New York State trooper, construction engineer and dentist.
Those are just a few of the careers students in the Westmoreland Jr./Sr. High School College and Career Enrichment Program plan to pursue.
The careers - - and more - - were on full display at the Oneida-Madison-Herkimer Counties School Boards Institute’s “Educational Showcase” on March 28 at the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES. 
The showcase, part of the institute’s general membership meeting, was held in the Howard D. Mettelman Learning Center. Groups of students from 11 area school districts, along with the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES, each showcased a specific educational program. Exhibits were viewed by members of the Oneida-Madison-Herkimer Counties School Boards Institute, including local superintendents, board of education members and other educators.
Westmoreland Jr./Sr. High School’s College and Career Enrichment Program was showcased by a group of students enrolled in the program.
The program gives every senior several, unique opportunities to shadow a professional in his or her work environment. This allows students to learn, first hand, how the important workplace skills they are learning in the classroom can be applied in the real world. Above all, students can confirm their desire to pursue a particular career or become motivated to explore other avenues.
In order to participate, each senior must be in good academic standing and create a portfolio, which includes a cover letter, resume and references. Additionally, each senior is required to complete a research paper about his or her career choice, write a reflective essay at the conclusion of every visit to a specific job site and send a thank you card to their host.
“Experts agree that the most connected people are often the most successful,” Mrs. Weissenberger, Jr./Sr. High School Business and College and Career Enrichment teacher, said. “When you invest in your relationships, professional and personal, it can pay you back in dividends throughout the course of your career.”
Senior Benjamin Christensen is joining the Army to become a horizontal construction engineer. As part of the College and Career Enrichment Program, he has shadowed professionals at various construction sites and dairy farms.
“I have been able to go out and see people in positions I am interested in, learning more about their line of work and their everyday life,” Christensen said. “These great experiences helped me confirm what I want to do after high school.”
Senior Tori Besig wants to be a paramedic. She’s planning to attend Herkimer College this fall.
“I shadowed at Rome Hospital a few times and got to do a ride-a-long with COVAC Ambulance and will be doing another one with AmCare soon,” Besig said. “I have always kind of wanted to be a paramedic, but actually sitting in an ambulance and seeing paramedics at work made me more comfortable with the idea and realize I was making the right career choice.”
In addition to highlighting their job shadowing experiences through the College and Career Enrichment Program, students also showcased the Media Productions class and Bulldog Bookstore at the Jr./Sr. High School, as well as “Intro to Computer Programming and its Practical Applications.” The class, taught by Mr. Utter and Miss Guido, allows students to explore the significance of computing in problem solving through exposure to upper level logic, hardware systems and the C + + language.
“A lot of people really loved learning about Media Productions,” Besig said of the class which televises the daily announcements at the Jr./Sr. High School every morning. “The superintendents from Whitesboro and New York Mills actually expressed interest about coming in and watching a broadcast because they are interested in starting a similar class at their schools.”
After the educational showcase, the Oneida-Madison-Herkimer Counties School Boards Institute’s general membership meeting continued with a buffet dinner prepared and served by students in the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES’ Culinary Arts program. The meeting concluded with an update from and discussion with New York State Education Department Commissioner MaryEllen Elia.