Sun shelter at McEvoy Lets ­students experience nature

This past spring in the gardens at the OCM BOCES McEvoy Campus, flowers weren’t the only things starting to grow. A beautiful new sun shelter was taking shape, thanks to the collaborative efforts of OCM BOCES, Racker Centers, two local construction companies and the Tully Rotary Club.

The Children’s Garden at the OCM BOCES McEvoy Campus, now in its 14th growing season, was begun as a group effort by Susan Thomas, Turning Point Day Treatment Program Director, and many students and staff at the OCM BOCES McEvoy Campus. Students were directly involved with garden’s design in order to promote working with nature, health and wellness, acts of generosity and belonging to their school.

Through the years, the need for shade within the garden became evident, as many of McEvoy’s students cannot be in the sun for prolonged periods of time. A collection was started to fund the building of a structure in the garden. After a lot of hard work, the sun shelter was recently erected on a rainy day this past June. In addition to the shade it offers, it is hoped that it will provide a place of reflection and healing for students as they visit the garden.

The vision for the shelter is that it will be therapeutic, fostering healing and promoting learning for students, staff and visitors.

Special thanks are due to Tim Bearup, a local builder and owner of Bearup Construction, Byran Bartholomew, a BOCES construction trades program graduate and local business owner, the Tully Rotary club, and construction trades and Career Explorations students, who all came together to build the shelter.

The OCM BOCES Turning Point Day Treatment Program is a part of Racker Centers Counseling for School Success programs, licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health. OCM BOCES employs Racker Centers’ mental health professionals to help support their students in the Turning Point Program.