CTE Bulletin
May 2025
Spring 2025 CTE Advisory Council and Consultant Committee Meeting
On May 1, the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Joint Advisory Council and Consultant Committee convened at the Howard D. Mettelman Learning Center.
The Advisory Council focuses on providing, gathering and evaluating feedback for the overall CTE program, while the consultant committees concentrate on specific career clusters. This valuable input helps guide program development to ensure students receive a high-quality, industry-aligned education.
To kick off the meeting, members enjoyed hors d'oeuvres prepared by students in the CTE program’s Culinary Arts pathway. Council and committee members then participated in collaborative discussions aimed at strengthening CTE pathways and planning for the continued success of OHM BOCES students.
OHM BOCES Earns Honors at 2025 SkillsUSA State Competition
The Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES’ SkillsUSA chapter recently earned several awards and recognitions at this year’s New York State Leadership and Skills Conference in Syracuse.
On April 24-25, OHM BOCES students attended the state conference and displayed exceptional professionalism, leadership, teamwork and technical skills while participating in several competitions.
The following students took third place in their respective competitions:
- Extemporaneous Speaking: P-TECH student Cacey Confer (Whitesboro)
- Basic Health: New Visions: Health Professions student Aubree Ryczek (Whitesboro)
- Masonry: Construction Trades student Alex Phelps (Whitesboro)
Culinary Arts student John (Burke) Gates (Remsen) was elected as a NYS SkillsUSA Officer at Large for the 2025-26 school year. Gates, along with OHM BOCES Co-Advisor and SkillsUSA State Officer Team Co-Manager Kim Petronella, will attend the national delegate sessions at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference from June 24-27 in Atlanta, GA. At these sessions, the delegates will select the National Officers and consider any proposed changes to the organization's by-laws.
Additionally, the OHM BOCES chapter of SkillsUSA was named a gold-level Chapter of Distinction by the Chapter Excellence Program (CEP) for the eighth year in a row. The CEP recognizes achievement as it relates to integrating the SkillsUSA Framework in chapter Program of Work (PoW) activities. The more a chapter applies the Framework, the greater its chance for CEP honors.
“SkillsUSA allows our students to not only demonstrate their knowledge and competency, but also provides them opportunities to collaborate with business and industry partners and network with peers from across the state,” said Michael Hoover, principal of the OHM BOCES Career and Technical Education Center. “Our students, who participated during spring break this year, showcased their knowledge and skills in their fields, providing strong representation of Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES."
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of students, teachers and industry professionals working together to offer leadership and citizenship development to complement students’ career and technical education (CTE) skills training. Chapters and their members are also able to participate in local, state and national SkillsUSA competitions.
Small Animals Visit CTE Animal Science
On April 16, the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Animal Science program taught students about responsible pet ownership with a visit from a rabbit and two guinea pigs in anticipation of Easter.
The Animal Science curriculum includes a focus on small animal care and management, encompassing essential aspects such as proper nutrition, appropriate housing and responsible handling. To provide students with direct practical experience in these areas, a rabbit and two guinea pigs were brought into the classroom during the week leading up to Easter.
The class engaged in discussions centered on the prevalent issue of rabbits being given as Easter gifts, often leading to neglect or abandonment once the initial novelty diminishes. A central purpose of this lesson was to comprehensively illustrate the responsibilities associated with caring for these animals, ultimately aiming to raise awareness about the potential downsides of acquiring live animals as holiday gifts and discourage this practice.
This engagement served to both reinforce recent classroom learning and connect with the seasonal context of Easter. It proved to be highly informative, effectively underscoring the critical importance of a thorough understanding of animal needs.
Multi-Occupations Students Assist Safety Department
On April 28, students in the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Multi-Occupations program completed a project for the OHM BOCES Safety office. They helped finish off the final touches of putting ties and labels on Stop the Bleed bags. The bags will be distributed to classrooms soon.
The Career and Technical Education Center
The Career and Technical Education Center programs focus on preparing students for employment, careers or post-secondary education through the development of technical and 21st-century skills. Working with state-of-the-art equipment, students apply theory and knowledge to a wide range of real life work assignments in shops and laboratories. In addition to technical skills, students learn critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, positive employment attitudes, job seeking skills, familiarization with related career opportunities and college readiness.
Email: mhoover@oneida-boces.org
Website: https://www.oneida-boces.org
Location: 4747 Middle Settlement Road, New Hartford, NY, USA
Phone: 315-793-8666
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohmboces1/
Twitter: @ohmboces