Local BOCES students traveled to Albany this week to take part in a forum and meeting with state Education Department officials.
According to a news release from Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES, the annual BOCES Expo took place Wednesday, April 30 at the state Legislative Office Building in Albany. DCMO BOCES was one of 30 BOCES from across the state that participated in the event, designed to showcase programs to lawmakers, staff and representatives from the Education Department.
DCMO BOCES students Sydney Elmendorf and Abigail Gregory, both from Franklin Central School, represented DCMO BOCES and the New Visions Education Program, along with teacher Gabrielle Pedersen and Jennifer Lawrence, director of career and technical education. They spoke with Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, Assemblyman Joseph Angelino and Assemblyman Brian Miller, as well as Kyle McCauley Belokopitsky, executive director of the New York State PTA, the release stated. The students also heard from a number of speakers at the event, including state Sen. Shelley Mayer, chair of the Senate Education Committee and event sponsor; Assemblyman Mike Benedetto, Assembly Education Committee Chair; and David O’Rourke, chair of BOCES of NYS, an organizer of the event.
“The BOCES Expo event is an opportunity for our students to shine in their respective fields,” Lawrence said. “Our New Visions Education profession students had the opportunity to speak with a variety of stakeholders there, and I was impressed by their professionalism and ability to express the impact their program of study has had on their future goals. Our students are well positioned to take the next steps on their chosen paths.”