CTE Bulletin

On Oct. 31, the young learners in the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Early Childhood Education Nursery School celebrated Halloween with a fun-filled day of activities! The day was packed with excitement, including spooky arts and crafts and playing games.

The highlight of the celebration was the festive costume parade through the BOCES CTE Center (CTEC).

Decked out in their adorable costumes, the children enjoyed singing and trick-or-treating as they made their way through the building, spreading Halloween cheer to all the staff and students they met.

The annual tradition is always a memorable day for our youngest learners and provides a wonderful opportunity for the entire CTEC building to interact with the children. A big thank you to everyone at CTEC who helped make the day so special!

On Nov. 29, four dedicated Career and Technical Education students successfully completed the rigorous 79-hour Basic Exterior Firefighting Operations with Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations course!

These students balance their education with service, as they are all active members of their local volunteer fire departments: Haylee Hawkins and Mason Williams (New Hartford Fire Department), Jean Orozco (Maynard Fire Department) and Emily Shufelt (Remsen Fire Department).

A special shout-out to OHM BOCES Criminal Justice Teacher, Mr. Noel Ames, who served as the lead instructor for the course!

Your hard work and commitment to serving your communities are truly inspiring.

Multi-Occupations classes visited the Discover U program at Utica University on Nov. 13. Discover U is a one-year program for young adults with Autism or I/DD, run by Kelberman, with a focus on work readiness skills with support in work environments on the Utica University campus.

On Dec. 6 & 7, OHM BOCES Criminal Justice students braved the cold to support the New York Mills Police Department during the annual New York Mills PTSO Craft Fair. Over the two days, students helped with traffic control and parking, directing vehicles in the school lots and the overflow lot at the Utica Business Park, interacting with hundreds of craft fair visitors.

On Sunday, students also assisted with traffic control for the 200 runners who participated in the village’s Ugly Sweater 5K. We’re grateful for the continued partnership with Chief Robert Frankland and the New York Mills Police Department, which provides our students with valuable work‑based learning experiences.

On Nov. 18, students in the OHM BOCES Criminal Justice program stepped into the role of forensic investigators during an intensive, hands-on lab focused on Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA). This activity is a crucial component of their training, directly preparing them for future careers in law enforcement and forensic science by replicating complex, real-world crime scene scenarios.

The goal of the BPA lab was to teach students how to reconstruct events that occurred after a crime by studying the size, shape and distribution of bloodstains. Using carefully managed simulations and fake, synthetic blood, students engaged in various exercises, including:

• Understanding Physics and Science: The lab tied directly into students' science knowledge, demonstrating how principles of physics, gravity and fluid dynamics influence the patterns created by blood droplets.

• Pattern Identification: Students learned to identify and differentiate various stain types -- such as passive drops, transfer stains, and projected patterns -- which reveal essential details about movement, weapon usage and location of impact.

• Scene Reconstruction: By analyzing these patterns, students practiced the rigorous techniques necessary to accurately determine the sequence of events at a crime scene, a skill paramount to successful criminal investigations.

This advanced forensic training gives students a significant head start in law enforcement and public safety careers. BPA is a specialized, high-demand skill that allows investigators to move beyond simple observations and use scientific evidence to build a comprehensive case. Through this lab, OHM BOCES is providing students with authentic experiences that bridge classroom theory with the scientific application required in modern criminal justice fields.

On Dec. 1, students in the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs received a crucial and deeply personal message about the deadly consequences of distracted driving. The presentation was sponsored by the OHM BOCES chapter of SkillsUSA.

Guest speaker Karen Torres, a member of the Speakers’ Bureau for Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), shared her family’s emotional tragedy: the loss of her father in a crash caused by a distracted driver. Torres uses her personal experience to show students first-hand how one poor decision behind the wheel can change countless lives forever.

Torres reminded students of the immense responsibility they carry when driving -- to never drive distracted. Distracted driving includes any activity that diverts attention from driving, such as talking or texting on a phone, eating or fiddling with the radio.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed 3,275 lives in 2023. This issue is particularly relevant to teenagers, as 7% of drivers ages 15 to 20 involved in fatal crashes in 2023 were reported as distracted, making this age group the largest proportion of drivers involved in fatal crashes who were distracted.

This presentation ties directly into the SkillsUSA Framework, which works to empower members to become responsible community members and build skills in Safety and Health. By hosting this presentation, the OHM BOCES SkillsUSA chapter provided a valuable learning opportunity to educate classmates on this critical safety topic.

We are grateful to Karen Torres for sharing her powerful story and reinforcing the importance of making safer choices and putting down the cellphones while driving. Ensuring the safety of our students is always a top priority.

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
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Twitter: @ohmboces