The School of Cooperative Technical Education in Manhattan provides Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs to more than 1500 students across the city. For many of these students, these CTE programs provide the opportunity to learn valuable and relevant workforce skills critical to their future success.

With the ever-increasing importance of building technical skills, Coop Tech offers courses in IT Essentials and CISCO Networking. The Mouse Squad program is an integral part of the IT Essentials course and has been running at Coop Tech since fall 2010.

After a year of learning and deepening their technical skills, the Mouse Squad had the unique opportunity to work with students across many different disciplines at Coop Tech to create a new computer lab, one that would provide an ideal setting for students to use their free time.

In Spring 2011, Coop Tech received a donation of ten computers. Right away, students studying Computer Aided Design created drawings for new cubicles for the lab, which were then built by those becoming trained in Carpentry. Students in the Electrical Installation and Practice course ran all the wires and Internet cabling, while the students participating in the CISCO Network Academy setup all the networking equipment.

Once the computers arrived, the Mouse Squad went to work. They setup all the computers, upgraded memory, fixed disk drives, replaced parts and added keyboards, monitors and any other equipment.

“The kids liked this project so much, they are already working on their next computer lab,” said Irving Queen, Mouse Squad Coordinator, Coop Tech. “Our Mouse students realize that this is just the beginning. They can go on to college to study computer technology, and can become help desk technicians and repair specialists…and many do.”

This new computer lab is used every day by many students in the school. “It’s a place to do homework, surf the Internet, just have down time,” shared Mr. Queen. “Our lab is the culmination of a long time dream to bring all of these departments together to help our students.”