Construction on a new portable classroom at Region 10 wrapped up last month, opening the door for expanded programming at the Brunswick technical high school.

The six-classroom, 6,144 square-foot space – which is separate from the main building – hosts early childhood education, foundations of technology, social studies and English courses. According to Region 10 Superintendent Paul Perzanoski, this will give the school extra workshop space for a new HVAC program launching next year.

“It’s an appropriate classroom space,” said Perzanoski. “One of the biggest pieces is it allows the school to expand its programs over time.”

Region 10 offers hands-on courses such as building trades, nursing, culinary arts, metal fabrication and welding as well as auto collision and repair.

The school serves grades nine through 12 primarily through a half-day program. Students from the Brunswick School Department, Maine School Administrative District 75, Regional School Unit 5, Harpswell Coastal Academy, Lisbon High School, Morse High School and those who are homeschooled are eligible to enroll.

The new facility also gives space for social distancing in light of COVID-19 and an office for the school’s first nurse who was hired last year. Construction started in July 2021 and finished in mid-January 2022.

It cost roughly $73,000 to install, plus additional expenses for electricity, plumbing, cable and fire alarms. Region 10 will lease the facility for five years at about $8,900 per month, with the option to purchase it afterwards.

Region 10 seniors Alyshia Lee, 18, of Bowdoin and David Partridge, 17, of West Bath both said on Wednesday that they were enjoying the extra space the facility offers, and overall, spoke highly of a technical education.

“I joined Region 10 for kind of just a change of work, and also just not having to focus on only doing the core classes like math, science, English,” said Lee. “I really enjoy doing something different.”

Both students are currently enrolled in the school’s pre-apprenticeship program, which, as described by Partridge, is like “adulting the class,” where students learn responsible budgeting, taxes and other post-graduate skills.

“My grandfather kind of inspired me to join Region 10 because he wanted me get into the habit of learning a trade,” said Partridge, who enrolled in the auto collision repair program for two years.

In 2021, The Times Record reported that Region 10 saw a boost in interest — receiving more than 400 applications for the current term. There are 302 students enrolled at the school this year, compared to 262 in 2020-21 and 263 in 2019-20.

“If there’s any silver linings to COVID, it’s showcasing these kinds of positions and how they maintain themselves during an emergency,” said Perzanoksi. “The majority of the workers of the trades in Maine are 55 or older, and there is not a real pipeline to be able to replace them as time goes on. All of us need to have our toilets fixed and our lights on and have people that are competent to be able to take care of us in the health facilities.”

Perzanoksi continued: “Many of the kids today are graduating from college with an extreme amount of debt. These men and women can go into a particular trade and get certified and get credentialed and come out of it at a very young age, having no debt and starting off with salaries over $50,000 a year.”

Region 10’s budget for the current school year is about $3 million.

In Maine, there are eight regional schools and 19 centers dedicated to career and technical education, according to the Maine Department of Education. In the 2019-20 school year, there were 16,511 participants in career and technical education in Maine.

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