June 2007 Ulster BOCES Recognizes Career & Technical Center Students at 36th Annual Achievement Ceremony
June is a month filled with hope and Ulster BOCES honored the achievements and success of these students, who have successfully completed their coursework making them eligible to move on to college or enter the workforce with the skills and experience necessary to be successful in more than 30 career fields. Through an integrated course of study that merges rigorous academics with the real-life experiences of the world of work, these students are ready to leave their mark on the world, whichever path they choose. More than 100 scholarships and awards were also presented to students during the course of the evening.
Howard Korn, director of Career & Technical Education and Adult Services at Ulster BOCES opened the 36th Annual Achievement Ceremony by reminiscing about when he was a student. “I loved the subject when I had an enjoyable teacher. Great teachers are rare individuals, and the Career & Technical Center is fortunate to have a great instructional staff.” He then addressed the Class of 2007 by saying, “If you don’t already know it, you are the future leaders of the world…and future leaders learn here at the Career & Technical Center. Take a look around you, these students are truly amazing. I applaud them.”
The featured guest speakers were Class of 2006 Career & Technical students Gerrit Blauvelt, who was in the Criminal Justice program, and Brittany Heins, who was in the Early Childhood Education program, both in the photo above. An Early Childhood Education student from Wallkill High School sang a beautiful rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.”
The Class of 2007 valedictorian, a Computer Design/Manufacturing Technology student from New Paltz High School, spoke candidly to the audience and his fellow classmates; first by thanking the staff at the Career & Technical Center and then by highlighting the value of the technical skills learned. “Over the last two years here at Ulster Career & Technical Center, we have all learned many skills in numerous fields of study. The backbone of our country’s economy is made up of people with just these types of skills…this country is going to depend on those of us able to change tires, fix broken toilets and furnaces, or cook a good meal. There are a lot of statistics about jobs overseas, but there are still over 500,000 manufacturing jobs in New York State alone that will need skilled hand labor in the years and decades ahead. The technical education we have gained from the Ulster Career & Technical Center will help us go out and be the hands and feet of America. My wish today is that as we leave, each with goals and aspirations for the future, that we all find some way to better society. I believe the Class of 2007 can do this. As Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’”
The valedictorian closed by quoting former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, “‘The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a light match, each one of us is a fuse.’”
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excitement as Ulster County high school seniors are eagerly anticipating their graduation day and stepping off into their futures. In addition to the pomp and circumstance atmosphere that goes along with their traditional home school graduation ceremonies, 425 seniors from across Ulster County were recently recognized in a special ceremony held at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston that celebrated a unique part of their education that sets their diplomas apart from their peers; the hands-on career training they learned at the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center.