Education, Opportunity, Success
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Newsletter 2018, Summer Quarter
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President's Communication
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Thank You For Your Service.
Often this statement is said for those individuals who either served in the military or first responders. This statement is so important for those individuals who have made the sacrifice and commitment to helping others and is not taken for granted. That same statement can be said for those individuals who put a lifetime toward improving the transition of students in special education and individuals in ACCES into employment. Too often those individuals that serve people who require a different level of support to achieve their career quest are not recognized for the sacrifice and effort they provide to their students and individuals. Working at challenging worksites, assisting students in food preparation in the back of a steamy kitchen, teaching individuals to use public transportation in the cold of winter and heat of summer, are part of the hard work we do. In addition to working with individuals onsite,o
ften our CEO Career Consultants guide our client's through disappointments of not getting their dream job, or sharing with a family their concern for their child getting terminated from a great job.
I would like to take this opportunity recognize all your hard work and say thank you to the CEO staff and others in the field, for serving those individuals who need a different level of support to achieve their goals.
.....Nicholas A. Villani, President
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Business Advisory Council
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The Business Advisory Council for Career and Employment Options is the evolution of developing business relationships for the students and adults that CEO serves. The format and requirements of the BAC members makes participation and involvement simple, easy and productive.
The primary purpose for the BAC is to link and provide resources to business to further their community participation and develop a strategic position in community involvement and expanding their workforce to individuals of all level abilities, individuals with disabilities included.
BAC format :
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Three meetings per year with one meeting being a general attendance and award meeting.
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The other two meetings will be virtual, taped and available for BAC members on the website.
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Website will have special entry code for BAC members.
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BAC members can utilize the blog and other resources such as information regarding tax credits, incentives for hiring youth and youth with disabilities.
If you are a business that would like to participate, please contact Joelle Kronberg at 631-234-6064
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Success Story
by: David Wetzel
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George Brenseke of
Brenseke Welding,
Brandon Platania
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Brandon is going into his senior year at Plainedge HS, where he is enrolled in the BOCES Barry Technical Education Center's Welding program. Brandon has had good success in the program using his own equipment and tools. At Barry Tech, he has learned how to weld the metals: aluminum and steel, which apparently require very different techniques. Brandon has gone so far in the program that he has won awards for his class projects.
CEO was able to help Brandon by establishing an internship with
Brenseke Welding. Brandon started in July and hit the ground running. On his first day in a real welding shop, Brandon was asked to demonstrate some of his abilities to the owner, George Brenseke. After Brandon's first day, the CEO consultant was told by Brandon's supervisor that he thinks Brandon will be a great fit in the shop and they are very happy to have him there.
As the weeks are quickly going by, Brandon is getting hands on experience welding and working with large scale projects. For example, the Brandon assisted a senior shop welder with attaching a large metal tool box to a heavy duty truck. When the shop is slow, Brandon practices his techniques using scrap metals. So far, this internship has been a great success and really represents what CEO is about. This young man is destined to be a Master Welder and CEO and Brenseke are helping him get there.
As Brandon enters his Senior year, he will continue pursuing his HS degree. Brenseke has already been asking him about his availability during the school year. Go Brandon Go!
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CEO thanks Brenseke Welding for Brandon's great opportunity!
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Business Highlight
by: Cheryl Marckesano
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Drew Danter completed his internship of 160 hours at CVS, Huntington Station. It truly was a pleasure for me to watch him grow into a self confident young man, really committed to doing a fabulous job. He mastered many tasks such as putting away throw backs, following directions from CVS staff, using a scanner to find item locations and working together with me, his Career Coach .
Drew was able to locate any item in any department and always helping customers find items with a smile on his face. His excellent service earned him a customer service pin with his name.
Drew communicates very well with the staff, and has become very comfortable speaking to all the employees. I am very proud of all his achievements. After speaking to the managers and co-workers they are all sad to see him leave . I spoke to Drew and his mother about filling out an online application to CVS. The CVS manager mentioned they may have a potential floor position. Drew's CVS experience is a great addition to his resume.
The CVS Huntington staff was patient and kind-hearted . The managers I spoke with were extremely sad to see him go. They gave me a wonderful experience as well. Anytime we want to employ another intern, they will be 100% on board. They couldn't say enough about what a privilege it was having Drew work with them from September till April. He was a big help through many holidays and seasons.
Thank you to the CVS staff for working with us, it was a privilege and great experience.
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School Business Partnerships
STEM
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3rd Annual Shoreham-Wading River
STEM Symposium
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Shoreham, New York
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May 16, 2018: Where else can you find students of all ages presenting their STEM projects and businesses demonstrating the application of STEM in their daily work? On Tuesday, May 15,
t
he district hosted its
3rd Annual STEM Symposium
from 5:00-7:00 pm for parents, educators and students from K-12 throughout the district. The gym was buzzing with hands-on activities while creating important connections with students’ academics through a business and community presence.
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Thank you to Dr. Amy Meyer, Director of the Shoreham-Wading River School District STEM program for her creation, implementation and hard work in making this event a continuing success.
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COMPANY
TOPICS
Applied DNA Sciences, Inc.
Using biotechnology as a forensic foundation to create unique security solutions that address the challenges of modern commerce, whether working in supply chain security, brand protection or law enforcem
ent
ASRC Federal Holding Company
Careers in science, engineering, math, computing as Federal Gov't contractors
Brookhaven National Laboratory
How Brookhaven National Lab engages community outreach
Brookhaven Women in Science
Brookhaven Women in Science is a not-for-profit organization that represents women in STEM careers or women associated to STEM in any form. We will show how research and technology contributes to our society by exploring our surroundings with LIGHT.
Dr. Jason Kronberg--Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine
Heart rate and exercise
Harbor Hot Tubs
How sound travels through as a wave through a solid.
Innovation Lab
Innovation L
ab
Jarret Acevedo Plumbing & Heating
Plumbing and Heating
Long Island Science Center
Volunteer Opportunities/STEM Summer Camp Enrollments
Luitpold Pharmaceuticals
Using STEM in pharmaceutical industry
Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe
Promote Science and Science Education
United States Army
Technology and Engineering in the Military
THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMPANIES WHO PARTICIPATED!
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Welcome back to another school year! In an effort to
work smarter, not harder
I began using
Seesaw: The Learning Journa
l last year. This is a
FREE
app that can be downloaded in all the app stores works great on any computer or device.
Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio that inspires your students to do their best work and saves you time. How does Seesaw work?
The app is easy to use and my students (alternate assessment/SACC) had no issue integrating this technology with minimal assistance. They loved the new opportunity to create videos, illustrations, narrations and photos to show what they’ve learned and where they’ve been during their vocational training program. The parents have provided immediate and positive feedback to their child and now have a better idea of what their child actually does with us at school! At the end of the month, you are able to easily download and print a PDF of your students journal to submit to the district.
Seesaw is COPPA, FERPA and GDPR compliant. However, check with CEO admin/your district before you begin using as each school has different rules!
As always, if you have any questions about Seesaw, or if I can help you in any other way, do not hesitate to reach out to me! Thanks, and have a great year everyone!
Ann
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Above and Beyond-
Employees of the Quarter
by Nick Villani, President & CEO
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Congratulations to
Monique Greene
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Often people in the backdrop of an organization such as ours do not receive the recognition they deserve. This employee works in support to the staff in ensuring checks are cut, supplies are ordered and overall ensuring things work are working. In September of 2017, Monique Greene was hired on a part-time basis to act as the Fiscal Manager at CEO. During that time she has effectively turned around our Fiscal Department in multiple ways. She has worked diligently in order to ensure that CEO was paid in a timely manner that lessens the monetary constraints on the agency to have the necessary operating funds. In addition, she works with the Administrative Team in developing information to more effectively operate programs with more information than they have had in two years. She has been working closely with ACCES-VR Business Managers to get CEO back into working with clients and clarifying funds that were not paid back to CEO. The work with ACCES was painstaking and took a great deal of effort both while at work and at home to get the ACCES program back on track. On a personal note she has become a strong team member and a pleasure for all of us to work with. It is not often people in the backdrop of an agency get the recognition they so richly deserve, however in this case all of us have benefited from her work and going beyond the normal call of duty. For that reason we have nominated and given Monique Greene, Fiscal Manager the honor of Employee of the Quarter.
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Elissa Marshall is a Career Coach with CEO. Elissa works with students coordinating and demonstrating strategies that encourage self-reliance, independence and confidence in her students. Elissa has worked with students in the classroom and in the field. She has numerous years throughout her career working various school districts and at a Montessori School.
Elissa adapts a strength -based approach, supporting each student’s unique capacities, personality and potential. When working with clients she exhibits passion and patience in her work with the special needs population.
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Heather Robertson joined CEO as the Leadership and Training Coordinator. In this role, Heather focuses on curriculum design, staff training and development, and staff support. As a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Heather also provides vocational counseling, career development services, vocational evaluations, and job placement services.
Heather has worked as a career counselor and employment specialist in nonprofit, for profit, and college settings, as well as, a high school special education teacher. She has previously served as a corporate trainer for organizations such as Bank of America and Capital One, and has developed curricula for school-to-work transition programs, as well as graduate counseling programs. Heather has Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Virginia Tech and a Master’s degree in Counseling & Guidance from Texas A & M University in Corpus Christi. She has published her career development research in national, peer-reviewed journals, and has been invited to present her expertise in career development and career transition at state, national, and international forums.
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Joelle Kronberg will have a new role at CEO. She will be heading up School Business Partnerships and Business Advisory Council starting in July. Joelle not only has a rich background in school counseling but also has an extensive background in marketing.
Lisa Strahs-Lorenc originally started the School Business Partnerships. She has done an incredible job in starting this program and we have already seen growth for the 2018-2019 school year.
On behalf of CEO I would like to welcome Joelle into her new position and thank Lisa for the contributions and work she has done to establish this important program to our array of services. We wish Lisa the best of luck in her new endeavors.
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New Gym Created To Help People With Special Needs Stay Fit
by Tanisha Thomas, The Columbus Dispatch/TNS | July 20, 2018
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — During 25 years as an adapted physical education teacher, Peggy Mills noticed that when her students with disabilities graduated from school and entered adulthood it was difficult for them to find a place to work out.
“There is not much out there afterwards to help them become healthy,” she said.
The scarcity motivated her to launch a three-week fitness program last year at Training Grounds, a local gym.
The program, called Unique Fitness and Individualized Training (UFIT), was created to help people with neurological, developmental or physical challenges stay fit. Beginning with seven people, it quickly grew to more than 20, prompting Mills to look for a larger space.
In March, with the help of her husband, Tim, Mills opened her own gym in Dublin, a Columbus suburb.
While some gyms have programs for people with disabilities, Mills said hers is the only one in the area that caters to their specific fitness needs.
Obesity rates for adults with disabilities are 58 percent higher than for adults without disabilities, and 38 percent higher for children with disabilities than for children without disabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inactivity due to limited access to adapted gyms or recreational opportunities contributes to the obesity rate, said John Wysocki, vice president of sports and programs for Special Olympics Ohio.
“Focusing on their health and wellness helps people with disabilities build muscle and endurance while also building social relationships with people,” Wysocki said.
Mills said her gym follows a three-prong approach — customization, empowerment and visual training — and offers special equipment, adapted exercises and specialized instruction to meet everyone’s unique needs and interests. For example, the use of a “visual fitness board,” allows people to select different exercises for their workout, she said.Since most clients are visual learners, Mills said, the board helps clients gain confidence because they come in already knowing what to do. In a more traditional gym, by comparison, clients might become confused because they’re not shown what to do, she added.
“It’s comfortable here and not overwhelming like regular gyms,” she said.
Mills didn’t start working with people with disabilities until 1990 when a Dublin school administrator asked her to incorporate their needs into her gym classes.
At first she refused. “I felt like I didn’t know enough to train them,” she said.
However, after teaching a class of eight students, Mills said she became hooked. She pursued a master’s degree in adapted physical education at Ohio State University and became a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.Lori Reynolds of Dublin credits UFIT for helping her 15-year-old son, Jack — who has autism and tetralogy of fallot, a complex birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart — continue to stay fit. “Because of this program, he is a lot more willing to try new things,” she said, adding that it has also helped him gain a sense of confidence and perseverance.
Lindsay Gantzer, 36, of Dublin, who has Down syndrome, works out and volunteers at the gym because it makes her feel like she is a part of the community.
Gantzer said Mills was her physical education teacher in elementary school, and she loves how Mills makes workouts both challenging and fun.
“This gym has become a part of me,” Gantzer said.
© 2018 The Columbus Dispatch
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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| Career & Employment Options | 631-234-6064 | 631-234-6081 | www.ceoincworks
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