Dreams come to life as Sci-Tech Center nears completion

FALLS VILLAGE — The Science and Technology Center at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) is almost complete, with contractors putting on the finishing touches and volunteers manning the paint brushes.John Perotti of the 21st Century Fund for HVRHS and Patricia Chamberlain, Region One superintendent, showed a few visitors around last week.The main room is vast at 4,500 square feet; well-lit, with considerable natural light coming in from two rows of windows on the side of the building that overlooks the athletic fields; and nice and warm on a frigid January afternoon, thanks to the radiant heating system — installed by students.Smaller rooms are set aside for a media center, for office space, a classroom — and for inventing stuff.This last idea was broached by Lou Timolat of Falls Village, who had wandered in for a look. Timolat was one of the original champions of the idea of building the center in what was then the Clarke B. Wood Agricultural Education Center at the school. It was set to be demolished when a new wing was added to the high school building, with space for the ag ed program. Several teachers requested that the building be saved; Timolat and other town officials supported the plan, which was unpopular at first.Happily walking through the new center, Timolat mused about the possibility of finding a retired engineer to come in and teach mechanical drawing. “We’ve got a lot of intellectual horsepower in these hills,” said Perotti, and Chamberlain added, “We’ve got to harness that talent, enthusiasm and energy.”Sid Shore’s influence was mentioned. Shore, a Sharon resident who invented, among other things, those little boxes with the magnet at the top for paper clips (without which no office is complete), always maintained that the words “no” and “can’t” were not helpful for learning.“He always said, ‘never look at a problem in terms of obstacles,’” Chamberlain remembered.In May 2010, the late Jack Mahoney, a primary moving force behind the Sci-Tech Center, provided The Lakeville Journal with a vest-pocket history of the project, located to the rear of the high school. Part of the building is used now by the artgarage, which provides materials and guidance for student artists after school.Mahoney envisioned a similar dynamic developing around the science and technology center. “The late buses will not be only for football players and artists, but for the kids who are the tinkerers.”He said the center will be unique — the only one of its kind at a comprehensive high school in the nation.“And we’ll pull retired scientists and technicians out of the hillsides — there’s plenty of talent — to act as advisors and mentors.”Chamberlain said the annual science fair at the high school would be a natural fit for the new facility. The fair is typically set up in the gym, and has to be disassembled after only a few hours to make room for sporting activities.In the Sci-Tech Center, however, activities such as the fair and classroom projects can remain assembled for longer periods of time.There is also a possibility that the school’s active and successful robotics team will be able to assemble its robots in the center, and store them there between competitions.The hope is that eventually the middle school science teachers from the six elementary schools in the district will bring their students over for projects. “They need to know in the grammar schools that it’s here,” said Perotti.The Sci-Tech Center was always envisioned as a privately funded venture.Donations have come in from all over, Perotti said — cash, labor, materials, expertise.One nice problem organizers have is how to properly acknowledge the donors — including the anonymous person who kicked in $100,000 in memory of Daniel Scott Parsons, HVRHS class of 1991. The son of Joan and the late Carl Parsons of Music Mountain in Falls Village, Dan lost his life in a car accident on Dec. 30, 1994, at the age of 21.Anyone wishing to pitch an idea for a class or project should call Chamberlain at 860-824-0855. To donate, go online to www.21stcenturyfund.net.

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