The Career Day Inc. Full Day Program offers a transformative experience that connects students with a diverse range of professionals across industries and backgrounds. Speakers include school alumni and local professionals who share their personal journeys and practical insights, encouraging students to explore their interests and make informed decisions about their futures. The day begins with a high-energy keynote assembly, delivered by a dynamic speaker whose story sets an empowering tone. This opening session inspires students to embrace their unique talents and approach their futures with confidence. Following the keynote, students rotate through career-specific breakout sessions based on interests of THEIR CHOICE. In these smaller classroom settings, they engage directly with professionals—from electricians and engineers to artists and healthcare workers—who demonstrate how academic subjects like math, science, or art apply in real-world careers. For many students, these connections illuminate unexpected pathways, such as how a love of drawing could lead to a career in surgery, architecture, or design. All participating students are invited to apply for the Arie A. Bucheister Memorial Scholarship, a $1,000 award granted to one student per school. The scholarship honors those who express how Career Day Inc. programs influenced their educational and career aspirations and encouraged lasting connections with mentors and potential career opportunities. Each Full Day Program is customized in collaboration with school administrators to meet the unique needs, schedules, and demographics of the school community. By introducing students to a wide spectrum of careers and pushing them to think beyond their comfort zones, Career Day Inc. empowers students of all academic levels to pursue exciting and often unimaginable possibilities. The Career Day Inc. Panel Style Assembly offers students a dynamic and inspiring experience by connecting them with a diverse panel of professionals across various industries. Each program is customized in collaboration with school administrators to reflect the interests, demographics, and goals of the student population. Career Day Inc. curates engaging speakers, including school alumni, local professionals, and subject-matter experts—who share personal stories, career insights, and advice for future success. Panels typically feature three to seven presenters, depending on the school’s schedule. A key feature of the program is student interaction. Ample time is provided for Q&A, and students are encouraged to submit questions in advance. The most thoughtful questions are highlighted and rewarded during the event to promote deeper engagement. To enhance the impact, many schools now include breakout sessions following the panel. These smaller group discussions allow students to connect more personally with the speaker or field that resonates most with their career goals, heritage, or cultural identity. The Career Day Inc. Panel Assembly fosters an inclusive, student-centered environment that broadens awareness of real-world career paths and empowers students to make informed decisions about their futures.

Author/Illustrator Timothy Young has 16 published children's books, from board books to chapter books. His presentations include book readings, an interactive drawing demonstration and discussions with students about creativity and the writing and drawing process. He has also worked in the fields of animation and toy design, having worked on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, designing and building Muppets and he was the first person to sculpt the Simpsons characters for toys. He brings and shows samples of some of that work. Timothy is also available for interactive workshops and residencies.

Traveling shop class is a unique program that makes wood working accessible and safe for students grades PreK-8. Students learn about a trade that is both a career and an art form. Students get to make wood sculptures with specialized tools in a safe environment; all materials and supplies provided. With guidance and one-on-one attention, students will design and create their own unique wood sculpture to make and keep. Traveling shop class easily aligns with any visual arts curriculum addressing goals for sculpture, critical thinking and problem solving, culture and careers. Traveling shop class addresses the NYS standards for the visual arts for creating and connecting. Students will generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. They will organize and develop their ideas and work experimenting with forms, materials and artmaking approaches, balancing experimentation with safety and responsibility, while interacting in ways that enhance and empower their lives. Through artmaking students develop awareness, knowledge and experiences, and solve artistic problems. Part of the traveling shop class presentation is about environmental conservation which has cross curricular connections to science goals for habitats. 21st Century Skills such as critical thinking, creativity, social skills, communication, flexibility, problem solving, productivity, adaptability, curiosity and imagination, self-direction and perseverance are embedded as students plan and build, share, take turns, make corrections, and practice safety. Traveling shop class programming is easily adaptable for unique school-wide or individual class experiences including a modified format to be inclusive of all abilities.

MUSH with Noggin, the Sled Dog! Have you ever wondered… What does it feel like to ride the runners behind a team of dogs, steering a loaded sled through mountainous terrain, crossing the vast Alaskan tundra, hugging the shoreline of the great Bering Sea? What does it take to care for a team of Alaskan huskies? Could my dog be a sled dog, too? Musher, Karen Land, will answer these questions and more when she and Noggin, the Alaskan husky, visit (your school/library name, date, time). Dog mushing, a traditional mode of arctic transportation, is a unique subject perfect for every classroom. From STEM (climate change and environmental studies) to literature (Gary Paulsen and Jack London) to the arts and physical education, the options for exploration are endless. Land is an Outdoors columnist, songwriter, public speaker, and three-time participant in the 1000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race as well as many other sprint and endurance races in Alaska, Canada, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Maine. Since 2000, Land has traveled to nearly every state with her dog sled, mushing gear, Arctic clothing, and beloved dogs, giving over a thousand school and public library presentations. “Tethered to my string of dogs, trusty leaders find the trail, together we are free…” —from “Into the Northern Lights,” lyrics by Karen Land

Assembly programs that are full of basketball tricks, comedy and audience participation. The kids have a blast and so do the teachers. We finish every show with motivational words on teamwork and kindness.

The Art Thing Collaborative, Inc. is a social arts crew on a mission to bring people together by bringing art to the people! We offer fun and inspiring community-focused "Art Things" for kids (and grownups!) of all ages: from epic, hands-on creative battles like Art WAR to big collaborative projects and pop-up, art adventures like Positive Space, where art isn’t just something you look at, it’s something you can play in! We invite your school and community to team up with us to create something inspiring and have some unforgettable fun at The Art Thing!

As an author of over 100 comprehensible readers for students learning languages, I very much enjoy connecting with students of all levels about the stories that I write and hopefully, those that they are reading in their language classes. I have stories in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and will be delighted to travel to your district to interact with students (even in the target language!) about what they are reading, either independently or as whole classes. My visits are lively, fun and interactive - a great way for students to showcase their language abilities while their teachers stand by and bask in their students' success!

Living Wall Fiber Art Community Program The Living Wall is a community based, collaborative art program that focuses on the hands-on art of wet felting. During this program students learn a variety of felting techniques to experience how wool can be sculpted and painted with to create three dimensional forms, patterns and unique fiber creations. Over the course of three sessions, participating classes will learn to wet felt flowers, mushrooms, moths, leaves, stones and vines using different hands on felting techniques. They range from techniques that are purely hand based, meaning no extra tools are needed which are best for grades k-2 and techniques that require felting mats that are provided by myself, the teaching artist, which are best for grades 3 and up. Those felted pieces of flora and fauna are then added to one large piece of background felt to create the look and feel of a living wall. It is an organically textured quilt or 3D sculptural base is made entirely of hand felted wool and will sometimes represent trees, roots and branches. The final piece will be hung at the school in the location of the schools choosing. The Living Wall is meant to be a reminder of how important green spaces are to human beings, how important our environment is and how we need nature in our lives to be healthy and happy. It serves as a lesson in using, understanding and appreciating natural fibers, as well as learning about the sustainability of wool. It is also a symbol of community and the beauty of working together to create one beautiful piece of work. In the same way an ecosystem has many individual elements that work together in harmony to create beautiful natural spaces and systems that benefit us all. The cost of this residency program is $6250 which includes all materials, tools, in class time and the assembly of the final sculpture. There may be an additional cost to the program that will be dependent on the distance to the school and the length of the program to cover travel costs.

I am a third generation artist whose paintings of race horses are in a number of private collections of prominent horse people across the country. I would like to do presentations involving reading my children's book "Awesome Elijah," a drawing lesson, and play and sing the song that I wrote that goes with it, or play a professional recording of it. Elijah, the calf, is rescued from certain death, and grows up to be a much loved steer who is ridden at a Horse Expo at the Saratoga Race Course. This true story illustrates just what an effect one act of compassion can have on so many lives.

Richard Hight is a nationally recognized artist/speaker who uses the fine arts to help his audiences create strategies for change by turning good ideas into great results. He is on a mission to help students see the possibility of their potential and create new opportunities. Addressing thousands every year, Richard’s Art of Inspiration influences his audiences to use their imagination to discover their originality and celebrate their differences. As a masterful storyteller with a down to earth, Oklahoma warmth, and humorous style, he always connects with his audiences. Richard’s presentation begins with the dramatic and exciting creation of a stunning illustration on a six-foot canvas (each school can suggest what image will best serve their students – historical figures, patriotic images, school mascots and others, etc.). Students and teachers are WOW’ed by the combination of powerful illustration, spoken word, and music that transpires in a matter of moments. The artwork Richard creates then provides the foundation for his keynote presentation and discussion.. He can customize a portion of your event to include Anti-Bullying, Character Building or reinforce the theme of your school.

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site offers a wide range of on-site and outreach programming related to the fascinating history of the Erie Canal, the Mohawk Valley, and the Haudenosaunee people. Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century's greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center Museum exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation. Within the site's boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal's development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putman Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site's largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek. Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center. Facilities: Stop into the Visitor Center to orient yourself to the site, check out the exhibit space and gift shop. Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site offers educational outreach programs as well as an on-site school field trips and special events. Services & Amenities: Within Park Bicycle Riding, Boat Launch, Cross Country Skiing, Educational Programs, Historical Areas & Structures, Horseback Riding, Info Center, Museum, Park Office, Parking, Picnic Area, Picnic Tables, Playground, Restroom, Walking

Backtrack Vocals is an a cappella group from New York City. They have extensive touring history across the United States, as well as performances in Vietnam and Kazakhstan. They infuse heart and humor into their educational programs, and their versatile repertoire, spanning Top 40 hits, Motown, classical, show tunes, and original music offers programming for any age! They have conducted educational programs at over 250 schools worldwide, from elementary assemblies to college workshops and a cappella camps in the US and abroad. Our offerings include school assemblies, choir workshops, professional development for choir directors, and introductory clinics on: beatboxing, group vocal improv, pop vocal techniques, choreography, and more. You can find testimonials and more details on these programs here: https://www.backtrackvocals.com/educational-programs