Ulster BOCES Auto Collision Technology program students–or “young professionals” as they are referred to around the school building as a nod to their growing skills–gave a new look to some old faces–table faces, that is. 

The project aims to refresh old, beat-up wooden classroom work tables by sanding them down, varnishing them, and adding a bit of school spirit by incorporating the Ulster BOCES logo. The revamped tables, six which have been completed so far, have been returned to their original classrooms where they will be ready for everyone to admire when they return from the summer vacation. Twenty additional tables are slated to be refinished in the upcoming school year. 

The learning experience allowed young professionals from several programs to apply their particular expertise, while creating the opportunity for them to flex their communication, collaboration, and project management skills. In addition to the actual refinishing work done by the Auto Collision Technology program, young professionals from the Phoenix Academy (the Ulster BOCES alternative education program) used the class’s new latex printer to print the logo and the Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing program developed dye to be used to brand tables in the Culinary Arts classrooms.

Yessica Mixtega, a young professional from KCSD who attends the Auto Collision Technology program, helped to prepare the first two tables, which required an entire day of sanding. “Everybody pitched in a bit from different parts of the school,” she said. “It felt like teamwork.” Yessica added that she learned all of the skills and techniques she deployed for the project right in her classroom. 

Classmate Julian Estrada, also from KCSD, worked on four tables, doing everything from sanding, to clear-coating, to applying the logos created by the Phoenix Academy. “They surpassed my expectations. The tables look professional,” he remarked, adding that he appreciates knowing they will remain in the school building, and will be used by future students long after he has graduated and moved on. 

Phoenix Academy teacher Jesse Roth said that this was the first time his class had completed a stencil for mass production using the new latex printer. Aspen Chambers, a young professional in his program from the Kingston City School District (KCSD), said that it took several hours for the class to learn how to optimize and scale the logo for printing, but she and her classmates appreciated the end result. “It looks really good,” she said.  

For more information about the Phoenix Academy, please visit Phoenix Academy. For more information about the Automotive Collision program, visit Ulster BOCES Automotive Collision Program.