The Tech Times | September 2025

The Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) held its annual Summer Bridge program from Jul. 28-31. This program serves to welcome incoming freshmen to the P-TECH program. Students from every component school district came together to get to know one another, familiarize themselves with the campus and their new teachers, and learn about the exciting opportunities that await them in P-TECH.

This year, the students kicked off Summer Bridge with teambuilding activities designed to acclimate them to their new educational environment and hone their collaboration skills. They also completed a scavenger hunt which led them around the campus. This allowed them to learn about the layout of our campus. The students wrapped up the first day with a question and answer session with upperclassmen. Our returning student volunteers answered a multitude of questions from the freshmen. They shared their stories and talked about their experiences to help prepare the freshmen for the challenges that lie ahead.

Our new students also took multiple field trips during Summer Bridge. The travelled to both Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) and SUNY Polytechnic Institute to complete challenges involving drones, computer science, engineering, and coding. After their trips, the students came together to design a class t-shirt as a visual symbol of their unity. Further, they developed a class motto, which is a powerful phrase that will follow them until their graduation from P-TECH. All of these activities are integral for building a school community.

Thank you to our partners at MVCC and SUNY Poly for the unwavering support! And thank you to the Griffiss Institute for all of the help planning and implementing the Summer Bridge program!

As part of the Summer Bridge program every year, P-TECH OHM hosts an Induction Ceremony. This event celebrates our incoming freshmen for their acceptance to MVCC. Families, friends, P-TECH teachers and component district administrators all came together to recognize these students. Click the link below to view the article on the OHM BOCES website and peruse the entire gallery of photos. Congratulations to our incoming freshmen!

P-TECH PRIDE represents the program's core principles of Partnership, Respect, Innovation, Diversity and Excellence. For one day each month, the program steps away from regularly scheduled classes to provide programming focused on these core principles.

P-TECH held its first PRIDE Day of the school year on Sept. 19. Students participated in a variety of activities throughout the day. Students kicked off the day by engaging in icebreaker activities designed to acquaint the new P-TECH freshmen with students in other grade levels. Next, students worked in their academies to develop their own logo. These logos will become part of each academy's identity.

In the afternoon, the sophomores participated in professional development with the Daneli Partners. The P-TECH juniors spent time updating their resumes. Meanwhile, the P-TECH freshmen learned about the brand new P-TECH Portfolio. Each year moving forward, P-TECH freshmen will begin a project that they will work on for the next few years. They will complete the project in stages; the project will culminate in a showcase where the students will demonstrate what they have learned over the past few years. We are excited to embark on this new journey with this year's freshmen!

To conclude the day, students had the opportunity to participate in club with their peers. Students engaged in art projects, played boardgames, and worked on their fitness. They even spent time brainstorming ideas for future clubs! This was a great way to cap off a day of hard work!

As part of our P-TECH PRIDE Day, Daneli Partners visited OHM BOCES to work with our sophomores. Leading up to this work, our students completed a strengths assessment, and viewed and analyzed their results. Our visitors taught students about the different strength categories and provided guidance as to how they can leverage their strengths in both education and their future careers.

Our students then worked in pairs and small groups to learn about their classmates' strengths, comparing and contrasting with their peers as well. The groups went on to discuss how they can best combine their strengths to benefit a team. This was an excellent learning experience for our students! Thank you to Daneli Partners for your impactful work with our students!

OHM BOCES held its annual Parent Night on Sept. 24. Parents and guardians of students in the CTE and P-TECH programs visited campus to see classrooms and meet their child's teachers. Our teachers were able to discuss hands-on projects, their curriculum and the importance of their classes. Thank you to all who attended!

Check out the video below, and click the link to view the article on the OHM BOCES website!

This year, P-TECH OHM students can find support with a new face -- Ariana Pratt, the team's newest social worker, is a graduate of Cazenovia College and Utica University. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in social work. She comes to us with experience as a preschool assistant and head teacher. Mrs. Pratt also worked in the School and Business Alliance (SABA) here at OHM BOCES as a career exploration specialist. She collaborated with multiple districts, including the P-TECH program, to provide career development, facilitate job shadows and internships, and plan career fairs.

Mrs. Pratt's favorite cuisine is Mexican food, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, and she is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan! Students can find her in the guidance suite next to the main office. Welcome to the team, Mrs. Pratt!

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, visit Panera Bread on Commercial Drive in New Hartford to support P-TECH OHM! Show the above flyer at checkout from 4-8 p.m. Online orders count all day! Click the link below to visit panerabread.com and use code FUND4U. Thank you for your support!

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

🗺️ 4747 Middle Settlement Road, New Hartford, NY 13413