Learning Commons in the 21st Century

What will libraries look like in the future? Instructional leaders and lead librarians from twenty districts are working to answer that question in the Learning Commons in the 21st Century (LC21) project. The project will take place over the course of the 2010-2011 school year during which districts will clarify their vision of their own library media centers and make plans to achieve that vision. 

On November 18th, Allison Zmuda worked with district instructional and the accompanying lead-LMS for the district to begin the process of visioning your Learning Commons of the future (LC21).

This will be followed up by a visit from David Loertscher on December 1st. David is the author of The New Learning Commons: Where Learners Win. He will tell districts about the cutting edge in libraries, media centers, and learning commons. In January, the project will embark on a virtual out-of-state field trip to see a “state of the art” learning commons in action. Participants will get to “see” the learning commons and chat with the director.  Allison Zmuda will return to OCM BOCES on February 17th when she will complete the visioning process and help you start to formulate a plan to achieve your vision.

Participation in the LC21 project is paid for by a member item grant from NY Senator David Valesky.

Career Academy Students Begin "Project 180" Hoping to Turn Lives Around

Students at OCM BOCES’ Career Academy in Liverpool have begun a new project this school year with the mission of turning lives around. “Project 180” is the concept of a group of Career Academy students who have decided to create the program to help local people who cannot help themselves. Students hope that in turn, that person will then help another (the pay it forward concept) and many lives will be changed for the better.

Five Career Academy students; Liz Emin from the Baldwinsville School District, Kaylie LaFlair from the North Syracuse School District, Jon Cayea from the Baldwinsville School District, Lilly Snyder from the North Syracuse School District and Paige Szymanak from the North Syracuse School District, created and run Project 180 under the advisement of Career Academy Art Teacher Leah LaChausse. The students created a company logo and are working with Lynn Hoppel, a graphic designer at Syracuse University Press, to have it professionally designed and printed.

At the end of September, the students set up a facebook page that they update with projects in which they are currently involved, and through which they present volunteer opportunities to their fans. Additionally, the students make phone calls and send emails in support of local charities and have scheduled tours at several local organizations in need of volunteers.

On Tuesday, November 9, Project 180 students volunteered at St. Joseph the Worker food pantry in Liverpool. While at the pantry, students helped out by stocking shelves, packaging food and greeting patrons. Career Academy student Kaylie LaFlair found the experience to be eye-opening, saying, “It was sad to see all the people coming to the pantry in need of food, and it made me realize that there are people not far from your home or mine that struggle everyday with everyday needs. It [gave] me a good feeling inside knowing that we helped them out. It was just too bad that we could not give more, because the pantry is currently low on food.” After spending the day at the pantry, the project’s facebook page status was updated to read, “Great job at St. Joe’s today! They are in need of turkeys for Thanksgiving.”

Throughout the school year, the students will be volunteering at several local charities and doing other projects to help local community members in need. Some of Project 180’s upcoming events include painting windows at the Park Rose Retirement Community, making gift bags and place mats for the Rescue Mission and volunteering at the Rescue Mission.

Career Academy Art Teacher and Project 180 advisor Leah LaChausse, is impressed with the students’ enthusiasm saying, “the kids seem VERY motivated to help out in the community and have suggested making the Rescue Mission their ‘BIG GIVEBACK’ this year.”

For more information about the OCM BOCES Career Academy’s Project 180, please visit their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-180/105942032803054 or contact Leah LaChausse at the OCM BOCES Career Academy at 315/453-4473.

Top photo (left to right): Paige Szymanak, Ms. LaChausse, Kaylie LaFlair, Jon Cayea, Ms. Verma, Liz Emin.

Bottom photo: OCM BOCES’ Career Academy student Paige Szymanak from thBe North Syracuse Central School District helps prepare food donations for their eventual recipients at the St. Joseph the Worker Food Pantry on November 9, 2010.

OCM BOCES Culinary Program Serves in Style

On Thursday, October 7, OCM BOCES opened the doors to their school’s “Class Act” dining room at the Irvin E. Henry Campus in Syracuse. The dining room, part of the school’s Culinary Arts program, is open each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (when school is in session) from 11:00 AM until 12:00 noon. The dining room is open to the public and features elegant cuisine prepared by students and served a la’ carte on a buffet line. As part of BOCES’ Culinary Arts program, students participate in all aspects of the dining process, including menu selection, food preparation, presentation, customer service and clean-up.

OCM BOCES’ Culinary Arts program is a hands-on food preparation curriculum that incorporates the National Restaurant Association's two-year ProStart curriculum. Students are instructed on all areas of food production and dining room/customer service with emphasis on food safety, sanitation, and basic foundation skills necessary to work in the food service industry. There is also a great deal of emphasis placed upon building social skills, working as a team, following directions, and exhibiting positive work attitudes.

In addition to food preparation for the Class Act dining room, OCM BOCES Culinary Arts students learn food service at the “Electric Apple,” the school’s student run restaurant. The Apple, as it is known, serves café-type fare such as soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches. OCM BOCES students perform all food preparation and service aspects at the Electric Apple, with the largest portion of customers being other BOCES students. The Electric Apple is also open Wednesday through Friday when school is in session and serves breakfast from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 PM.

The public is invited to enjoy a lunch experience at OCM BOCES Class Act dining room. Reservations are encouraged by calling the school’s kitchen at 431-8518.

Top photo: High school juniors MicKenzie Williams (left) from the Marcellus School District and Samantha Oakley from the Chittenango School District are students in OCM BOCES’ Culinary Arts Program. The girls are pictured removing the food leftovers from the “Class Act” dining room’s buffet line on Friday, October 29, 2010.

Bottom photo: OCM BOCES Culinary Arts Program Junior Hannah Hillenbrand from the Westhill School District looks over the dining menu for the school’s Electric Apple dining room with customer Sasha Marohn. Ms. Marohn was at BOCES for a workshop put on by the organization.

Adult Learners Offer Lesson to Younger Students

On Monday, November 8, 2010, a group of 10 adult students from OCM BOCES GED, Adult Literacy and other adult education programs, addressed students from the North Syracuse Central School District. 2010 is the third year that adult learners from OCM BOCES have gone to North Syracuse Junior High School to talk with middle and junior high students about the importance of staying in school and getting an education. The NSJH Student Assistance Program and Counseling Department hosted the hour-long panel discussion, in cooperation with OCM BOCES’ Division of Adult Education.

The student panelists from OCM BOCES shared their very personal stories of having dropped out of school at young ages and openly discussed how their decisions negatively impacted their lives. Each panelist, whose ages ranged from 19 to over 50, eventually came to realize that in order to survive and thrive, they would need to obtain an education and each one came to OCM BOCES to do so. The panelists talked about hardships in their lives such as teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use and abuse, reliance on government supports, the death of friends and family and imprisonment. The goal of the panel discussion was for the younger students to hear firsthand about how the decision to leave school causes hardship.

Pictured: Forty-one year old Reginald Ferguson of Mattydale talks to a group of students at North Syracuse Junior High School on Monday, November 8, 2010. Reginald was one of a panel of ten adult students from OCM BOCES adult education programs to address the younger group regarding the experiences of dropping out of school and the struggles of trying to return later in life. Reginald provided a forthright account of his hardships resulting from having dropped out of school, including the death of one of his daughters. Reginald’s advice to the younger students included “take[ing] the time today to do what you have to do to have a better tomorrow.”

TEP Students Sell Anti-Bullying Wristbands

With October touted as Bullying Awareness month, the issue has been a subject of much discussion in classrooms across Central New York. Many OCM BOCES' programs across our three-county area have explored the topic as part of their classroom curriculum. Our TEP (Transitional Education Program) students spent much of the month working hard on Anti-Bullying campaigns by doing research, creating posters and PowerPoint presentations and making anti-bullying pledges.

On Friday, November 5, the TEP students also sold Stand Up Speak Out wristbands at the Career Training Center in Liverpool. The bands were sold for $1.00 each and raised $100 to go to the Pacer Center for Bullying Prevention.

For more information about OCM BOCES’ anti-bullying efforts or the wristband sale, please contact Meghan Gould, School Social Worker at 431-8529.

Top photo: OCM BOCES employee Cindy Lester from the Literacy Department purchases three wristbands from TEP students.

Middle photo: A poster made by OCM BOCES students in the Transitional Education Program shows their pledge to "stand up" and "speak out" against bullying.

Bottom photo: (left to right) Lucas Bloss, Ashanti Washington, Robin Laribee and Kayla Barclay, all students in OCM BOCES' Transitional Education Program, staff the anti-bullying wristband sale at the Lee G. Peters Career Training Center on Friday, November 5, 2010.