As the echoes of 2023 fade and the bright promise of 2024 stretches before us, we at the PNW BOCES Career and Technical Education Center want to take a moment to wish you and your families a very happy New Year! We're so grateful for your continued support and partnership in shaping the future of our students.

This year holds the potential for incredible things at the Tech Center. We are looking ahead to the upcoming year and the exciting events ahead.

Here are a few items of note:

• Tech Center Tours for potential incoming students on February 27 and February 28. There are no classes for CTE students on these two days.
• Internship opportunities are available for our CTE students. Please contact Melissa Crea at mcrea@pnwboces.org or Mary Cuomo at mcuomo@pnwboces.org.
• Skills USA membership (leadership club) is available to all CTE students. Please see your teacher for more information.
• New Visions Engineering Open House is on February 13 from 5-7pm at the Tech Center.

As parents, you play a vital role in your child's education. We encourage you to stay involved, ask questions, and celebrate their achievements along the way. We're here to partner with you every step of the journey, ensuring your child receives the best possible education and preparation for their future.

Here's to a year filled with learning, growth, and exciting possibilities! We look forward to 2024!

Sincerely,

Stephen Lowery



CTE Director, Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES

With their gumdrop shingles, royal icing seams, and spicy aroma, gingerbread houses are as much a holiday tradition as stringing colorful lights and giving gifts.

Suzie Low Pratt’s Culinary students at the Career and Technical Education Center got a chance to create their own sweet structures.

“They’re applying piping skills, working with dough, rolling it out, cutting a template, assembling, and decorating,” said Low Pratt.

Two of the students – Soley Rapuano from Walter Panas High School and Christian Tenempaguay, an Ossining High School senior – entered their houses into competitions.

Rapuano submitted her Peanuts-themed gingerbread house to the ProStart Virtual Skills Challenge.

She chose to make Snoopy’s red doghouse with the canine character resting on top, because it reminded her of her favorite Christmas decorations.

“This was the first time I worked with fondant,” Rapuano said. “It was more fun than it was difficult.”

Tenempaguay’s gingerbread house has a roof of rolled wafer cookies, a pretzel chimney, and a candy cane sled in the yard. He entered his creation in the contest at the GE Learning Center in Ossining, where he works.

The only thing brighter than the decorative lights at the Holiday Luncheon at Tilly Foster Farm were the smiles on Culinary students’ and parents’ faces.

A sumptuous meal was made and served by the 19 students, for their loved ones and community members, in December.

Putnam Valley High School’s Joseph Henry refills water at his mother Carla's table at the Culinary Arts Holiday Luncheon at Tilly Foster Farm.

Solovyova said what Anthony has learned goes beyond the kitchen.

“He corrects his sister about how she holds a fork and knife,” she said.

Carmel High School special education teacher Allison Woolston enjoys coming to the annual Holiday Luncheon.

“I have five students who are here right now, and most of them have been here multiple years. I've been able to see the progression of their skills. It's super impressive to see them take the skills that they're learning and generalize them to working in a restaurant,” Woolston said.

The Culinary students spent more time than usual at the farm, away from their home school districts, to ready the meal, which is something appreciated by Stephen Lowery, director of Career and Technical Education at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES. 

“What we're seeing is just one snapshot of an event,” Lowery said. “There's so much prep work that goes on behind the scenes. This is weeks and weeks in the making. We're really proud of our students and teachers.”

Stefanie Morgado has baking in her blood, but Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES gave her the tools and training she needed to open her own bakery.

Morgado’s shop, the Baker’s Daughter on Fair St. in Carmel, is an homage to her Portuguese heritage and her family.

“My father was a baker in Lisbon before he came to the U.S.” Morgado explained. “When he got here, he worked in a Portuguese bakery, and then he had a family and had to get a different job.”

Thanks to the skills and knowledge she gained at PNW BOCES, Morgado has been able to follow her dreams.

She attended Ossining High School and the Culinary Arts program at the Career and Technical Education Center in Yorktown.

“The teachers at BOCES were very realistic in setting our expectations. When we went to school, we knew it was just a starting ground and we weren’t going to become chefs right off the bat,” she said.

After she graduated from Ossining, Morgado went to Johnson and Wales, where she earned a bachelor’s degree.

“The Culinary program at BOCES gave me a base knowledge,” she explained. “I went to college for pastry, but we also had to make savory food. I had that base knowledge of the mother sauces and how to cut with a knife -- all those things that you still use in pastry, but they don't stress as much.

“One of the things that I really liked at BOCES was that we ran a mock restaurant and served people. We had our parents come in,” she said. “That was a nice introduction to what an actual restaurant service is like. Some of us waited on the guests and others cooked.”

When she got out of school, Morgado hung her apron at the Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se in Manhattan, as well as the famed Bouchon Bakery. She later worked for the Patina restaurant group.

In May 2022 she opened the Baker’s Daughter, an inviting, intimate spot with blue and white tiles and warm décor. Traditional Portuguese pastries Pastel de Nata -- sweet, velvety custard in a crispy, flakey shell -- are among her best sellers.

Today, she works close to home, is her own boss, and has the best co-workers.

“My father comes up every morning and works with me,” she said.

 This business is built for generations to come.

“My daughter said she’s going to become a baker and rename the shop, The Baker’s Baker’s Daughter,” Morgado laughed.

A Putnam Valley High School senior, Grace Tebbens-Quinn is happiest when sharing her culinary creations with others. Now, Grace, who is a student in the Culinary Arts program at PNW BOCES, is adding to her skills as an intern at Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace.

Since beginning her internship in October, she has cycled through several departments at the store including candy, cheese, pasta, food prep, and the bakery, which is her favorite.

“Every day is a big production day here,” Grace said. “I have learned how they fulfill orders, how they replenish shelves while handling catering orders, and how they do actual production.”

Describing her work in the candy department, Grace said she enjoyed dipping apples and chocolate. She also has learned many different ways to fold and close packaging. 

“Turn your brain off and just go,” she explained, saying that muscle memory takes over.

When she is not at BOCES or her internship, Grace can be found at Nonna’s Pizza, adding to her skillset. There, she has gained experience in customer service, answering phones and taking orders. 

Grace began in the culinary program at the Career and Technical Education Center last year. Her class is currently learning about pastries and baking. They have made apple cider donuts, cakes, cookies, and more. The class’s most recent sweet treat was eclairs, with baking happening one day and the filling being added the next.

Students from another one of Grace’s classes said they looked forward to Grace appearing with her class projects because everything is so delicious. This is one of the reasons Grace likes being part of the culinary program. 

“Having the ability to have fun and be creative in the baking process and also give that creation to someone else to enjoy is one of my favorite aspects,” she said.

STAY CONNECTED

The Tech Center at Yorktown www.pnwboces.org

200 BOCES Drive

Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

914.248.2420

Editor: Erika Martinez