Amber Mead shared her recommendation of Melanie Bernier-Graham for tenure in the area of teaching assistant, effective Sept. 1, 2026.

Amber Mead shared her recommendation of Tara Evans for tenure in the area of teaching assistant, effective, Aug. 31, 2026.

Danielle Wayman shared her recommendation of Sarah Fox for tenure in the area of teaching assistant, effective Aug. 31, 2026.

Danielle Wayman shared her recommendation of Maia Torres for tenure in the area of teaching assistant, effective Aug. 31, 2026.

Sheri Perry shared her recommendation of Brandie Reid for tenure in the area of trade subjects, effective Aug. 31, 2026.

Sheri Perry shared her recommendation of Robin Polkosnik for tenure in the area of trade subjects, effective Aug. 31, 2026.

Zane Mahar shared his recommendation of Sheri Perry for tenure in the area of principal, effective June 30, 2026.

Cory Pike shared his recommendation of Kasy Gleitsmann for tenure in the area of physical education and recreation, effective Aug. 31, 2026.

Cory Pike shared his recommendation of Martin Jakubowski for tenure in the area of science, effective Aug. 31, 2026.

Ruth Leavitt shared her recommendation of Sarah Crowe for tenure in the area of instructional support services in curriculum and differentiated instructional support services, effective Sept. 1, 2026.

Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES WELCOMES the following additional new staff for the 2025-26 school year…

Alternative Education (Pathways) Staff:
  • Geoffrey Gray - School Safety Officer

Maintenance/Custodial Staff:
  • Gaven Miller - Custodian

LPN Staff:
  • Megan Baker - Teaching Assistant 

Pre-K Staff:
  • Aidan Ferguson - Teacher Aide (CV-Fisher)  

Special Programs @ CVA Staff:
  • Katelyn Shaut - Teaching Assistant 

Special Programs @ WEB Staff:
  • Luke Romero - Teacher Aide  

Megan Baker
Teaching Assistant

Geoffrey Gray
School Safety Officer

Construction on the Herkimer BOCES Phase 2 Capital Project is scheduled to begin at the end of June. This phase of the project will focus primarily on infrastructure and program enhancements within the Pathways building. Planned improvements include:

Throughout the project, both staff and students will continue to occupy the building. As construction progresses, temporary room assignments will be utilized to ensure continuity of instruction and operations.

What to expect during construction

Construction activities will occur during the school day for much of the upcoming school year. Similar to our experience during the WEB project, there will be times when contractors are moving throughout hallways and work areas and periods when construction noise may exceed normal levels. While efforts will be made to carefully coordinate activities and minimize disruptions, some interruptions are unavoidable. We appreciate everyone’s patience and flexibility as we navigate this important improvement project together.

Classroom preparations and moving process

Several classrooms at Pathways have already been identified for early construction work. Staff assigned to these spaces will be notified directly by building leadership and will need to prepare and pack their rooms prior to the end of the school year. Additional classrooms will transition into construction phases at various points throughout the year. Staff will receive advance notice and guidance as their spaces approach scheduled construction timelines.

Construction timeline at Pathways

Construction will begin immediately after students leave in June, starting in the technology and FACS areas. Work will then continue through the building two classrooms at a time.

With the exception of a few areas receiving major redesigns, most classroom work is expected to take approximately two weeks per room. Initial work will include:

Once the HVAC infrastructure has been installed throughout the building, contractors will return for a second phase of work – anticipated during summer 2027 – to remove existing electric heat units and install the new systems.

WEB construction updates

At the WEB campus, construction efforts will focus on completing projects initiated during Phase 1. Planned improvements include:

Most construction activities at the WEB will occur during the summer months. While there may be some impact on summer programming, significant disruptions during the regular school year are not anticipated.

Thank you to all staff for your continued cooperation, patience and flexibility as we move forward with these important facility improvements that will benefit our students, programs and school community for years to come.

Students in the Conservation program competed in the regional Envirothon competition and earned first place overall, securing a spot at the state competition at SUNY Cortland.

The Envirothon challenges students in areas including forestry, wildlife, aquatics, soils and current environmental issues, while promoting teamwork and problem-solving skills. The team’s strong performance at the regional level highlighted their dedication, preparation and knowledge of natural resource conservation.

Students pictured are: Connor Cowan (Poland), Nathaniel Haley (Poland), Kacie Owen (Mount Markham), Cooper Jordan (Herkimer) and Caileigh Youker (Dolgeville).

On May 15, four VP-TECH seniors participated in Herkimer College’s commencement ceremony in recognition of earning their associate degrees. The students are:

Submitted by Director of Special Programs at Pathways Academy and Central Valley 5-12 Tracy Facchini and Director of Early Childhood, Autism and Itinerant Services Melanie Welch

April is Autism Acceptance Month, and Herkimer BOCES was proud to host Connections Across the Spectrum, an evening dedicated to supporting families, sharing resources and strengthening connections within our autism community.

As we know, Herkimer BOCES offers a wide range of programs and expertise to support students with autism throughout our region. Our special education teachers, related service providers and support staff bring tremendous knowledge, compassion and creativity to the work they do every day. This event was truly a team effort. Families participated in presentations focused on communication, behavior supports and available community resources, while Herkimer BOCES staff provided free childcare to allow caregivers to fully engage in the evening.

We were excited to have such a strong turnout and to continue our families’ and community organizations’ partnership.

Community partners included: RCIL, UCP, Jump the Line Advocates, FACE Center, Arc Herkimer and Herkimer County Sheriff’s Office – Project Lifesaver.

Special thanks to our presenters: special education teacher Emily Hayes, speech and language pathologist Danielle Sponable, special education teacher Gabrielle Stemmer, special education teacher Ian Wiernicki and behavior specialist Veronica Rogers.

Herkimer BOCES welcomed TIM Academy consultants for their fifth visit this school year to support instructional programming within our 6:1:2 autism classrooms. The ongoing partnership continues to strengthen instructional practices and student supports across programs.

In addition, Herkimer BOCES is preparing to host the summer TIM Academy training Aug. 10-13, bringing valuable professional learning opportunities to staff across the region.

Herkimer BOCES Board of Education President Holly Pullis visited the WEB Complex to participate in classroom lessons and activities alongside students and staff in the Child Family Services program. Her continued involvement and support of Herkimer BOCES programs is greatly appreciated by students and staff alike.

Students from Mrs. Olejarczyk and Ms. Strieter’s 6:1:2 classrooms enjoyed an engaging educational experience on a field trip to the VIA Aquarium. Students explored marine life exhibits while building social, communication and experiential learning skills outside the classroom environment.

Students from Mrs. Byard, Ms. Stemmer, Ms. Hayes, Mrs. Priola and Ms. Witt’s 6:1:2 classrooms visited Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo for a hands-on learning experience featuring animal encounters and outdoor exploration. The trip provided meaningful opportunities for social interaction, sensory experiences and community-based learning.

Students from Pathways Academy recently volunteered at the Ilion Marina to help clean and beautify trails, parks and greenways connected to New York’s historic canal system. Students worked hard throughout the day and demonstrated outstanding community pride and teamwork while giving back to the local community.

Thank you to our students and staff for representing Pathways Academy so positively and helping preserve an important piece of our local history.

Students from CVA earned a special trip to the Utica Zoo through their participation in the PBRS Club, after a year of hard work and successful fundraising. The experience celebrated student leadership, teamwork and positive participation throughout the school year.

Pathways Academy students recently participated in a powerful cross-curricular Holocaust education project led by social studies teacher Isaac Hafelin, teaching assistant Nycol Conigliaro and instructional coach Corrie Clements. The classroom was transformed into an immersive Holocaust museum experience featuring survivor stories, artwork, historical displays and student-created projects honoring Holocaust victims and survivors.

As part of the project, students researched individual Holocaust victims and survivors before creating symbolic suitcase displays featuring artwork, writing and personal reflections. The experience deeply impacted students, who took ownership of the learning by guiding visitors through the exhibit and sharing the stories they had researched.

Students described the project as emotional, meaningful and unlike any traditional classroom assignment they had experienced before. The immersive learning experience helped students connect personally to history while developing critical thinking, empathy, communication and artistic expression skills.

The project also showcased the power of collaboration across Pathways Academy and the broader Herkimer BOCES community, with staff, students and programs contributing materials, artwork and support to make the experience possible.

Herkimer BOCES kicked off the Regional NYS Inspires Consortium by hosting teachers and administrators to train on the personal finance requirements in K-12. Herkimer BOCES is partnering with Madison Oneida BOCES and Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES to regionally work on Portrait of a Graduate and NY Inspires to share ideas and resources.

Thirty-six New Teacher Seminar participants embarked on truly understanding the NYS Teaching Standards (and what an administrator is really looking for in an observation) at our last in-person New Teacher Seminar of the year.

The "Path to the TA" series in April and May walked 19 area participants through the steps to becoming certified as a teaching assistant. 

The School to Careers Advanced Career Immersion Experience (ACIE) completion ceremony celebrated 51 seniors, from across all 10 school districts in the Herkimer BOCES region, who participated in internships throughout the school year.

Students spoke about their internship placements, their mentors and how their experiences in these real-world workplace settings informed their post-secondary college decisions. Students expressed feeling better prepared with the skills and knowledge they need to start their next steps on the road to a successful career.

Mentors also took the opportunity to speak to the value of the ACIE program.

All students received a gift of a bookmark and a book of advice on how to successfully transition from high school to adult life, written by Frankfort entrepreneur and alumnus Scott Grates, who generously donated the book to all the students.

Fifty-eight juniors have already applied for next year's ACIE program.

In partnership with The Syracuse Builders Exchange, School to Careers once again helped to facilitate the annual Greater Mohawk Valley Construction Career Day. Held at the Oneida County Department of Public Works, this yearly career awareness event invites students from all schools across Herkimer, Oneida, and Madison counties to spend a day learning about career opportunities in the skilled trades industry. The event features hands-on activities, giveaways for all students in attendance and lunch from Melt food truck. Students made connections with representatives from labor unions, the Department of Transportation and many other companies looking to hire and train the next generation of skilled trades professionals. Five of our BOCES programs were in attendance as well as three groups from our component districts of Little Falls, Richfield Springs and Herkimer. We also partnered with Adam Spatto and Erica Haver’s career readiness classes at Pathways Academy in preparation for this event.

School to Careers collaborated with Herkimer Middle School on an Alumni Career Day for grades 6-8. Eighteen alumni spent the morning in classrooms presenting to students and answering questions about their career path. The event kicked off with a keynote speaker, Dan Stalteri, vice president of Hummel’s Office Plus and softball coach at Herkimer College.

After a two-hour delay canceled their plans back in February, Frankfort-Schuyler and Owen D. Young eighth graders were finally able to make it to the Journey from 8 to Great (when eighth graders from all component districts visit Herkimer BOCES Career and Technical Education programs through School to Careers). The rescheduled May date was a success thanks to our seasoned CTE senior student leaders, who once again served as tour guides and student speakers for this career awareness event.

Herkimer and Little Falls teachers worked with School to Careers to make the connection between classrooms and 21st century careers on the Superintendent’s Conference Day "Educational Crosswalk to Portrait of a Graduate" at Fiber Instrument Sales/Giotto Enterprises.