At a time when post-secondary dental laboratory education programs are disappearing, one New York City high school program is not only holding steady, but recently received a $500,000 grant for renovations and updates.
The 30-year-old program at Tottenville High School (THS)—the oldest of the city’s three dental laboratory-focused Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs—received the grant money from the city’s capital funds after Principal Joseph Scarmato and Assistant Principals Clifford Bloom and Gina Battista connected with City Councilman Joseph Borelli, made their case and completed the necessary paperwork.
Since the school already has up-to-date equipment, including a Formlabs 3D printer and Dentsply Sirona CAD/CAM system, Teacher Joseph Caputo—a graduate of the THS program himself—says the money will mostly be used to remodel the laboratory’s layout, upgrade its furniture and purchase a new porcelain furnace.
Because...
