Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School won Bronze in a contest hosted by Saint-Gobain North America providing a makeover of a school space.
Monty Tech will be spending their $10,000 prize money on renovations to their yoga, meditation, and art studio classroom.
“The upgrades to the space … will help to make it a more functional and quiet space where students can deepen their practice and experience,” said Bethany Johnson, the teacher who runs the yoga and meditative arts program and spearheaded Monty Tech’s submission to the contest.
In class, Johnson combines yoga, meditation, and creative arts in order to support mental and physical health and character development. This involves Vinyasa Yoga mingled with creative arts activities. The arts element offers students the opportunity for self-expression, self-realization, centering, and answering life’s questions through drawing, collage, painting, mixed media, creative writing, and journaling. Students also participate in a variety of meditative practices. It is one of the most popular electives offered at Monty Tech.
“Their class period is brief — only 39 minutes,” said Superintendent-Director Tom Browne. “But during that class, (Johnson) is consistently fostering the importance of (self-care) and wellness. With the rigorous classes that we offer both academically and vocationally, (Johnson) provides the students with a brief respite where they can focus on themselves.”
The school’s project name for the contest was “Creative and Sustainable.”
The national contest, called the “Sustaining Futures Raising Communities” program, awards “space makeovers” that “transform educational spaces into healthier, more vibrant learning environments”, according to a press release.
Monty Tech was one of 70 schools that responded to Saint-Gobain’s open call for applicants.
Qualifying applications like Monty Tech’s were allowed to include not only renovations, but materials and supplies — for a yoga and meditative art studio, that could include things like yoga mats, art supplies, building materials, and so forth.
Monty Tech was selected as one of 30 schools to advance to the finalist round by a judging panel within Saint-Gobain, and then the Saint-Gobain community voted on the contest website and via social media for the winners.
They were named the Bronze winner of the contest in Massachusetts, one of only three schools in the state.
“We are fortunate to have (Johnson) on our staff, and we are thankful for our community’s efforts to help us earn this wonderful grant that will help support this wonderful program as we move forward. Of course, we are also thankful for Saint Gobain’s efforts to support great teachers and their valuable program,” Browne said.
Monty Tech was presented with their prize money and a trophy during a celebratory luncheon ceremony being held in their honor at the Saint-Gobain plant in Northborough. Students, school administrators, and staff members were present at the event to accept the award from members of the Saint-Gobain leadership team and employees.
The $10,000 award went to purchase upgrades to the classroom space and to equipment storage. Refurbishments include a new whiteboard, surround sound stereo equipment, gallery lighting, art display mounting, remote blinds, storage cabinets, inversion tables and other items.
The “Sustaining Futures Raising Communities” program is focused on “enhancing spaces in communities where the Saint-Gobain employees live, work, and raise their families”, using Saint-Gobain building and construction materials and additional donations.
In addition to the purchases made with the prize money, Monty Tech received donations of acoustic ceiling tiles, acoustic wall panels, magnetic paint, and a writing wall.
“We are thrilled that our (2022 contest) has brought us the opportunity to collaborate with local educators to create better learning environments… It’s an honor to congratulate Monty Tech on achieving the Bronze-level winning title, and to support the renovation of their Yoga & Meditative Art classroom with this grant,” said Mark Rayfield, CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed.
The yoga and meditate art program was started through a grant from The Shine Initiative about 8 to 9 years ago, said Johnson, and has been very valuable to students, staff (such as through professional development classes), and even community members via “Glow Yoga” evening sessions attended by a variety of school stakeholders.
“I am looking forward to many more years of growing this program and helping students grow through this unique practice,” Johnson said.
Two other Worcester County schools also received prizes.