The Career & Technical Education Department focuses on curriculum and instruction in the area of 21st Century Life and Career Skills. Students in grades 7 through 12 participate in a variety of activities related to this content area. Students in grades 7 and 8 participate in activities that provide exposure to and more fully develop critical thinking, problem solving, and technical skills. These activities in grades 7 and 8 provide an introduction to accepted keyboarding technique, computer skills, and engineering. Students in grades 9 through 12 can participate in a variety of opportunities including Computer Applications and Financial Literacy, Culinary Arts, Digital Photography, Woodworking, Metalworking, and Electricity along with state of the art Mechanical Drawing, and TV Broadcasting. Introductory classes are offered starting with grade 9 or 10. More advanced level offerings are available for students wishing to pursue a specific area as a possible career choice such as Cisco Networking, Web Design, and Sports & Entertainment Marketing.

Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and caring environment where students will achieve success. Staff members in the Career & Technical Education Department are experienced, bringing forth a wealth of subject area knowledge and a strong pedagogy allowing the best educational experiences for our students. Staff members meet and plan on a regular basis to offer a consistent and cohesive educational program for the children of Nutley. Throughout the school year, our department members work collaboratively to review current curriculum, research new and innovative trends within our discipline, modify, and implement these state-of-the-art concepts in order to provide the best possible learning environment for our students.

During the upcoming school year, our students will participate in a number of educational activities including in class hands on activities, field trips, guest speakers, and the opportunity to participate in a number of different challenging contests. These activities will afford our students the opportunity to remain internationally competitive as workers that are able to solve real world problems and make intelligent connections between problems, provide a nurturing environment that promotes inquiry and creativity, and the opportunity to relate and apply concepts to real life experiences. Our staff will work on professional development related to district goals, school based goals, and individual goals. They will accomplish this by working collaboratively with colleagues on committees such as the Strategic Planning sub-committees, SCiP teams, and by attending related professional development workshops within their areas of expertise.

Parents and community members play an integral role in the education of our students. Staff members are diligent in disseminating information about content-specific activities through classroom handouts and teacher web sites. The Career & Technical Education Department provides the opportunity for parents and community members to participate in school-based activities such as live active demonstrations presented during open house and the Annual Arts Fest at Nutley High School (presented every year in May). Students participating in activities related to the Career & Technical Education Department have the opportunity to get into the community through joint projects with (including, but not limited to) the Nutley Town Commissioners such as the Mayor’s Weight Loss Challenge and Pedestrian Walkway Art Project, the Nutley Chamber of Commerce 5-K Run and Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon, the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Gardens Aglow event, and the State Division of Consumer Affairs Consumer Bowl. A high value is placed on learning opportunities for our students through community involvement.  Staff members work collaboratively to provide sound and diverse educational opportunities for all students.

Career & Technical Education Faculty

Mr. Vincent J. Vicchiariello – vvicchiariello@nutleyschools.org – Supervisor of Fine & Performing Arts/Career & Technical Education, 7-12

John H. Walker Middle School

Mrs. Michelle Perkowski – mperkowski@nutleyschools.org – Technology & Engineering (7), Engineering & Robotics II (8); Computer Programming & Robotics (7), Digital Production (8)

Nutley High School

Mr. Vance Campbell – vcampbell@nutleyschools.org – Cisco I, Cisco II Honors, Networking/IT Essentials, Robotics
Mr. Andrew Conte – aconte@nutleyschools.org – Radio/TV Broadcast Tech I, Radio/TV Broadcast Tech II, Radio/TV Broadcast Tech III Honors
Mr. John Gulardo – jgulardo@nutleyschools.org – Culinary Arts
Ms. Lisa Boymann – lboymann@nutleyschools.org – Culinary Arts, Advanced Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management
Mr. Michael Tirrito – mtirrito@nutleyschools.org – Woodworking, Metalworking, Practical Electricity, Mechanical Drawing

Mr. John Alvarez – jalvarez@nutleyschools.org – Financial Literacy, Business Administration, Business Law
Mrs. Erin Battaglia – ebattaglia@nutleyschools.org – Fundamentals of Investment Management, Business & Financial Management
Mrs. Kara McNish – kmcnish@nutleyschools.org – Marketing, Marketing Applications, Marketing Research Honors
Mrs. Debra Piacentini – dpiacentini@nutleyschools.org – Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, Digital Systems & Technology

Please refer to the below course charts for Nutley High School scheduling:

Nutley High School Career & Technical Education Department