Keefe Tech Opens Doors to Career Technical Leadership Organizations

Joseph P. Keefe Technical School proudly welcomed career technical competitions from Business Professionals of America (BPA) and SkillsUSA into their school this month. 

The BPA Massachusetts State Leadership Conference, held at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel from Friday, March 5 through Monday, March 7, brought the competition to Keefe Tech on Sunday, March 6. 

BPA is a national Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for high school, college, and middle school students preparing for careers in business and information technology. The National Leadership Conference is held annually for members to compete in the Workplace Skills Assessment Program (WSAP), which tests competency in various areas of business and office occupations. 

“BPA is very motivating for the students involved,” noted Patricia Boyd, BPA teacher advisor. “They love competing and the sense of camaraderie of the whole process,” she added. 

Twenty-seven students from Keefe Tech competed in categories in Financial Services, Administrative Support, Information Technology, and Management, Marketing, and Human Resources. Students are awarded points based on presentation, delivery, written materials, and professional appearance. Of the Keefe students who participated, twenty-two earned a total of thirty-two awards including one service award, and sixteen students qualified to attend the BPA National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. in May. 

During the Conference, Keefe Tech junior Igor Alves of Ashland was elected Vice President of the Massachusetts State BPA Chapter. “BPA gives you the tools you need to be successful in the future. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun,” he said. 

BPA 1st place award winners were Jordan Foreman of Ashland and Raffaela Fitzpatrick and Thais Rodrigues of Framingham. 2nd place winners were Igor Alves of Ashland, who also took 4th and 5th place awards, and Filipe Bicalho, Jennifer da Rocha, Duarte Desa, Larissa Melo, Taran Probst, Paola Reynoso, and Stephen Warren, who also won a 3rd place award, of Framingham. 3rd place winners were Kim Waldron, who also won a 4th place award and the Torch Award, of Framingham, and Colin Parkhurst of Natick. 4th place winners were Enes Braga, Cesar Carvajal, and Connor Marden of Framingham, Matt Brodo, who also won a 5th place award, of Holliston, and Vicky Clark and Melanie Josselyn of Natick. 5th place winners were Francisco Oliveira and Arielys Rosario of Framingham and Delson da Silva of Natick. 

On Wednesday, March 9, Keefe Tech also hosted the District III SkillsUSA Conference, welcoming over 500 students from career technical schools across the state for written exams in professional knowledge, trade-specific knowledge, and safety. SkillsUSA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing high school and college students for careers in technical, trade, and skilled service occupations through local, state, and national programs. 

During the conference, sixteen Keefe Tech students won medals in a variety of career technical fields. Gold medalists were Melissa Agostinelli, Alexandria Gomes, Amanda Leach, and Kimberly Waldron of Framingham and Jeffery Bruno of Holliston. Silver medalists were Lilian Franco of Ashland, Joseph Forde of Framingham, Mackenzie Fairbanks of Hopkinton, and John Curtin and Melanie Josselyn of Natick. Bronze medalists were Jessica Rock of Ashand, Andrey De Souza, Kayla Debrosse, and Mayara Ferraz of Framingham, and Kevin Burns and Alexander Powers of Hopkinton. 

Gold and silver medalists will go on to the state competition at the Best Western Royal Plaza and Trade Center in Marlborough, MA and at Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School in Upton, MA from April 28 through April 30. State winners head to the National Conference in Kansas City, MO from June 20 through June 25.

Joseph P. Keefe Technical School is a four-year high school located in Framingham, MA and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. In addition to 13 career and technical programs, Keefe Tech offers a complete college preparatory program to students from the communities of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton and Natick.