OCM BOCES students shine on state and national stages for SkillsUSA

OCM BOCES Student Wins 2nd Place at National SkillsUSA Championships

September 4, 2024

Cortland, NY — Onondaga-Cortland-Madison (OCM) BOCES has its own silver medalist in the nation’s largest showcase of skilled trades.

Maddox “Max” Albro, 18, of Tully, recently earned second place in the Information Technology Services category at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta. This is the highest-ever achievement for the Cortlandville Campus and the first second-place finish at nationals in the 75-year history of OCM BOCES.

In 2022, OCM BOCES initially broke into the top-three national podium winners with a third-place, bronze-medal showing by Thompson Road Campus student Riley Collier, who competed in the Collision Repair Technology category. The national competition is huge, drawing more than 16,000 students, teachers, education leaders, and trade and business representatives.

“Having two top-three performances at nationals within two years is remarkable,” said OCM BOCES Career & Technical Education (CTE) Director Eric Comtois. “All credit goes to the teachers, club advisors and support staff who helped these talented students study and prepare.”

Albro, who graduated in June with a CTE certificate in Computer Technology, excelled in a simulated help desk competition, showcasing his problem-solving skills and effective communication with a “customer” who was confused about opening an email file.

“I later found out during that model that the PDF file was a virus, and the solution was to get rid of it instead of trying to open it,” he said.

Contestants were scored on several criteria, including dress code, timeliness, and accuracy in completing the task.

Albro recently reflected on the experience and downplayed the pressure. “Although it was a competition, everyone was really nice and it felt like a home. I quickly connected with others because we were all there to have fun.”

Before the competition, Albro had become one of the most accomplished students in his OCM BOCES program. He was the first student to earn three professional certifications through the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), one of the world’s top trade associations for information technology professionals. 

His certifications include ITF+, which covers the foundational knowledge and skills in IT; the A+ certification, which covers the basics of hardware, networks, and computer systems and qualifies the recipient for entry-level IT jobs; and the Network+ certification, which validates the knowledge and skills needed to troubleshoot, configure, and manage both wired and wireless networks found in companies worldwide.

Albro lives in Tully but wanted to attend Seven Valleys New Tech Academy, an OCM BOCES high school in Cortland that focuses on students working collaboratively on real-world projects. In the morning, Albro attended Seven Valleys, then traveled to the Cortlandville Campus for his Computer Technology classes.

Initially, Albro won a regional SkillsUSA competition in February at SUNY Morrisville. In April, he went on to win first place in the New York State SkillsUSA championships in the category of Information Technology Services, which allowed him to compete at the national level.

Richard Tokar, Max’s Computer Technology teacher, noted the significance of his achievements.

“Knowing Max, I wasn’t surprised by his success at regionals and state, but his top-three finish at nationals was a first for any OCM BOCES student in Cortland—simply incredible!” he said. “It underscores the talent and dedication of our students and our program. I’m incredibly proud of Max’s success and the connections he made.”

Tokar also questioned the longstanding stigmas associated with skilled trades because BOCES produces many high-achieving students like Albro.

“I’ve always known how talented our BOCES students are, but I wish more people recognized it,” he said. “This competition proves that BOCES students are truly top-tier in their fields. I feel like a proud parent. While Max’s success is entirely due to his hard work, I can’t help but feel incredibly proud.”

The demand for Career & Technical Education programs is rising, with a 10% increase in enrollment statewide between 2018 and 2022, according to the January 2024 publication of the New York School Board Association’s OnBoard periodical.

In many cases, like Albro’s, students get college jobs that align with their CTE training. Albro will be working at the IT help desk at SUNY Brockport, where he will major in Computer Information Systems.

“It’s basically what the competition was, except it’s a job,” he said.

SkillsUSA state officer: ‘I am thankful for BOCES every day for letting me do this.’

September 4, 2024 

Syracuse, NY — OCM BOCES senior Matt Byrne can only be amazed at how far he has come in the past 12 months.

Last year, as a Chittenango junior, Matt had a simple expectation when he walked into his construction class at the Thompson Road Campus: He would learn to build. He would get a hands-on education in carpentry, drywall, pointing, framing, blueprint reading, and all the fundamentals of building a new house.

All that happened, and Matt loved it. But he also worked hard and achieved an honor that changed his life, redirected his future, and established a proud “first” for himself and any student in the 75-year history of OCM BOCES.

Last year, Matt joined SkillsUSA, a national skilled trades organization he had never heard of before, and ran for a statewide office. He campaigned with “Vote for Matt” posters, red-white-and-blue postcards and a well-prepared speech at a regional SkillsUSA event in February. He won. He was elected Area 2 Vice President.

That win catapulted him to represent New York State with 13 other officers at the national SkillsUSA convention in Atlanta in June. At nationals, Matt and his fellow officers took their jobs seriously. They introduced, debated, modified and voted on delegate items, including organization bylaws and ad hoc committees. They heard speeches from SkillsUSA officers running for national positions and made thoughtful votes. They learned about parliamentary procedure and the quintessential aspects of being a leader.

Matt said one facilitator at nationals “kept the room going for eight hours straight,” so he approached him for an impromptu one-on-one session. “How do you do it?” Matt asked. “How did you keep everyone so engaged?”

Matt said the facilitator gave him several pointers, such as being conscious of hand motions, never pointing, and using “open” body language that makes people respond more positively to your message. He learned how people learn in different ways, how to ask questions in different formats, and how to be patient after asking a question—to let people gather their thoughts—rather than rushing to fill the silence.

“Nationals really helped me understand how to become a better facilitator and just a better leader in general,” Matt said.

Nationals, however, was hardly the end of his SkillsUSA journey. Sixteen days after his trip to Georgia, Matt attended a conference in Albany with the other state delegates and his OCM BOCES advisor, Heather Hardke.

Work began for the students to plan and facilitate a “New York State Fall Leadership Conference” in Albany in November. The event draws students from other BOCES, technical high schools and districts across the state. The goal is to familiarize students with SkillsUSA's history and framework and impart leadership skills.

Even before November, Matt is working on another SkillsUSA fall kickoff event in October in New Hartford. He’s also prepping for a trip this month to the SkillsUSA Washington D.C. Leadership Training Institute (WLTI). According to the event’s website, it’s a weeklong event that offers students and advisors from across the country “unique opportunities to advocate for the skilled trades while receiving advanced leadership training."

Other events include tours of D.C.’s famous monuments, panel discussions with government leaders, and a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

The event's highlight is having delegates like Matt put their leadership skills into action. Heather said the two of them are reaching out to local congressmen and state senators to set up in-person visits so Matt can share the value of participating in SkillsUSA and push for continued support. Matt has done a lot of online pre-work for the trip.

For his part, Matt is more than happy to sacrifice some of his summer vacation to focus on SkillsUSA. He meets Heather once a week at the local library in Chittenango. He spends time working on his computer when he could be hanging out with friends, which is typically a huge priority for him. He looks forward to Washington, New Hartford, Albany, and another trip to the state SkillsUSA championships in Syracuse in April, when his term will end.

“I love every second of it,” Matt said. “I don’t regret anything. SkillsUSA is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Heather is proud, amazed, and impressed by Matt’s maturity and growth. She looks forward to advising him into another school year, even though the work is “intense,” she says. She said the investment in Matt—and seeing his leadership potential—is more than worth it. It’s a fantastic feat for a 17-year-old young man.

Matt, in turn, credits Hardke for her commitment to his success. He’s inviting her to be his honored teacher at senior night at the end of his soccer season. He also credits his family—he’s one of seven children—and especially the lifelong encouragement of his father, Tim, who promised him “your time will come” despite an early reading disability that had some of Matt’s classmates calling him ‘the kid who couldn’t read.”

“This program made me realize that if I want something to change, or if I want something in this life, I’m going to have to be the one to do it,” he said. “I am thankful for BOCES every day for letting me do this.”

Next year, Matt hopes to attend college at Alfred State, a school that offers technical and academic degrees and, most importantly, a SkillsUSA chapter.

“I would totally be a member,” he said. “100%”