The Story Behind the New Sign & Award at Guilford High School

There’s a new sign in front of Guilford High School that celebrates Guilford’s partnership with the Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. The sign recognizes Guilford and the City of Rockford with the Governor’s Hometown Award to celebrate the partnership and work Guilford has done with Habitat.

I want our community to know the story behind the sign – what it means to our students, our school and our community, and whose hard work is behind it.

We officially unveiled the sign earlier this month with Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, Rockford Public Schools Superintendent Ehren Jarrett, Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Keri Asevedo, and industrial arts teacher Mark Anderson. The Governor’s Hometown Award focused on the project – called Building New Possibilities with Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity – from the 2019-2020 school year.

Mr. Anderson leads the project at Guilford. In fact, he’s the driving force behind the industrial arts program, and he’s also the program’s heart. Each year students in our Skilled Trades Construction Pathway build so much more than a house. The partnership prepares students for future careers and increases access to safe and affordable homeownership for families in Rockford.

When our Academy model first started, Mr. Anderson was the first industrial arts teacher hired. He turned our former wrestling and weight rooms into industrial arts lab spaces. He ensures our students learn construction and job site skills and are ready for the workforce. Thanks to Mr. Anderson’s hard work and dedication, 50 Guilford students earned OSHA Construction Safety certification, and every student in our construction pathway who wanted a job after graduation is gainfully employed with a local company.

Congratulations to the City of Rockford, RPS 205, and Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity on this incredible recognition. Thank you for your support and partnership to make this program a success for our students and our community. And a special thank you to Mr. Anderson – the driving force in Guilford’s industrial arts program, and the passion, dedication and heart behind the sign.

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Chris Magee

Chris Magee is the College & Career Academy Coach at Guilford High School.