Youth on the Go
Elementary students from the Windham-Ashland-Jewett Science Club began their scientific journey of experimentation on Oct. 14. This year’s club will be all about experimenting with soil and plants to discuss the importance of environmental stewardship.
Students will have the opportunity to learn about water, soil, plants and pollution through hands-on experimentation over the course of the school year.
The October meeting marked the launch of the club’s experiment designed to test the effects of using different soil substrates on plant growth. The students got the opportunity to prepare three different soil substrates for use in “The Edible Grow Wall.” This alternative growing system enables its users to utilize indoor space to cultivate plants and is perfect for student inquiry and exploration.
Deb Valerio, a science teacher at Windham-Ashland-Jewett; and Andrew Randazzo, an environmental educator from Cornell Cooperative Extension, also led the students in collecting soil samples outside the Agroforestry Resource Center. The samples were used to teach students about the soil profile and how water travels underground.
The WAJ Science Club would not be possible without the financial support of The Windham Foundation. The next session of the WAJ Science Club will take place on Nov. 18.
Ulster BOCES CISCO student and New York State Area 4 SkillsUSA Vice President Georgiannah Landers of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park traveled to Washington, D.C., along with a national contingent of SkillsUSA members, to meet with their congressional representatives. The visit was part of a SkillsUSA Washington Leadership Training Institute conference aimed to raise awareness of the importance of supporting career and technical education.
During the five-day trip, Landers attended several leadership workshops, toured the Pentagon Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum. She also met with U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, RKinderhook, and staff members from U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office. Landers discussed the value of her Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education, as well as the “skills gap” that exists in today’s workforce. She also lobbied for continued support for the Carl D. Perkins Act, legislation that financially supports career and technical education. During her visit, Landers earned the National SkillsUSA Statesman award, the highest achievement for a SkillsUSA student.
“The value of this trip was incalculable,” Landers said in a press release.
“The networking and workshops alone were worth every cent, but being able to speak face to face with our congressman will go down as one of my most memorable moments.” The Washington Leadership Training Institute is a “capstone” leadership and citizenship-training event.