The new, student-produced hold messages for Southern Westchester BOCES are now live, bringing fresh voices and real-world experience to callers across the district’s many programs.

The project, which brought together Audio Production students and classmates from other programs at the Center for Career Services, has been implemented across all six SWBOCES centers. Callers placed on hold will now hear professionally produced messages recorded, engineered, and directed entirely by students.

From organizing auditions to final recording and editing, students led every phase of production, gaining hands-on experience while creating a product now used daily by SWBOCES.

“The best part of it is these messages are student-produced, meaning our students did 97% of the work,” Audio Production instructor Sean Harty said. “They held the auditions. They evaluated the personnel. They made every choice, and worked closely with the talent. They were the producers, and they were the managers of this project.”

The rollout marks the culmination of months of collaboration and effort, with messages recorded in both English and Spanish and tailored for multiple departments.

Beyond the technical skills developed, the project offers students something lasting: the opportunity to leave their mark on SWBOCES. Long after graduation, their work will continue to be heard by thousands of callers, serving as a tangible example of their creativity, collaboration, and professionalism.

“I feel honored that I’m going to leave something behind that will be here for perhaps the next seven or eight years and that it will be part of my legacy from my time at BOCES,” said Audio Production student Zach Rechtschaffen, a senior from Scarsdale. “It shows everyone just how much we as students have grown and the quality of our work.”

The live launch not only enhances the caller experience but also highlights the real-world skills students are developing through SWBOCES’ Career Services programs.