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CTC Open
House a showcase for students
Event offers parents a glimpse of programs and student
work
Northville junior Ethan Williams loves
to work on cars. Helping out in his dad’s garage started
Ethan down the path that has brought him to HFM BOCES Auto
Technology program. During HFM BOCES Career and Technical
Center Open House, the elder Williams got a close look at
his son’s “classroom.”
Several hundred students, parents, and guests attended Open
House at HFM BOCES on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The staff of the
Career and Technical Education Center hosted the event to
showcase their programs and student work for parents and the
community.
BOCES students guided their parents to classrooms and work
areas throughout the facility to see exhibits and
demonstrations of the 19 courses of study offered by the
Career and Technical Center.
Students and teachers had prepared displays in advance of
the training materials and projects that teach the theory
and practical knowledge students need to succeed in their
chosen field. However, the hands-on, student-led
demonstrations of the skills and processes they are
mastering were the highlight of the evening.
Johnstown junior Cory DeGroff explained the digital
manipulations involved in capturing an image for a Careers
in Education poster in the hall. The framed posters
illustrating all the Career & Technical Center programs were
a project of Cory’s Digital Multimedia class.
One conspicuous piece of new equipment in many classrooms
was a Promethean Activboard, a computer-assisted white board
that allows text and video to be displayed and interacted
with by teacher and students.
The open house gave parents the chance to ask questions and
discuss coursework with their child’s instructors, while
gaining a better understanding of the BOCES programs.
The Career and Technical Center provides a stimulating
learning experience in 18 technical courses that combine
core academic skills in science, math and language arts with
practical instruction to prepare students to pursue
post-secondary education or to enter the world of work,
according to Career and Tech Director Jay DeTraglia.
Senior Joel Bargstedt of Fonda-Fultonville showed his
parents around the work area in the auto body repair shop,
talking about the work he would do to repaint his red Ford
truck. He’s considering diesel school as the next step after
graduation.
“This is a great opportunity for Joel,” Mrs. Bargstedt said.
“He’s working at something his heart is really in.”
HFM BOCES serves 15 school districts in the three-county
area. Career and Technical Education programs teach skills
needed for careers in education, health care, computer
science, construction, criminal justice, digital multimedia,
equine science, food service, cosmetology, auto technology
and repair, and environmental conservation.
Ethan Williams isn’t quite sure about his future plans, but
they will involve auto mechanics.
“Maybe I’ll become an automotive teacher,” he said.
But his immediate dream is an opportunity to work on his
father’s white ’67 Impala.
Mr. Williams just smiles. “We’ll just wait till he gets his
diploma for that.”
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