A brand-new space is now open at Binghamton High School dedicated to helping students prepare for life after graduation. The BHS College & Career Center invites students to explore opportunities that await them following their time at the high school. Students can explore careers, work with staff to identify opportunities for on-the-job experiences such as internships, volunteering, and shadowing; they can also meet with recruiters from colleges and the armed forces to ask questions and learn more about what is offered.
Binghamton City School District Superintendent Dr. Tonia Thompson said: “From the moment students walk through the doors of schools in kindergarten, our staff begins preparing them for their future careers. As they complete their 13-year journey with us, the BHS College & Career Center provides them with an opportunity to see firsthand the many opportunities that await them, get real-world experience, and work directly with people who can guide them. This center has all the resources our students need to be prepared to take on the real world.”
The new space is centrally located on the first floor of Binghamton High School, occupying the areas that were the previous locations of the College Connection and the Pat Shack school store. Originally, this space was known as “the Commons” at BHS.
The Binghamton City School District also dedicated a metal wall sign inside the center to the memory of Noah Farrelly, Class of 2018, who died after being struck by a vehicle while he was out for a run during his freshman year of college. Farrelly embodied the BHS “Portrait of a Patriot,” which outlines the characteristics all well-rounded Binghamton students should possess upon graduation. The sign reads:
Some kids may be smarter than you, some kids have cooler clothes than you, some kids are better at sports than you…it doesn’t matter. You have your thing too. Be the kid who can get along. Be the kid who is generous…Be the kid who is happy for other people. Be the kid who does the right thing. Be the nice kid.
-Bryan Skavanak
In memory of Noah Farrelly, BHS Class of 2018
To help reinforce that message to all Binghamton students and keep it in their minds as they work towards graduation, the Noah Farrelly Foundation is sponsoring a series of assemblies about kindness at all Binghamton elementary schools starting next week. Additionally, the foundation is hosting a shoe drive at our schools that will help provide new sneakers to Binghamton students in need.