentworth Institute of Technology provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, project-based education that integrates classroom, laboratory, studio, cooperative and experiential learning. The university’s vision is to be a student-centered institution of inclusive excellence that offers high-quality undergraduate, graduate, and life-long learning programs; embraces a culture of innovation and creativity; serves society through urban engagement; and promotes growth for the local, regional, and national economies.