Students in the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Career Awareness class recently created vision boards during English class featuring a bucket list of experiences they would like to have and achievements they would like to reach.
The students are in special education teacher Alana Connolly’s Career Awareness class, and Connolly and English teacher Charlene Bufalini co-teach the English portion of their instruction.
The students benefit from the experience of making the bucket list posters, Bufalini said.
“It shows them that whether they know it or not, they do have goals and things they want to do,” Bufalini said.
The project was designed for the completion of the English language arts compare and contrast essay requirements and was tied to reading the book “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer in class. Students learned the true story of Christopher McCandless, and Bufalini said students showed empathy as they discussed and wrote essays about how his struggles, goals and achievements relate to their lives.
“It was a lesson that tied into the transition phase of their life, which is what my Career Awareness class is all about,” Connolly said.
The students who participated in the project are Herkimer senior Christian Arabia-Everson, Little Falls junior Anthony Kline, Central Valley senior Cory LaPointe, Herkimer junior Trent Linder, Herkimer senior James McDavid, Frankfort-Schuyler senior Christopher Pritchard, Mount Markham junior Sean Fellows, Herkimer senior Xander Sims, Poland senior Desiray Thayer and Little Falls junior Seth White.
Students developed various ideas for their bucket lists such as traveling, moving down south, designing video games, trying new foods and career-related goals.
Students have also used the vision boards for presentations through the Herkimer BOCES occupational hazards 4-H club and when meeting with ACCESS-VR for job development, Connolly said.
“That gives them more insight,” Connolly said.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Career Awareness students pose in front of their bucket list vision boards with special education teacher Alana Connolly and English teacher Charlene Bufalini. From left: Central Valley senior Cory LaPointe, Bufalini, Herkimer junior Trent Linder, Herkimer senior Christian Arabia-Everson, Frankfort-Schuyler senior Christopher Pritchard and Connolly. Not pictured: Little Falls junior Seth White, Poland senior Desiray Thayer, Little Falls junior Anthony Kline, Mount Markham junior Sean Fellows, Herkimer senior Xander Sims and Herkimer senior James McDavid.