ROCHESTER — As Old Colony Regional Technical Vocational High School eagerly enters its 2025-’26 school year, it is also celebrating its 50th anniversary.

“Fiftieth anniversary this year. That’s exciting, so the community’s got a lot to be proud of,” said Principal Gary Linehan.

As Linehan prepares for the landmark school year, his goal is clear: “further the mission.”

“It’s always to forward the mission, develop critical thinkers who are curious about the world and are prepared for their profession or to pursue advanced studies,” he said.

Old Colony students can look forward to exciting projects such as finishing up the construction of a concession stand at Carver High School and working alongside Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School to build a new addition at the Rochester Council on Aging.

“That’s a pretty big undertaking, and we’ll take both our carpentry and electrical students to be working on that most of the year,” said Vocational Director Bethany Botelho of the Rochester Council on Aging project.

“We’re dedicated to our programs, constantly working with industry partners, advisory boards and faculty to ensure that students are getting cutting edge education for their industry or profession,” said Linehan.

The culinary department will also begin prepping students to work at the school’s cafe known as the Cougar’s Den.

“Our culinary department will be busy training their students so we can get our cafe back open,” said Bothelo. “That usually takes place sometime in October, once all the students are back [and] safety trained.”

Linehan said that Old Colony is distinct from other high schools in that “we’re not only focusing on the trades, but we’re also focusing on the humanities as well.”

Every two weeks, the school hosts an assembly where staff present “human stories” of diverse experiences that the students can learn from.

“If we spark curiosity in kids, they’re always going to be lifelong learners,” said Linehan.

With new educational technologies developing, teachers and instructors are allowed to use AI programs in their classrooms. However, Linehan stated that he hasn’t seen the benefit of student-use of AI tools.

“I haven’t seen anything that would convince me that it’s going to develop students intellectually,” he said. “I don’t think students can cut, paste and prompt their way into writing a good essay or articulating themselves.”

Linehan stated that his top priority is caring for the mental health of students and that he is often concerned with the effects of social media on the students.

The school offers services from two, full-time adjustment counselors and three guidance counselors, according to Linehan.

“I think mental health is really, really tough for adolescent teens — more so than it was when I was a kid,” he said.

Ultimately, Linehan’s motivation comes from seeing the students' progression as scholars, young professionals and people.

“Seeing students come in as freshmen and progress to seniors, their personal development, their social development, their intellectual development — it’s really what keeps me fresh and energized,” he said.