WRENTHAM — Superintendent Dr. Rich Drolet, Principal Nicole Bottomley, and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment Colleen Terrill are excited to announce that King Philip Regional High School (KPRHS) has officially received designation from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for an Innovation Career Pathway (ICP) in Business and Finance.
This recognition follows a competitive multi-phase application process and positions the school to expand meaningful, career-connected learning opportunities for its students.
DESE publicly announced the District’s new ICP designation during the 2025 Massachusetts STEM Summit at Gillette Stadium earlier today, Wednesday, May 7.
The effort began in the summer of 2024 when Principal Bottomley, Math Department Head Shawn Geary, School Counseling Department Head Jessica Nutter, English Department Head Sean Skenyon, and Assistant Superintendent Terrill applied for the Innovation Career Pathways Planning Grant.
On Oct. 24, 2024, DESE confirmed that KPRHS was awarded $15,000 to begin planning the Business and Finance Pathway. This initial grant supported foundational work in curriculum development, student outreach, and industry engagement.
Building on this momentum, the team submitted Part A of the ICP grant on Oct. 23, 2024, and later applied for Part B in February 2025.
As of today, May 7, KPRHS has received official designation from DESE, joining the growing network of Massachusetts schools offering Innovation Career Pathways in high-demand sectors.
In addition to the ICP Planning Grant, KPRHS was also awarded a $35,000 Career Connected Learning Program Development Grant in early April 2025. This grant, managed by the Office of College, Career and Technical Education, provides targeted funding to further develop program infrastructure, expand student access, and deepen community partnerships.
Innovation Career Pathways are designed to help students explore future careers, build industry-relevant skills, and connect with real-world learning experiences before they graduate from high school. The Business and Finance Pathway will offer students access to specialized coursework, industry certifications, internships, and mentorship opportunities in partnership with local employers.
To support this work, the initial planning team expanded to include Library Technology Teacher Cheryl Rowe, Teaching Assistant Cheryl Dittrich, School Counselor Samantha Hilton, School Counselor Mallory Connors, and Business Teacher and DECA Program Leader James Dow. Their involvement has helped broaden access to business-related opportunities and ensure alignment with student interests and community needs.
“Receiving this designation and the supporting grants is a major milestone for our school,” said Principal Bottomley. “We’re excited to provide students with hands-on experiences that connect what they’re learning in the classroom with the skills and knowledge they’ll need in the real world.”
Looking ahead, KPRHS aims to expand its Innovation Career Pathways into additional high-demand fields.
“Our goal is for current and future King Philip Regional High School students to get to choose from a growing menu of relevant career pathway opportunities,” said Superintendent Dr. Drolet. “One of our most important jobs as educators is to prepare our students for life beyond high school. This new designation will enable our District to help prepare more students for meaningful careers in Business and Finance. We look forward to pursuing other Innovation Career Pathways in the coming years.”
For more information about Innovation Career Pathways, visit www.maicp.org.
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