Youth on the Go
Seven Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center students competed in community service and community action contests during the 2019 SkillsUSA National Conference, which took place June 24 through 28, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Music production student Arye Gittleman, from the Ellenville Central School District, and Cisco & cybersecurity student Brayden DeGroat, from the Saugerties Central School District, both came in second. They received silver medals in the Community Action category.
In addition to Gittleman and DeGroat, other Ulster BOCES students who placed at the national competition included:
• Christian Dedovich and Dennis Bernzott, both from the Kingston city school district. Dedovich, a cosmetology student, and Bernzott, a digital design student, both placed seventh in the community service category.
• Jordan Corvin, an electrical construction and maintenance student, from the Rondout Valley Central School District, placed seventh in the Community Service category.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry professionals working together to ensure that the country has a skilled workforce. With more than 300,000 members, SkillsUSA promotes technical expertise, skill, and leadership.
Sixteen members of Onteora High School’s graduating class graduated with New York state’s Seal of Biliteracy.
“The seal recognizes advanced achievement in English as well as another World Language,” Valerie Stewart, Onteora’s world languages liaison, said in a press release.
Those applying for the seal were tasked with carrying out in-depth projects related to their chosen second language. They presented their projects this spring in front of a panel consisting of Onteora language teachers, two English and English as a New Language teachers and administrators.
“In order to achieve the seal, students must present for 10 minutes in a World Language and also score an 85 or higher in a Checkpoint C World Language course,” Stewart said in the release. Checkpoint C, she added, refers to a year of advanced study beyond the former Regents (Checkpoint B) level.
Students must also satisfy requirements in English by writing a scholarly essay on their chosen topic, scoring 85 or higher in their English coursework, scoring 75 or higher on the English Regents Exam and/or scoring at a Level 3 or higher on one of the English Advanced Placement exams.
The students who earned the seal, along with their presentation topics, are as follows:
Spanish: Nicholas Amodeo (South American Dishes); Aura Cabrera-Lopez (Native Languages of Mexico); Angelina Cordero (The Evolution of Reggae in Puerto Rico); Adrien D’Aprile (La Bestia Train); Lucas Dodd (Colombia); Ginger McMahon (La Leyenda de la Llorona); Seamus O’Donnell (Picasso); Fenner Osmond-Freidman (Mole Sauces); Satch Sumner-Waldman (Chick Corea/Latin Music); and Lindsy Voelker (Flamenco). French: Adrianne Cox (Impressionist Music); Duncan Ebbecke (Albert Camus); Zachary Edelstein (Tintin); Hominy McMahon (Jean-Paul Sartre); Adam Savage (the City of Toulouse); and Jules Schauffler (Francois Truffaut).