News from Across Our BOCES

Tappan Hill School plants seeds of knowledge through Earth Day celebrations

The classrooms at Tappan Hill School were abuzz with excitement as students celebrated Earth Day by participating in various activities that emphasized the importance of taking care of the environment.

Students headed to Westchester Community College to watch Asphalt City ahead of its release

Students from the Emergency Medical Services program at Southern Westchester BOCES had the chance to see an advanced screening of Asphalt City, a new movie about New York City Paramedics, hosted by Westchester Community College.

On an early April morning, Volunteer NY! held its annual ceremony of appreciation for all the volunteers who made a difference during the 2023-24 school year.

Together this year, the organization's RISE program volunteers put in 3,000 hours of service. Tappan Hill was represented by three volunteers who dedicated time to work at the main office of Volunteer NY. They met with other RISE volunteers and together they collaborated and organized themselves taking on specific roles to meet project objectives.

Tappan Hill students Ralph Cellante, Fraley Gomez and Serena Jones were recognized at the ceremony, making this event extra rewarding. Tappan Hill School was also recognized as a site that provided opportunities for other RISE volunteers from YAI, WIHD and ARC. Southern Westchester BOCES looks forward to continued collaboration with these impactful organizations.

Intramural sports prove to be a major motivator at Rye Lake MS/HS

Rye Lake Middle-High School students are looking forward to school more than ever since the start of intramural basketball and volleyball over the winter. The innovative new program incentivizes positive student behaviors with the promise of competitive games - sometimes against faculty and staff. Principal Eric Ford could not be more please with how well the program has worked. This fall, he may even take things outside with intramural football.

“This is based on students' choices and inputs,” Mr. Ford said. “We know that a lot of students struggle to maintain purpose in school. We know that sports is a way to pull them in, to connect them. Once we started intramural sports we had a decrease in incidents, especially from the students that typically display those challenges. It became something they look forward to.”

Future health professionals from the Valhalla campus prove they have what it takes

Students in the Animal Science, Emergency Medical Services, and Security, Law, and Policing classes at Southern Westchester BOCES’ Career Services campus in Valhalla attended the HOSA Spring Leadership Conference in Syracuse in late March. They returned back home with several medals and awards for demonstrating the skills they are learning.

Spring Connections Open House brings students, alumni and employers together

The Spring Connections Open House held on Wednesday, April 10, highlighted opportunities available to prospective job candidates, from adult education programs offered by Southern Westchester BOCES to available services and resources, and, of course, paths to employment.

For some, a job may be the next goal. For others, it’s having a chance to grow.

“I’m learning, and I’m definitely improving,” said Greg Parelli, a welding student at SWBOCES' Center for Adult & Community Services who said he is interested in machining as a career. “This gives me the information I need. It’s a start.”

The Open House — the second of its kind following the first event last fall — was designed to connect employers and industry specialists with SWBOCES’ skilled students and alumni. It was housed in Building A of the Center for Career Services in Valhalla, and over 100 attendees arrived.

Bench Bad Behavior pledge seeks a lasting impact on Section I Athletics

 A new sportsmanship initiative adopted by Section I and its member schools took hold this winter and promises to make a big impact: Bench Bad Behavior.

A pledge that originated with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), seeks to restore civility and encourage positive behavior at interscholastic athletic contests. Read by players before regular and postseason games, it stresses the importance of learning, growing and developing character through athletics and implores fans and participants to refrain from criticizing athletes, coaches and officials.

“Promoting sportsmanship is a major priority for Section I Athletics,” said Executive Director Todd Santabarbara. “The Bench Bad Behavior initiative is an important component to that. We as an organization were pleased to see so many of our schools unite behind this positive message and hope it can continue to resonate with our fans, student-athletes and coaches."

Companies send representatives to Valhalla campus for recruiting session

The Center for Career Services hosted a job fair and workshop in early April to assist students in furthering their career path. The fair brought in representatives of more than two-dozen businesses, branches of the military and local colleges to offer insights into their organizations.

Students in Linda Liebman’s class at Tappan Hill School created greenhouses in anticipation of Earth Day, which falls on April 22. The activity was created with Speech teacher Claribel Cruz Cocco in a collaborative lesson. The students and their teachers can’t wait to see what sprouts up!

Therapy dogs from BluePath Service Dogs visited with students at Tappan Hill School this week. Bluepath's dogs are in training to become dedicated autism service dogs and make weekly visits to local schools as part of their 'Paws to Learn' program. The dogs benefit from practicing the skills they are working on in training, and the students they meet benefit from their calming presence as well as the sensory experience of touching, petting, brushing and walking with them. Not only is their presence therapeutic, they can't help but brighten everyone's day!

Students, staff ‘Light It Up Blue’ on Rye Lake Lower Campus

A sea of blue flooded the Decagon building on the Rye Lake Campus as students, staff and parents celebrated Autism Awareness Month.

The ‘Light It Up Blue’ event provided engaging activities and a unique opportunity for those in the AIIM program to come together in an engaging social event that parents said they appreciated.  

“Our parents are so supportive of our program, and our team is dedicated to providing fun and engaging social opportunities like this for their students,” Principal Julia Dolan said. “This is more than a celebration of autism awareness. It’s a celebration of our students and all they are accomplishing throughout the school year.”

Valhalla Center students practice real-world skills in Living Center classroom

This school year, students at Southern Westchester BOCES’ Valhalla Center have had the opportunity to practice real-world skills and work-based activities in a specially designed setting  within their instructional program.

The new Living Center classroom provides a wide variety of everyday activities, allowing students to move from station to station as they acquire and practice valuable skills.

Annual Meeting spotlights SWBOCES Budget, Board of Education election

The Southern Westchester BOCES' 2024 Annual Meeting provided the opportunity to learn about the 2024-25 budget as well as to hear about the Board of Education election.

The event  was held on the campus of the Center for Career Services in Valhalla and featured an impressive dinner prepared and served by Career and Technical Education students in the campus's Culinary Arts program.

Spring fling at Rye Lake Lower Campus a learning opportunity, seasonal celebration

A “Spring has Sprung” event provided instructional opportunities disguised as a celebration of the change of seasons at Rye Lake Lower Campus. Students interacted and engaged with their teachers and one another, playing games, hunting eggs and getting their faces painted, among other activities. There was an underpinning of academic substance they might have missed for all the pastel-tinged revelry.

 “The purpose is to celebrate spring,” Principal Julia Dolan said, “but it also gives us the opportunity to build social skills while practicing how to maintain conversations, stay on topic, request, respond to ‘WH’ questions, use descriptive language, and take turns.”

Irvington program's 6th graders take lead on class charter

A group of sixth-graders was the first class at SWBOCES's Irvington program to follow the lead of their teachers and complete a charter of their own.

The colorful presentation they created together details the various positive behaviors to which they committed themselves – Listen Actively, Be Open-Minded, and Recognize Others When They Are Doing a Good Job. 

"As leaders and educators, we were just so impressed with the initiative and thoughtfulness of these students,” Principal Alberta Grant-Johnson said.