Financial Aid Night at McEvoy Campus - February 23

OCM BOCES is hosting a financial aid night in the auditorium at its McEvoy Education Campus on Monday, February 23, 2015, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Financial Aid representatives will present an overview of the financial aid process and will be available to assist parents and students with completing the FAFSA forms.

To ensure computer availability at the event, please RSVP by calling (607) 758-5260 or emailing ccolasurdo@ocmboces.org. The McEvoy Education campus is located at 1710 NYS Route 13, Cortland, NY 13045.

Innovation Tech profiled by local ABC affiliate (video)

Innovation Tech High School, one of the newest programs Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES offers to high school districts throughout Central New York, was recently profiled in a story by LocalSyr.com. Read and watch the story here.

While there are more than 130 New Tech schools across the country, Innovation Tech is the first in the region and is located at the Lee G. Peters Career Training Center in Liverpool. As the story notes, the Liverpool location is in its second semester and plans are proceeding for a second facility to open in Cortland County in September 2016.

Innovation Tech classes employ a project-based learning approach that engages students with authentic learning and meaningful collaboration. Students work in teams to creatively solve problems, working hand-in-hand with businesses in the community. All students at Innovation Tech earn college credit, participate in internships and give back to the community through service learning.

Innovation Tech High School opened last September with an approach to learning that reflects the 21st Century and the global environment we live in. This approach to learning begins with teaching that is engaging—project-based learning is the rule. The culture is empowering, with learning that is relevant and student-driven. Students become self-directed learners who no longer depend on teachers and textbooks in a search for a single, right answer. Students use technology on a regular basis and not just as a special event—each student has their own laptop computer that connects them to the world and facilitates the research and creativity that students need to be successful in their future.

Students work in teams on authentic projects to develop critical thinking and communication skills. Teamwork builds social skills and work ethic critical in today's business environment. Teams embrace the talents and perspectives that each team member brings to the project.

For more information about Innovation Tech, visit our website and “Like” us on Facebook.

60+ students to compete in NYS Section III Academic Decathlon January 24

On Saturday, January 24, 67 students from the Cazenovia, Liverpool, Tully, West Genesee and Westhill school districts will compete in the 2015 New York State Section III Academic Decathlon Competition at Westhill High School (4501 Onondaga Boulevard) in Syracuse. The event is coordinated by the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (OCM BOCES).

The theme of this year’s event is "New Alternatives in Energy: Ingenuity and Innovation." The Decathlon will begin at 8:30 a.m., with students engaging in a series of paper and pencil tests, with two 10-minute breaks, through 1:05 p.m. At 1:45 p.m., the “Super Quiz” (oral relay) portion of the competition will begin as students respond to questions in front of an audience. The Awards Ceremony will follow the Super Quiz.

The three highest scoring teams will advance to the New York State Competition February 27th & 28th at the State University of New York at Brockport. The state winner will go on to represent New York state at the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) competition, which is scheduled for April 16th –18th in Garden Grove, California.

Since it began as a local academic competition in California in 1968, the USAD has grown to become an international event for students in grades 9-12. The Decathlon promotes well roundedness by providing competition for each team in several events, including the team-based Super Quiz oral relay and objective tests in art, math, science, music, economics, literature and social science.

For more information about the 2015 New York State Section III Academic Decathlon, call Elaina Renfrew, OCM BOCES’ Coordinator of Educational Services and Academic Decathlon Sectional Coordinator, at (315) 431-8598.

Participants and coaches are:

Cazenovia – Coach: Ben Wightman

Contestants:  Shao Demyttenaere, Alexander Dubin, Emma Nuñez, Katherine Boone, Munya Fashu-Kanu, Michael Gugino, Brock Houghton, Sydney Levinson and Joseph Mevec

Liverpool – Coach: Daryl Burrer

Contestants: Emela Mesic, Shyam Patel, Isaiah Battoe, Robert Fogarty, Tyler Marquart and Tabrina Clark

Tully – Coaches: Kim Cameron and Pat Votra

Contestants: Julie Kunnumpurath, Bradley Phelps, Katie Warner, Hunter Griffin, Peyton Wolf, Matthew Wood, Peter Barletta and Jake Hutton
Alternates: Alexandra Becker, Julia Coffin, Cassidy McGinn, Sara Reppenhagen, Samuel Sheldon, Jessica Swift and Emily Teeter

West Genesee – Coach: Scott Duda

Contestants: Josh Mattice, Devyn Ottman, Claire Thomas, Nathan Gillette, John Lisi, Domtilla Magunga, James Sandefur, Vadim Shakhov and Kayla Smith
Alternates: Katherine Baldwin, Sabrina Bormann, Dylan Casolare, Kelsee Darling, Colleen Denny, Jenna Hickey, Jordan Koster, Sara Melendez and Emily Vetter

Westhill – Coaches: Michele Baker and Sarah Fleming

Contestants: Stephen Burgay, Molly Clark, Joseph Montemayor, Hannah Centore, Noah Centore, Elizabeth Meluni, Nathan Mevec, Aden Orzell and Holden White
Alternates: John Clancy, Vaughn Crimi, Amanda Cruty, Alexander Feliu, Connor Feliu, Alaina Kenny, Clayton Markham, Luke Puglisi, John Savage and Holden White