Newark Tech Getting a High-Tech Addition

Gov. Chris Christie was among the guests Tuesday celebrating the groundbreaking of a new wing at Newark Tech High School, an addition where technology will be used to help students learn at their own pace and also to train for careers in emergency management.

“We’re here today because we believe in your future,” Christie said to a crowd that included members of the school’s robotics team. 

“I am happy to support this investment in education. It will provide a large number of students with another option to reach their full potential.”

The TEAL (Technology Advanced Learning) Center is being designed by Newark-based architecture firm Comito Associates and will be built onto the West Market Street side of the campus. The 3,300-foot addition will include five “learning zones” that will enable students to learn at their own pace, said Michael Pennella, the superintendent of Essex County’s vocational school system.

The county’s vocational tech system includes North 13th Street in Newark, Bloomfield Tech and West Caldwell Tech as well as Newark Tech, which was recently counted among the country’s best high schools in a popular annual ranking.

Through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office , the project also includes a new vocational education concept to build an emergency management training space. Students will learn how to respond to disasters using a learning laboratory and a “situation room” where information from simulated disasters appears on a video wall synced to students’ computers.

“The future is becoming reality as our vocational technical school district continues to implement cutting edge technology into the classroom that is challenging our students, allowing them to thrive and preparing them for a variety of professional careers,” Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. said in a statement.

DiVincezo, a Democrat, also noted that finding the funding for the $3.6 million project was a bipartisan effort involving the Republican governor. The state of New Jersey will reimburse the county’s vo-tech system for 90 percent of the construction cost.

“The TEAL center is a model of what classrooms will look like in the future. It’s an ambitious project that would not have been possible without the support from Governor Chris Christie and his staff,” DiVincenzo said.

“No one fights harder for Essex County than Joe,” Christie said. “He will fight with anyone, at any time and at a high volume, to get what he wants for the county.”

The addition is slated to open in September.