CREST HAVEN – As schools across Cape May County deal with shrinking student populations, Cape Tech has held steady, and Jamie Moscony, the school’s new superintendent, says that she anticipates student body growth.
Beyond the excitement of more children in the school, a $19 million grant from the state is transforming nearly every aspect of the county’s technical school for the better. Here’s what the Herald learned from a one-on-one interview with Moscony.
A Game-changing Amount of Money
Cape May County is the second-least populated county in New Jersey. Despite this, Cape Tech is getting the largest cash influx of any school in the state.
“We were shocked,” Moscony said.
The money comes from a state government grant that will strengthen New Jersey’s technical schools and community colleges. This money will allow the school to grow rapidly, update some of its aging buildings, and bring new life to the campus.
Cape Tech had to apply for the money in two application rounds. In the first round, the school only received $4.3 million in funds, but they went back for round two and asked for nearly $14.5 million, not really expecting to get it all.
“We got every penny we asked for,” Moscony said in disbelief.
Big Changes
The $19 million grant will enhance programs and facilities of all types at the school. Although the additions are not finalized in every area, the school will bolster what it can offer students in some substantial ways:
- There will be a new focus on veterinary assisting, as Moscony pointed to shortages of veterinary technicians and assistants in the industry (Dr. Justin Praslicka told the Herald of vet shortages at Ocean View Veterinary Hospital in a previous article).
- The first phase of construction will bring a renovated media center and conference center that the whole county can use. This project will break ground in spring 2023.
- The school is working on getting a food truck because “food trucks are everywhere now,” Moscony said. This truck would be run by students at community events, proms, and sports games. “Students could work with vendors like Tony’s Produce” to source the food they serve, Moscony said.
- An esports arena is likely to come to the college. It could be used by other schools in the county. This project would complement current IT programs and come in the third phase of construction. Plans for this will begin in summer 2023.
- Cape Tech has on-site hotel rooms where students train to enter the hospitality industry. The current hotel rooms are over 15 years old. The state grant means the rooms will be completely redone, and students will learn the same technology that is used at places like Icona properties and Congress Hall.
Enhanced Security
School safety has been a hot topic nationally and locally. Schools across the county have ramped up security: Middle and Dennis townships both hired armed security, and Lower Cape May Regional installed new ways to alert police of threats.
Two hoax active shooter calls rocked Lower Cape May Regional High School in the past year.
With this as backdrop, Cape Tech is tightening access to the school. A new front entrance will be a “one point entry.” Everybody who visits the school, including students, must use this new entryway, so staff can know exactly who has entered and left the building.
Debbie Valletto, admissions director, said that the school had become a maze of different doors and entrances.
“We were a school with lots of doors. Over the years, there had been additions put on the original school building, so the concept for this new system is that we want everyone to come to this one single entrance.”
In addition to this, the school has already hired a director of security, a new position that is shared between the Special Services District and Cape Tech.
A More Aquatic Future
Cape Tech’s campus is deceptive in size. Many locals, who might only see the campus from the Garden State Parkway, likely have no clue that the campus has an on-site oyster farm, an artificial pond where tilapia is grown, and a road that leads to a wetlands boat dock.
The $19 million grant will allow Cape Tech to be even more marine-minded. The school will build a boathouse, wider road access to the wetlands, a barn to store Jet Skis, and a bulkhead to protect against flooding and rising waters.
It is also partnering with Yamaha for the expansion and has the Delaware River and Bay Authority on its advisory board.
The new aquatic facilities will begin planning proper in summer 2023.
“There are over 200,000 boats here in the summer, and they’re always looking for technicians,” Moscony said in reference to a new “marine maintenance” career path the school will offer.
The school already has a “small engines and light diesel mechanics” program, but this expansion means that students will be equipped to service a larger variety of boats and water vessels.
Moscony referenced the wind turbines that will likely sit on the county’s coastline. She wants students to be prepared for the influx of jobs that they could bring to the county.
She listed some examples of how the school can achieve this, including welding programs, scuba diving programs, and boat licensing programs.
This increased focus on aquatic vocations is part of why the school was so successful when it applied for state funding, Moscony speculated.
“The state was really impressed by this focus,” she said. “We looked at the economic needs of this county and asked ourselves: How can we meet it?”
A College Alternative
Cape Tech’s programs and facilities might look more like a college than a high school to those unfamiliar with technical schools. Moscony attributed healthy enrollment numbers to a nationwide interest in vocational schooling as an alternative to the traditional four-year degree.
“The optics have changed. Tech schools are sustainable. They have high interest. They bring high wages,” she said. “When parents begin to realize that… they won’t have $150,000 in loans, they start to consider that as an option for their children.”
Similarly, community colleges are more affordable than a traditional four-year school. Moscony pointed to increased collaboration between Cape Tech and Atlantic Cape Community College; they will offer 10 more dual-credit courses next year than the year prior.
Teacher Shortage is Here, Too
Moscony said that the nationwide teacher shortage has been one of the school’s greatest challenges.
She said the school has “lost really good staff members, really highly trained career and tech teachers who struggled sometimes with the praxis or with meeting the requirements necessary for teaching in this state.”
Moscony said that the school has worked with the state Department of Education to allow more avenues into the world of teaching. Cape Tech has been part of a pilot program that allows vocational experts to go through an 18-month “alternative route” to get certified. Although 18 months might seem like a long time, it is more efficient than the two- or four-year programs that existed before.
Learning Loss Isn’t Just Educational
“Learning loss wasn’t just educational, it was social and emotional,” Moscony said.
The school is taking a holistic approach to learning loss. Teachers and staff members are trained to seek out students who might be suffering from social anxiety. Those students are given alternatives to traditionally stressful school settings, like the ever-imposing cafeteria at lunchtime.
“Walking into the cafeteria can scare the hell out of a kid,” Moscony said. “Teachers hand-pick students who seem like they aren’t doing well and take them under their wing, to small groups, to club activities, to after-school programs.”
The school has a second, smaller lunchroom filled with activities and games that might take the pressure off the social free-for-all that lunchrooms are known to be.
The school is also taking a unique approach to tutoring. Moscony said that students might be hesitant to come all the way back to school on a Saturday or Sunday to get extra help. Programs like the “Hawk Squad” take students off campus on weekends to settings where they can meet other children, talk to experts who aren’t part of the usual repertoire, and play games in between tutoring sessions.
New Superintendent
Moscony seemed excited about the period of growth ahead. She spent much of her career at a technical school in Atlantic County and several years as the vice superintendent of Cape May County Special Services District, of which she is now superintendent alongside Cape Tech.
She will oversee Cape Tech as it undergoes one of the biggest periods of growth in its history.
Thoughts? Questions? Contact the author, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600 ext. 156.
