In the latest episode of Leading for Deeper Learning with Ulster BOCES, District Superintendent Dr. Jonah Schenker sits down with Dr. Raymond Sanchez, Superintendent of the Tarrytown School District and 2025 NYSCOSS Superintendent of the Year, to explore that question in depth.

Ulster BOCES celebrated the opening of the Gene Haas Manufacturing Futures Lab at the Career Academies at iPark 87, marking a major investment in advanced manufacturing education. Supported by a $1 million partnership with the Gene Haas Foundation and Allendale Machinery, the lab will provide students with hands-on learning experiences aligned with high-demand careers. The event brought together students, educators, industry partners, and community leaders to highlight the power of collaboration in building the region’s future workforce.

The Ulster BOCES Human Resources Department recently hosted two sessions of its New Staff Academy, welcoming nearly 50 new employees to the agency during events held on March 17 and April 14 at the Jane Bullowa Conference Center.

Our Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning faculty and staff joined together for a powerful, hands-on Deep Dive professional learning experience grounded in our Leading for Deeper Learning principles and our shared North Star commitments.

The Council of Industry has announced its 2026 Manufacturing Champions, and we are proud to share that Ulster BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Jonah Schenker is among this year’s honorees. 

After an action-packed day of demonstrating their technical skills and leadership qualities while facing off against students from across the region during the 2025 SkillsUSA Regional Competition, 46 young professionals from the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center took to the stage to accept medals.

The New York School Public Relations Association has named Holly Brooker, Director of Community Relations at Ulster BOCES, as its 2025 Communicator of the Year. This prestigious honor recognizes a communications professional who exemplifies excellence, leadership, ethics, and a steadfast commitment to advancing public education through strategic communication.

Ulster BOCES was proud to host this year’s NYSCATE Mid-Hudson Tech Fest 2026: Leading Learning Through Change on Friday, March 6 at the Ulster BOCES Career Academies at iPark 87.

Career Pathways Programs’ robotics teams—the HVPA Dragons and Robotic Rams—kicked off the 2026 FIRST Robotics season! 

Ulster County superintendents and legal counsels, the District Attorney, and law enforcement leaders collaborate to strengthen communication, clarity, and coordinated response protocols.

Season 2 is here! Leading for Deeper Learning with Ulster BOCES is back—and this year we’re focusing on NY Inspires, New York State’s multi-year transformation of what it means to be a graduate.

Members of the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce were welcomed to the Ulster BOCES Career Academies at iPark for an evening of tours, networking, and hands-on learning led by the young professionals who know the programs best. Chamber members enjoyed mouth-watering food and beverages prepared by students in the hospitality, culinary arts, and pastry arts programs while mixing and mingling throughout the facility. The February 10 event offered local business owners an inside look at the programs and state-of-the-art learning spaces where Ulster BOCES Career Academies students are building the skills and knowledge needed to succeed as leaders in today’s workforce.

“These individuals embody what it means to belong to a community that truly believes in its
children,” said Dr. Jonah Schenker, District Superintendent of Ulster BOCES, who helped
coordinate the event on behalf of UCSBA. “Their dedication and generosity help create the
kind of supportive environment where every student can be seen, valued, and inspired to
succeed.”

The NY Inspires Transformation Design Cycles Playbook is an essential guide for New York school districts committed to reimagining education through the NY Inspires framework. 

While the doors to the Ulster BOCES Career Academies at iPark 87 officially opened to more than 1,400 of Ulster County’s high school juniors and seniors in early September, nearly 200 educators, business/industry leaders, government officials, state education officials, and representatives from higher education were able to explore the new facility on Friday, October 3. The guests joined over 100 Ulster BOCES young professionals, staff, and administrators at its new state-of-the-art training center in the former IBM-complex on Enterprise Drive in Kingston for an official ribbon-cutting event with the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce.