Schoharie-area Career and Technical Education Students Honored

SCHOHARIE — More than 100 Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center (CTE) students from the Schoharie campus received certificates of completion, honors and awards during an emotion-filled ceremony on June 12.

As parents, friends, school and BOCES administrators cheered them on, students from the Schoharie, Berne-Knox-Westerlo, Cobleskill-Richmondville, Schalmont, Voorheesville, Duanesburg, Middleburgh and Sharon Springs school districts were celebrated in a ceremony at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School.

The ceremony marked the completion of one- and two-year programs at the school, including Building Trades, Culinary, Cosmetology, Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation [HERO], Criminal Justice, Electrical Trades, Two-Year Sequence of Health Careers and Automotive Trades Technology.

Speakers praised the graduates and their supporters for going above and beyond to secure bright futures. 

Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent Lauren Gemmill praised the graduates for using their high school careers to make investments in themselves.

“You have invested in yourselves. You have learned valuable skills that will serve as a foundation for your future successes,” she said.

Matt Ward, Principal of the Schoharie Career and Technical School Campus said he “marvels at the work our students have accomplished and experiences” they have learned from, while at the same time, enjoying themselves.

“More than once, I heard students say what has become a familiar phrase around the building: ‘BOCES is the best part of my day’. You actually liked coming to school. Some of you even showed up on snow days when your home school was closed—just so you wouldn’t miss your program. You practiced skills that were more than just classwork—they were life work,” he said.

Graduates Wyatt Moss and Jeffrey Mulhern, both from Duanesburg, praised their experiences at BOCES and offered words of wisdom to their fellow graduates.

“We have developed as a family and nobody became lost in the crowd,” said Moss, a Criminal Justice program graduate, adding that “we learned life-changing skills that will stay with us the rest of our lives.”

Mulhern, a Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation graduate, praised everyone he encountered at CTE and credited his time at BOCES with being life-changing. 

He also advocated for the work-based learning aspect of a BOCES education, saying not only should every student take-advantage of it, but vowing to host students for work-based learning when he opens his own construction business.

“BOCES has given me the opportunity to spend two days a week (sometimes more) working in the field, gaining real hands-on experience. That’s something I think more students should take full advantage of—being out there, getting their hands dirty, and learning what it means to show up, work hard, and learn from mistakes. It’s a crucial part of understanding the reality of the workforce. Work-based learning has been a key factor in my growth, and I am thankful for the chance to experience it firsthand,” he said.

Many of the graduates are going on to college and trade schools; and others are going straight into the workforce thanks to the skills they learned and the connections they made at BOCES.

Among them is Samantha Herzog, a HERO graduate from Schoharie.

“From the moment I climbed into a Bobcat at six years old, I knew I had found something special. That excitement turned into a passion—and thanks to the HERO program, it’s become a career path,” said Herzog, who has signed onto the Laborers’ 157 Union and will work for Murnane Building Contractors Inc.

Electrical Trades graduate Gavin Knapp is attending Hudson Valley Community College this fall in pursuit of a career as lineman.

“BOCES has given me a foot up compared to someone who has no previous experience in electrical work,” the Cobleskill-Richmondville senior said.

Another graduate pursuing further education is Ayumi Shaw, who is taking the college credits she earned in the Criminal Justice program on to Bryant & Stratton College.

“Attending Capital Region BOCES taught me how to be a professional, as well as multiple skills,” the Middleburgh teen said. “CTE gave me an opportunity to do what I want to do with my career and gave me a head start on my education.”