September 20, 2001
For Immediate Release
Contact: Holly Brooker
(845) 255-1450 xt.1301 Every time residents of the Kingston area walk down Broadway they will see the results of the hard work of some talented and hardworking Ulster BOCES students.

Fifteen Special Education students enrolled in the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center’s Exploratory Occupations class designed and constructed a new marquee for The People’s Place, a non-profit food pantry in Kingston.

During the course of the school year, students in the class spent month-long stints learning the basic skills required for employment in several different types of careers. They were taught the ins and outs of cooking, building, small engine repair, facilities maintenance, and retail customer service. Assisted by two eleventh grade Career & Technical Center Graphic Arts students from the Highland Central School District, the 14 through 21-year-old Special Education students used what they had learned in the building section of the course to construct an approximately eight-foot long wooden marquee. Using an opaque projector, the students traced letters onto the marquee, painted them, and added their own ribbon design. The People’s Place donated the wood, paint, and other materials used for the project. The undertaking took more than 20 hours to complete.

This dazzling new sign now graces the entrance to the agency. The idea for the project came about after students in the class began doing volunteer work at The People’s Place earlier in the year. Once a month, class members spent time at the food pantry helping to unload trucks, shelve food items, and bag groceries for patrons.

“The students had fun brainstorming the design of the marquee and were happy to contribute their time and energy to such a worthwhile cause,” says Exploratory Occupations teacher Gloria Middaugh.