While much attention has been paid to the new athletic stadium currently being constructed as part of a $16.8-million building project at the High School, Gary Groleau's attention is drawn to the renovations to the Huot Regional Technical Education Center, especially the investments made in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, collectively referred to as STEM.

Groleau, a graduate of LHS, is a recent appointee to the N.H. State Board of Education. He's also the corporal manager of organizational development at New Hampshire Ball Bearings and is a trustee of that corporation's charitable foundation. Groleau visited the Huot Center yesterday afternoon to present a $10,000 gift from the foundation, a gesture reflecting the close relationship the company has with the tech center.

The gift will join others made to the growing total school and community officials hope will reach $1-million, as a private supplment to the public money being spent on the project.

The gift was as pragmatic as it was charitable, Groleau explained. As the city's second-largest employer, New Hampshire Ball Bearings requires applicants that have a combination of technical skills and academic knowledge within the STEM family of studies.

"Skilled labor is conspicuously absent," Groleau said. With the expansion of STEM programs and improvement in equipment being undertaken at the Huot Technical Center, he foresaw the ability for his company to hire local graduates for jobs that pay well and offer opportunities for advancement. "These are the kinds of programs needed to supply that pipeline of employment," he said.

One of the developments that excite Groleau is the intertwining of the applied sciences, as taught at the technical center, with the academic programs in the high school's college preparatory curricula. "I see the science labs as a natural transition to the traditional academic world," he said, calling it "a template for the whole state to follow."

Chris Ennis, assistant principal at Laconia Middle School, serves on a region-wide STEM committee, dedicated to the promotion of technical sciences among students. Middle schoolers are offered enrichment programs such as robotic, environmental science and a rocket club. "It's about getting kids to see what's out there and get excited about it," Ennis said.

Once those students leave the middle school, the hope is that they'll carry their excitement for STEM into more advanced opportunities, be it in the manufacturing program, physics classes, or both. Groleau, who served on the committee that planned the Huot Center's expansion, said students who graduate from the program will be qualified applicants for pre-engineering positions or design and manufacturing jobs at New Hampshire Ball Bearings. They'd also benefit from relationships, especially Project Running Start, between the Laconia School District and Lakes Region Community College, which allow students to earn college credits while still in high school. As the company has with the city's school district, New Hampshire Ball Bearings has consulted with the community college to develop a manufacturing program that will produce graduates ready for local employment.

"In manufacturing, the model is very vertical," said Groleau, noting that New Hampshire Ball Bearings will provide financial support for employees who wish to pursue further education, which in turn might lead to a promotion. "There's an awful lot of opportunity," he said, but it isn't currently easy to find qualified candidates for openings. The company is holding an open house on Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m., to try and entice applications from engineers and machinists. "There's a tremendous skills gap... Recruiting is a real challenge." Within a few years, though, he hoped many local graduates would be able to fill those positions.
"Brain power is the major currency of the 21st Century," said Groleau. "This place is paying big dividends."

Donation opportunities are outlined on the School District website. Go to www2.laconiaschools.org and click on the link to "LHS Athletic Field Capital Campaign".

CAPTION for CAPITAL CAMPAIGN NHBB:
Gary Groleau, at left, of New Hampshire Ball Bearings, presents a check for $10,000 to the Laconia School District's capital campaign. Also shown are Scott Davis, at center, director of the Huot Technical Center, and Laconia Superintendent Bob Champlin.

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