DID YOU KNOW?

More than 90% of PNW BOCES CTE graduates will be off to college in the fall.

Families, students, and staff members gathered in front of the Career and Technical Education Center on the Putnam | Northern Westchester BOCES campus on June 6 to recognize the bright young seniors who are about to begin the next exciting phase of their lives.

From automotive work to videography, students from all areas of study celebrated the end of one path and the beginning of the next at the CTE Recognition Ceremony.

“Today, at the Career and Technical Education Center, we have a lot to be proud of,” said PNW BOCES Chief Operating Officer Dr. James Ryan. “There are many things that impress me about this group, but nothing more than the passion and commitment that they have for their chosen areas of study.”

The group of students recognized chose to venture beyond their home school districts to pursue their passions, and their efforts did not go unnoticed. 

“I studied engineering and architecture here at PNW BOCES,” said Carmel student Edward Cajamarca. “I liked the freedom of learning here, but also the Math and English classes. I even got to design a Las Vegas hotel/casino as my senior exit project.”

“I’m studying to be a Medical Assistant,” Hendrick-Hudson student Marjorie Villa said. “I loved all of the opportunities to do hands-on work through the Tech Center and internships. I had so many great teachers and met a lot of friends here too.”

Yorktown High School and Intro to Health Occupations student Tamia Johnson said, “The Tech Center was very open and had diverse people and opportunities. It was so easy to talk to teachers, and I had a great counselor who I could always go to whenever I needed anything or even just to talk.”

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH THE CTE RECOGNITION CEREMONY

Tilly Foster Farms Culinary Arts students Robert Lau (left) and Samuel Spreter‘s talent for making delectable desserts earned them scholarships from Cornell Cooperative Education. Photo credit: Graphic Design & Digital Photography student Makenzie DeGrazia from Putnam Valley.

Career and Technical Education’s best and brightest were celebrated with a scholarship and awards ceremony on May 17.

More than $13,000 in scholarships were gifted to 49 students in fields ranging from the Culinary Arts to Urban Forestry.

The students weren’t the only ones feted. Business recognition plaques were given to five local businesses for outstanding support of CTE programs.

Landscaping equipment company Vermeer North Atlantic, Open Door Family Medical Center, US Infrastructure Company, Fusion Hair Color Bar, and Site Design Consultants were those honored.

Tilly Foster Farms Culinary Arts students Robert Lau and Samuel Spreter‘s talent for making delectable desserts earned them scholarships from Cornell Cooperative Education. Robert and Samuel attend Brewster High School.

Several of the awards were memorial scholarships named for former CTE students. 

Child Development and Education student Karli Martin, a Hendrick Hudson High School senior, was awarded the Erin Bentivegna Memorial Scholarship. Erin was a CTE senior from Mahopac when she lost her battle with cancer in 2017.

Somers High School senior and Medical Assistant student Melissa Connors received the William H. Barlow Memorial Scholarship. William was a Somers and CTE graduate.

Many other students received awards and recognition and were celebrated at the event.

They are our future architects, teachers, doctors, welders, auto mechanics, chefs, and so much more. The top students of the Career and Technical Education Center at Putnam | Northern Westchester BOCES were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society on May 17. The students—from all over the region and across CTE programs—represent the embodiment of the values the organization espouses. 

“Out of more than 1,000 students in CTE, 60 of you have been recognized for going above and beyond in excellence in your programs,” said Dr. James Ryan, chief operating officer of PNW BOCES. “I am so pleased to be here tonight to honor your accomplishments.”

The following students were inducted:

Architecture and Engineering

Mateo Jimenez - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Jennifer Rivas – Mahopac

Auto Body

Brando Chavez - Lakeland/Walter Panas

John Duarte – Peekskill

Child Development

Nicole Hartmann - Mahopac

Faith Marchioni - Mahopac

Karli Martin - Hendrick Hudson

Kaliana Martinez - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Isabella Parraga - Brewster

Madelin Ruballos - Peekskill

Kari Smith – Brewster

Cosmetology

Katherine Ayora - Ossining

Natalie Corcione - Mahopac

Olivia Giordano - Hendrick Hudson

Aryonna Kristoferson - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Caryn McInerney - Lakeland

Culinary Arts

Brianna Nunez - Mahopac

Zoey Rolón – Carmel

Digital Film & Sound

Anthony Collorafi - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Jenna DiLoreto - Hendrick Hudson

Kyra Johnsen - Hendrick Hudson

Michelle Medina – Carmel

Fashion Design & Merchandising

Mia Brito - Ossining

Lisandra Cabrera - Ossining

Angjela Daberdaku - Yorktown

Anna-Rose Marino – Carmel

Law Enforcement

Yennifer Concepcion - Lakeland

Megan Ferreira - Haldane

Vito Giannelli - Putnam Valley

Sarah Iza - Putnam Valley

Camille McNicholas - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Medical Assistant

Karen Carchi Naranjo- Mahopac

Aviana Ciani - Mahopac

Melissa Connors - Somers

Abigail Lojano - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Ashley Lojano - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Microcomputer Technology

Scott Altro – Bedford

Adam D'Antona – Mahopac

Andrei Gorlitsky - Pawling

Joshua Greenburgh - North Salem

Christopher Pena - Brewster

Kevin Skelly - Hendrick Hudson

David Valis - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Zander Viljoen – Somers

New Visions Health

Marissa Abramson - Somers

E'mahni Allen - Peekskill

Marie Camastro - Mahopac

Mia Ferreira – Croton-Harmon

Spanish Cosmetology

Sheila Arevalo – Peekskill

Sports Medicine

Brielle Cole - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Bryonna Kristoferson - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Kaylee Martin - Carmel

Ava Melikian - Carmel

Violet Tarquinio – Brewster

Veterinary Science

Kyra Capossela - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Camille Gibson - Hendrick Hudson

Alexandra Moyer - Lakeland/Walter Panas

Lauren Ward-Willis - Somers

Lily West – Somers

Welding

Gavin Crilly - Lakeland

Fashion Design and Merchandising Students gather on stage after the Fashion Show.

Glitz, glamour, and denim dominated the catwalk at the annual student fashion show.

Lisa Tobin’s nine Fashion Design and Merchandising students showcased their own lines at the May 18 event on the Putnam | Northern Westchester BOCES campus.

From Walter Panas High School student Gianna Morra’s classy vintage frocks to Ossining High School senior Lisandra Cabrera’s “Soul Train” inspired looks — nearly every decade, from the 1940s through the early aughts — was represented.

As sounds of Abba and Gwen Stefani flowed, the budding fashionistas’ family and friends sashayed down the runway, modeling the students’ personally designed duds.

“I am very grateful that I got to do this,” said Hendrick Hudson senior Angel Picciano, whose colorful line was based on the popular Monster High dolls.

Angel’s grandmother, Paz, got a shout out in the introductory video, for passing along her seamstress skills.

The nineties, the era of flannel and grunge, were solidly represented by several students.

Yorktown High School’s Maeve McElvaney’s outfits recalled 90s girl bands with a touch of punk.

“I know how much work and time Maeve put into this,” her mother, Ann McElvaney beamed. “Not knowing how to sew and creating patterns were the hardest things. The students had to make patterns from scratch, and they were all very successful.”

Lisandra had a whole cheering section, including her parents, boyfriend, and godmother.

“I wanted to model, but she said, ‘No Mom, you’re too old,’” Lisandra’s mother Jenny laughed.

The Fashion Design and Merchandising students were lent a helping hand by the Graphic Design and Digital Photography students, who made the show posters and programs and took photos.

The annual fashion show is the apex of Tobin’s two-year course. Students leave the class with a design portfolio and industry know-how about visual merchandising, textiles, and design theory.

“I am so proud of my students! They did an amazing job. Everything went really smoothly,” Tobin said.

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH THE FASHION SHOW

Members of the Yorktown and Mohegan Lake Volunteer Ambulance Corps. receive American flags made by CTE Carpentry students to hang in their stations. 

A motorcade of local police, fire, and town officials wound its way around the Putnam | Northern Westchester BOCES campus to collect flags made for them by Carpentry students.

They came from Carmel, Yorktown, and Bedford and represented Westchester County and New York State.

The flags will be hung in libraries, schools, town halls, police stations, and fire houses.

Carpentry teacher Jon Farrell and his students presented each agency with a handmade wooden American flag as a token of gratitude for all the work they do in their communities.

“What the kids did is absolutely awesome,” said Yorktown Town Supervisor Tom Diana. “They were given minimal direction, and they just ran with it.”

Graphic Design and Digital Photography students helped carve the stars on the flags and worked with Digital Film and Sound students to capture the distribution during the presentation outside the Tech Center.

Farrell’s students took several weeks to choose who they were making their flags for. Some of the decisions were personal. 

Yorktown High School junior James Callaghan crafted one for Yorktown Heights Engine Company #1, where he is in the Junior Corps.

Other students didn’t have a personal connection to their flag recipient but were moved to create something.

Hendrick Hudson senior Anthony Ciampi made two flags.

The first was to honor Jake Acara, a Yorktown Highway Department worker who was killed on the job on Sept. 14, 2022.

“I first started the flag by thinking about who matters in this community, who are the hidden but most useful people,” Anthony said. “I came across his story. Once I looked into who he was, I saw he was a young guy whose life was cut short,” the 18-year-old explained.

Acara, 28, was directing traffic as a flagger while a crew installed drainage pipes on London Road, when a motorist drove through a blocked lane and fatally struck him.

“We are so grateful the students are helping us keep Jake's memory alive. I can't express our gratitude enough,” said Yorktown Highway Superintendent Dave Paganelli.

Anthony’s other flag was made in memory of Yorktown Police Lieutenant Kenneth Sgroi who died on Jan. 2. He was posthumously promoted to captain.

“At the bottom of it I wrote, ‘Forever in our hearts’ because we never should forget someone who dedicated their life to this town,” said Anthony, who lost a family member who was killed in the line of duty as a police officer.

The sentiment was not lost on Sgroi’s brothers and sisters in blue. 

“The students did a fabulous job. They worked hard, and they put a lot of time and effort into making these flags for the community,” said Yorktown Police Lieutenant Jim Graham. “It's, greatly, greatly appreciated.”

Law Enforcement students visited the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan.

“The intention of the 9/11 Memorial field trip was to give the students first-hand observations of the psychological and physical damage that was inflicted upon America that horrific day.”

The students solemnly viewed twisted pieces of steel that held up the North and South Towers, airplane parts, crushed emergency vehicles, and mementos of those lost.

“I learned a lot more at the memorial than I could learn in school,” said Ronald Kubilus, a Brewster High School senior.

“What really shocked me was one video of a woman talking about her son she lost,” Ronald said.

The trip was personal for Haldane senior Megan Ferreira. Her grandfather, James A. Oakley, was a senior vice president at Marsh & McLennan who perished in the North Tower.

“My chest started getting heavy as I walked into the museum,” Megan said. “I saw his picture, his information, and his missing person paper.”

Megan visited the memorial several times with her mother, including on her grandfather’s birthday to see a white rose next to his name etched into the sides of the reflecting pools where the twin towers once stood.

“The students were also inspired by the heroic efforts of first responders and civilians that day, which will help them decide, post-graduation, if they wish to pursue a career as a first responder,” Houlahan said.

“A lot of police officers and firefighters from around the state went to go help because it was such a big event,” noted Vito Giannelli, 18, of Putnam Valley. “A lot of first responders got sick from being there,” he added.

The 9/11 Memorial Glade at the site honors the rescue and recovery workers who died of illnesses connected to their work at ground zero.

“It’s something I’ll never forget,” Vito said.

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The Tech Center at Yorktown www.pnwboces.org

200 BOCES Drive

Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

914.248.2420

Editor: Erika Martinez