Students in Amy Warner's Early Childhood class learned how to make reading fun, thanks to a recent visit from professional storyteller Kelly Sidari. Sidari demonstrated how to read books with enthusiasm in this interactive workshop that combined music, movement, props and more to make children's books come alive.

"It's always the favorite unit of my program," said Warner. "When I start my storytelling unit, the students are really apprehensive about it because it requires that each student perform and speak as a storyteller to the rest of the class. But after Kelly's visit, the students gain confidence and flourish with their own storytelling abilities."

In this photo, Sidari has on her mean face to show what dinosaurs do when they're angry, after reading How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.

"We're always telling young children to sit still and be quiet, but I'm telling you the exact opposite," said Sidari. "Learn how to engage them by reading with animation, with voices, with action, with props, with physical action and song."

Early Childhood is a two-year CTE program that prepares students for careers that involve working with children. Upon completion of this program, students are prepared to seek employment as a nanny, in public and private daycare centers and in agencies serving the disabled. Students also will be well-prepared to continue their education in early childhood education or elementary education, or to establish their own home or family daycare program.

In a close, action-packed game of indoor stick hockey on March 19, the Elsmere Eagles Special Olympics floor hockey team defeated the Elmira Jackals ice hockey team by a score of 11 to 8.

The Elsmere Eagles team is made up of high school students who attend the Elsmere Program at the GST BOCES Bush Campus. Approximately 100 spectators watched the game in the Building #1 gym.

The Eagles took a solid early lead of 8-2, but then the Jackals regrouped and came back strong. By the time the final buzzer rang, the Eagles nailed it, winning 11 to 8.

Elsmere Eagles Coach Lisa Bryant said the BOCES students look forward to this game all year long. That motivation gives them academic and behavioral incentives in order to qualify to compete.

"It's exciting to play a game with professional athletes," said one Elsmere Eagle. "I scored a hat trick against Jackals player number five, Nik Pokulok!"

"This experience gives students the opportunity to utilize the skills they've learned throughout the school year," said Bryant. "It's a memorable experience for both teams." Bryant teaches in the Elsmere Program, which serves students with developmental disabilities from BOCES component school districts. The students are exposed to a variety of experiences that provide them with the skills to maximize their potential. These skills include: independent living skills, social skills, adaptive behavior skills, pre-vocational and vocational skills, pre-employment and employment skills.

Students enrolled in Auto Body Repair and Automotive Technology at the Bush Campus recently had the opportunity to interview for possible jobs with area employers, right in their classrooms. In this photo, a representative from Tryon Auto Sales in Waverly interviews a student enrolled in Dan McNaughton's Auto Tech class.

"It was thrilling to meet people who are professionals at doing their jobs," said the student in this photo. "I'm very thankful that these busy employers took time to interview us. I was nervous doing the interviews, as it was my first time. But as I approached each person, I got better at it. At the end of the day, I felt confident that I'd be able to do a real interview."

More than a dozen local employers in the automotive industry donated their time to conduct the interviews. One of them was Lynn Theetge from Elm Chevrolet.

"People don't realize the extensive training that's needed to work as an auto tech," said Theetge. "BOCES provides a great start. Many of the auto techs we hire have a two-year degree from Alfred State, for example. But then we still need to send them to get even more training and certifications to become a master mechanic."

Automotive Technology is a popular CTE program offered to high school students on all three GST BOCES campuses. Students learn every aspect of auto repair, from periodic maintenance service to total engine replacement. Students work with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment in classroom garages comparable to any modern auto repair business.

Coopers Education Center Heavy Equipment students received Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Stormwater Phase II Training alongside DEC operations staff from across the region in February.

The training provided information on preventing soil erosion and keeping sediments in place, while not increasing the amount of water flow such as storm run-off on construction sites. Participants earned certification that is mandated in order to meet permit requirements for work that involves the disturbance of soils totaling one acre or more. According to Heavy Equipment Instructor John Dlugos, having this certification increases students' marketability when seeking a job.

The training was provided by Jessica Verrigni, Stormwater Technician from the Chemung County Stormwater Coalition, and Jeff Parker, District Manager of the Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation District. In this photo, Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation District Manager Jeff Parker (standing) discusses training materials with Heavy Equipment students.

The CTE Heavy Equipment program is offered only at the Wildwood and Coopers campuses. Students enrolled in this two-year program learn the operation, maintenance and repair of heavy equipment. Upon completion, students are adaptable to a wide variety of careers in the construction industry. The program offers a combination of theory, academic integration, technical skills, hands-on instruction and field project experiences.

High school students in the Conservation program are learning how to safely split firewood using a professional wood processor. In this photo, two students are operating the machine that splits the wood and cuts it into 16 inch lengths. The FFA club, of which all Conservation students are members, bought mixed hardwood logs from a local logger, and are now processing it into cords to sell as firewood as a fundraiser.

Conservation students learn about forestry, including management of wooded land, tree identification, safe chainsaw operation and much more. Forestry is just one aspect of what students learn in this two-year program. Students also learn about:

     • Aquaculture & Fish Hatching
     • Wildlife and Farming
     • Land, Soil & Water Conservation
     • Horticulture, Hydroponics & Landscaping
     • Surveying & Earth Moving
     • Operation/Repair of Bulldozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks & Other Heavy Equipment.

Conservation is a popular CTE program offered only at the Bush campus. Three instructors -- Matt Bryant, Fred Kelly and Don MacNaughton -- are teaching a total of 82 students this year. Traditionally, this is a male-dominated field, but this year seven students are female. Students get classroom instruction, as well as outdoor hands-on training, and belong to FFA, which offers opportunities for local, regional and national skill-building, competition and scholarships.

Culinary Arts students at the Bush Education Center recently completed a unit on preparing ethnic foods from around the globe. Each student was assigned a country to research, then planned, prepped and prepared a dish of their choice from that country. This photo shows two students with the Greek dessert baklava, fresh out of the oven. Baklava is made with phyllo dough, nuts, butter and honey. "It was really hard to work with this dough because it's so delicate," said one student.

Other dishes prepared by students included a Japanese tempura dish with white rice and deep fried squash, peppers and sweet potatoes, topped with a soy sauce made with rice vinegar and sugar. After class, students enjoyed tasting each others' culinary creations.

Culinary Arts is a popular Career and Technical Education program offered on all three Greater Southern Tier BOCES campuses. This two-year program prepares young chefs for careers in the food industry right out of high school, or gives them a head start on culinary colleges. Graduates earn Servsafe® food safety certification from the National Restaurant Association, and have the opportunity to showcase their skills in culinary competitions regionally and state-wide.

The GST BOCES Career Development Council recently arranged a Career Day for seventh-graders at Waverly Middle School. CDC staff worked with Guidance Office staff to ensure that the event was a successful educational experience that will help students begin to think about career choices.

In this photo, two Waverly Police Officers talk to students about their work in law enforcement. Other career presenters included an author / illustrator, a banker, a computer technician, a construction worker, an engineer, a nurse / flight paramedic, an occupational therapist and a veterinarian.

GST BOCES Career Development Council - also known as the CDC - is an instructional support service for area school districts that teams students with community members employed in various jobs, giving students the opportunity to learn about careers that they might pursue after high school. The CDC also is a non-profit business entity that exists as a community partnership with business, industry and education. Staff provide many types of career exploration activities for students and educators to enhance classroom learning and ensure future workplace success for students. The executive director is Diane Vang.

Criminal Justice seniors in Tim Quinlan's class at the Wildwood Campus are working as a group to document a crime scene. Students have been taught the proper collection, preservation and analysis of evidence. Emphasis is placed on chain of custody documentation and its importance in providing testimony in court.

"This year's senior class is an enthusiastic group who really enjoy the hands-on activities," said Quinlan, who has been teaching this class for 14 years. Visit his class website here.

Criminal Justice is a popular Career and Technical Education program offered at all three GST BOCES campuses. This program gives students hands-on instruction in the field of criminal justice. Students patrol the campuses and investigate mock crime scenes. They participate in role plays, field trips, group projects and disaster drills to learn law and crisis intervention skills in an informative, educational and interactive way. Job possibilities after completing this two-year high school program include security officer, dispatcher, police or corrections officer, attorney or paralegal, just to name a few. With additional experience, education or training, career opportunities expand to include a polygraph examiner, police investigator, private investigator, military police officer, immigrations or customs inspector, probation or parole officer or a federal agent.