Lt. Governor Congratulates Graduates of the Clean Technologies ECHS Program
June 5, 2017
New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will be speaking at the graduation celebration for students from over 20 high schools across the region as they graduate from the Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries Early College High School (Clean Tech ECHS) program on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at Hudson Valley Community College's TEC-SMART facility in Malta.
The ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m., with more than 50 students being congratulated and recognized for their accomplishments. The morning's agenda also includes a display of both 11th and 12th grade students' capstone projects, which offer innovative solutions to real world problems.
Annual scholarship presentations will be made by Society for Information Management's Albany chapter, Siena College and The Sage Colleges to Clean Tech ECHS graduating seniors at the ceremony. These scholarships are for students who specifically plan to continue their studies at the four-year college level and/or in a STEM field.
In addition to Hon. Hochul, speakers at the graduation ceremony include President and CEO of the Business Council of New York State Heather C. Briccetti, Esq.; Regional Sales Manager at Applied Robotics Edward Miron; and New York State Assembly District 113 Representative Carrie Woerner.
Jointly sponsored by Hudson Valley Community College and the Ballston Spa Central School District, the Early College High School program prepares high school students for college and careers in clean energy, computer science and information, mechatronics and entrepreneurship.
The school was founded in 2011 and now enrolls nearly 300 students from 22 different school districts across ten counties. The students in 11th and 12th grade take courses at TEC-SMART for half the day and complete regular high school courses in their home school for the remainder of the day as they earn more than 20 college credits in addition to a high school diploma. It is one of the innovative educational programs available to interested students in the capital region. Mentoring, job shadowing, workplace visits and field experiences are provided through the program's partnerships with business and industry, government, and non-profit regional groups.
In 2013, ECHS was recognized as a New York State Pathways in Technology (NYS P-TECH) school, with a grant of $2.6 million to expand its offerings and reach to include ninth and tenth grade students.
For details about the program, visit its website or contact ECHS Coordinator Adrienne Snow at asnow@bscsd.org or (518) 884-7150.