E2CCB Information Technology Computer Systems teacher Daniel Palumbo works with a student during the Summer Enrichment Program at the Carrier Educational Center.

Students recently attended the Wallace D. Ormsby Educational Center and Willis H. Carrier Educational Center for the second annual Summer Enrichment Program. Programs included several opportunities for students to avoid the summer slump and sharpen their skills in differing career interests.

This year, Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES was able to expand the Summer Enrichment Program to the Carrier Center in Angola thanks in part to grant funding provided by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and secured by the E2CCB Communications & Development Department.

The Carrier Educational Center offered four classes, including Information Technology, led by Daniel Palumbo; Animal Science, led by Laura Valentic; Cosmetology, led by Barb Zemla; and Health Explorations, led by Paul Shepard.

“We had a lot of positive feedback from the programming offered,” said Stephen Ruszcyk, Carrier principal. “Students really enjoyed the morning and afternoon team building activities and said they wished it was two weeks long and not just one.”

Summer Enrichment is offered to students in grades 6-9 and provides a glimpse into what students may learn in a Career & Technical Education program through E2CCB.

The Ormsby Educational Center in East Aurora offered three classes: Culinary Arts led by Chef Greg Babcock, STEM taught by Ron Pasqualetti, and an Animal Science course led by Alison Kirst-Maracle.

“The campers participated in plenty of fun activities, including engaging with animals, building using tech parts, programming, making cookies and pasta, and much more,” said David Bogner, Ormsby principal. “The groups also spent time doing physical activities such as capture the flag, kickball, and tug of war.”

The Carrier Educational Center hosts many animals in their Small Animal Science program, so students could engage with turtles, ferrets, and more. They also went through various training exercises to help an animal in need.

The annual event, which was met with positive reviews from students and families, will look to expand in year three.

“Thank you for the tremendous effort put into this program,” one parent from Ormsby stated. “It was fun to hear all the stories, and my son enjoyed each day very much.”

“(My child) really enjoyed the program because it was fun and not like schoolwork. She loved the teachers,” said another parent. “She liked that Chef let them do so much on their own, and that she was trusted with the animals. She even enjoyed taking apart a printer.”