By Jennifer Marino
BOCES offers students the opportunity to pursue vocational education while also taking academic classes in their home high schools. Dobrinsky attends aviation classes in Farmingdale for half a day, leaving South Side at about 11 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m.
Also spending half the day at BOCES' brand new school, Barry Tech in Westbury, are juniors Jaclyn Nolan, who is studying cosmetology, and Janine Palumbo, who is studying culinary arts.
"[BOCES] is one other alternative to offer students, especially those who have an interest in technology," said South Side Principal Carol Burris. She added that it's "not for everyone," and it can be "difficult to balance" technical and academic workloads.
All three students plan to continue their career education in college. Palumbo hopes to go to Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island, one of the premiere culinary schools in the country, that counts Emeril Lagasse among its alumni.
She joined BOCES' culinary arts program hoping to get a "head start" in her chosen profession. She'd like to be a pastry chef. Her lucky family gets to eat all of the cookies she likes to bake. Palumbo has also been checking out local bakeries for a part-time job. In a recent class at Barry Tech she learned how to flip an egg using only the pan it's in.
BOCES students have to prove that they can keep up with their studies as freshmen and sophomores before they start BOCES classes in their junior year. If they fall behind, they won't have the space in their schedule to spend half the day away from South Side. "They can't drop the ball," said Burris.
The students currently enrolled in BOCES have to take two sciences, two math courses, four years each of history, English and phys. ed., a half-year of health in their sophomore and junior years, and public speaking in their senior year. The students also receive credit for BOCES classes. Mostly, they miss out on some electives.
The current sophomores face additional requirements from the state, including an extra science and math course. These new requirements are a concern for BOCES. Academic classes such as math, English and social studies are offered at Barry Tech. Students can also receive credit in core subjects for some technical classes. For example, a carpentry class may involve sophisticated math, and students may get credit in math for the class.
Jaclyn Nolan is looking to supplement her cosmetology license with a college degree in business, which would help her if she ever decided to open her own salon. Nolan started at BOCES because of an interest in the field and some free time in her schedule. She also liked the idea of having a trade. "I'll always have it to fall back on," she said.
She has been learning to take care of hair, nails and makeup. Her friends have had the luxury of free manicures and hair styling. It is sometimes hard getting back to school at 3 p.m., and Nolan misses seeing her friends in class, but she has been able to keep up with extracurricular activities. Despite missing some practices, she's a member of the track team, and recently was part of the winning Red team in the annual Red and Blue competition.
Keeping track of activities and school work can be a challenge, and that's why both Burris and guidance counselor Laurie Levy make sure kids are ready for it before they begin BOCES. Levy reviews the students' schedules and Burris meets with parents and students to establish that they have "seriously considered the commitment." Levy also encourages the BOCES students to remain in touch with South Side extracurriculars. "The more they're engaged in school life, the better their high school experience," she said.
Dobrinsky can't get away from South Side life. He lives a few blocks away and sometimes finds his friends waiting for him when he gets home from the aviation classes. He wants to be an astronaut. "If you shoot for the moon, you'll at least end up in the stars," he said of his lofty goal.
Dobrinsky is in his second year at BOCES and has already clocked about 20 hours in the cockpit as captain. He says he knew he wanted to do something involving planes or spaceships, and decided to enroll in BOCES to get a taste of it before making a commitment in college. Now he's hoping to join the ROTC in college, and he's deciding among several schools, including NYIT and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In order to be an astronaut, he'll need a college degree along with some piloting and military background.
The number of Rockville Centre students in BOCES fluctuates year to year, but Levy says she has seen an increase in the number of students choosing to participate in the one-year programs. In total there are about 1,150 students attending the career and technical programs, and George Haber, of the school public relations services for BOCES, expects to see a higher enrollment in the future thanks to the larger, state-of-the-art facility at the new Barry Tech.
