Middle School Week gives prospective students an introduction

Nearly 300 middle school students from Port Chester, New Rochelle and Sleepy Hollow visited

Before she visited the Center for Career Services this week, Cynthia Paute was familiar with Cosmetology. She has an aunt who performs salon services for a living, giving her first-hand insight into the art and science of beauty treatments. However, there is a difference between observing and doing, and nearly 300 middle school students from Port Chester, Sleepy Hollow and New Rochelle had the latter opportunity the week of March 17-21.

The Center for Career Services hosted Middle School Week, which gives students like Cynthia, an eighth grader in Sleepy Hollow, a first look at the school’s programs, including her preferred Cosmetology.

“I really like this a lot,” she said while using a curling iron on the hair of a mannequin. “This is something that can benefit me and my potential career path.”

She and other students who participated pre-selected a program to visit. They spent approximately an hour with that program, experiencing interactive lessons in Cosmetology, Barbering, Culinary Arts, Architecture, Automotive Services and other programs.

Each day, the visitors received an introductory message from School Counselor Anna Macchia, who was joined by colleagues Monica Mann and Kevin McAllister. Macchia’s address introduced students to how the Center for Career Services operates — providing career-centered, skill-based learning in a program where the costs for transportation and instruction are funded by the student’s home district.

After listening to the overview, the students dispersed to visit the class of their interest.

“We’ve been doing this for a few years,” Ms. Macchia explained. “This event really is about career exploration for middle school students. It introduces them to our programs so when they get to high school it’s already in their minds.”

CCS students don’t enroll until their junior year of high school, but the middle school students were able to gain valuable insight into career-based learning during their visit. In Culinary Arts, students partnered with a high school student enrolled in the class to make cookie dough. Visitors to the Certified Nursing Assistant program practiced using a pulse oximeter and a stethoscope, either on enrolled students or on one another.

During Sleepy Hollow’s visit to campus, 11 students joined the Barbering class, practicing how to perform a hot shave (on a balloon) and how to use an electric razor (on a mannequin).

“For many of them, this is probably their first time touching this equipment,” said Barbering instructor David Biviano, whose program was first introduced to CCS this school year. “They all seem like they are eager to see what’s going on in our class.”