FARMINGTON — Plugging the increased student engagement, hands-on learning and new partnerships at Foster Career and Technical Education Center, Director Galen Dalrymple told the Regional School Unit 9 board of directors that the students were working hard.

“I often say I have one of the coolest jobs out there,” Dalrymple told the board. “Sometimes it can be stressful, sometimes it can be a little bit over the top.”

Students in building construction recently completed new batting cages at Mt. Blue Middle School, and Dalrymple said watching them build the project “start to finish” was rewarding. He described visiting Foster’s construction site, where juniors and seniors worked together measuring and welding.

“It was just really great for me to just stand there and see these kids working incredibly hard,” he said.

He also mentioned a project at Cascade Brook School, where Foster’s digital media and forestry programs are partnering to document sustainable wood harvesting behind the school. The effort aims to ease concerns about tree removal by showing “what sustainable and responsible wood harvesting looks like,” Dalrymple said, adding that the work will help diversify and protect the forest from the emerald ash borer.

Dalrymple noted Foster continues to support local food banks, though “as our volunteers age out it’s getting harder and harder to schedule.”

He also announced a joint career fair with Mt. Blue High School on Nov. 7, featuring colleges and local businesses. “We’re really looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s been an incredible response.”

On Sept. 25, Kenway Composites in Augusta welcomed three Foster students — Jack Mears, Justin Nasiatka and Tom Sanborn — into its Composite Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program. Dalrymple commended Kenway for its continued partnership and recognized Apprenticeship Navigator Jordan McMullen for expanding opportunities through the Maine Department of Education’s Maine Loves Public Schools video series.

Foster’s Career Exploration Program now serves more than 200 freshmen and sophomores from Mt. Blue, Spruce Mountain and Mt. Abram high schools. Students have built raised garden beds for the Greater Franklin Food Council, harvested produce with Rustic Roots Farm for local families, and completed small-engine and robotics projects that connect classroom learning to community needs.

Dalrymple also praised the Employability Skills Program, whose student-run campus café serves more than 200 customers daily, and the Commercial Arts and Metal Fabrication programs for collaborating on a new dual-TV mount system that enhances instruction.

The center capped its fall quarter with a spirited appearance at Mt. Blue’s Homecoming Pep Rally, joining in a friendly water-balloon competition.