MET Academy building opens Nov. 30

On Nov. 30, Shelton High School students eying careers in engineering, electronics and robotics will take their first steps into the campus' new Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology (MET) building.

The 3,400-square-foot building, constructed on the site of the former employees' parking lot, was completed in time for the beginning of the second trimester of the school year.

"It's exciting to see it finished and the signage going on," said Robert Herron, the district's director of facilities and maintenance.

The city last week granted the school district a temporary certificate of occupancy for the building, Herron said. The district expects to receive the final certificate of occupancy within 90 days, he said. The equipment was moved in about three weeks ago.

Supply chain difficulties mean the windowed garage doors probably won't arrive until late January, Herron said.

In an email to the Journal, Deena Alley, the district's director of academies K-12, wrote that the new building is home to the mechatronics pathway for Shelton High School students. Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field of science that combines mechanical and electrical engineering with computer engineering and robotics, she wrote. The classes include electronics, industrial robotics, mechatronics 1 and 2, and computer aided-design. Students can earn industry recognized certificates and college credits that prepare them for employment or further training after high school.

The MET Academy program already includes engineering, construction, welding and automotive programs.

Students will work at stations in the new building. In the mechanical engineering program, students will learn computer numerical control, machine tools, pneumatics, mechanical systems and mechanical fabrication. The electrical engineering program includes instruction in electrical systems, electrical system controls, and electrical fabrication. In information technology and its applications, students, students will learn computer-aided design, print reading, computer control systems, and robotics.

All the district's academies include exploratory classes, guest speakers, field experiences, jab shadowing and a capstone experience, Alley wrote

All the programs and their pathways are created using local and regional labor market data, student interest, and input from community partners, she wrote.

The new employee parking lot opened last Wednesday, Herron said. Sections of it are cordoned off during the next couple weeks as landscaping is being added, he said.

The district will host a public open house in the new facility in February, Alley wrote.