B.E.S.T. Program Gives Certificates to Area Students

Hudson, NY – The Columbia and Greene County Chambers of Commerce are pleased to announce that 54 students from Columbia and Greene Counties received the B.E.S.T. Program Certificate of Employability for completing the program based upon the guidelines provided to each school. Twenty-seven students from Questar, thirteen students from Catskill and fourteen students from Taconic Hills received the certificate. The students were honored in a ceremony on May 28 at Columbia-Greene Community College .

The Columbia-Greene B.E.S.T., Business Employment Standards Transition Program certifies the work readiness of students so that when they apply for local employment or admission to college they can easily demonstrate that they have the skills, behaviors and knowledge necessary in the workplace and/or college. The B.E.S.T. Certificate is based on standards set by local area businesses. It verifies student's competence through an assessment of their academic performance, school attendance, community and career exploration activities. Each student's experiences are compiled into a portfolio that demonstrates the application of his/her skills.

The Columbia-Greene B.E.S.T. Program is operated in Catskill School District , Taconic Hills School District and Questar III Educational Center . Local business participation is critical for the success of this project. Businesses are able to participate in a variety of different ways including internships, mentoring, job shadows, classroom skill development, portfolio reviews, etc.

The B.E.S.T. Program is funded by the Columbia Hudson Partnership and Greene County Economic Development and is supported by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, Greene County Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Investment Board of Columbia and Greene Counties .

The following students received the B.E.S.T. Program Certificate from Taconic Hills School District : Hannah Hoffman, Megan Alberg, Thomas Yanch, Levi Bigelow, Courtney Gaston, Lindsay Litchfield, Michael Wolferstieg, Cody Nelson, Kellie Moore, Ariel Keener, Timothy Morrison, Vienna Smith, Meagen Skelley, and Imelda Muller.

The following students received the B.E.S.T. Program Certificate from Catskill School District : Victor Armstead, Charity Hall, Alexis Beck, Tyler Chewens, Sarah Mokszycki, Jessica Greene, Cecelia Demarest, Amanda Hernandez, Veronica Hilcken, Sarah Crowe, Tara Lane , Tara Madrid, and Joshua Deyo.

The following students received the B.E.S.T. Program Certificate from Questar III Educational Center: Phuong Tran – Cosmetology, Melissa Proper – Cosmetology, Marilee Loyola – Cosmetology, Nicole Peter – LPN, Carolann Hubbard – LPN, Jennifer Lee – LPN, Micah Whiteman – HVAC, Aaron Cowan – HVAC, Christopher Taylor – HVAC, Kaitlin Hallmark – CNA, Shawn Berry – CNA, Michelle Meigs – CNA, Marie Finck – CNA, Cody Rice – Early Childhood, Mandi Stockman – Early Childhood, Amanda Tayer – Early Childhood, Melissa McCaul – Early Childhood, Jamie Lambert – Construction, Katie Kusisto – Business, Amanda Grossman – Business, Colin Byng – Business, Peder Aakjar – New Visions, Daniel Martin – Culinary, Robert Yates – Culinary, and Joseph Favorito – Automotive.

For more information about the program contact the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce at (518) 828-4417.

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, with its 850 members, is the leading voice of business in Columbia County , providing advocacy, promotional and benefit solutions for its members. Those seeking more information concerning the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and membership can contact the Chamber at (518) 828-4417 or visit the website at www.columbiachamber-ny.com.