The Tech Times | January 2026

Three P-TECH students completed their final semester at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) this year! See below for all three students. Congratulations everyone!

This year, P-TECH is initiating a new process with student leadership. Starting in the fall of each year, students can nominate their peers for election. Staff then votes on who will serve as student leaders. Each grade will have two leaders; these leaders will represent the student body for a full calendar year, starting in January. This means that freshman leaders have an additional responsibility -- they will represent their peers into the fall of the following year, as well as the incoming freshmen in the fall. Additionally, there will be one leader who represents P-TECH students on the MVCC campus. See below for our new student leaders!

On Jan. 16, P-TECH students who participate in Elevating Student Voices once again took part in a professional development session. They discussed critical issues including mental health, respect and appreciation for others. The session focused on building confidence in leading discussions and creating action plans to ensure schools are safe and welcoming.

The major theme of the session was neurodiversity -- the concept that there is no single way to think or learn. Students explored how neurological differences are assets that bring unique strengths to school communities. Participants engaged in a "Build and Share" activity using Legos to tell their personal stories and discuss their learning preferences. Check out the video below to learn more about The Neurodiversity Project!

Mrs. Murray's U.S. History students have been hard at work on the "Notable New Yorker Body Biography" assignment this month. This is a creative project that blends deep historical research with symbolic artistry. Rather than writing traditional essays, students represented the lives, context and impact of influential New Yorkers through a full-scale physical "body biography."

This assignment required students to create a full-body outline of their chosen figures. Their visual representations carried historical meaning. The included famous quotes, important achievements, and symbolic drawings of relevant facts. Students went on to analyze social issues and major events that occurred during their person's lifetime. This allowed them to learn how individual New Yorkers helped to shape the history of the United States. See below for some examples of student work!

P-TECH biology students recently dove into the world of plant energetics with a hands-on lab centered on the power of photosynthesis. While we all know that plants need sunlight to produce energy, our students set out to determine exactly how different environmental factors affect this process in plants.

Using hole-punched spinach chads, students observed a fascinating phenomenon. As the leaves produced oxygen through photosynthesis, they became buoyant and floated to the surface of the solution in their syringes. Each group had a different variable to use. The three variables were light, temperature and baking soda. By the end of the lab, students walked away with a better understanding of how the very air we breathe is a direct byproduct of the microscopic work happening in every leaf around us. Thank you Mrs. Kovacs for implementing this hands-on activity with our students!

STEAM 10 students practiced using the engineering design process this month through a group project centered around empathy. P-TECH STEAM teacher Mrs. Piatkowski presented her students with a hypothetical scenario. She tasked the class with designing a memorial for a certain community. She then split students different stakeholder groups.

Each group of students developed a quick design for the memorial through the lens of their stakeholder group. They sketched their ideas and presented them to the class. Students then identified design constraints and practiced navigating conflict within this process. Each stakeholder group, representing a different point of view, had the ability to anonymously veto another group's proposal. Learning to handle conflict in this context is a vital skill for our young engineers!

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, head to Lafa on Commercial Drive in New Hartford to support P-TECH OHM! Lafa will donate 20% of sales between 4-8 p.m. to P-TECH! Show the flyer in the restaurant to participate. Click below for a copy of the flyer. Thank you for your support!

Freshman | Nova Jaseng-Nan: Nova is from the Utica City School District. Peers point out Nova's kindness, as she goes out of her way to help others whenever possible. She is polite and respectful to everyone. Nova always ensures that her peers are included in every activity.

Sophomore | Anthony Rodriguez: Anthony is from the Westmoreland Central School District. Anthony always puts tremendous effort into his schoolwork. He makes sure to understand concepts and helps others when he can. Anthony is kind and respectful to teachers and classmates alike.

Junior | Miguel Simmonds: Miguel is from the Westmoreland Central School District. Teachers note Miguel's enthusiasm for his studies. He makes reflective and thoughtful contributions to class discussions. Miguel makes a point to add new perspectives to enhance everyone's understanding of concepts in class.

A partnership between the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES, Mohawk Valley Community College, and Mohawk Valley EDGE.

🌐 www.oneida-boces.org/ptech | ☎️ 315.793.8666 | 🔗 LinkedIn

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