Mount Wachusett receives $574K in federal grants

PHOTO/COURTESY Mount Wachusett Community College will likely receive funding for the next five years that will total over $2 million.

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By Sam Bonacci

Mount Wachusett Community College has received $573,600 in state funds to help educate students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The funding will go towards the college’s Talent Search Program that provides academic, career and financial counseling and encourages students to graduate from high school and continue on to and complete a post high school education. According to MWCC President Daniel Asquino, the two grants will help encourage nearly 1,200 students make this transition from completing high school into college. The grant is intended to be renewed every year for the next five years at a similar funding level.

The grants will help fund two different Talent Search Programs. According to MWCC, the long-running Talent Search program, now entering its 26th year, serves 695 students annually at the Longsjo and Memorial middle schools in Fitchburg, Fitchburg High School, Gardner Middle School, Gardner High School, Samoset and Sky View middle schools in Leominster, Leominster High School and Leominster Center for Technical Education Innovation. The North Central Massachusetts Talent Search program was launched in 2011 with a similar TRIO grant. The program is designed to prepare 500 students annually at Athol-Royalston Middle School, Athol High School, Clinton Middle School, Clinton High School, Ralph C. Mahar Regional School in Orange, Murdock Middle/High School in Winchendon and the Sizer School in Fitchburg.