Innovation Pathways: October 2025

We’re excited to share that Nashoba has been awarded the Innovation Pathways Implementation Grant, announced earlier this month during STEM Week. This funding supports the continued growth of our Innovation Pathways Program and helps us create even more opportunities for students to engage in hands-on, career-connected learning both in and out of the classroom.

It allows us to update our curriculum to ensure pathways courses remain current and aligned with student and industry needs. In addition, this grant helps us support field trips, guest speakers, and project-based challenges that help students apply their skills and explore high-demand fields in Business & Finance, Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing, and Information Technology.

This October, our students have been actively engaging in some of these opportunities! We welcomed guest speakers, Paul Theriault from Hasbro and Cam Bukacki from Consigli Construction, who both shared insights about their lines of work, before giving students a related challenge to complete. A group of Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing students also attended the annual Youth Remodeling Career Day at the Bolton Fairgrounds, where they connected directly with professionals in the remodeling field. Looking ahead, we’re excited to visit WPI on November 12th with students from the Business & Finance and Information Technology Pathway.

To learn more about our Innovation Pathways Implementation Grant, check out the press release, and last Friday's The Common. For more on what we did in October, keep reading!

Nashoba alum, Paul Theriault, led our Design Thinking Challenge earlier this month. Paul works at Hasbro, Inc. as the Manager of Global Data Governance, where he helps guide projects that connect product planning, data management, and innovation. His experience in creative problem-solving and process design made him the perfect fit to introduce students to the Design Thinking Process.

The event began with Paul sharing an overview of his career path and his time at Nashoba, followed by a brief introduction to the Design Thinking Process: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Students then worked in groups of three to design either a phone case or a wallet tailored to a team member’s needs, applying each step of the Design Thinking framework along the way.

As students sketched and built their prototypes using paper, cardboard, glue, and other basic materials, Paul and Business & Finance teacher Mr. A circulated the room to engage students in conversation about their design choices and creative reasoning. The challenge concluded with each group presenting their final product, showcasing both their innovation and collaboration skills.

Earlier this month, Cam Burkacki, a Sustainability Engineer at Consigli Construction Co., Inc., visited Nashoba to lead a session on sustainability. After graduating from UMass Amherst, Cam began his career with Consigli, where he manages and oversees sustainability-related goals for construction projects across the Northeast, including Nashoba Regional High School.

During his presentation, Cam walked students through the basics of applying sustainable thinking to their work and daily choices. Following the presentation, students worked individually or in small groups to redesign a product or building to make it more sustainable. Each group proposed at least two improvements that could reduce environmental impact with ideas ranging from biodegradable can holders to more eco-friendly smartphone manufacturing.

Due to scheduling constraints we have had to reschedule our Graphic Identity Design Simulation, which was scheduled for today, Tuesday, October 28th. All registered students were alerted through email last week. We will follow up when a new date has been identified. Thank you for your flexibility!

This October, a group of Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing (AEM) students attended the Youth Remodeling Career Day, hosted by the Professional Remodeling Organization (PRO) of New England. The event brought together students in our pathways program, and other career and vocational technical education programs to connect with professionals in the remodeling industry. Throughout the day, students participated in hands-on building activities and explored educational expo booths.

Location: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Date: Wednesday, November 12th, 2025
Time: 8:30am-12:45pm (Students will eat lunch on campus)

Cost: $35.00 student

What to Expect:
We’re excited to announce our upcoming field trip to WPI! The visit will begin with student arrival on campus, followed by an informative WPI Information Session. Students will then enjoy a guided campus tour, offering a firsthand look at the university’s facilities and atmosphere. The morning continues with engaging sessions focused on FinTech for our Business and Finance students and IT-focused sessions for our Information Technology students. Lunch will be provided in Morgan Hall before we wrap up and depart campus.

Permission slips were due by Friday, October 10th, 2025.

To make communication easier and to ensure you never miss an opportunity, we’ve created a dedicated Google Classroom for each Innovation Pathway. These classrooms will be your go-to source for updates on field trips, guest speaker events, and offer helpful links to our website and important requirements.

All current Innovation Pathways students have been invited to their IP Google Classrooms. If you have no received an invite please reach out directly to bhannigan@nrsd.net.

Each student in the Innovation Pathways Program has access to an IP tote bag, an IP folder, and a set of custom IP stickers! We’ve also included helpful QR code links inside your folder for quick access to key resources, event info, and more. If you're new to the Innovation Pathways program, we also have official Innovation Pathways t-shirt as part of your welcome package! Please take a moment to fill our our T-Shirt Request form below.

If you have not yet picked up your merch please do so at your earliest convenience. Items are available in the Innovation Pathways Office which is located in the Media Center (Room 274). The Innovation Pathways Office is open on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Fridays between 8:00am-4:00pm.

We have made every effort to ensure that each Pathways student is scheduled for at least one semester course within their chosen pathway. If we were unable to find a course that fit your schedule, you should have received an email over the summer with details and next steps.

If you are making a schedule change that removes a Pathways course, please be aware that you will need to make room for it later in your high school career. All Innovation Pathways students must complete the full program requirements to be designated, and need to be on track to complete all of their IP requirements by the start of senior year to participate in the capstone and/or internship experience.

If you’re unsure how a course change or pathway decision might impact your progress, please reach out to your guidance counselor and to Ms. Hannigan, Innovation Pathways Coordinator (bhannigan@nrsd.net).

You can always get in touch with us by emailing bhannigan@nrsd.net, or by connecting with one of your Pathways teachers.