County vo-tech school
slated to open soon
BY MAURA DOWGIN
Staff Writer

PERTH AMBOY — A new high-tech vocational and technical school facility will serve the students of Middlesex County well.

The new Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School, on High Street, Perth Amboy, is expected to open in the next four weeks, said Karen McCloud-Hjazeh, superintendent of the schools. The 124,000-square-foot building, which cost about $28 million, will replace the 76-year-old building on New Brunswick Avenue currently being used by the students, she said.

The county looked at many different sites to house the school, she said. The school should remain in Perth Amboy because there are many students from the surrounding towns, and there is a long history of a vocational and technical high school being in the city. The district is projecting about 250 high school students, 100 adult high school students and 250 part-time evening students to attend the Perth Amboy school.

The building will house three schools within a school, McCloud-Hjazeh said.

The school of construction technology teaches students about carpentry, electri­cal technology, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, she said. Each area is like a major at a college.

The new building will include a two-story shared lab, where each one of the majors will come together to work on a project, she said. The students will work together as if they were on a real job site.

The second school within a school is the school of computer and business technology. The areas of study in the school include computer applications, computer assisted drafting and computer systems technology.

In between every two classes in the new building there will be a small com­puter lab, McCloud-Hjazeh said. The stu­dents will be able to use the labs during class and will remain supervised.

The third school within a school is the school of professional services. The areas of study are auto mechanic technology and culinary arts.

The new building will have bay areas to hold cars for students in the automo­bile program. There will be kitchens and restaurants for the students studying culinary arts. It will also include a wellness center, media center, athletic fields and a gymnasium.

"Now, the facility will match the look of the new programs," McCloud-Hjazeh said.

Middlesex County College will use about 112,000 square feet of the building.

The college "actually has a section of our building, and they will be running classes out of our building," McCloud-Hjazeh said.

Sharing the building with the college will give the students the advantage of seeing how important secondary educa­tion can be and give them the opportunity to take college courses while still in high school, she said.

"We’re happy to have in the same building, Middlesex County College," McCloud-Hjazeh said.

There are six vo-tech high schools in Middlesex County: East Brunswick, New Brunswick, Woodbridge, Piscataway, Perth Amboy and on the campus of Mid­dlesex County College.

In the district, there are about 8,900 students, including 2,600 high school students and 6,300 part-time evening adult students, who come from all over Middlesex County, she said.