📰BIDDEFORD | BRCOT Students Build Skills and Deliver Real Savings for Biddeford

By Karen Garnett, Contributing Writer

May 7, 2026, What does learning look like when it extends beyond the classroom walls? At the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology (BRCOT), it looks like students crawling through attic spaces to run cable, navigating century-old brick walls, and braving the elements to bring real projects to life across the community.

Students in BRCOT’s Electrical and Plumbing programs are gaining hands-on experience while contributing to meaningful local projects, all while helping reduce costs for Biddeford taxpayers. Most recently, electrical students have been assisting with the preparation and installation of wiring for the new Alternative Pathways Center (APC), which will relocate to the basement of the My Place Teen Center, formerly St. Andre’s Church, for the upcoming school year. The move represents a much-needed expansion for the program, which has outgrown its current location on the first floor of the former St. Andre’s Rectory on Bacon Street.

Gavin Needham, Biddeford Regional Center of Technology student and senior at Old Orchard Beach High School, secures electrical wiring in place, ensuring safety and code compliance as part of a hands-on learning.

“This has been a really great project for our students,” said Michael Bouthillette, Electrical Instructor of the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology. “From installing wiring for IP-based cameras and internet systems to coordinating with IT on phone and wireless access points, they are gaining real-life experience that simply cannot be replicated in a classroom.”

Inside the Alternative Pathways Center space, students have wired new internet systems, installed connections for IP-based cameras and telephones, and prepared multiple locations for modern teaching technology, all while working within a fully finished and insulated building. It is the kind of challenge that requires not just technical skill, but problem-solving, communication, and precision.

Dawson Torstensen, Biddeford Regional Center of Technology plumbing & heating student and junior at Kennebunk High School, works atop the Mayfield Softball concession building installing flashing for a plumbing vent, gaining valuable hands-on experience while contributing to a community project.

Beyond the APC project, students are also making their mark on May Street at the new Mayfield Softball storage and concession building. Second-year electrical students are installing circuits, lighting, and main power lines, while plumbing students are completing essential systems for the building’s two half-baths and kitchen, including a grease trap, water heater meter, and three-bay sink. These efforts build on foundational work completed by local partners, including Jim Godbout Plumbing & Heating, and give students the opportunity to be part of a project from the ground up.

Jeffrey Casavant, Biddeford Regional Center of Technology student and senior at Biddeford High School reworks conduit at the new Mayfield Canteen building after original placements required adjustment, problem-solving on-site to reroute lines to the mechanical room and keep the project moving forward.

“Whether working in tight spaces, on rooftops, or in unpredictable weather, students are experiencing firsthand what careers in the skilled trades demand and what they can achieve,” said Jeremy Ray, Superintendent of Biddeford School Department. “These projects provide students with an authentic learning experience while also contributing to their community. At the same time, they represent meaningful cost savings and long-term value for our taxpayers.”

Through partnerships with local organizations and businesses, including support from community contractors, BRCOT continues to create opportunities that connect classroom learning with real-world application. The result is a win for students, a win for the community, and a strong investment in the future workforce.

Biddeford Regional Center of Technology students Xavier Velazquez (front) and Sean Harder (back), seniors at Thornton Academy, install electrical wiring at the Mayfield Softball concession building, applying classroom skills in a real-world setting while helping power a new community space.

As these projects near completion, they will stand not only as functional community improvements, but as lasting examples of what students can accomplish when given the opportunity to learn by doing. A ribbon cutting and open house of the Alternative Pathways Center will be planned for Fall 2026.