BCIT Brief
April 2016, Edition #17
Editor: Mrs. Laura Geltch, District Program and Community Coordinator
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A Message from Dr. Nagy
Dear School Community:
This month marks two key milestones. Not only is this Autism Awareness Month (please see our Special Education resource page at (http://www.bcit.cc/Page/7341), but we also recognize the BCIT Academy for Performing Arts program, which brought the Broadway hit Chicago to the stage of the Performing Arts Center at the Medford campus on April 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 7 p.m.
This is the first time in the state of New Jersey that a high school has performed this play. Many present for opening night noted how impressed they were with the outstanding performance of our staff and students. I could not agree more. I was so proud to witness the genius of our students with varying learning exceptionalities and diverse artistic talents as they expressed themselves through instrumental and vocal music, dance, set design, costume design, lighting design, sound design, stage management and advertising. Many parents commented to me after the performance that they had wished as a child they had this same outstanding opportunity to perform.
In its infancy, our Academy for Performing Arts has quickly gained honors and special mentions from the press and critics. This excellence does not take place in a vacuum – it is in great part due to leadership. Special recognition needs to be placed on the incredible dedication, passion and teaching of director Scott Cooney, assistant director and choreographer Lauren Gebhart, vocal director Michael Nikolidakis, instrumental director Pamela Turowski, set lighting and sound design Rob Klimowski, stage management Liv Josie Grant and Danielle Stefanick, and advertising design Alexis Duran. We also thank Tina’s Productions for their assistance with the costumes.
If you have not seen the play, there is still time to get your tickets for the April 29 and 30 performances. Congratulations to the cast and crew! We are so proud of you.
-Dr. Christopher Nagy
Assistant Superintendent, Special Education
A letter from the BCIT Adult Education Principal, Patrick Cruet
Dear BCIT Community Members,
Beginning in May, students will have the new option of enrolling for BCIT Adult Education in person and/or online. In addition, BCIT will provide prospective students the opportunity to utilize the free online software called Career Coach.
Why should students stay focused on their education, let alone enroll in the first place? Career Coach provides prospective students a career vision—a strong grasp of what they’re aiming for, how to get there, and why. They need to see the value of attending BCIT Adult Education. Career Coach enables prospective students to research their career interests, evaluate those options based on trends in the economy, find an education path that best fits their needs, employment opportunities, earnings, and apply for that career at BCIT–in just minutes.
Check us out at www.bcit.cc for more information.
Sincerely,
Patrick Cruet
BCIT Adult Education Principal
BCIT Adult Education Student Spotlight
Congratulations to our Adult Dental Assisting students and Instructors! They shone while taking the second of three national board exams. All 11 students earned a 100-percent pass rate on the Radiation Health and Safety National Exam, administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB).
In addition to achieving this high standard the students scored 25 points higher than the state average on the exam, and 42 points higher than their peers across the country.
Our dental assisting students are currently out on clinical rotation and scheduled to take their third and final exam in early June. Upon successful completion of the program, all 11 students look forward to graduation, which is scheduled for June 21, 2016 at 6 p.m. at our Westampton campus.
Employment Weekly BCIT Adult Education Cover: April 13, 2016 issue
Upcoming BCIT Adult Education Career Exploration Events:
NJCCVTS Meets with BCIT Adult Education School Principal
Congratulations to our BCIT Adult Education Dental Students!
Our current Dental student have taken 2nd of the 3rd state board exams and all passed the Radiation, Health and Safety exam (RHS)!
Congratulations to the BCIT Adult Education LPN Class of 2015:
All students have successfully passed the NJ state credentials as Licensed Practical Nurses!
BCIT Student Spotlight: Jacob Emig - Automotive Collision Repair Technology
Jacob Emig is a senior at BCIT Medford in the Automotive Collision Repair Technology CTE. Jacob is the quintessential example of a well-rounded student. While his talents in the auto body shop have provided him with awards, he is number one in his class, an athlete, a peer leader, a magician, a musician, and all around amazing young man!
Jacob is the middle child; he has an older brother and a twin sister, who is 23 minutes younger than him. His sister attends Cherokee H.S. "My sister is more than family or a friend to me -- she is my twin, there is an unspoken bond between us", explains Jacob. "It was a tough decision to attend different high schools. We both applied to BCIT, however I knew I wanted to attend BCIT and work on cars, while my sister wasn't sure of her career path at that time."
Jacob's accomplishments (in high school):
- Valedictorian of his class!
- Magician – slight of hand card tricks
- Member of Building Men, a Leadership club here at BCIT
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters (2015)
- SkillsUSA – Automotive Collision Repair Technology
- National Honor Society
- VOTAG – 2015 & 2016
- Bible Study at BCIT – student led program.
- Burlington County Teen Excellence Report – he was nominated to participate. He wrote an essay on how he lives his life “for Jesus” He won!!
- Soccer, Marlton Recreation. He is the captain, sporting his older brother’s captain’s armband.
- Ultimate Frisbee, Marlton Recreation. Self officiated sport – teaches good sportsmanship. Regulation weight, professional-grade Frisbee, played on a soccer field, without the nets.
- Student Leader, Youth Group with his Church (where he works)
- Praise Team. Plays music for morning worship. Jake started playing guitar about a year and a half ago. He taught himself guitar, mandolin, & ukulele. He took lessons for piano and trumpet. (Jacob's favorite instrument is the guitar; it’s universal and you can sing or play alone.)
Jake's love of cars stems from his father and uncle. His father is more of a mechanic; Jake thought they would have a beneficial advantage if he learned auto body technology. His Uncle works for Chevy as a mechanic. Jake grew up watching his father working on a 1970 Chevelle. Jake thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about cars as an artist – to sculpt their frame and bodywork. Jake wants to buy a 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. He is fascinated by the framework project – there was a crack in the frame and a piece was missing – Jake was able to fix it. He works on his car at home and works as a maintenance man at a retirement home. Jake has access to the shops at work on the weekends. He works summers and throughout the week during school, when time allows. Jake works on air conditioning units, cleaning the lines, clearing gutters, and doing basic “preventative maintenance”.
Mr. Jaworski greeted him freshman year, day one of his exploratory. He said “I’ve been waiting for you!” Jake toured over the summer prior to freshman year to see his shop area. He was excited to work on the cars and begin restoring an old car. During his junior year, he brought in his own car and asked if he could work on it during his down-time. He brought in a 1973 Opel GT (similar to a Corvette). “It’s a very cool sports car!” The car was in bad shape, and no one believed he could restore it – he spent all of Junior year working on it and finished it! Then he brought in another car, a 1952 Dodge pick-up…which he is still working on and hopes to finish prior to graduation.
Jacob boasted "the Automotive program has exceeded all my expectations. I learned so much more than I expected about collision repair and restoration. I could probably leave right now and work in any shop with painting, the techniques and knowledge – I have gained about 90% knowledge in my four years at BCIT. With this new piece of equipment, I was able to paint so many more times, as opposed to maybe 1 or 2 times for the entire year, like in the past".
Jacob went on to explain, "If an incoming student knows they have an interest in any one of our career areas, I would tell them to come to BCIT. None of my peers regret making this decision. Every teacher has mentored me and I’ve bonded with every one of them. I have not had a poor relationship with any teacher here. The teachers are more than a teacher, they have become mentors because they know I respect them and know how eager I was to learn. I always keep eye contact with the teacher so they know I care about what they are saying. I always help them at the end of the day with putting the chairs up, so they know I respect their time".
Jacob plans to attend RCBC through the NJ Stars program in the fall. Jake could have gone to many colleges, but he didn’t want to be too far from home. He wants to remain in NJ, where he plans to work throughout college and set up his own auto body shop.
-Laura Geltch
BCIT Medford March Newsletter
Haines Family Foundation provided Paint Simulator, SIMSPRAY
Auto Collision Repair Technology Instructor, Mr. Jaworski explains:
"SIMSPRAY is a virtual spray paint training system. It offers an innovative sustainable and cost-efficient environment, and allows easy and safe learning of the painter's motion skills. I felt this would be a great tool for the student's to learn the motion, gun control and distance while painting, without wasting paint. We are very grateful to Renee Janowicz and the Haines Foundation. This type of support is helps our students's become productive members of the working community."
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BCIT/BCSSSD Board of Education Policies & Regulations
The following policies and regulations have been approved by the Board of Education. Please review and reference pertinent policies as applicable.
Policies/Regulations (Exhibit #1) (These items are available on the website.)
2nd Reading
3431.1 and 4431.1 Family Leave (Revised) R5111 Admissions (Revised: Rubric)
9150 School Visitors
7440 School Security
R8460 General Administrative Investigative Procedures (Revised) R7450.1 General Inventory (BCIT) (Revised)
1st Reading
8500.1 Offer Versus Serve (OVS)
R6660 Student Activity SOP
Policies/Regulations (Exhibit #1) (These items are available on the website.)
1st Reading
2340.1 and R2340.1 Competitions
2nd Reading
8500.1 Offer Versus Serve (OVS)
R6660 Student Activity SOP
Revised
7516 Use of Swimming Pool
8505 Wellness/Nutrition Standards for Meals and Other Foods
Policies/Regulations (These items are available on the website.)
2nd Reading 2340.1 and R2340.1 Competitions
Applying to BCIT is now a snap with InfoSnap!
Dr. Erin Conti
Coordinator of Admissions & Recruiting
Congratulations to BCIT March Students of the Month!
Grade 9 - Cassandra Shuler
Grade 10 - Jaxson Bonsall
Grade 11 - Amos Koffa
Grade 12 - Ryan Gauntt
BCIT Westampton Campus
Grade 9 - Yahaira Moreno Garcia
Grade 10 - Kiara Harris
Grade 11 - Lynette Westerman
Grade 12 - Ashley Larmore
Student Athlete - Aeryn Gilmore
Most Improved - Kayla Rivera
Discover Your Potential this Summer: BCIT Summer Camp
BCIT 2016 Summer Camp
BCIT 2016 Summer Camp Registration is now open
We are offering 24 Summer Camps this summer on our BCIT Westampton and Medford campuses! Ms. Monique Jenkins is our Summer Camp Coordinator. Please email Ms. Jenkins at mjenkins@bcit.cc with any camp questions.
Camp dates for Summer 2016:
July 11-15
July 18-22
July 25-29
Click here for the BCIT 2016 Summer Camp Brochure and Registration Form. Please note: no cash payments will be accepted this year. Please mail your camp registration form(s) along with a check or money order to:
BCIT 2016 Summer Camp
Attn. Ms. Nereida Mack
695 Woodlane Road
Westampton, NJ 08060
24 BCIT Summer Camps offered this Summer!
BCPDI Workshop Series
Click HERE for the Burlington County Professional Development Institute (BCPDI) online Workshop Series Brochure
BCIT Westampton Spring Program Advisory Dinner
Congratulations to our 2016 Successful Graduates:
Medford Campus: Ms. Asia Wright
Westampton Campus: Mr. Richard Kaser
BCIT Academy for Performing Arts Collaborates with Temple University Music Students!
Collaborative Composing Project
During the month of March, BCIT-Medford Music Technology students tackled a real-life scenario by discovering the role of a music producer. They also learned to collaborate with other musicians through cloud storage and without being in the same physical space. BCIT students worked with a group of Temple University undergraduate music education majors (pre-service teachers) in their junior or senior year of study collaborated with BCIT students. BCIT students created musical ideas by recording or sequencing ideas in GarageBand. Then, they shared the ideas and a song concept with their TU group. The pre-service teachers made suggestions, edits, and comment and included their own musical ideas for the music producer to choose from.
Each student documented the process through a communication log created in Google Drive. The students worked on the project for over a month. At the end Mrs. Pamela Turowski, Instrumental Music Director at BCIT-Medford, compiled all final songs into an album that the students titled “Uniquely Us.”
On April 8, 2016, the album was debuted, and BCIT students discussed the project with the TU professor Jay Epstein by video chat. BCIT students stated that they found the project engaging, enlightening, challenging at times, but overall a great success.
Pamela Turowski
Instrumental Music Instructor
Academy of Performing Arts
BCIT - Medford
Congratulations to our BCIT Westampton Students!
Southern Regional Competition Winners!
Two of our Culinary Arts students, Jackson Brown & Isaiah Sherrill, will move on to the state championships on April 16 as a result of their placement in the Southern Region competitions, held at GCIT on Sat., March 12th.
Bakers and Chefs in Training!
BCIT Medford Culinary students perfect their baking and cooking techniques in preparation for SkillsUSA! Even the flowers are edible!
Skills USA Competitions
Congratulations to our Skills USA Winning students!
Westampton Culinary Arts & Hospitality:
Job Skill Demo A: Jackson Brown - Silver
Commercial Baking: Kayla Burg - Bronze
BCIT Medford wins big at NJ Skills USA Competition in Somerset, NJ!
The place winners are as follows:
1. Gold Medal (T-Shirt Design) Katherina Rodriguez
2. Gold Medal (Digital Cinema Production) Desaree Vaughan
3. Gold Medal (Digital Cinema Production) Edward DuCoin
4. Silver Medal (Wedding Cake) Julia Bachman
5. Silver Medal (Wedding Cake) Brianna McCaffrey
6. Bronze Medal (Robotics) Jaxson Bonsall
7. Bronze Medal (Robotics) Sam Mineo
8. Bronze Medal (Computer Programming) Joshua Jurman
9. Bronze Medal (Collision Repair Technology) Jacob Emig
BCIT staff presented "Innovation through Technology, Creating Options" during the InnovateNJ Spring Conference.
Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Bonsall, Curriculum Supervisor, Mrs. Hartman, and Teachers, Jenn Breisacher & Lia Hannon presented on Blended Electives and Hybrid AP Classes. Thank you to our BCIT students who joined the meeting remotely, via "Google Hangouts"
Congratulations BCIT Athletes!
Congratulations Amir!
BCIT Medford Rewards Athletic Excellence
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Manno presented a Certificate of Excellence to Shakwel. Go Jaguars!
BCIT Westampton Girls Softball vs. Maple Shade
BCIT Academy for the Performing Arts presents their Spring Musical:
Dates: April 22, 23, 29 & 30, 7 p.m.
BCIT Medford Performing Arts Center
Burlington County featured Spring Musical: NJ.com
Congratulations to BCIT Medford Alum, Officer of the Year: Richard Liedtka
BCIT Food Drive for the South Jersey Food Bank:
Ms. Breisacher's Social Studies Class, Westampton Campus
US History II Projects
Students were split into small groups and each had to determine a theme of the Vietnam War. With those themes in mind, they had to create some type of a monument to showcase it. Once they were all completed, the students did a museum analysis on the iPads.
Jenn Breisacher
Social Studies Teacher
PRIDE Co-Advisor
Thank you to everyone who attended our Parent-Student Creative Writing Night in our Tech Lab at BCIT Westampton on April 12th.
TRIBUTE BRICKS make great Birthday, Holiday and Graduation gifts!
Engraved bricks can mark a memory, honor a loved one, or commemorate a special occasion. They are placed within existing walkways near the front entrances of either Medford or Westampton campus, reflecting the legacy of BCIT.
Bricks can be ordered in two sizes, plus a mini replica to keep at home. Details and the order form are on the web pages of the BCIT Foundation.
Let us know if you'd like a personalized certificate to present for an occasion! Call the BCIT Foundation at (609) 267-4226, ext. 8335.
Thank you for your support,
Director, BCIT Foundation
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Do you have a story to share?
Our students and staff are unique and truly outstanding Burlington County community members. It would be my pleasure to share student, family, and parent stories with our school's community.
Please contact me if you would like to share your story.
Thank you,
Program & Community Coordinator
BCIT
Parent/Student Tips:
How to create a home for homework:
2ndFloor.org Youth Helpline
In NJ, youth have an anonymous and confidential helpline to call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-888-222-2228 to speak with someone who will listen attentively and compassionately to any issues you are facing.
ANY CALL, ANY TIME - we are always here and ready to help.
Emergency Closing/Delayed Opening Procedures:
In the event of a campus emergency or inclement weather, staff members will be contacted via email, phone message, and text message. In addition, we will post a Special Alert Message on our website.
Staff Members, Help us Contact You.
Have you moved? Have you changed your phone number or email address? Please make sure to update your information with BCIT Personnel.
Students will be contacted using information stored in Genesis, our electronic student database. Parents should be reminded to ensure their contact information is up-to-date. Any changes should be reported to the main office of the student's school.