CTE Bulletin

On September 19, National Voter Registration Day, members of our local League of Women Voters organization presented to Mrs. Conway’s New Visions class and Mrs. Petronella’s New Visions Health class. The presenters reviewed the history of voting in the United States in addition to explaining why it is important to vote. Following the presentation, students had the opportunity to register to vote.

On Tuesday September 26, 1,800 ninth graders from 20 school districts packed the Adirondack Bank & Utica University Nexus centers to participate in Overcoming Obstacles, an event that brought an important message of connection, resilience and hope. Students were treated to 30 different breakout sessions and a rousing presentation by keynote speaker Erin Gruwell, author of The Freedom Writers Diary. Our youth have many obstacles to overcome along the path to success. Navigating these hardships can be challenging, but knowing that we are there to support them every step of the way increases their chances and encourages them to reach for the greatest heights.

BOCES Criminal Justice students assisted with screening bags, directing & escorting participants and teachers to various locations throughout the venue, and assisting participants to their busses at the end of the day. They also helped the maintenance staff by picking up trash, changing garbage bags and removing the bags after lunch.

Students and teachers representing SkillsUSA traveled to Washington D.C. to attend leadership training. The two students that traveled to the conference were, Gianna Spartano and Skylar Albin, while the advisors of SkillsUSA, Mrs. Petronella and Mr. Stratton, attended the trip too. During the trip, students received the National Statesman Award, a recognition of the values that embody SkillsUSA. Upon returning from the trip, Mrs. Petronella explained how “proud” she was of the students to meet the rigorous requirements of the award, which demanded they know the three core tenets of the SkillsUSA Framework: personal skills, workplace skills and technical skills grounded in academics. The students also met with Brandon Williams' aide to discuss and advocate for Perkins funding and CTE funding and support. They discussed how valuable CTE education has been for them, and how the funding from Perkins allowed for new equipment and supplies for their CTE classrooms. The group also had the opportunity to walk the monuments on the National Mall and visited the Arlington National Ceremony.

Ms. Wagner will be teaching ELA 9 and 10 in MiTech this year. Prior to coming to the OHM BOCES, Ms. Wagner worked at the Whitesboro and NY Mills school districts.

Nicole Cassulis teaches MiTech algebra in Career Tech and dual enrollment algebra with P-TECH. She was just hired with BOCES this year before the school semester started. Before joining our team at BOCES, she worked in Nashua, NH at Nashua High School South.

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