Howell Cheney Technical High School

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Location
Howell Cheney Technical High School
791 West Middle Turnpike Manchester, CT 06040
Information
Principal	Bruce R. Sievers
Enrollment	635
Faculty	157
Type	Public
Established	1915
Information	(860) 649-5396
Homepage	http://www.cttech.org/cheney

Howell Cheney Technical High School (previously Manchester Trade School) is a high school in Manchester, Connecticut. It was established in 1915 by Howell Cheney as a textile school, in order to provide training for those wishing to work at the local silk mills.

[edit] History

Vocational Education began in the town of Manchester in 1912, through the efforts of Mr. Howell Cheney with the establishment of a textile school on Hartford Road. The main objective of the school program at that time was to offer specialized training for perspective employees of the local Cheney Silk Mills.

In 1915 the school was moved to the Franklin Building on Main and School Streets, and the curriculum was expanded with the addition of Carpentry, Electrical, Machine Tool, and Mechanical Drafting. At this time the school wa incorporated under the direction of the State of Education and renamed the Manchester Trade School.

In 1924, the school moved into the new building on School Street. In 1943, te name of the school was changed to Howell Cheney Regional Vocational Technical High School in honor of its founder. In 1946, the philosophy of vocation education underwent a major change. In addition to specialized trade training, the students were offered courses in the fields of related and general education. Mathematics, Science, and Blueprint Reading were taught at Cheney Tech and English and Social Studies were offered in conjunction with Manchester High School. This cooperative plan also allowed students from Manchester High School to take advantage of trade training at Cheney Tech as part-time technical students. In 1954, the cooperative plan was discontinued in favor of Cheney Tech offering a complete academic and trade program of study.

As student enrollment increased at Cheney Tech during the post-war years, plans were made for the construction of a new school. In 1962, the new campus at West Middle Turnpike was opened. The expanded program included new trade offerings in Automotive Technology, Tool and Die Making, and Industrial Electronics. In 1982, a second floor was added to accommodate additional classroom space and a wing was added to the shops. New trade offerings added to the curriculum were Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning, Welding, and Diesel Mechanics. The 1990's saw the addition of Microcomputer Software Technology and Culinary Arts to the trade programs.

A $45 million expansion/renovation project began in February 2005 to include: the construction of a three-story addition that would house all technology programs, addition of a new culinary arts kitchen. bakery, public restaurant, and all new academic classrooms, library media canter, administration/guidance/support services, gymnasium, locker rooms, and fitness center. The project was completed in the Fall of 2007, and landscaping is currently underway for the school grounds.