News from the Career & Technical Center

Johnstown teen named one of "13 Kids Who Care"

Hailey Smith, a student in the HFM BOCES Licensed Practical Nursing Program and at Johnstown High School, was one of 13 area teens honored for their volunteer activities during the recent "13 Kids Who Care" ceremony at the Executive Mansion
in Albany.

Hailey was nominated for the recognition by Susan Naple, an elder of the Johnstown Reformed Church where Hailey attends, and by two area teachers. Mrs. Naple is also a professional development specialist for the HFM BOCES Special Education Training and Resource Center.

"Hailey is highly reliable and responsible," Mrs. Naple wrote in her letter of recommendation. "She demonstrates those qualities on at least a weekly basis by volunteering to help out with many adult tasks around our church, such as childcare, activity setups, activity cleanups, changing indoor signs and outdoor signs. She has been involved in a variety of renovation and rehabilitation projects ranging from painting classrooms to sanding old concrete floors."

Hailey was nominated as much for her warm personality as her other accomplishments, Mrs. Naple said. "She is a cheerleader when the going gets tough and people are discouraged. Her sunshine motivates others to continue."

In all, nearly 100 nominations were received for the "13 Kids Who Care" recognition, which was sponsored by WNYT-NewsChannel 13, St. Peter's Health Care Services and the Times Union. Emphasis was given to selecting teens whose efforts include helping the disadvantaged, disabled or at-risk teens.
 

40 years later, HFM BOCES student's lifelong dream becomes reality

Patricia Foster-Morrison deferred her dream for 40 years. Her wait was finally over on June 20, when Patricia graduated from the cosmetology program at the HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center - a program she started in 1967 when BOCES classes met in Gloversville storefronts.

In the mid-to-late 1960s, Patricia said, many women believed they were "supposed to get married and have kids," and careers were just something to do while waiting for "Mr. Right."

Patricia's well-meaning father convinced her that she would be much better off pursuing a business degree than studying to become a cosmetologist. Although her heart wasn't in the business world, Patricia said she respected her dad's opinion , and she realized a business degree might indeed offer a woman more options in the world of work.

So in her senior year of high school, Patricia left the cosmetology program and returned to her home school, never completing the program in 1968, the year HFM BOCES opened its new campus on Stoner Trail Road in Johnstown.

Rekindling the dream deferred

Years later, Patricia was working for Fulton County ARC, performing direct care tasks with clients, including brushing, grooming and occasionally styling their hair. Her clients loved what she did for them - especially her older clients - and Patricia happily noted their self-esteem went soaring after she helped them with their appearances.

Within days, Patricia called the HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center to register for the cosmetology program. Never mind that she would be 40 years late from the starting line or that she might be the oldest adult ever to graduate. Those were minor concerns.

Once she was accepted into the program, she focused on working her third-shift job at the ARC, making it through both the junior and senior course loads during the day at the Career and Technical Center, and then grabbing some quick shut-eye from 3-8 each night.

"When I had told both my parents I'd be graduating this year," Patricia said, "they were both in tears, knowing that's what I wanted to do all along."

Although her parents were not able to witness the ceremony in person, they shared in the experience through a video recording that captured highlights of the experience.

And perhaps as a fitting ending, Patricia left the cosmetology program the first time just as HFM BOCES was opening its new campus on Stoner Trail Road - and she leaves it for the second time just as the Stoner Trail campus closes its doors for the last time. This fall, the Career and Technical Center will open to a whole new group of students pursuing their dreams on the brand new campus adjacent to Fulton-Montgomery Community College on Route 67, just a few short miles from Stoner Trail
 

From GED to the major leagues:
Baseball player owes his success to teacher

When Derick Himpsl moved to Johnstown at the age of 10, he daydreamed about the time when his school days would be in the rear view mirror and the road ahead would be all about pitching to some of the major league greats.

Himpsl viewed his exceptional gift for pitching as his one ticket out of endless academic pursuits. It's not that he hated school or learning in general; they just weren't his thing.

And it was this very lapse in young Himpsl's academic focus that left him many credits short for graduation as he entered 10th grade and began collaborating with John Stewart, the high school and college Northeast scouting supervisor for the Atlanta Braves.

The call to finish high school

But even as Little League and high school crowds yelled their mindless mantras, "We want a pitcher - not a belly itcher," Stewart repeated a strange new mantra that surprised Himpsl at first.

"If you finish high school," Stewart said, " I'll draft you, Himpsl. I will draft you for professional baseball."

So why did a left-hander like Himpsl need to finish high school when he could consistently throw a red-hot ball between 92-96 mph? According to Stewart, it had more to do with "up north" weather than anything else.

"The weather issue is huge," Stewart said. "By the time a high school player in the southern leagues starts his 35th game of the season, Johnstown High School is just starting the baseball season."

That means "up north" pitchers simply cannot compete on a national level with high school and college students from the south, even if they do throw 100 mph. If Himpsl wanted to make it to what big leaguers fondly call "The Show," he would have to earn his GED in a hurry so he could attend a year in a southern junior college where the weather is warm and the playing season longer, offering ample time for the National League to scout him after a full playing season.

Himpsl didn't need a lot more convincing than that. He decided right then and there that he would do whatever he had to do to earn his GED. He enrolled in the high school completion program at the HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center and went to work picking up all the missing credits he needed. In 2005, Himpsl earned his GED diploma.

Inspiration at the Career and Technical Center

While at the Career and Technical Center, Himpsl was fortunate to have two dedicated teachers, Rodger Schultz and David Berger, who he credits for inspiring him in school and also about life.

"Mr. Berger was a great man and had a lot of wisdom... and for that year, he really showed me what I had to do. He even showed me outside of school what I had to do to make it... He was the most dedicated teacher I've ever met in my life," said Himpsl.

Later, after being drafted by the majors in the 50th round, Himpsl returned to share the great news with Mr. Berger, the teacher who taught him what it means to be brave in life.

When he arrived, he learned Mr. Berger had lost his struggle against cancer earlier that winter.

Now Himpsl travels south as a high school graduate and an Atlanta Brave, something he has dreamed of since childhood.

Even while living his dream, Himpsl wants to tell school kids everywhere this important message:

"Stay in school. It really IS important in life... because your other dreams may depend upon it."

For more information about the GED program at HFM BOCES, click here.
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HFM students solve CSI-style mystery through fingerprints, interviews and other crime-scene investigations

A killer crime scene with a dramatic twist and a side order of forensic science may be the key to why top-rated CSI, Crime Scene Investigation has managed to captivate 27 million prime time viewers.

However, it takes a whole lot more than dramatized crime and a television remote to make it in the real world of law enforcement.

That’s why the HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center holds an annual CSI-style, Crime Scene Investigation where criminal justice students work through the actual mechanics of a criminal forensic investigation for an entire school week rather than an hour-long episode on prime time.

And a lot of what goes on during the Career and Technical Center’s Crime Scene Investigation model is based upon the lifelong experience of HFM BOCES Criminal Justice instructor John Pecora, who has served with both the New York City Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections.

As part of the CSI experience, Mr. Pecora divides his students into teams so they can work as a group to dust for finger prints, cast for footprints, interview alleged suspects, take measurements of the crime scene, compare lifted prints to finger print cards, petition for search warrants, and of course secure the entire crime scene, which comes complete with a mannequin as the victim.

The identity of the fictitious perpetrator is NOT Colonel Mustard of Parker Brother’s Clue fame but rather an HFM BOCES’ teacher who has agreed to participate with this annual training project. The hands-on training experience includes questioning, search warrants, and by the end of the week, a dramatic conclusion – the handcuffing and mock-incarceration of a suspect.

All student teams that correctly solve this case receive credit for the Crime Scene Investigation Project, with higher scores going to those teams that solve the problem first.

High school junior Courtney Barmen of Fonda was thrilled when she first heard about the Crime Scene Investigation Project.

“I was a science nerd in grade school,” Barmen said. “But then in high school I had to take Earth Science and got totally turned off with science.”

It was not until Barmen found out she could combine science with Criminal Investigation through Forensics that her love for science returned. Now Barmen proudly admits she will pursue the path of Forensic Pathology through the field of Criminal Justice.

“If that makes me a 'science geek', so be it.” Barmen said.

There are many other career pathways students can pursue after they complete HFM’s Criminal Justice program. Some opt to become police officers or state Troopers, while others look to careers in security, corrections and juvenile and criminal psychology after completing additional trainings and/or coursework.
Whatever the pathway, the HFM BOCES Criminal Justice program maintains a college articulation agreement with several areas colleges so that students interested in pursuing degrees may be able to apply for college credits for their coursework in HFM’s Criminal Justice Program during their junior and senior years of high school.

For more information on HFM’s Introduction to Criminal Justice program, click here.

For more information about HFM's Criminal Justice II program, click here.
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Students explore real-world medical careers through
HFM BOCES New Visions Health Careers program

While many teens may pick up ideas about medical careers from ER and other popular “reality” TV shows, Steven Rhodes and Ashley Cinelli have no such media-enhanced illusions.

As participants in the HFM BOCES New Visions Health Careers program, both college-bound students have seen their share of real-life medical situations.

“A few months ago, I got the chance to see an autopsy,” Rhodes said, as part of his experiential learning through Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville. “I don’t regret at all seeing what I saw…It was something that I needed to see for myself because in health care you are going to see things like that, and I needed to know if I could handle it. I’ll never forget it,” said the Amsterdam High School senior. “It was just so unreal.”

In fact, absent professional training, reality may often feel quite unreal even for medical personnel. That’s because -- when seconds count -- it is important for medical professionals to instinctively distinguish between responding with empathy or sympathy. And that is a critical piece of the New Visions Health Careers curriculum, says Gail Fake, HFM’s New Visions Health Careers teacher. A true medical professional must also respond with empathy.

“You can’t go where your patients are [in sympathy] because then you would not be able to function in order to help them,” Fake said.

To learn more about the New Visions Health Careers program, click here.
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New Career & Technical Center promises to close the gap between academics and hands-on experience

Today's research indicates that a hands-on education may be the single most effective method for teaching career skills to students. This concept is clarified by a Chinese proverb, "Tell me, I will forget. Show me, I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand."

The Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES Career and Technical Center is uniquely positioned as the only school in this region whose primary focus on "learning by doing" is the rule rather than exception. And in a marketplace growing more competitive by the minute, real-life experience is absolutely critical to success in the world of work.

Without such real-world job experience, though, even college graduates may find themselves with a degree in hand and very little hands-on experience. While this experience-gap usually resolves itself within a few years after college graduation, many young adults encounter that nagging old interview question -- "Do you have any experience in the field?"

As a result, many students are now opting to supplement their high school education with a half-day program at the Career and Technical Center, in effect breaking that experience-gap cycle. And because these career programs are paid for by the school district and often count for both high school and college credit, the financial benefit is certainly appealing to both students and parents alike.

While parents should remember that not every high school student is a good candidate for the Career and Technical Center, most students who are on track to graduate may simply add a two year career program in place of some high school electives. Right now, the Career Center offers training in everything from Medical Assisting and Practical Nursing to Environmental Conservation and Theatre Arts. In the past, these and the balance of 21 other occupational programs have been situated on two separate campuses, the Stoner Trail location and Fulton-Montgomery Community College, which are both located in Johnstown. Beginning September 2006, however, the Career and Technical Center will consolidate all programs into its newly constructed facility, located right next door to F-MCC.

A long-time dream of many within the tri-county region, the new center promises to close the gap between academic study and hands-on experience. And this couldn't come at a more opportune time. Today many students still put college into their "some-day in the future" category; the new Career Center promises regional students a small sampling of the collegiate setting before ever leaving high school.

To find out more about enrolling for the Career and Technical Center's 2006-07 school year, high school sophomores are encouraged to visit their main high school's guidance counselor to request a visit to any CTC program. Program information can also be reviewed online by clicking here, or by logging on to http://www.scoresup.com/Hfm/. You may also  call the Career and Technical Center at (518) 762-4633.
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Career & Technical Center allows students
to explore a variety of job opportunities

But some students may not have a solid idea of what career path to follow - let alone how to start making those connections now while still in middle or high school.

That's where the HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center can help.

For example, a student may know that he or she wants to work in one of the many building trades and yet not have a single profession in mind. In cases such as this, attending a career education high school may actually solidify occupational goals.

But how can someone sign up for a career education program without having a target vocation in mind? Exploratory courses are just the ticket for students seeking a broad exposure to job opportunities that fall within a particular career cluster.

What are career clusters?

The United States Department of Education has identified 16 career clusters that represent all career possibilities. A career cluster is defined as a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on certain common traits. For example, some of the professions included within the "Architecture and Construction Cluster" are plumber, carpenter, architect and electrician while the "Arts, A/V Technology, and Telecommunications Cluster" includes writer, illustrator, actor, dancer, digital cinematographer and other creative professions.

And because there are so many options within each career cluster, there are several cluster-type programs available at the Career and Technical Center.  The Building Services Program, for example, covers nearly every job one might encounter in the construction industry, from safety to framing, plumbing, basic electricity, masonry, landscaping, building maintenance and more. The course does not focus exclusively on any one specialty but rather explores each of those professions so that students can develop basic skills.

Employment trends in the construction industry

With construction trade workers highly in demand these days, it's a good idea to find out a student's preference within the construction trades before he or she specializes in a single area. Of course, some prefer the varied course-load of Building Services because they plan to enter the field of Home Inspection, which is also a growing profession. HFM BOCES' Building Services Program provides such a broad base of knowledge that it may even motivate some to prepare for one of the national home inspection certification tests. Home inspectors typically charge between $300-700 per house depending on the property and its regional location.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that nearly 100,000 construction jobs will be added each year through 2012. And laborer shortages are now estimated to grow because of baby-boomer retirements, hurricane reconstruction, and regional housing booms. As a result, the entry-level wage for skilled laborers in the construction trades could rise to $18-28 per hour over the next several years.

Students interested in construction and other hands-on work experiences should consider enrolling in the HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center's Building Services program. High school guidance counselors can sign up interested students from the 15 component schools within the HFM BOCES region.
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HFM BOCES nurse assisting teacher receives state award

Carol Pifko, a pioneering nurse who championed fathers' rights in the delivery room in the 1960s and 1970s and who has taught HFM BOCES students for more than 20 years, has been selected for this year's prestigious New York State Health Occupations Educators Award.

The honor came as no surprise to her students at the HFM BOCES Career & Technical Center.

"Mrs. Pifko is really strict especially when we go to clinical, but we have a lot of fun in class," said Courtney Luck, a student in Mrs. Pifko's nurse assisting course who especially values that students are taught how to teach their fellow classmates certain sections of the curriculum. "If you are prepared enough to teach it to others, you really do know it well," Courtney said.

Mrs. Pifko, one of two educators in New York to receive the award this year, was nominated by two of her colleagues.

After working in the nursing field for more than 30 years - and successfully preparing hundreds of HFM BOCES students for careers as licensed practical nurses and home health aides - Mrs. Pifko of Broadalbin has devoted most of her life to healthcare education.

As a young "candy striper" working as a volunteer in a New York City hospital, she never imagined she would later be one of the first nurses to attend infant births at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers with fathers actually present for the births of their children.

That's because in the late 1960s, the idea of a father's presence in the delivery room raised many questions within the medical field. What were the legal ramifications? What if something went wrong and the father became upset? Because seconds are often critical in preventing infant or maternal mortality, many in the medical community feared this change would pit unprepared fathers against the attending obstetrician rather than provide a positive and supportive environment for the mother.

But soon, public demand for paternal inclusion became the impetus for fathers being permitted in delivery rooms, at first in the larger metro areas. It was not until much later, though, when outlying hospitals around the Capital Region actively embraced this concept.

Enter Carol Pifko, who began working as a registered nurse at Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville in 1971. Mrs. Pifko had already been teaching LaMaze classes in prepared childbirth for some time, and she was a firm believer that fathers should and could participate in the births of their children.

While administrators at area hospitals at the time did seem to want to accommodate fathers, she said, many believed most men were unprepared for the experience. Mrs. Pifko, however, believed that parents could rise to meet the challenges through education and preparation.

Today, hospitals across the nation routinely embrace including fathers - and other family members and friends - in delivery rooms, in large part because pioneers such as Mrs. Pifko helped pave the way.

Mrs. Pifko continues to inspire her students through a preparedness philosophy today. And it may be serendipitous that her recognition came just days before Men's World Day, celebrated annually on Nov. 19 to honor the role men play in both family and society at large. Because so much of her life has been devoted to advancing the cause of fathers in the delivery room, Carol Pifko certainly should be considered a champion for fathers and their rights, as well.
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Hands-on learning:
Criminal Justice students practice defense tactics

HFM BOCES Criminal Justice students recently participated in a "hands-on" defense tactics workshop designed to reinforce self-discipline and mental focus as the number one asset of a professional officer of the law.
This workshop, provided by the Zen Do Kai Karate studio in Johnstown, helps criminal justice students discover the importance of defensive tactics while replacing their sometimes stereotypical view of cops as depicted on television.

The HFM BOCES Career & Technical Center's philosophy is to include hands-on, experiential training throughout all of its academic programs - and HFM criminal justice teacher John Pecora said the defense tactics workshop provides just such preparation for his students.

Sometimes high school students may sign up for the Career and Technical Center's Criminal Justice program imagining all guts and bravado, Mr. Pecora said, but later learn the academic rigor of the program is far more demanding than they bargained for.

"Not every student can handle the challenge of both the academic rigor and physical training that is associated with the criminal justice field," he said. The Career & Technical Center's criminal justice program is often an eye-opener for students who discover the field involves a lot more paperwork and academic competence than they might have imagined.
While some may drop the course initially because it is not all they imagined, many more stay and add technical experience and maturity during their junior and senior high school years.

This year, 53 students from 15 area school districts are enrolled in the morning and afternoon sessions. Upon completion of the program, some students will go directly to police academies while others will enroll in college programs preparing for two- and four-year degrees in law enforcement. Because the profession has become increasingly competitive in recent years, graduates of the HFM BOCES Criminal Justice program often find themselves more equipped than their peers when it comes to higher education in the law enforcement field.
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