Every year Hampton Bays High School juniors and seniors are given the opportunity to gain workplace experience through the BOCES programs. BOCES, which stands for Board of Cooperative Educational Services, offers an array of work programs that align with students’ career interests outside of school. Through its rigorous coursework it prepares students to enter the workplace or college upon graduating high school.
Ashley Morales, a Hampton Bays High School senior taking Audio Engineering at BOCES, states that BOCES is “basically helping you achieve your dream if you’re going for something you’re trying to pursue in the future.”
BOCES is a trade school created in 1948 by the New York State Legislature. It was intended to provide school district-shared educational programs that are taught by college-approved teachers. Students can receive college credit while still attending high school with select CTE (Career and Technical Education) courses. Once students have completed coursework within an approved BOCES program, they are granted a CTE endorsement for their high school diploma.
Eastern Suffolk BOCES offers courses such as Animal Science, TV and Film Production, Clinical Medical Assisting, and Law Enforcement in locations including Riverhead, Bellport, and Islip. To be eligible for BOCES, Hampton Bays High School juniors and seniors need to meet certain criteria including having room in their school schedule, good attendance, and good grades. It’s approximated that each student costs around $10,000-20,000 to enter a program at BOCES which is covered by the district. Additional costs such as course materials are covered by the students.
Students are exposed to opportunities for approved internships, job shadowing, and apprenticeship preparation. This is a good way for students to try out different areas and fields before they enter the workforce. Alexandra Avendano, a junior attending the BOCES Dental Assistant program, is expecting to do internships for both an orthodontist and a general dentist to determine what specific position she wants to pursue in the dental field.
BOCES also exposes students to a different learning environment compared to the one in high school. Hampton Bays senior Mariana Sanchez Rojas and junior Josselin Rojas, both taking the Cosmetology program at BOCES, describe it as being completely different from high school as people from different districts attend the program. Josselin Rojas explains, “It’s better because you’re surrounded by people with your same interests.”
Ashley Sanchez, a senior taking the Nursing Assistant program, added that she finds the environment at BOCES to be “much more positive than high school.”
The day-to-day classwork of BOCES varies depending on the program. Junior Emily Acevedo in the Law Enforcement program describes it as involving “learning about the amendments, you learn all about the law, you learn about your rights.” Additionally, she says there is no homework, just classwork, and then every Friday she takes a quiz.
Senior Efren Rojano Barranco who’s enrolled in Food Preparation states, “They give us the recipe, we learn it, we learn the foods, the measurements, the tools we’re supposed to use.”
Many Hampton Bays High School seniors and juniors who are taking BOCES enjoy the programs they’re in. According to Sanchez Rojas, “Yes I do like it because I’m able to connect with my own inner creativity that I’m not able to demonstrate here.”
Rojano Barranco shared that he sometimes enjoyed BOCES depending on what the day entails but “some sessions can be a little boring.”
Ms. Soury, a guidance counselor at Hampton Bays High School, recommends students apply for BOCES. She says, “BOCES gives the opportunity to be able to go into the workforce right after school and do pretty well.”
Students can drop out of their BOCES program if they choose to but Ms. Soury warns, “Make sure you do that at the beginning of the year because then we have to add you into other classes to make up for that gap in your schedule.”
The recognition for these programs and skills has been addressed by the New York Blue Ribbon Commission. This commission was established to incorporate and meet the needs of New York State students as well as ensure equality in New York State public education. It has recommended replacing the three New York State high school diploma types with one diploma to which students can add seals and endorsements, such as the CTE endorsement offered by BOCES. Students will be able to access career education that provides them with the essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce with programs similar to BOCES all across New York State.
