History
The Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District was formed as the first vocational regional school district in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1958. McCann Technical School opened in October 1962 following the completion of the construction of our current facility with 285 students. The regional district had to be established, program offerings chosen, and a building site of 80 acres purchased. The campus chosen is located 2.5 miles from downtown North Adams on Route 8A and provides vocationally focused educational services to the district towns of Adams, Clarksburg, Florida, Monroe, Savoy, Williamstown, and the city of North Adams.
The persistence of Charles H. McCann, a tireless proponent of high quality vocational technical education, helped make all this possible. He was a graduate of Fitchburg State College and worked in the Boston area as a tool and die maker. His father worked in Sprague Electric Company as a master machinist and in 1930 Charles moved to the Berkshires and joined his father working at Sprague for ten years. Mr. McCann became the first director of vocational programs for Drury High School and as director recognized the need for a larger more modern space for vocational instruction for all of Northern Berkshire. Through his efforts McCann Technical School was built and he was named the director. Unfortunately he suffered a fatal heart attack before the school could be built and the school was named in his honor.
It opened with nine high school programs and three postsecondary programs. Two more postsecondary programs have been added, surgical technology in 1963 and cosmetology in 1974. A practical nursing program was closed in 1987 and was reopened in 2007. Today the school has an enrollment of approximately 560 students and provides training in nine secondary technical majors and five postsecondary, grade 13, majors.
1962 - McCann Tech was built at former boxer training site at 70 Hodges Cross Road in North Adams, Massachusetts and was an all-boys school until the 1970s.
1969 - "D Wing" constructed on southern side of school
2008 - $1M renovation of Gym/Locker Rooms
2009 - First Varsity boys' soccer team wins Massachusetts State Vocational Championship
2010 - First Varsity Football playoff appearance in school history, led by seniors Adam DeMarsico, Chris Hilchey, Nagge Manns, Wes Febus, and Jon Agustin
2010 - McCann's Business Professionals of America(BPA) has a record 10 teams moving on to the national competition.
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