Bristol County Agricultural High School: Aggie Weekly-Thanksgiving Edition

Aggie Weekly

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Congrats Wyatt Rego- Swansea junior firefighters get hands-on experience- Click here for the full article
by ASHLEY CULLINANE, NBC 10 NEWS Tuesday, November 20th 2018
Wyatt Rego and Jonah Perry are not your average high schoolers, as they're also Swansea Fire Department junior firefighters.

(Photo courtesy of the Swansea Fire Department)

SWANSEA, Mass. (WJAR) — Wyatt Rego and Jonah Perry are not your average high schoolers, as they're also Swansea Fire Department junior firefighters.

Rego, 17, and Perry, 18, get real-world experience several times a month, from training in a classroom setting to responding to real situations.

"We're hopping on the truck, we're going out to calls, we're on scene," Rego told NBC 10 News Tuesday.

There are some restrictions -- they cannot fight indoor fires or respond to hazmat scenes, among other situations.

"At many times, it can be a very physical job,” Rego said. “It can be hard on your body.”

Fire Chief Eric Hajder was a junior firefighter 30 years ago. He said at least 13 other current members were also junior members.

"We're certainly not been immune to problems of recruitment and retention. That's fire service-wide," Hadjer said. "The junior member program, historically for us, has been a great way for us to get members in and keep their interest."

Firefighters like Richard Rego said having the junior members around is special, especially since one of them calls him “dad.”

"It's nice to have him on the fire department now, especially when I drove the truck to the first call and he was riding in the back," he said. "Even though he's been in parade and things like that, it's a little bit different when the sirens were going and it was real."

Perry told NBC 10 the experience has been invaluable.

"You have that special bond, especially when you know one day your life could be in their hands, or their life could be in your hands," Perry said.

To become a junior firefighter, applicants must be between 16 and 18 years old, apply at the Swansea Fire Department and maintain strong grades at school.

"It's a great start for them," Hajder said. "In many instances, it turns into a career. In other cases, it's a great way to give back to the community and be part of something bigger for a lot of people."

In the Classroom:

Sophomore Flori students designed centerpieces for Thanksgiving!

Senior Floriculture: The senior flori class had their first experience at the Newport Mansions. Students were able to visit The Breakers, The Marble House and The Elms. The flori students main purpose for the visit is to experience interior decorating and holiday set up on a large scale. They will then take what they learned from this field trip and decorate The Standish House for the holidays!

Health Class: In the spirit of thanksgiving, Ms. Lindrooth’s Health Class wrote thank you letters to Military Troops who are deployed overseas! These will be sent out to the organization Operation Gratitude, who will then send them off to our troops.

Landscape:
Sophomore Landscape students collected tree seeds to be planted in our nursery. Here Robin is collecting seeds from the Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina) located outside the gym. This seed needs to spend two winters in the ground before it will germinate.

Food Drive: Student Council ran our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive this past week. We raised over $600 plus over 1000 food items to feed families in need this holiday. Donations went to PACE of New Bedford, the Dighton Lions, and members of our school community. Thank you to everyone who donated!!

Student Presentation: Bristol County District Attorney's Office and Children's Advocacy Center came to BA today to conduct a presentation on the dangers of posting and sending information over the internet. Please be responsible.

Student vs Faculty Volleyball Game: The Seniors took on the Faculty Volleyball team on Tuesday night. The seniors took the first set, however, the Faculty battled back to win the remaining matches. We appreciate everyone who came out to support the event. #BAPride