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STEM Academy students from Robert McMann’s Computer Networking Class at the OU BOCES Career and Technical Education Center recently competed in the first round of the CyberPatriot Competition. The competition is a cyber-education program conceived by the Air Force Association to inspire high school and middle school students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) .

Orange-Ulster BOCES’ Division of Instructional Support Services and Manhattanville College are pleased to collaborate and provide advanced training programs for educators, teachers, and administrators interested in English as a new language and bilingual education. During 2023-24, Orange-Ulster BOCES will host a NYSED Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL/ESOL) Certification Cohort. The cohorts are open to all public and private school educators who hold a NYSED certification.

On June 16, 20 and 21, 2023, the Orange-Ulster BOCES Division of Career and Technical Education (CTE) held its 56th annual Student Recognition Ceremony at its Arden Hill and Gibson Road campuses in Goshen, N.Y.  More than 950 students were honored for completing their various CTE programs.

On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, Orange-Ulster BOCES celebrated the accomplishments of outstanding students from our region at the 2023 awards ceremony and luncheon, which was held at the Country Club at Otterkill in Campbell Hall.  The welcome and congratulatory remarks were delivered by Mrs. Deborah McBride Heppes, Chief Operating Officer of OU BOCES.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education students in two programs recently teamed up on a project to teach rats how to drive.

Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering students Brandon Barton (Port Jervis) and Logan Smith (school) created the vehicle. Then Animal Science students Sydnie Meore (Pine Bush), Brighton Blake (Minisink Valley), Orlando Mendoza (Middletown) and Kathleen Rios (Washingtonville) trained rats Pinky and the Brain to operate the ratmobile.

High school seniors who have distinguished themselves in the classroom and the athletic arena were honored on Thursday, June 1, at the annual Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Scholar Athlete Awards Breakfast held at the Country Club at Otterkill in Campbell Hall. About 275 people, including honorees, their families, school district personnel, members of the OCIAA Executive Committee and sponsors attended the event. 

On Friday May 12, 2023, the students of Orange-Ulster BOCES CTE Fire Science program participated in Live Burn Day. This is a component of the New York State Interior Firefighting Operations (IFO) Certification, which students in the course have the opportunity to partake in to receive this certification from The Office of Fire Prevention & Control.

This certification allows students the ability to operate as Interior Structural firefighters. During the day, students participate in learning to extinguish three live fires, vent, enter, and search of the building, as well as other techniques and operations essential to firefighting.

Following two weekends of trials between Mock Trial teams from 10 local school districts, Washingtonville High School and Goshen High School faced each other in the Orange-Ulster BOCES Mock Trial Finals held on March 28 in the Orange County Courthouse. The Honorable Judge E. Loren Williams, Supreme Court Justice and supervising judge for all city courts in the ninth judicial district, presided over the trial. After well-developed arguments presented by both sides, Goshen High School was awarded the win.

The Orange-Ulster BOCES Division of Instructional Support Services' Mock Trial Program began its 2023 multi-round competition on Saturday, March 18 with teams from Chester, Goshen, Highland Falls, Minisink, Middletown, Monroe-Woodbury, Newburgh, Port Jervis, Warwick, and Washingtonville. The high school teams faced off in "courtrooms" on the OU BOCES campus and argued their cases before Orange County judges.

Markus Ferrara, an eighth-grade student who attends Port Jervis Middle School in the Port Jervis School District, became the first place winner of the annual spelling bee held at Orange-Ulster BOCES on March 16, 2023.  The event is organized each year by the Division of Instructional Support Services and was sponsored by Orange-Ulster BOCES, in collaboration with the Orange County School Boards Association and the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) is accepting applications for Little Dreamers Preschool Program. Little Dreamers provides a safe, developmentally appropriate environment for preschool children. Its focus is to offer a stimulating early care and education experience which promotes each child's social/emotional, physical and cognitive development. 

Orange-Ulster BOCES’ Division of Instructional Support Services and Manhattanville College are pleased to collaborate and provide advanced training programs for educators, teachers and administrators, interested in English as a new language and bilingual education.  During 2023 Orange-Ulster BOCES will host a NYSED Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL/ESOL) Certification Cohort and a Bilingual Extension Certification Cohort. 

Patricia Millburn, Supervisor of Transportation for Orange-Ulster BOCES, was honored recently with an Award for Excellence for Support Staff at the Mid-Hudson School Study Council's annual Awards for Excellence ceremony.

On Monday, June 6, 2022, high school students who have distinguished themselves in the arts and humanities during high school were honored for their significant achievement. Students from school districts in the Orange-Ulster BOCES region were feted at the Senior Scholar Humanities Honoree Ceremony and Breakfast held Kuhl’s Highland House. The event was coordinated by the Orange-Ulster BOCES Division of Instructional Support.

We are excited to announce Abhilash Patel, 8th grader from Monroe-Woodbury Middle School and champion of the Orange-Ulster BOCES Regional Spelling Bee, is one of the twelve final spellers in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Abhilash Patel, an 8th grader from Monroe-Woodbury Middle School is the champion of the Orange-Ulster BOCES Regional Spelling Bee. Patel now advances to compete in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer near Washington, D.C.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) is accepting applications for Little Dreamers Preschool Program. Little Dreamers provides a safe, developmentally appropriate environment for preschool children. Its focus is to offer a stimulating early care and education experience which promotes each child's social/emotional, physical and cognitive development. 

After competing in the State Round, Team C received the First Place Award in New York for the Silver Tier. They will be competing in the Semi-Finals which will be held on January 21st.

On June 11 – 13, 2021, the Orange-Ulster BOCES Division of Career and Technical Education (CTE) held its 54^nd annual Student Recognition Ceremony at its Arden Hill and Gibson Road campuses in Goshen, N.Y.  Over seven hundred students were honored for completing their various CTE programs.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, thirty-two high school seniors who have distinguished themselves in the arts and humanities during their high school careers were honored for their significant achievement. Students from school districts in the Orange-Ulster BOCES region were feted at the Senior Scholar Humanities Honoree Ceremony held at Goshen High School’s Coliseum.

High school seniors who have distinguished themselves in the classroom and the athletic arena were honored on Wednesday, June 2,  at the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Scholar Athlete Awards Ceremony held at the Goshen High School Coliseum. The event was attended by honorees, their families, school district personnel, members of the OCIAA Executive Committee and government officials. 

Two teams of Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) students finished in first place at the virtual the New York State SkillsUSA competition last month. OU BOCES was also named a CEP (Chapter of Excellence Program) Chapter of Distinction Gold Award recipient during the virtual awards ceremony.

Orange-Ulster BOCES held its second Career and Technical Education (CTE) Signing Day on May 6, 2021. The event recognized 30 seniors who will be heading directly to, or in a few cases have already started, careers at LEGOLAND New York Resort or Levy Restaurants at LEGOLAND.

During the month of March, students throughout the Orange-Ulster BOCES Division of Special Education participated in an extensive community service project called “Operation Send a Senior a Smile” and created artwork and cards for homebound seniors throughout Orange County.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) is accepting applications for Little Dreamers Preschool Program. Little Dreamers provides a safe, developmentally appropriate environment for preschool children. Its focus is to offer a stimulating early care and education experience which promotes each child's social/emotional, physical and cognitive development. 

The New York State and the Mid-Hudson Regional Odyssey of the Mind Competition (Region 5) pivoted to a virtual format for 2021 and teams entered via videos. 

The Awards Ceremony is available here.

For the second straight year, Sophia Amchentsev from the Valley Central School District is the champion of the Orange-Ulster BOCES regional spelling bee sponsored by the Times Herald-Record. The competition involved fourteen spellers from seven local schools.

CTE students in the Education Careers Academy recently transformed the preschool classroom from a winter wonderland theme to a dinosaur theme at the Amy Bull Crist Area Educational Center in Goshen.

A team of four first-year students from Robert McMann’s Cisco/CCNA Computer Networking Class at Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education Center won the third-place in New York State Gold Tier award in the third round of the CyberPatriot Competition.

The Regional Office of Interscholastic Athletics at Orange-Ulster BOCES is proud to recognize our student-athletes as they begin their journey into intercollegiate athletics. We have put together an online magazine with fall and winter National Letter of Intent signings and college commitments for our student-athletes

Orange-Ulster BOCES Chief Operating Officer William Hecht joined Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus to collect “Orange Cares” letters from CTE students in the Health Careers Academy on Dec. 22, 2020, at the Regional Education Center at Arden Hill.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Supervisor of Transportation Patricia Milburn recently received the Public Transportation Leader of the Year award from the Tri-County Association for Pupil Transport, a chapter of the New York Association for Pupil Transport. Ms. Milburn oversees OU BOCES cooperative transportation service for 12 school districts. The transportation service also offers bus driver staff development and training.

STEM Academy students from Robert McMann’s Computer Networking Class at the OU BOCES Career and Technical Education Center recently competed in the first round of the CyberPatriot Competition. The competition is a cyber-education program conceived by the Air Force Association to inspire high school and middle school students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) .

Orange-Ulster BOCES Mechatronics and Robotics student Grace Fevloa took it upon herself to create a check in system using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) key fobs, an Arduino board and a RFID reader module. Once she figured out the coding, students could use their fobs and a computer would print out a sheet with the students’ names, the times they entered and left the classroom and whether they had completed the online COVID screening for the day.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Mechatronics and Robotics teacher Patrick Killian was featured in a virtual reception for Orange & Rockland Utilities 2020-21 STEM Grant winners.
Killian’s grant of about $1,000 will be used to buy equipment so his students can build solar/wind hybrid charge controllers. The design is a new concept based on the 555 timer chip, which is one of the most popular chips ever used.

Dr. Diane E. Lang, Orange-Ulster BOCES Director of Instructional Support Services, was recently honored with a 2020 Award for Excellence in Administration from The Mid-Hudson School Study Council (MHSSC). In its awards announcement, the MHSSC described Dr. Lang as a great leader with a genuine passion for education.

Many families in Orange County are starting to receive Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) food benefits. P-EBT is a new program in response to COVID-19 school closures. It provides families $420 in food benefits for each child who receives free or reduced-price school lunch under the National School Lunch Program.

In just a few very busy weeks, about 45 teachers, therapists, and counselors created summer school kits for the 700 children that are now participating in Orange-Ulster BOCES Special Education virtual/remote summer school. 

The Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education Center inducted 146 members into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) in a virtual ceremony. The OU BOCES chapter of the National Technical Honor Society distinguishes, honors, and encourages students who excel at their career and technical education studies and who possess admirable character, attitude, and a strong intellect.

Congratulations to the thirty-four outstanding CTE students who were recognized this year for excelling in all aspects of their education including theory, practical skills and work-based learning!

Orange-Ulster BOCES Division of Career and Technical Education (CTE) will recognize over 800 students who completed their various CTE programs. The 53^rd annual CTE Recognition Ceremonies will be held virtually by academy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thirty-four high school seniors who have distinguished themselves in the arts and humanities during their high school careers were selected as their district's Humanities Honorees. Although the annual Senior Scholar Humanities Breakfast was not held this year, the students deserve congratulations for their outstanding accomplishments in the fine arts, theater, music, fashion, and jewelry design.

Each year Orange-Ulster BOCES honors the outstanding students from 23 public and private high schools in our region. OU BOCES honors high school seniors who have demonstrated excellence in academic achievement throughout high school.

A beautiful video created by staff member Tara Waddell. Sending messages to all of the students from their friends at Orange-Ulster BOCES in the Division of Special Education.

The OU BOCES Instructional Specialists have assembled ELA and Math Enrichment booklets for grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 based on resources developed by NYSED and by OU BOCES. With the NYS Next Generation Standards in mind, we selected ELA and Math focused activities. 

Sophia Amchentsev, a seventh-grade student who attends Valley Central Middle School, became the first winner from her district since 2009 at the annual Orange County Spelling Bee held at Orange-Ulster BOCES on March 10.  

Kaitlyn Murphy, an OU BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) student in the Law Enforcement Program, is one of five CTE students from New York that have been nominated for the 2020 Presidential Scholars Program.

On Saturday, March 7, 2020, seventy-two teams from 12 school districts from Orange, Sullivan and Dutchess Counties came together to compete in the Mid-Hudson Odyssey of the Mind Region 5 Tournament run by Orange-Ulster BOCES.

On February 27, Orange-Ulster BOCES held its first Career and Technical Education (CTE) Signing Day. The event recognized 18 seniors who, after completing their CTE programs in June and any additional requirements by the hiring agency, will be heading directly to careers at LEGOLAND New York and The Greater Hudson Valley Health System comprised of Orange Regional Medical Center (ORMC) and Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC).

Orange-Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Education (CTE) students recently showcased their technical programs and skills for members of the press, local dignitaries and community during an event held at the OU BOCES Gibson Road location. The event was held in support of CTE Month, a public awareness campaign that takes place each February to celebrate the value of CTE programs across the country.

Guests at select meetings and conferences at Orange-Ulster BOCES will have the pleasure of experiencing the new “‘A Latte’ Learning for Life” coffee cart service. OU BOCES School-to-Work Program students bring the cart to various meeting locations on campus during the school day to gain valuable work experience and employability skills through their interactions with meeting attendees.

Career and Technical Education students in instructor Holly Toth’s Fashion and Interior Design classes at Orange-Ulster BOCES have been busy applying their sewing and design skills to make a quilt for Odyssey of the Mind. The quilt is being fashioned from a collection of vintage t-shirts that spans over 20 years of Odyssey of the Mind competitions.

A team of five first-year STEM Academy students in Robert McMann’s Computer Networking class at the Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education Center placed second in the Gold Division of the New York State round of the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. The team’s outstanding placement in the state round enabled them to advance to the National Semifinals round.

On January 8, two teams of students from Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Transportation Academy took top awards after competing in the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA) Regional Competition, which was held at The Center for Automotive Education and Training in Queens. Ryan Rumsey from Middletown High School and Mahmoud Elgallad from Monroe-Woodbury High School came in second place. Ethan Ladka and Alexis Torres from Warwick Valley High School came in third place. 

The Career & Technical Education (CTE) Transportation Academy at Orange-Ulster BOCES recently held its first FORD Automotive Career Education (ACE) kick-off event for students in the Automotive Technology program. Representatives from Ford Motor Company, Healey Ford in Goshen, Rockland Community College ASSET Program in Orangeburg, and the Ford ACE program presented information on the Ford ACE online training program.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) is accepting applications for the 2020-2021 Little Dreamers Preschool Program. Little Dreamers provides a safe, developmentally appropriate environment for preschool children. Its focus is to offer a stimulating early care and education experience which promotes each child's social/emotional, physical and cognitive development. The goal is to support children's desire to be life-long learners. CTEC's unique pre-school, a component of the Education Careers Academy, provides important training experiences for high school students pursuing teaching careers.

More children will be able to snuggle up in a warm pair of pajamas thanks to Career and Technical Education (CTE) students and staff! The CTE Education Academy's Future Educators Association (FEA) club recently held their 9th annual community service project for “The Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive”. The Pajama Drive works in conjunction with Scholastic Book Clubs, which donates one children’s book for every pair of pajamas collected. This year, the Orange-Ulster BOCES FEA club collected 114 pairs of new pajamas for local children in need!