MANCHESTER – March was Women’s History Month and Spark Academy celebrated all of the women who are part of the school. Spark is a chartered public high school located on the campus of Manchester Community College. “The female students at Spark personify the change to create more oppor-tunities for women in technology. One of our primary goals is to produce the skilled technicians that New Hampshire’s advanced manufacturing workforce needs,” says Director John Tuttle.

The young women at Spark have taken classes in Robotics, 3D Printing with SOLIDWORKS, Electrical Fundamentals, and Manufacturing Processes – all as part of their high school experi-ence, earning college credits. At Spark, each of them has the opportunity to become profession-ally certified in SOLIDWORKS. Tuttle says, “Every day, these young women are demonstrating their ability to solve problems and work as a team – also vital workforce skills.”

Spark has an excellent role model for all of their students, female and male alike, in teacher Ka-ren Pringle. Her 28 years in industry as an Electrical Engineer provides her with the ability to bridge the gap between the skills taught in the classroom and how that will translate to the de-mands of career life for Spark students. She provides an example of how women can succeed in Advanced Manufacturing, a field that has exploded with opportunities for skilled technicians in the last few years. One goal Pringle is passionate about is turning out young people who are career ready for the workforce right out of high school. She says, “For me, it’s the moment when I can see that students ‘get it’ that tells me I am involved in something great! My decision to join the Spark team was an easy one.”

Spark Academy has hit another milestone this year as their third-year students have integrated Early College classes into their schedules and became official Manchester Community College students. In addition to the AMT track, other Early College electives currently being explored by Spark students include Cyber Security, HVAC, Calculus, and Macroeconomics.

Enrollment is open for the 2022-23 school year and Spark is looking to add to their list of future-facing female students to enter into the world of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics. Visit www.sparkacademynh.org for more information.

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