Oceanside High School, Nassau BOCES student places in Long Island essay contest

Ranfis Fernandez, a senior at Oceanside High School and a student at Nassau BOCES' technical school, was awarded honorable mention in a Long Island essay contest on alternative energy sources. The contest, “Going Green on Long Island Through Alternative Energy,” was sponsored by the India Association on Long Island and the Sierra Club of Long Island, and received close to 100 submissions.

Fernandez, now in his second year of studying construction electricity at BOCES' Joseph M. Barry Career and Technical Education Center, wrote about the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of using solar panels. He received a certificate and a $50 check for winning honorable mention in the contest.

“He really got into it. He really enjoyed the idea,” said Trish Sergi, Fernandez's English teacher at Barry Tech. “Ranfis is a dedicated student. Any test put before him, he just embraces it.” Fernandez said he didn't expect to win an award for his essay, and was shocked to learn that he had received honorable mention. “It felt great,” he said, adding that the award also made his parents very happy.

Jim McKillop, Fernandez's construction electricity teacher at Barry Tech, said Fernandez is a highly-motivated student who has always made the high honor roll. Fernandez attends class at Barry Tech five days a week after taking classes at OHS in the morning. In construction and electricity class, McKillop said, students work on mock-ups of buildings, learning how to wire lighting fixtures, circuit breakers, electrical heaters and other appliances.

“You can't fool around,” Fernandez said, adding that on-the-job safety is a primary concern. “You come here and you work.” In the first year of the course, students learn about residential wiring, and the focus of coursework in the second year is on industrial and commercial wiring.

Fernandez said he became interested in the trade by working with his father, a building superintendent. Next year, he plans to attend college to study electrical engineering or HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). He has applied to the Pennsylvania College of Technology, SUNY Delhi and the New York City College of Technology.

McKillop believes Fernandez will excel wherever he ends up. “As far as being competitive and getting out there and proving himself, he'll have no problem,” McKillop said.

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