In our ongoing District Spotlight series, the Center for Career Services will highlight its partnership with Southern Westchester BOCES' component districts. These partnerships provide students from these districts with hands-on Career and Technical Education in innovative learning spaces, taught by instructors with firsthand industry experience.
Sleepy Hollow High School, part of the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns, currently has 52 students enrolled at Career Services in a wide variety of programs. These include Retail Foods, Auto Technology, Electrical, Cosmetology, Welding, EMS, Security Law & Policing, Intro to Art and Design, Barbering, Culinary Arts, and Fashion Design and Merchandising.
“Our district is very supportive of the partnership with Career Services,” said David Ziegler, Sleepy Hollow’s Guidance Department chair. “Our students generally seem very happy there. They like that it offers them something different. They learn hands-on skills, and they can flow back into their high school day when they return to our school.”
Sleepy Hollow students shared praise for their experience, highlighting both opportunities to participate in hands-on activities and learn new skills that will prepare them to continue their education or to enter the job market.
“I have a lot of good things to say about BOCES,” said Barbering student Liam Murillo. “I have socialized with people from different schools and enjoyed a lot of new experiences — skills I could definitely take and apply if I were to work at a real barbershop.”
Here are more student reactions to their education at Career Services:
“I’ve been thinking of joining the Army since I was little, and I always looked up to the police,” said Nicholas Gordio, who is studying Security, Law & Policing. “I just took advantage because this is a great opportunity for me to learn about something I might want to do after high school.”
“I wanted to join BOCES because trade school was interesting to me,” said Tracen Wells, a Welding student (pictured below). “I have a couple of family members who work in welding. I wanted to see what the program was all about.”
“Yes, I would absolutely recommend this to other Sleepy Hollow students because this gives you hands-on experience,” said EMS student Melanie Inge. “This can teach you different things that you want to learn about."
