Student Programmed Robot Cuts Ribbon on Longwood's New Career and Technical Education Center

Longwood High School students did not need scissors to open their new Career and Technical Education Center on Thursday. Instead, they utilized their new skills, classroom, and equipment to program a robotic arm to cut the ribbon for them, then welcomed guests into our five industry-grade spaces designed to prepare our students for the work they will encounter in the field and enter the workforce directly after high school.

This new state-of-the-art center, constructed and renovated through the district’s ongoing capital improvement program, brings Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Barbering, Clinical Medical Assistant, and Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing under one roof at Longwood High School.

Students train in an industrial instructional kitchen, a fully equipped cosmetology lab, a salon-quality barbering studio, a clinical medical lab, and an advanced manufacturing shop featuring industry-standard machining and robotics equipment. Each program is taught by professionals with experience in the field and is built into the regular school day, tuition-free for Longwood students.

“This is what a first-choice ready education looks like,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lance Lohman. “Our students are training in spaces built to industry standards, taught by people who have done the job, and they are doing it right here on their home campus and in our community. They will leave this building with a diploma in one hand and a credential in the other, and they earned both right here at home in Longwood. That is what First-Choice Ready means.”

Superintendent Lohman, Board of Education President Victoria Molloy, and members of the Board were joined by New York State Regent Felicia Thomas-Williams, Elizabeth Dovell of the New York State Department of Labor, and representatives from Eastern Suffolk BOCES and the New York State Career and Technical Education Technical Assistance Center for the ceremony outside the school’s new entrance. Students from the Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing program operated the robot for the ribbon cutting.

Students who complete the two-year programs are eligible to sit for New York State licensing exams in cosmetology and barbering, a national certification exam for clinical medical assistants, and ServSafe certification in culinary arts.

The Center represents the newest chapter in the Academies and Pathways of Longwood High School, where students begin exploring careers in ninth and tenth grade before selecting an Academy in eleventh grade.

“When a family sends a child to Longwood, they are trusting us with something to provide an opportunity to each and every one of their children, regardless of background or socio-economic status, and that is something we do not take lightly" said Board of Education President Victoria Molloy. “This community made an investment in its children that will change their opportunities and outcomes forever. The Board did not do this so we could stand outside and cut a ribbon. We did it so our students get to work in spaces that would prepare them to find their place in the industry right out of high school.”

The five programs join Automotive Technology and Media Production among the career-focused Academy offerings available to Longwood High School students.

The district broke ground on the Career and Technical Education Center in July 2025.