McCann Students Pit IT Skills in Real-World Contest
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Wemelco Credit Union needed a new Web site; the information technology students at McCann Technical School needed a project for their SkillsUSA competition.It was the classic example of supply and demand — and a chance for the teens to flex their skills in the real world. It also didn't hurt that IT instructor Perry Burdick's brother-in-law, Michael Zeoli, is the Springfield credit union's chairman of the board.
So instead of the usual fictional company for SkillsUSA, the two-person teams based their Web site designs on Wemelco, which serves the employees and families of Western Massachusetts Electric Co. and its affiliates. Then the credit union selected the top Web sites it would consider using; the winner would provide the base for a professionally designed site.
In addition to bragging rights, the teams would also get gift cards from the credit union. "The money really gave the kids an incentive," said Burdick on Friday, but "they were also excited that their site might be used somewhere."
Zeoli announced the three top teams Friday to the more than 60 students piled into a school conference room for a pizza party to celebrate their endeavors.
 Michael Zeoli explains ♠the role of his credit union and what it wanted for its Web site. |
"I'm shocked by the number of students. I'm shocked by the number of sites developed," said Zeoli. "I and the credit union really appreciate the time and effort that we saw all of you put into this project."
Zeoli said the 10 members of the credit union board reviewed all 30 sites before selecting the winners. But Valois and Ostrowski's seemed to fulfill the credit union's criteria best.
"We were looking for something easy to use, something that would work for different age groups, he said, adding that the board was seeking an image that would connect with younger people and help build "camaraderie" between it and the people it serves. "It was the page layout and coloring ... they were just attractive and very popular with the board."
The teams had no indication beforehand which design was chosen, though Ostrowski said she'd buzzed Burdick to try to get him to spill.
"We were really hoping it was us," said Valois. "We really tried to base the Web site on what we thought they'd be looking for."
The ability to work for a real company also raised the level of this year's efforts and gave students a taste of working as professionals. Valois said there was more pressure this year.
"It was fun ... It gave it a little bit of a competitive edge," said Shacar, a senior. "It's better to have a project where you have guidelines and have a real-world structure."
 Teacher Perry Burdick joins his winning teams. |
Burdick described the project as a huge success and something the school would like to try again — if the right client would come forward. (Several city councilors have suggested having McCann students try designing a new city Web site.)
"I hope that we can do something like this in the future," said Zeoli. "I hope that other businesses reach out to the wealth of knowledge that you have here at McCann Tech. It really is impressive."
