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CONTENTS

Tools TradeA Publication of the Southern Westchester BOCES Center for Career Services

Fall 2010

of the

Education Nation is a nationally broad-cast, in-depth conversation involvingparents, students, teachers and leaders

in politics, business and technology, about improv-ing education in America. The weeklong serieskicked off on Monday, Sept. 27, and included edu-cation stories on all NBC Networks, programs andplatforms, including the Nightly News, Today, Meet

A Message from the DirectorI would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of thereturning and newly enrolled students to our campus. Here atthe Center for Career Services you will have the advantage ofmaximizing your learning and skill-building capabilities. Manyof you will earn academic, Career and Technical Education(CTE) and college credit.Successful completion of your programs will provide youwith enhanced job skills and improved opportunities to attend

college and other post-secondary career training programs.By working hard to complete all of your class assignments, collaborating with othersto complete projects and participating in campus activities, you will be preparingyourself for the 21st century workforce.All of our teachers, administrators and support staff are here to assist you inachieving your academic and career goals. We wish you much success in thecoming school year.If you have any questions about the Center for Career Services or any of our progams,please contact me at 914-761-3400.Sincerely,

Linda Maria SuarezDirector, Southern Westchester BOCES Center for Career Services

CTE Courses Offered in Spanish . . . . . . . . . . .2Dell Netbooks Available to Students . . . . . . . .2New Faces on Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Student's Design Wins Competition . . . . . . . . .4Carpentry Skills Valuable for CenterSupervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Campus Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Career Services Featured on The Today ShowSouthern Westchester BOCES' Center for Career Services was featuredin a segment of The Today Show’s “Education Nation” series that focused on ca-reer and technical education. The segment aired the morning of Sept. 28 on NBC.

the Press, Your Business, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemu-ndo, msnbc.com and nbclearn.com.Linda Suarez, director of the Center for Career Serv-ices, and three students – Alaysia Mickens, a seniorfrom New Rochelle High School; Nick Fontana, asenior at Ardsley High School; and Mark Hall, asenior from White Plains High School – were inter-viewed for the segment, which focused on the ways

that technology has changedtoday’s career and technical education, andhow rigorous academic studies are blended withvocational training in preparing students forthe 21st century global workforce.Nearly all background footage was shot on theValhalla campus and in classrooms.“This was an excellent experience for all of thestudents on campus,” said Ms. Suarez. “The factthat they were identified by a major newsorganization validates their time here.”Too often, she said, career and technical educationprograms are viewed as an alternative, rather thana mainstream, form of education. “The media isstarting to focus on all educational options. CTE isnot new; it’s just getting more exposure because thegovernment needs to put people back to work.”

Students Alaysia Mickens, Nick Fontana and MarkHall were interviewed for The Today Show’s“Education Nation” series.

Campus CalendarMark your calendar for theseupcoming events at the Centerfor Career Services!Career Conference Day forSouthern WestchesterSophomores – Nov. 19

Thanksgiving Recess – Nov. 25-26Holiday Recess – Dec. 24-31

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A new Dell Netbook, one of 39 currently availableto students on campus, sits atop a MobileComputing Station.

Career Services Center to Offer CTE Coursesin SpanishThis fall, the SWBOCES Center for Career Services is offering bi-lingual programsin cosmetology, culinary arts and electrical construction, which will include train-ing in the use of green technology. Linda Suarez, director of the Center, said twoadditional Spanish-speaking instructors have been hired as a result.

“This really is a grassroots produc-tion,” said Ms. Suarez, referring tothe districts’ commitment to providing

an English Language Learning (ELL) program thatsuits the needs of all students, some of whom fre-quently return to their native countries, have learn-ing disabilities, or are aging out of the K-12system without the adequate skills to preparethem for the workplace.Knowing the safety requirements that apply tovarious industries is an important part of the learn-ing process, said Ms. Suarez, and such regula-tions are more easily understood if delivered in astudent’s native language.“The idea is to give them the opportunity to learna skill set without the complications of the Englishlanguage,” she said.The initiative, spearheaded by former BOCESDistrict Superintendent Robert Monson, is basedon talks with the Greenburgh Central 7, NewRochelle, North Rockland, Ossining, Port Chester,Tarrytown, and White Plains school districts.Administrators have been examining ways

SWBOCES can improve professional develop-ment for teachers and administrators, and offerservices most suited to needs in the region, in-cluding targeted instruction for students in thearea of vocational education.Sandra A. Simpson, SWBOCES chief operatingofficer and deputy district superintendent, isfollowing up with this initiative, and hosted adistrictwide meeting in early October.The Center for Career Services also will workwith The Westchester Community CollegeGateway Program, a plan that provides post-sec-ondary education and other opportunities forstudents from other countries. Support serviceswill include career coaching, vocational assess-ment, VESID services and assistance throughagreements with other local colleges.Additional plans for the bi-lingual program atCareer Services include a one- or two-yearComputer Information Technology Program thatwill include instruction in English literacy andcomputer literacy, and training in VirtualEnterprise, an online business model training

Key Points• Approximately 10 students from Port Chester

and White Plains school districts are enrolled inbilingual CTE programs for 2010 -11.

• A bilingual cosmetology teacher was hired for2010.

• Nine teachers and two administrators fromCareer Services have completed ShelteredInstruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) training inbilingual education lesson planning and improv-ing academic achievement for ELL students.

• A guidance counselor at the Center for CareerServices has been appointed to facilitate appro-priate program placement for bilingual students.

• A separate enrollment application for ELL/Bilin-gual CTE students is available in Spanish.

• Upcoming districtwide meetings are planned withguidance counselors and faculty to address theneeds of ELL students and how SWBOCES canbetter serve the districts.

The campus has purchased 39 DellLatitude 2100 Netbooks for class-room use, along with two Mobile

Computing Stations where the computers arestored and charged. The Latitude 2100 is a lineof education-focused netbooks designed forK-12 students.

Fifty-seven additional Netbooks and two charg-ing stations have been ordered for the 2010 -11school year for a total of 96 Netbooks and fourstations, with the goal of having 600 Netbooksin two years’ time, said Dr. Clement Ceccarelli,supervisor of the Advanced Career and TechnicalEducation program.

Instructional material can be downloaded ontothe Netbooks, replacing expensive textbooks,and students can access their individual work

program. Ms. Suarez said she also is eager toimplement a bi-lingual GED program taught en-tirely in Spanish.“I really like the fact that this will be a comprehen-sive bi-lingual program that will take students fromhigh school and transition them into the world ofwork,” said Ms. Suarez.

Dell Netbooks Transform Student CollaborationStudents at the Southern Westchester BOCES Center for Career Services aretrading in their paper notebooks for electronic ones.

folders on a shared server. The Netbooks eachhave a link to the Internet, allowing students to doweb research.

With its lightweight design and built-in mobility,the Netbook can be used in any classroom, andis especially useful in such courses as automechanics and electrical construction, wherestudents can view video lessons and train at theirwork station. “The Netbook brings students closerto their work and puts the web at their fingertips,”Dr. Ceccarelli said.

Another important benefit of the Netbook’smobility is that students in different programs canmore easily collaborate on joint projects. Forexample, students in the Fashion Design andMerchandising program can work in tandem withCosmetology students on a fashion show. “Thereal world is all about working on teams andcollaborating with teams in different disciplines,”said Dr. Ceccarelli.

The next goal, he said, is to bring the campuscompletely wireless. “We want to give eachstudent a Netbook so they can move aroundcampus, work in teams and collaborate.”

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New Faces on CampusWelcome to three new staff members at the Center for Career Services, whocome from different backgrounds and places.

Laura MirabelAsk Laura Mirabel a question and she’ll beable to respond in English or Spanish. Thebi-lingual teacher, who joined the SouthernWestchester BOCES Center for Career Servicesthis year to teach Cosmetology II, has deep rootsin several countries. The Argentina native grewup in a household with her Argentine, Spanish-speaking mother, Italian father and French-speak-ing grandmother.

When Ms. Mirabel was in the fifth grade, thefamily emigrated from Argentina to the UnitedStates at a time when Argentina was in politicalupheaval. The family lived with friends inPleasantville and moved to Chappaqua whenMs. Mirabel entered the sixth grade.

The only problem was, Ms. Mirabel did notspeak a word of English. Spanish was her firstlanguage and she could understand some Frenchand Italian, but ESL classes did not exist then andshe had to learn English on her own. “I sat in theclassroom in front of the teacher not understand-ing anything she was saying,” Ms. Mirabelrecalled. “By the third year it got much better.”

That early experience of not being able to com-municate in the classroom has made Ms. Mirabelsympathetic to the frustration non-English speakingstudents experience at school.

She is one of two bilingual teachers hired thisyear at the Center for Career Services to provideinstruction in a new Spanish-English trainingprogram (see story on page 2). She also

conducts a six-week summer ESL course for newimmigrants from Spanish-speaking countries.“I tell my students that if I could do it, they cantoo,” she said.

In high school, Ms. Mirabel, by now fluent inEnglish, attended cosmetology classes atPutnam/Northern Westchester BOCES, finishingthe last four months of her second year in theprogram at SWBOCES when her family movedto White Plains.

After getting her cosmetology license, she beganher career at the Nail Phile, the first nail salon toopen in White Plains. There the new grad got aquick introduction to make-up, waxing, manicuresand pedicures.

A year and a half later, Ms. Mirabel went towork for Saks and Bloomingdale’s in WhitePlains. Over the next eight years, she worked atthe salons in both stores serving wealthy clientsand making a good living. Management oftencalled upon her to translate for Spanish-speakingclientele, putting her language skills to work, andto train new salon employees. She later workedin several upscale salons in Rye and Armonk.

After the birth of twins David and Danielle, nowage 21, Ms. Mirabel began teaching bi-lingualclasses part-time at night at a private cosmetol-ogy school in Haverstraw. “That’s how I gotinto teaching and that’s how I realized I reallyenjoyed it,” she said.

When her children entered elementary school,she returned to working part-time in upscalesalons, but she missed teaching. In 2005, shespotted an ad for a part-time cosmetologyteacher at P/NW BOCES, where she firstlearned the trade. She was hired full-timebecause of her experience and ability to speakboth English and Spanish.

This past summer, Ms. Mirabel applied for hercurrent position at SWBOCES. “It’s not a hugeleap because I know what BOCES stands for,”she said. “It’s the same work and the samehigh standards, just new colleagues and differentstudents. I’m comfortable, and I like theenvironment and staff. I’m still getting to knoweverybody.”

Known to her SWBOCES students as “Ms. M,”Ms. Mirabel said her teaching style is strict but

fair. “I like a structured classroom and goodclassroom management. I tell my students ‘I’mhere to be your teacher. You’re here to learn.’”

Continued on page 4

Theresa GonzalezTheresa Gonzalez joins the Career ServicesCenter this year as a Cosmetology I teacher,after working as a substitute teacher for theprogram for the last two years.

Getting into the cosmetology field took Ms.Gonzalez longer than it takes most professionals.She wanted to go to beauty school right aftergraduating from high school, “but my mothertalked me out of it,” she said. “She wanted me togo to college.”

Ms. Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree inpsychology from Mercy College, then struggledin a variety of unsatisfying jobs over the nextseven years, first as a social worker in the Bronx,a job that lasted just three months. “It was one ofthe hardest jobs I’ve ever had,” she said.

She taught pre-school for two years, where shesaid she felt like “more of a maid and a babysit-ter than a teacher,” then worked in a Bronx courthouse interviewing people who were arrestedand making recommendations to the judgesabout bail. The hours, she said, were rough –from midnight to 8 a.m.

She next taught seventh and eighth gradelanguage arts at a Catholic school in the Bronx.Although she discovered that she enjoyed teach-ing, “I wasn’t passionate about the subject,”she said. “It comes across in your lessons.”

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At the end of the school year, she decided torevisit her dream of going to beauty school andenrolled in the Westchester School of BeautyCulture in Mt. Vernon, where she felt at homestudying skin and hair care, nail technology,salon management, retail sales and make-uptechniques. “It’s something I always wanted to doand what I should have done in the first place,”she said.

For the last six years she has worked as a stylistin salons, loving every minute, but missingteaching. Working as a part-time substituteteacher for Cosmetology I for two years put herback in the classroom, and when the full-timeteaching position opened up, Ms. Gonzalezjumped at the opportunity.

Many of her first-year students, she said, arepassionate about the field, which is what makesa stylist successful. “When I was their age, Iloved going to the salon. I loved the atmosphereand experimenting with my own hair color.What fuels your success in this business is havingpassion for it.”

A newlywed, Ms. Gonzalez lives in the Bronxwith her husband, Dave Gonzalez, and theirdog, Lily. She is expecting her first baby inDecember.

Lisa Rudner-SuckleLisa Rudner-Suckle (“Chef Lisa”) bakes anamazing chocolate chip cookie. She’s passingthe knowledge on as the new Culinary Artsteaching assistant at the Center for CareerServices, where she supports the running of the

school's cafeteria along with students and stafffrom the Food Trades program.

Morning students focus on prep work, makingsandwiches and salads for the lunch crowd.Afternoon students typically bake desserts and doprep work for the next day’s lunch. This is thefirst experience most of the students have hadmaking anything from scratch.

“I like working with the kids and the satisfactionthat comes with helping them exceed what theythink they can do,” Ms. Rudner-Suckle said,noting that the students’ chocolate chip cookies“sell through the roof.”

Ms. Rudner-Suckle’s mother and grandmotherintroduced her to baking when she was in thesixth grade. The youngster was so obsessed withbaking that if she couldn’t sleep, she’d get up inthe middle of the night and make a cake. “Mymom said she taught me to bake so she neverhad to make another Christmas cookie again,”she joked.

Equally passionate about sports, Ms. Rudner-Suckle covered sporting events as a student atWestchester Community College, becoming theschool’s first female sports editor. In 1998 “TheJournal News” hired her to cover high schoolsports, a job she held for four years. She hasalso coached youth volleyball, basketball andsoftball for the last 15 years.

It was Ms. Rudner-Suckle’s brother, Brian, whourged her to makemoney with her bak-ing talents. She en-rolled at theInstitute of CulinaryEducation in Manhat-tan, graduating in2003 from a pastryarts program, but notwithout a couple ofstumbling blocks.One week afterstarting classes, shehad to drop outbecause she neededsurgery for tendinitis

in her wrists.

Undaunted, Ms. Rudner-Suckle got herselfbumped to the top of the waiting list for the fol-lowing year, and while healing, gained experi-ence working for a chocolatier in Mt. Kisco andat a Hartsdale bakery. The bakery owner, shesaid, told her she’d never make it in the business

after a cake she decorated didn’t turn out quiteright. Ms. Rudner had the last laugh after com-pleting the pastry arts course with high honorsand taking a job in a popular Peekskill bakery,where she wound up decorating the weddingcake of a celebrity’s daughter.

Ms. Rudner-Suckle spent the next few years ofher early culinary career gaining experienceat various bakeries, restaurants and hotels inWestchester County, Manhattan and New Jersey,including a managerial position at Chef MarioBatali’s restaurant, Tarry Lodge, in Port Chester.

In 2009, she took time off to help a family mem-ber, and in June 2010 married fiancé LeeMichael Suckle, whom she met covering a semi-pro soccer game he was refereeing. “It allworked out,” she said as she sampled a warmscone just out of the oven. “If I hadn’t been intosports, I would never have met him, and if I didn’tlike to bake, I wouldn’t be here teaching atSWBOCES.”

Continued from page 3

New Faces on Campus...

Student’s Design WinsLogo CompetitionA logo designed by New RochelleHigh School senior Alaysia Mickenswas the winner in a competition opento all Commercial Art students at theSouthern Westchester BOCES Centerfor Career Services.

The competition was hosted bythe SWBOCES Special EducationParent Teacher Association (SEPTA),

established last spring to help parents ofspecial needs children network and shareinformation.

SEPTA’s five-member Executive Board choseAlaysia’s logo from among 20 entries.

The design includes the SEPTA acronym and anencircled silhouette of a child holding a parent’s

Check Us Outon the Web!

http://www.swboces.org/services.cfm

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Career Services Supervisor Turns Vocational Skillinto Profitable PastimeIt’s no surprise that Dr. Clement Ceccarelli, supervisor of Secondary EducationPrograms at the Center for Career Services, is an expert craftsman. As a highschool student, Dr. Ceccarelli took a shine to the vocational trades and later usedthe skills he acquired in a vocational education program to teach industrial artsin the New York City schools.

Dr. Ceccarelli later received a bache-lor’s and a master’s degree in indus-trial arts, and while he was highly

skilled in the use of wood, glass, metal, andceramics, he felt there was something missing.That led him to Teachers College Columbia Uni-versity, where he graduated with an M.Ed and adoctoral degree in art and design education.

The combination of academics and practicalwork experience (Dr. Ceccarelli worked as acarpenter and cabinetmaker for more than a yearafter losing his teaching job in the mid -1970s)has been fortuitous for him. At one time he beganhis own business, making custom interior woodworking and many unique items for a numberof upscale clients, including a needlepoint stand,a chess table, a musical stand, an instrumentcase made out of ebony with silver inlay, and acorner china cabinet he made for his wifebefore they were married.

This much-admired piece took pride of place inthe newlyweds’ first home, a walk-up apartmentin Manhattan, where they lived for two years.

Dr. Clement Ceccarelli still dabbles in the manufactureof fine furniture.

It is now housed intheir Warwickhome. Made ofAmerican blackwalnut with slightlytinted glass takenfrom a 1969 Fordstation wagon,the making of thisparticular cabinetwas, he says, an

experiment in the creation of “knock-downfurniture.” The hinged unit made by Dr. Ceccarelliis fitted with steel rods, which run from top tobottom, and can be taken apart and put backtogether again for easy transportation.

Dr. Ceccarelli still dabbles in the manufacture offine furniture, getting most of his jobs throughword of mouth. While he’s quite happy to remaina BOCES supervisor, this highly skilled hobby willno doubt be valuable when he retires, and it’sa pastime he believes can easily be turned intoa profitable business once again. “I guess I’malways trying to connect with my creative side,”he said, “and making these pieces is a greatoutlet for me.”

The corner chinacabinet Dr. Cecca-relli made for hiswife before theywere married.

hand. The logo will be used on the SEPTA web-site, letterhead, envelopes and as a stand alone.

“The Board was looking for a logo that wouldindicate what SEPTA is all about – parents andchildren working together with school,” said

Carol Zalenski, a SEPTA Board memberand special education teacher aide atthe Center for Career Services.

“We’re very grateful that all of thestudents were so responsive,” she said.

“The Boardwas ab-solutelyamazed bythe students’ work.Our biggest problemwas choosing justone logo.”

Alaysia received a$30 prize and a letterfrom the Board thank-ing her for creating asymbol that representsSEPTA’s mission. “Yourlogo embodied themessage of this

newly formed organization,” the letter read.

Mr. Powers also was thanked for supporting thecompetition and guiding the students throughthe design process.

In addition to her Commercial Art studies,Alaysia serves as the afternoon president of thecampus’s chapter of the National TechnicalHonor Society, and was interviewed in Septem-ber by The Today Show for a segment on the“Education Nation” series (see story on page1). Both experiences have “put me a stepahead,” she said.

Commercial Art teacher Damian Powers and student Alaysia Mickens, winner of alogo design competition.

SEPTA’s new logo.

SWBOCES Center for Career Services65 Grasslands RoadValhalla, NY 10595

914-761-3400

Linda Maria Suarez, Director

Dr. Clement Ceccarelli, Supervisor, AdvancedCareer and Technical Education

Dr. Colleen Murray, Supervisor, Introduction toCareer Trades

Eileen Bloom, Supervisor, Alternative Education

Suzanne Davis, Newsletter Editor

Colette Connolly, Contributing Writer

Southern Westchester BOCES17 Berkley Drive

Rye Brook, NY 10573914-937-3820

www.swboces.org

Board of EducationPresident, Georgia RiedelVice President, Joseph WooleyJohn DeSantisNancy FisherRichard GlicksteinBeverly A. LevineJames MillerJames T. Langlois, Ed.D., Interim District

SuperintendentSandra A. Simpson, Chief Operating Officer/

Deputy District SuperintendentAssistant SuperintendentsSusan L. Carr, Educational ServicesNancy A. Jorgensen, Ed.D., Human ResourcesStephen J. Tibbetts, Business and Administrative

ServicesThe Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative EducationalServices, its officers and employees, shall not discriminateagainst any student, employee or applicant on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, creed, religion, marital status,gender, age, handicapping condition or sexual orientation.This policy of nondiscrimination includes access by studentsto educational programs, counseling services for students,course offerings and student activities, recruitment, appoint-ment and promotion of employees, and employment pay andbenefits, and it is required by Title IX of the Education Amend-ments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of1973, as amended and then promulgated thereunder, notto discriminate in such a manner.SWBOCES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Title IX CoordinatorMichael Gargiulo, Director of Human Resources

Section 504 CoordinatorThomas DiBuono, Director of Facilities and Operations

“The Mission of Southern Westchester BOCES is tocollaborate with school districts and communities tomeet their educational challenges by providing regionalleadership and cost-effective, high-quality services.”

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Campus Notes • Campus Notes • Campus Notes • Campus Notes

Students Turn Out 'Spooktacular' Halloween Items for Annual Sale

Ornamental Horticulture students were busy making festive Halloween and seasonal decorationsin time for the annual fall sale held at the Center for Career Services on Oct. 22. Students typicallymake fall wreaths, door decorations and painted pumpkins for the sale. From left: Senior StefanieIntrocaso from Scarsdale High School; Kathy Aparicio, a senior at Woodlands High School; andjuniors Katherine Palazuelos from Port Chester High School and Sheila Perez from New RochelleHigh School.

Back to School Night for Parents

Moms and dads headed back to the classroom with their children the evening of Oct. 21 to get apersonal look at the Career and Technical Education programs the students are enrolled in at theCenter for Career Services. Pictured is Steven Waters, a Woodlands High School junior, and hismother, Darnell Waters. Steven is taking an automotive technology training course.