Parents, Students Attend Fall Open House

Approximately 200 people attended the SWBOCES Center for Career Services Fall Open House Oct. 6, a bi-annual event that gives teachers and administrators the opportunity to showcase the many career and technical education programs that are being offered to area high school students.

Following the introduction of faculty, parents dispersed to the various classrooms around the Valhalla campus where teachers were waiting to talk about their individual programs, including the Center’s efforts to prepare students for college and career.

The Culinary Program staff, including instructors Gerry Murphy, Peter Tomaskovic and John Damiani, served up a variety of dishes made specially for back to school event.

In the Fashion Design/Merchandising Program classroom, instructor Carmen Galiano told parents about the opportunities that await their children, including the chance to gain six ACE (Advanced College Experience) credits and graduate from the two-year program with a sizeable portfolio.

Cosmetology instructor Laura Mirabel told parents that students in her class would be trained to be professionals. “It’s important the way you speak, the way you act, the way you handle yourself in front of people,” she added, referring to the soft skills that students should have to do well in the cosmetology industry.

Architecture and Interior Design instructor Christine Ireland explained the basics of the two-year program that she teaches, which in the first year includes an introduction to Illustrator, PhotoShop, Google SketchUp and AutoCAD.

“We also take students on a lot of trips so they can network and see what it’s like to work as an interior designer or an architect in the real world,” said Ms. Ireland, referring to the outings the class has taken in the past to the International Furniture Show at the Jacob Javits Center and the New York Design Center in Manhattan.

Ms. Ireland also emphasized the importance of students gaining interpersonal skills to help them succeed in the workplace.

Commercial art teacher Damian Powers told parents that while figure drawing, illustration, animation, advertising and other areas of the industry will be taught by him as part of the curriculum, he believes in maintaining a flexible environment where the students will often set the pace for learning.

While students will acquire knowledge in all aspects of the program, the fun part for them, he said, is about coming into class and being open to learning new and exciting things.

Check out some photos from the event at the SWBOCES/LHRIC Flickr page.