Late last month, area students who excel in several Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs at the OCM BOCES Thompson Road Campus were honored during the annual “Tools for Success” awards ceremony.
To qualify for a “Tools for Success” award, students must demonstrate proficient skills within their program, have good classroom attendance and participation, and show a consistently positive attitude in class.
As each instructor introduced this year’s honorees, common themes stood out. All of the award-winners were described as passionate, reliable, hardworking, task-oriented, academically successful, determined to do high-quality work, willing to help others in the classroom, and exemplary as both leaders and role models in their CTE programs.
The awards ceremony is unique because each student receives an actual “tool” for their success, including a Snap-On screwdriver for the automotive students, a helmet or shield for the welding students, and an Estwing framing hammer and tool belt for the construction students. Culinary students receive a $1,000 college scholarship from “Two Chefs from Above,” a non-profit organization that created the scholarships as a memorial for two young men killed in a Syracuse-area restaurant shooting in 2018. OCM BOCES Adult Education Instructor Nancy Chappell started the organization because one of the victims was her son.
Students were selected by their teachers in these CTE programs:
- Automotive Collision Technology
- Automotive Technology
- Heavy Equipment Repair, Operations & Diesel Technology
- Culinary & Pastry Arts
- Construction Technology
- Welding Technology
We are proud to announce that F-M student Sebastian Warner was named a “Tool for Success” recipient in the construction category. Congratulations, Sebastian!
