Donations to bring laser cutter to Old Rochester | Sippican

Oct 30, 2024

MATTAPOISETT — A donation of $6,000 from three community members is set to bring an impressive piece of machinery to the Old Rochester Regional School District.

The Old Rochester Regional School Committee on Oct. 21 accepted donations of $2,000 each from John Menzel, James Gallagher and James Sharpe for a laser cutter for the school.

A laser cutter is a machine that uses a laser beam to cut and carve different materials.

“This is very generous and the students will greatly appreciate this,” School committee chair Michelle Ouellette Smith said. “I can’t wait to see what they create or what comes from the laser cutter.”

A laser cutter presented in a school record was listed at just under $6,000. The machine can cut materials like acrylic, wood and leather.

Superintendent Michael Nelson said the donation from Menzel, Gallagher and Sharpe was “very exciting” and that the laser cutter “will be a big hit.”

“I didn’t want to wait another month for approval, so we could actually cash these checks, thank them for their generosity and most importantly, get this awesome programming in the hands of our staff and our kids,” Nelson said.