SALAMANCA — A select group of Salamanca students spent part of their summer gaining hands-on experience in possible future careers with professional leaders in their school.

The Salamanca City Central School District held a workforce development program this summer, funded by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Summer (NYSDCJS).

“We had 31 applicants for 21 slots, and we had 21 students this summer all over the campus,” said Sandi Brundage, grant administrator for the district.

The partnership with NYSDCJS was established in 2020 when the City of Salamanca, Seneca Nation of Indians, Cattaraugus County, Olean City School District and the Salamanca school district took part in a Georgetown University Juvenile Justice Reform Grant session with Shalain Garcia, Director of Programs.

“Shalain and I have been pals for a while and she went ahead and gave us a grant for $90,000 to have our kids be trained in workforce development,” Brundage said.

During the first week of the eight-week program, students attend Leadership Academy training with the Seneca Nation Summer Employment and Training program at the Seneca Arts and Learning Center. There, Brundage said, students received certificates in financial literacy, soft skills training and working with difficult people.

“They were great, and we really enjoyed that opportunity to partner with the Nation,” she added.

Workforce support was provided by Sara Congdon, who was named Worksite Supervisor after applying for the position in part because she holds a certification in Work Based Learning. Congdon met with students weekly, solved workplace problems and relocated one student in the first week of the program to better suit their needs.

Salamanca students brush up on their soft skills as part of the workforce development program this summer.

ONE OF THE areas students were placed was Security Detail with Ray Haley, Director of Safety and Security, learning about how to apply security to a school building.

“These students learned about our security measures, assisted with checking the building and monitoring the doorways,” Haley said. “We loved having them and their work this summer can translate into real-life jobs.”

Other students were placed with Food Service and Edible Garden, which included helping prepare over 6,000 meals for the summer food service program. They also worked with food service staff on creating healthy recipes for student breakfasts and lunches, which included greens from the Edible Garden.

“One of the girls who worked for us this summer is already employed with Tim Hortons, and being certified, she was able to be in the kitchen and help there as well,” Brundage said.

Elsewhere around the district, students were placed in Clerical Support and assisted with sorting and delivering mail and assembling teaching materials for the 2025-26 school year; in Sports Camp, assisted with five weeks of summer camp programming aimed at keeping young children engaged, moving and learning through several different sports; in Buildings and Grounds, assisted with yard work, assembling furniture, moving items from classrooms and moving teachers into their classrooms; and in the IT Department, students helped to replace, repair and “scrub” computers and devices to get them ready for the 2025-26 school year. Because the grant was not set to end in November, two students continued to work in IT this fall.

“Because of the seven-generations connection that we have with the Nation, students got to go on a field trip to the Jacobs University at Buffalo School of Medicine,” Brundage said. “They dental cleaning, starting IVs on a fake arm, they had a wonderful time.”

Salamanca students work on medical dummies at the Jacobs University at Buffalo School of Medicine this summer as part of the workforce training program.

LOOKING AT THE overall impact of the program for those 21 students, Brundage noted that they worked over 3,200 hours, contributing nearly $62,000 to the local economy through employment. She also said these experiences and the soft skills learned can be added to the resumes for future job opportunities.“

Dr. Mark Beehler, Superintendent of Schools, said having the opportunity to watch and work alongside the student workers was exciting. He said the district benefited from having additional hands to assist during busy times, but more importantly, the students gained a deeper understanding of the many facets that enable a school district to operate.

“Our student workers were excited to learn new skills — yes, actually excited — such as how to properly answer the phone or operate a piece of equipment because they were relevant to their daily tasks,” he said.

As educators, Beehler said the district’s staff know the value of empowering students, and this program placed students in relevant and important roles within the district.

“They acquired new skills, developed deeper understandings and applied that learning to an important job,” he added. “Empowerment doesn’t get more real than that.”

When asked about their thoughts on the program, some of the students said, “I learned a lot! The staff taught me new recipes which I am using at my home now,” “I hope they offer this program again next year because I will totally interview for it again and hope I get hired,” and “It was great. I would do it again!”

Several family members of participating students also expressed their satisfaction with the program and their children’s experience.

“He learned more about managing his money/financial literacy, building relationships with school personnel, and how all the various departments in the school need to work together,” one parent shared.

“I was happy to find out when my grandson was hired for the summer work program, and as I saw him doing various groundskeeping duties around the school campus, I became very proud,” a grandparent offered. “It was nice to see him have a good work ethic, and I know he enjoyed it as well.”

“We were very grateful for the opportunity that our son had with the summer workforce program. He truly enjoyed working with the young student/athletes and had a lot of fun,” another parent said. “As a young adult, getting the chance to earn your own money gives a sense of pride and ownership. He has big goals and saved every penny!”