Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES recently received a New York State School Boards Association Champions of Change award in recognition of a collaborative project between the Herkimer BOCES Conservation program and the Herkimer County Highway Department.
NYSSBA Executive Director and Chief Member Relations and Business Development Officer Barry J. Entwistle announced the award in a letter to Herkimer BOCES District Superintendent D.J. Shepardson.
“NYSSBA is dedicated to recognizing and promoting the positive work taking place in schools across the state,” Entwistle said. “Please extend our congratulations to your Board of Education, staff and students for their role in creating a positive district culture others may admire and emulate.”
The Herkimer BOCES Board of Education recognized Herkimer BOCES Conservation teacher William Carpenter and Herkimer BOCES School Safety Advisor James Garcia with the NYSSBA Champions of Change award banner during a board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10, for their involvement with the project.
The project came about in February 2026 after Garcia noticed trees leaning over the road while doing normal safety checks of the Herkimer BOCES Gros Boulevard campus in East Herkimer. Garcia notified Carpenter about the trees, and Carpenter determined that the trees would fall on their own at some point, so it was determined they should be cut down for safety purposes.
Because the work would be done on a public road, Garcia reached out to the Herkimer County Highway Department for traffic control during the work.
On Feb. 11, 2026, Herkimer County Highway Department foremen Mike Ferguson and Rich Reinhardt blocked traffic and worked closely with the Conservation program. Conservation students cut down and removed the trees under Carpenter’s supervision.
Read the original story about the tree-cutting project.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation teacher William Carpenter (left) and School Safety Advisor James Garcia (right) pose with a New York State School Boards Association Champions of Change award banner that NYSSBA gave to Herkimer BOCES. Carpenter and Garcia were recognized during the Herkimer BOCES Board of Education meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10.