MARLBOROUGH, MASS. February 28, 2019 – For the first time ever, Marlborough’s three high schools—Marlborough High School (MHS), Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) and Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School (AVRTHS)—have joined forces to advance STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education in the city. Together with the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), MassHire Career Centers and local life science and biotech businesses, the schools have formed the city’s first STEM Council. 

The council’s goal is to create working relationships between the schools’ STEM programs, allowing students to cross-collaborate and benefit from the variety of resources available at each institution. The group also aims to give students exposure to local STEM companies and the kind of jobs they offer.

Mark Vital, community outreach manager at AMSA, has been leading the STEM Council, which currently also includes representatives from MPS, AVRTHS, MassHire, MEDC and Boston Scientific, and is looking to recruit more local companies. 

"As a graduate of Marlborough High, a lifetime resident and an educator here in the city for over 20 years, I felt it was imperative that we all work together, in order to prepare our students to meet the needs of a competitive global economy,"said Vital. 

“This is an important step towards enhancing local education and providing our students with resources and opportunities they’ve never had before,” said MEDC executive director, Meredith Harris. “The collaboration not only increases students’ access to STEM-related programs and equipment, but also allows them to learn how they can apply their new knowledge through real-life work experiences.”

The STEM Council’s first collaboration event, the  M20 Summit, will be held on May 30th, when three groups of six students—two from each school—will come together to research and solve a problem under the topic "Space Habitation." Each group will put together a plan to successfully address the topic and present its solution in front of volunteer judges from Marlborough corporations.

The STEM Council will also hold a citywide LGBTQ Career Summit tomorrow, March 1st (Zero Discrimination Day), at AVRTHS from 9 AM to 10:30 AM. About 20 students from each school will attend the event and get an opportunity to meet with representatives from GE Healthcare, Raytheon, Boston Scientific, Staples and Viasat.

U.S. News and World Report currently ranks AMSA as the second Best High School in Massachusetts and 107th in the U.S. In 2017, Niche.com ranked both AMSA and MPS among its Top 100 Best High Schools in Massachusetts. Since 2018, AMSA has also placed among the 100 Best High Schools for STEM in the U.S., according to Niche.