It appears to be a natural fit. Earlier this week, the Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Board of Cooperative Educational Services announced William Smock as principal of the Dunkirk P-Tech facility.

Smock, who has been on board with the concept since it was first unveiled to the educational and manufacturing community, has embraced the program from the start. “(Five years ago) P-TECH was a new program. We were awarded funding in the second round, so there weren’t a lot of examples of what a P-TECH should look like,” he said. “It was really exciting seeing the kids in cohort 1 and it was real exciting to see their excitement and them understanding the experience and opportunity that was in front of them. Now with our fifth cohort of students coming in it’s exciting to get back into the game and see where it is and to help it to continue to grow.”

Anyone who has been at the city facility — the former School 6 in Dunkirk — knows the energy and enthusiasm that is evident in the building. Smock’s leadership will add to that.