School isn’t always serious, and days like this remind us to keep the spirit, the joy, and the season alive.
ONC BOCES Culinary Arts students showcased impressive skill and creativity in the ProStart NY/VT Virtual Gingerbread Competition!
Culinary students from NCOC submitted two fully edible, from-scratch gingerbread villages—Candyland and Whoville—for the New York/Vermont ProStart Virtual Gingerbread Competition sponsored by the NYS Restaurant Association.
The Candyland team—Hailey, Lilly, Kylie, and Abigail—created a vibrant village inspired by the classic board game, featuring rock candy fields, peppermint forests, a peanut brittle house with a water wheel, licorice lagoon, marshmallow meadow, lollipop forest, and King Kandy’s castle, complete with a fully detailed gingerbread kitchen.
The Whoville team—Angel, Javier, Christopher, and Taylor—brought Dr. Seuss’s whimsical world to life with a 23-inch Mount Crumpit, fondant sculptures of the Grinch and Max, a towering 3D Christmas tree at the center of Whoville, colorful Who houses, and festive details like candy cane lampposts and a gingerbread ice-skating pond.
Guided by instructor Jody Albano, students planned and constructed each village entirely from scratch, showcasing creativity, teamwork, and advanced culinary skills.
Congratulations to both teams on their outstanding work!
A special "thank you" to Christopher M. from the Visual Communications program for providing some excellent photos of these creations!
If you haven't completed your holiday baking, check out the valuable tips created by NCOC's Culinary Arts program! If you have finished your baking, use these tips throughout the year or save them for next year!
We’re excited to celebrate a major achievement in OAOC’s Visual Communications CTE program—our first student to successfully complete a Work-Based Learning internship!
Angela recently completed an eight-week remote internship with Royal Mountain Ski Area, where she gained hands-on, real-world experience while further strengthening her visual communications skills. Working closely with Brooke, owner of Royal Mountain, Angela supported the ski area’s marketing and branding efforts by contributing creative ideas and helping design new flyers and visual materials (one of them pictured below). This experience allowed her to apply classroom learning in a professional setting while building design, communication, and client-focused skills, and learning workplace standards.
We are incredibly grateful to Royal Mountain Ski Area for their partnership and commitment to student learning. Their collaboration with our Visual Communications instructor—and the ongoing guidance provided to Angela—made this internship both meaningful and successful.
A sincere thank you to Brooke, Jake, and the entire Royal Mountain team for your mentorship, support, and dedication to student success. We truly appreciate this partnership!
At Trinity, they help prepare desserts and lunches for Otsego County employees, clients, and senior citizens. Over at Ace Hardware, students gain hands-on experience by sweeping, sorting, and stocking shelves. These hands-on experiences empower students to develop essential workplace skills—such as accountability, responsibility, time management, and effective teamwork—giving them a strong foundation for future employment.
Every Wednesday, Career Pathways students also run the school Café—from taking and organizing orders to delivering meals throughout the building. They’re learning organization, customer service, teamwork, and the ins and outs of running a small food-service operation.
Damien has been working diligently during his internship with Empire Toyota of Oneonta. In this photo, he is checking the depth of the brake pads. So far, Damien has gained hands-on experience performing oil changes, tire rotations, and balancing.
Tanner and Tobias have been completing their internships at SNPartners John Deere in Oneonta. Pictured, the students have removed the rear end of the tractor and will reseal it and repair the four-wheel drive shaft as part of their hands-on training.
Thank you, Empire Toyota and SNPartners John Deere, for working with our CTE students and collaborating with ONC BOCES!
UPDATE: Due to inclement weather and unsafe road conditions, Otsego Area Occupational Center (OAOC) is NOW CLOSED, December 2, 2025.
Stay safe,
OAOC Admin Team
Due to inclement weather and unsafe road conditions, Otsego Area Occupational Center (OAOC) is currently on a 2-hour delay today, December 2, 2025.
Stay safe,
OAOC Admin Team
Due to inclement weather and unsafe road conditions, Northern Catskills Occupational Center (NCOC) is closed today, December 2, 2025.
Stay safe,
NCOC Admin Team
Last month, CFES Advisors proudly accepted the School of Distinction Award for OAOC at the CFES Symposium. This month, nine mentors completed CFES mentor training at SUNY Oneonta and then led a turnkey session for their fellow mentors. It was wrapped up with the annual CFES kickoff, where mentors and mentees met for the first time over a Thanksgiving dinner.
Thank you to our incredible Career Pathways students and staff for preparing a delicious meal and helping make these events such a success!
#CFES #Brilliant Pathways #Building community
In NCOC's Culinary CTE program, we recently had our first student complete her internship through Work-Based Learning with Sundaes Restaurant. Lilly successfully completed an eight-week internship, gaining valuable hands-on experience and growing her skills in a real culinary environment.
We are incredibly grateful to Sundaes Restaurant And Tasty Freeze for partnering with us, supporting our students, and collaborating so closely throughout this experience.
Thank you, Andy, Deb, and the entire staff — we truly appreciate you!
“Starting my work experience at Sundaes as the first student of the year felt overwhelming, but Andy made the transition easy. He was patient and encouraging, which helped me adjust. I enjoyed practicing my culinary skills in a real restaurant and appreciated the balance of help and independence. I am truly thankful for this opportunity- it boosted my confidence and made me excited for future work in the culinary field.”
– Lilly, Culinary Student at NCOC
#workbasedlearning #weareCTENY
Students also explored Cornell’s maker spaces at the Experiential Learning Lab, where they heard from project teams working on a range of projects, including underwater robots, autonomous sailboats, and green-energy vehicles. The students were able to see the fascinating worlds of cutting-edge research while gaining a better understanding of what their path as engineers may be, instilling confidence and eagerness in them.
This shared-service model not only expands district capacity but also strengthens collaboration through consistent communication with teachers, administrators, and CSE teams. By partnering closely with districts, itinerant staff help solve problems related to student needs, enhance instructional practices, and ensure continuity of services across various settings.
Internally, Itinerant Services serve as a vital connector within BOCES, aligning programs, sharing resources, and supporting innovative approaches to student success. Externally, they reinforce strong, trusted district partnerships built on responsiveness, expertise, and a shared commitment to equitable education for all students.
ONC BOCES is proud to provide this essential service that elevates student outcomes, strengthens district capacity, and supports every learner—wherever they are.
Led by the long-time guide, Mr. Stewart, students explored the fascinating world of computer chip design — from learning how automation shapes the process to also seeing computer-aided design (CAD) software in action in Dr. Redjem’s lab. They also gained insight into how plasma and silicon are used in chip and wafer manufacturing and heard from Mr. Colwill and Mr. Warfield about the power of nanoscale technology.
Entering the corridor to view the clean room, students caught a glimpse of the rapid construction and growth of the labs, as well as the fascinating transportation systems overhead. Further along, the group was given another view, capturing just how large and advanced the clean rooms are, as well as the precautions taken to minimize any outside factors.
A big thank you to Mr. Stewart, who has guided this trip for the past 15 years and has been involved with New Visions Engineering since its earliest days, helping shape the program into what it is today!
Trust students have been learning through play with Miss Tori, supported by Ms. Reed (School Counselor), who leads SEL lessons through the Choose Love Movement curriculum.
