CTE Bulletin

On November 21, the OHM BOCES Early Childhood Education (ECE) program celebrated Thanksgiving with a festive Friendsgiving party! The children shared what they are thankful for and who they appreciate, with family, friends and their favorite toys topping the list.

The fun continued with a colorful science experiment using Skittles. The children created a turkey and slowly added water to watch as the vibrant colors from the candy formed beautiful "feathers." They were in awe of the stunning display of colors!

Each child also decorated a turkey hat and placemat to take home and use at their own Thanksgiving dinner. It was a day filled with fun, creativity and lots of gratitude!

On November 13, Liliana Mulchy, a New Hartford senior in the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES Career and Technical Education Cosmetology program, was recognized with Syracuse.com’s 2024 Best and Brightest Award. According to Syracuse.com, Mulchy and other local high school seniors from the Class of 2025 were selected for this honor based on their academic achievements, extracurricular involvement and service to their school and community.

Mulchy was selected to receive this prestigious award, in part, due to her decision to earn her Sensory Safe and Autism certification. As one of the few individuals in Central New York with this certification, she is qualified to provide Sensory Safe hairdressing services to individuals with Autism or sensory processing challenges. Mulchy shared that the techniques she learned have not only enhanced her classroom experience, but also enabled her to offer enjoyable haircuts to a family member who once struggled with the process.

Looking ahead, Mulchy plans to continue fostering inclusivity in her future career, stating that her vision for the future is to open an all-inclusive salon and create a space that provides wigs for children fighting cancer.

Congratulations to Liliana Mulchy and all the outstanding students who were honored! We can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to achieve!

Students from the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center are making a difference in their community this holiday season. On December 4, CTE students visited Feed Our Vets to deliver 500 non-perishable food items, bringing their total donation to 725 food items this year, and present two donation checks totaling $1,156.

The non-perishable food donations are part of an annual fundraising and food drive effort organized by the OHM BOCES chapter of SkillsUSA, a national organization dedicated to fostering leadership, teamwork and community service among CTE students.

The two donation checks are the result of the New York State SkillsUSA Fall Leadership Conference’s community service project, which the OHM BOCES chapter contributed to with a local fundraiser. The state Leadership Conference was held in Albany in November and brought together students from throughout the state for leadership training and team-building exercises.

Feed Our Vets is a vital organization that supports veterans, their spouses, and children who face food insecurity. All items collected by CTE students will directly benefit the Utica-area Feed Our Vets organization, helping veterans and their families within the community.

The OHM BOCES chapter of SkillsUSA, under the guidance of advisors John Stratton and Kimberly Petronella, is proud to continue this meaningful tradition of giving back to those who have served. This effort highlights the power of student leadership and the impact of working together to support those in need.

For more information about SkillsUSA, visit https://www.skillsusa.org and to learn how you can help support Feed Our Vets, visit https://feedourvets.org.

Pictured (left to right): Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES Career and Technical Education Criminal Justice students and SkillsUSA members Abriana Briggs (Whitesboro CSD) and Toryn Snyder (Sauquoit Valley CSD). Briggs also serves as the SkillsUSA New York President and Snyder serves as a State Officer at Large.

Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES Automotive Technology instructor John Stratton was recently named as the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence’s (ASE) 2024 CCAR/Electude/ASE Instructor of the Year.

Stratton was among 59 automotive professionals recognized on November 20 during the ASE Service Professionals Awards ceremony held at the 2024 ASE and ASE Education Foundation Fall Board Meetings in New Orleans, LA.

“These awards represent outstanding achievement in many areas of ASE Certification,” said Dave Johnson, ASE president and CEO. “The individuals being honored have demonstrated their knowledge by placing among the highest scoring automotive professionals holding ASE credentials. This, along with their exemplary performance each and every day, makes them exceptional examples of our industry to the public we serve. Together with our industry partners and award sponsors, we salute the best of the best.”

Stratton joined the OHM BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center as an Automotive Technology instructor in 2003. He brings more than 27 years of experience working in the automotive industry to his classroom, where he enjoys seeing students from diverse backgrounds become lifelong friends, knowing students have become successful in their careers and having former students give back to the program by serving on the consultant committee.

Stratton is ASE certified as a Master Automotive Technician, and in Maintenance and Light Repair and Advanced Engine Performance. He serves as co-advisor for the OHM BOCES chapter of SkillsUSA and also as the mechanical contests cluster manager for the New York State SkillsUSA Conference. He is a member of the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT) and the National Auto Service Task Force.

Prior to joining the OHM BOCES, Stratton was employed as a technician, shop foreman and service manager. Stratton attended high school in New Hartford, earned his Associate of Applied Science degree from SUNY Canton and furthered his education at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and SUNY Oswego.

Individually, Stratton has been named the recipient of the 2018 NACAT/Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Award, the 2020 SkillsUSA New York State Advisor of the Year, the 2021 SkillsUSA Region 1 Advisor of the Year and the recipient of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Award for Teaching Excellence.

Under Stratton’s guidance, the OHM BOCES Automotive Technology program was recognized by Tomorrow's Technician magazine in 2019 as the top automotive program in the northeast and one of the top four high school and post-secondary programs in the nation.

About the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
Established in 1972 as a non-profit organization, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is a driving force in the transportation industry. As an independent third party, ASE upholds and promotes high standards of service and repair through the assessment, certification and credentialing of current and future industry professionals, and the prestigious ASE Blue Seal logo identifies professionals who possess the essential knowledge and skills to perform with excellence. Today, there are approximately 220,000 ASE Certified professionals at work in dealerships, independent shops, collision repair shops, auto parts stores, fleets, schools and colleges throughout the country. For more information about ASE, visit www.ase.com.

On December 8 and 9, Criminal Justice 1 and 2 students braved the winter weather to assist with traffic control and parking at the annual New York Mills PTSO Craft Fair. Supervised by Mr. Ames and members of the New York Mills Police Department, the student volunteers helped hundreds of shoppers navigate through the snow. At the conclusion of their service, NY Mills Police Chief Frankland generously provided the students with pizza and refreshments. This marks the fourth year that our program has been asked to help with this event.

Career and Technical Education Center programs focus on preparing students for employment, careers or post-secondary education through the development of technical and 21st-century skills. Working with state-of-the-art equipment, students apply theory and knowledge to a wide range of real life work assignments in shops and laboratories. In addition to technical skills, students learn critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, positive employment attitudes, job seeking skills, familiarization with related career opportunities and college readiness.

Email: mhoover@oneida-boces.org

Website: https://www.oneida-boces.org
Location: 4747 Middle Settlement Road, New Hartford, NY, USA
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