OCM BOCES Deaf Program lemonade stand in 5th year

This past summer, the OCM BOCES Special Education Summer School Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program celebrated their 5th anniversary of holding a lemonade stand to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. The project began all those years ago when teacher Lisa Austin, was working with her students about money and the importance of giving back. Lisa thought a lemonade stand would be a great way to teach students about both concepts.

Upon researching the topic, she came across the book Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand. The book, about giving back and helping others, tells about Alex Scott, a little girl with cancer who set up a lemonade stand to help doctors find a cure for the disease. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national organization, has raised millions of dollars in the fight against childhood cancer...part of that money coming from right here in Central New York!

For the first time, this year’s lemonade stand was turned into more of an event than in the past, expanding to include face painting, bubble activities, games and crafts. Additionally, there was a quiet corner for teachers to utilize and read the story of Alex with their students.

Ms. Austin is especially excited that the students achieved their increased monetary goal, raising $1,000 for the Lemonade Stand Foundation. She said, “This year it was a huge success! We hope to do just as well next summer school!”

Congratulations to Lisa Austin and her students for a job well done! Watch online news coverage of the lemonade stand on WSYR’s Bridge Street program at http://www.9wsyr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=4177984&navCatId=20640.

For more information on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit their website at https://www.alexslemonade.org/.

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.

16th Annual Jack Gallaher Memorial Golf Tournament

The 16th Annual Jack Gallaher Memorial Helping Hand Fund Scholarship Golf Tournament to benefit OCM BOCES adult education students, was held on Wednesday, August 21 at the Links at Sunset Ridge in Marcellus.

Jack Gallaher was a Deputy Superintendent at OCM BOCES for nearly 20 years and was a great supporter of adult education and training. Upon Jack’s retirement in 1997, Dr. Daniel Elstein established the Helping Hand Fund was in Jack’s honor. The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships and other financial assistance to adult education students lacking the means to begin, complete, or continue training so they might be able to enter or reenter the workforce with viable skills. Each year, the fund provides varying amounts of assistance to deserving OCM BOCES students. In 2013, eighteen students were given scholarships from the fund, allowing them to complete programs with OCM BOCES.

For more information, download the brochure. Donations to the fund are graciously accepted.

170 Adult Students graduate from OCM BOCES Syracuse-area training programs

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013, the accomplishments of nearly 200 adult students were celebrated as they completed OCM BOCES training programs.

Students were recognized for completing the following OCM BOCES adult education programs: CAD, Manufacturing Technology (a new program), Central Service Technology, Cosmetology, Office Technology, HVAC-R, Welding, Construction Trades, Pharmacy Technology, Electrical Maintenance Technology, Medical Assisting and Dental Assisting.

For more information about adult education and training programs in the Syracuse area, call 315/453-4455 and in the Cortland-area, call 607/758-5111

Adult Cosmetology students will perform “confidence makeovers” for Huntington Family Center Participants

On Thursday, July 25, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., students and staff from the OCM BOCES Adult Education Cosmetology program will be giving free makeovers to participants of Huntington Family Center support programs. The event will take place at the OCM BOCES Lee G. Peters Career Training Center (4500 Crown Road) in Liverpool. Recipients of the makeovers are men and women who have struggled with social and economic hardships. It is hoped that the physical transformations will inspire emotional transformations as well, leading to improved outlooks and increased self-esteem.

OCM BOCES is hosting the “confidence makeover” event in collaboration with ProLiteracy’s Literacy for Social Change (LSC) initiative. LSC is a unique program that enables facilitators within community literacy programs to combine literacy and cutting-edge strategies for human development and problem solving. The agency will be on hand at the event to conduct pre-and post- makeover surveys with participants to gauge how the event impacted them.

OCM BOCES Adult Education Cosmetology Program is donating all of the supplies, costs, equipment and times. During the event, OCM BOCES will also hold an open house in order to give makevover participants and the public the opportunity to tour all adult education classes and learn about its many vocational programs.

OCM BOCES Literacy and Adult Education Program Coordinator Mari Ukleya said, “I’m excited that our adult cosmetology students can be a part of this event. Even more though, the students are excited to be using their skills for such a great cause. We’re looking forward to seeing the physical and emotional transformations.”

For more information about adult education opportunities through OCM BOCES, visit their website at www.ocmboces.org and click on the adult programs tab.
Huntington Family Centers provide human services to those who face economic and social adversity. It works with people based on their social backgrounds and works to build pride and a sense of self-esteem in their community.

Regional Summer School program information

OCM BOCES 2013 Regional Summer School programs for 7th - 12th grade students are taking place at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, Cortland High School, Fayetteville-Manlius High School and West Genesee High School.

All information regarding individual programs is available on the OCM BOCES Instructional Support Services website by clicking here.

Health Occupations student from Chittenango High School receives CTE award

Congratulations to Alayna Arno, an OCM BOCES Health Occupations student from the Chittenango Central School District, who recently received an award from her home school for academic excellence at OCM BOCES. Alayna received the award during the Chittenango High School awards ceremony on Thursday, May 30 for having the highest grade point average over the two years she attended OCM BOCES.

Alayna's plans are to attend Onondaga Community College for a year beginning in the fall, and to then transfer to Gardner Webb University to receive her nursing degree.

Mindy Akers, who is Alayna's teacher at OCM BOCES said, "Alayna is an excellent student and relates to the patient with kindness and empathy."

Congratulations Alayna!