Westhill Assistant Superintendent is OCM BOCES School Library System 2012 Administrator of the Year

Dr. Carol Ilacqua, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the Westhill Central School District, has been honored by the OCM BOCES School Library System as their 2012 Administrator/Advocate of the Year.  Dr. Ilacqua was nominated by several of her district’s librarians: Karin Backus, Beth Doolittle, Karen Fenner and Aneisa Linton. She was recognized at a reception held in the OCM BOCES Rodax 8 Conference Room.

The intention of the award is to honor an educational administrator or library advocate in the OCM region who has made significant contributions to school librarianship.

Dr. Ilacqua was chosen to receive the award for her professionalism and support of school library programs and services.  She is a former member of the SLS Council, a supporter of the PALS initiative, and encourages Project Based Learning by providing extensive training.

Carol’s coworkers value the support she provides to them, saying, “Carol is an active listener and when she hears a concern being voiced, works to find a solution. She is approachable and accessible to everyone in the district. Our staff regards her highly because she exhibits fair judgment and reason in any situation.”

She is also recognized for her ability to utilize technology to teach her peers.  Cited in her nomination, “Carol embraces technology, using her Blackboard site to post agendas and meeting minutes. By using this medium exclusively, she leads by example and creates a successful opportunity to use technology for those teachers that might otherwise be hesitant.”

For more information about the OCM BOCES School Library System or their Administrator/Advocate of the Year Award, visit their website at http://sls.ocmboces.org/.

NYS Superintendents Council commends Governor Cuomo for adding Jessica Cohen to Education Reform Commission

June 14, 2012 - The state Council of School Superintendents today commended Governor Andrew Cuomo for his addition of Jessica Cohen to the Education Reform Commission he established in April.

Dr. Cohen is retiring next month as District Superintendent of Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

Robert Reidy, Executive Director of the Superintendents Council, called her “a perfect choice.”

Reidy added, “Schools are going through a period of intense change now, with the implementation of new teacher and principal evaluation requirements, the transition to Common Core State Standards, and other Race to the Top initiatives. It is important for the Governor’s Commission to understand the effects of current state initiatives on schools as it considers new ones.”

Reidy went on, “Jessica is superbly qualified to give the other Commission members a sense of the demands educators and students are wrestling with right now.” He explained, “As a BOCES Superintendent, Jessica performs a dual role as chief executive of a regional school support agency, and as liaison between the Education Commissioner and Syracuse area school districts.” 

“Those two roles give her an exceptional grasp of both state policy and how it is affecting schools and students,” Reidy observed.

Click here to read the release from the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

Search Completed for New District Superintendent

The Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services is very pleased to announce that Mr. Jody F. Manning was appointed by the Board as the new District Superintendent of Schools at their June 6th meeting.

Mr. Manning currently serves as the Superintendent of Schools at the Solvay Union Free School District and has demonstrated extensive leadership experience throughout his career in education.  He has served as a business administrator and district clerk, a grade level administrator, assistant principal and teacher.  He has also had experience as a summer school principal, adult education instructor and chaired a Superintendent’s Issue & Analysis Team.

Mr. Manning is actively involved in his community, has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work and is a member of several professional educational organizations.  He has also participated in multiple professional development opportunities over the years.

The extensive search and selection process began in January and Mr. Manning was chosen by the Board as the final candidate from a pool of nine applicants.  He met with specific stakeholder groups, including component superintendents, BOCES administrators and both instructional and non-instructional staff.   Mr. Manning also met with the Commissioner of Education for the purpose of a final interview and assessment of his qualifications and experience.  That interview was completed and the Commissioner communicated his approval of Mr. Manning’s proposed appointment.

Mr. Manning will assume the position of District Superintendent on August 1, 2012.

Board President Ann Wright stated, “The OCM BOCES Board of Education enthusiastically welcomes Mr. Manning.  We are looking forward to working with him to continue to provide quality services for students, school districts and the CNY communities that OCM BOCES serves.”

Click here to read the article on Syracuse.com.

Former OCM BOCES District Superintendent Named Education Leader of the Year

Congratulations to (former) OCM BOCES District Superintendent, Dr. Jessica F. Cohen, for having been named Education Leader of the Year by the Partners for Education and Business (PEB,) an affiliate of MACNY, The Manufacturers Association of Central New York. Dr. Cohen was presented with the award at PEB’s 2012 Annual Meeting on May 22 at a ceremony at the MOST (Museum of Science and Technology) in downtown Syracuse.

PEB presents their Education Leader of the Year award annually to a person who demonstrates a quality of leadership that results in positive outcomes for student achievement and in preparing students for their future careers.

Among the many reasons Dr. Cohen was selected for the award, PEB cites her dedication to improving the quality of education, commitment to public support and ability to build good employee relations among teachers and staff. PEB Executive Director, Joseph C. Vargo said, 
“We are pleased to recognize Dr. Jessica Cohen for her commitment to youth and the needs of employers in our region. Dr. Cohen’s prior appointments as an Educational Consultant, School Psychologist and Director of School Improvement Services have helped to form the virtues that can mean the difference between an average and an inspired education experience.”

Dr. Cohen was the District Superintendent for OCM BOCES from 2003 until her retirement on July 31, 2012.

Adult Graduates' Stories Featured in Local Media

Graduates of OCM BOCES Syracuse-area adult literacy programs were recently featured in the Syracuse Post Standard in an article entitled "True equivalency: Adult wisdom evens out teenage mistakes." To read the online version of the article, click on the link.

Pictured are Reggie Dennis (right) and Fred Gustina (left,) two of the featured speakers at the OCM BOCES 29th Annual Adult Literacy Celebration at The Palace Theatre.

Syracuse-Area Adult Literacy Celebration - May 23

Next Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm, OCM BOCES will hold its 29th Annual (Syracuse-area) Literacy Celebration and program graduation at the Palace Theatre (2384 James Street) in Syracuse. Nearly 200 graduates of the OCM BOCES GED, External Diploma and other literacy programs have been invited to attend and be recognized for their accomplishments.

Testimonials illustrating their personal, educational struggles prior to coming to OCM BOCES, will be given by three student graduates, Fred Gustina, Reggie Dennis and Melissa Doris. OCM BOCES ESL student Sadija Selimovic, who recently received her United States Citizenship, will give the Pledge of Allegiance. The Altamont Program, part of the Peter Young Housing, Industries and Treatment program, will be recognized as the OCM BOCES 2012 “Partner in Literacy”.

The public and media are invited to attend this celebration. For more information on the 29th Annual Adult Literacy Celebration, contact OCM BOCES Adult and Continuing Education Program at 315-453-4466.

Laboratory Technology Students Support Local Charity

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012, OCM BOCES students from the Laboratory Technology Program at the Irvin E. Henry Campus in Syracuse delivered approximately 135 pounds of “pop tabs” to the Ronald McDonald House of Central New York. The tabs were collected during the group’s seven-month campus wide effort with all Career and Technical Education (CTE) students.

Earlier in the school year, the students were learning about recycling and reducing as part of their science curriculum and decided to do some recycling of their own for a good cause. In October, the students began collecting pop tabs to support the charity. Ronald McDonald Houses collect pop tabs instead of whole aluminum cans as a way of raising funds for their centers. After the Ronald McDonald house collects tabs, they are brought to local recycling centers, where they are weighed to determine the value. The recycling center then sends the charity a check for the value of the tabs.

 The Laboratory Technology students involved in the collection efforts brought the donations to the Ronald McDonald house and also performed a variety of community service projects while they were there. Some of the tasks that the students completed at the home included helping to clean the kitchen, reorganizing the pantry and vacuuming hallways in the house.