NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — Meteorologist Gil Simmons headed to New Britain High School today to highlight the school system.

New Britain, known as the Hardware City due to many major manufacturers headquartered there in the 20th century, has the largest Polish population of any city in the state. The city is also home to Central Connecticut State University and the New Britain Bees baseball team.

Simmons visited the school to showcase the students and programs the high school has to offer.

Mark Wesoly is a teacher for the Academy of Finance, one of the four academies at the school. Academies include engineering, manufacturing, technology, and finance. There are only about 30 academies in the country, so Wesoly said that being in Connecticut, he gives a lot of credit to the students.

Another program at the school delves into health technology and pursuing health education past high school. One student shared her dreams of becoming a nursing major, noting that the technology helps open up her mind to new aspects of the career.

Teacher Darlene Clark said she’s proud of the program.

“We have some awesome students and it’s so fun coming to work every day,” Clark said.

Rising Educators is a program for students pursuing a career in education. One of the students said the program helps her embrace her confidence and magnifies her passion for teaching.

Latinos in Action is a relatively new program, but the director said it’s a representation and voice that the students need at the high school. She noted that it’s been very successful so far. One of the students said it gives Latin students a voice within the school.

The school also highly values its sports teams. One student, Marcus Caccio, said that the their sports teams are “good in every way.”

Next week, Simmons will visit Crosby High School in Waterbury.