Board appoints Farr as superintendent of RVTC

Following a Jan. 7 meeting of the River Valley Technical Center School Board, Scott Farr was appointed superintendent and director.
http://eagletimes.villagesoup.com/p/board-appoints-farr-as-superintendent-of-rvtc/1290515

Board appoints Farr as superintendent of RVTC By Staff reports | Jan 11, 2015 Photo by: Courtesy Scott Farr (center) has been named the superintendent/director of River Valley Technical Center in Springfield. He is surrounded by RVTC students (clockwise): Ray Albanese, hands on computers, Black River High School; Nykia Reid, culinary arts, Springfield High School; Rena Lyrakis, business and financial, Springfield High School; Nicole Colburn, business and financial, Springfield High School; Ryeleigh McCarthy-Clark, health careers, Springfield High School; Cassandra Howe, health careers, Springfield High School; Cedric Gray, audio/video, Springfield High School; Holly Landon, health careers, Green Mountain Union High School; Lakota Blaisdell, pre-technical, Windsor High School; Joseph Epler, horticulture and natural resources, Green Mountain Union High School; Cedar Allen, industrial trades, Green Mountain Union High School. SPRINGFIELD — Following a Jan. 7 meeting of the River Valley Technical Center School Board, Scott Farr was appointed superintendent and director. Chairman Bob Flint to negotiated a contract with him. Farr is no stranger to the regional technical center, having served most recently as interim superintendent and director for the past six months and as assistant director for the past 10 years. "Scott lives and breathes the River Valley Technical Center. He genuinely cares about how RVTC serves students of all types and abilities and that passion is something that will allow him to be successful in this position," said Flint in a prepared statement to the faculty and staff of the center. In addition to his assistant director position, Farr has served as the adult services coordinator at RVTC for three years and as the junior varsity basketball coach for Springfield High School for three years. He serves on the board of directors for Crown Point Country Club, is a member of the Springfield Rotary, is chair of the Springfield High School and Howard Dean Education Center Crisis Team and has served on the Springfield Chamber of Commerce Board. Farr is also a Justice of the Peace. Farr described the interim job as challenging. "There is a lot to do, but knowing what needs to be done makes me confident that I'm up for the challenge. I love this place, it's a great place for kids," said Farr. He assumed the position as interim superintendent and director last summer when Judith Pullinen took over as superintendent in Arlington, Vermont. Since then, he has been busy forming the future of the technical center, developing an outreach committee to help all area students connect careers and education with their personal learning plans, and working on ways to transform students’ enthusiasm for technical education into earning their high school diploma through the River Valley Technical Center. "We have created an environment where students are successful. I'm excited to see the center move to becoming even more accessible to high school students in the region," Farr said. River Valley Technical Center (RVTC) has recently expanded foundation classes, allowing students in grades 9 and 10 from Springfield High School and other sending schools to take an introductory class in many of the technical center programs. In 2007, RVTC gained independent status and became its own independent school district. Farr said he would like to continue to grow the programs and offer a variety of opportunities where students can attend tech programs all day, or for one semester, or just a foundation class. With these options he hopes to include more students who may otherwise not be able to attend RVTC because of other academic requirements and schedules. Farr said he also supports the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC) in their quest to offer an online high school diploma as is being done in 26 other states. River Valley Technical Center serves high school students from five local high schools, including Bellows Falls Union High School, Black River High School, Green Mountain Union High School, Fall Mountain Regional High School and Springfield High School, as well as private school and home-schooled students