Tech school applications soaring
Posted: Friday, December 16, 2011 12:31 pm | Updated: 7:55 pm, Fri Dec 16, 2011.
Business has rarely been better at the Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township.
The full-time comprehensive school, which offers academic and vocational instruction, has so far received 667 applications from students who want to enroll as freshmen for the 2012-13 school year, said Kevin Gentilcore, supervisor of pupil services.
That's 182 more than last year at this time and the highest total in six years, he added.
Gentilcore said several factors are at play at BCTHS, which draws students from the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts.
"My personal opinion is that word is getting out that BCTHS is an outstanding school that provides students with the best of both worlds," said Gentilcore. "They can prepare for the world of work and a post-secondary education at the same time.
"The economy is certainly playing a role," he continued. "Students and their parents alike are thinking that, wouldn't it make sense to prepare for a trade while also getting your high school diploma from the same place. Many of our students are learning a trade and then using it to pay their way through college."
The 667 applications amount to 167 more than the 500-student cap for incoming freshmen for the next school year, said Gentilcore.
To decide who gets in, the school holds an annual lottery that determines the order in which applications are reviewed. This year's lottery was held Thursday morning in the school's auditorium.
Every student who submitted an application was assigned a number. The numbers were laid out on the auditorium floor to make sure none were missing, Gentilcore explained.
Then, the numbers for each school district were placed one by one in a box, shaken up and picked out number by number by Samuel Lee, the Bristol Township School District superintendent and also the superintendent of record at BCTHS.
District Judge Robert Wagner, who oversaw the entire process, picked out Bristol Township numbers to avoid any conflict of interest, Gentilcore said.
He said four of the six districts -- Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township and Morrisville -- have more applications than their assigned slots for next school year. Neshaminy and Pennsbury are under their quotas, said Gentilcore.
That means applicants from Neshaminy and Pennsbury are assured of getting in, provided they meet the technical school's admission standards, he explained. The standards are based on a rather complicated formula that factors in grades, attendance, disciplinary record and other items from the seventh grade and as much of the eighth grade record as possible, said Gentilcore. Applicants also write an essay on why they want to attend BCTHS, he added.
Applications from school districts that are under their quotas still go through the lottery to keep the entire process uniform and in case more applications are received from those districts later in the year, Gentilcore said.
"This lottery has become quite an event at the school," he said. "We even videotape it to maintain the integrity and in case anything should ever be questioned."
Applications that have gone through the lottery will be reviewed in January and early February and letters on admission decisions will go out to students the week of Feb. 22, Gentilcore said.
However, applications from all districts will still be accepted throughout this school year and will be considered in case students who are already accepted to BCTHS change their minds, Gentilcore said.
Total enrollment at BCTHS is currently 1,401.
"It is pretty amazing the number of applications we have received for next year," said Leon Poeske, BCTHS administrative director. "I anticipate us having around 700 applications before the summer begins.
"We have always believed BCTHS offers a great product and value to the community and our staff made a concerted effort this past year to reach out to the middle schools," he continued. "The teachers and staff, along with our student ambassadors, did a tremendous job of developing and organizing the middle school visits to explain what our school is all about. In addition, I believe the community values what we offer, the opportunity to prepare students to be college- and career-ready."
