To local participation in the Central American Youth Ambassadors Program.
The State University College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill hosted 25 students from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama who were attending the program.
The college, in partnership with Schenevus and Cobleskill-Richmondville school districts, hosted the students for one week of the three-week session. Students also spent a week in Washington, D.C., and at Northern Michigan University.
Locally, about a dozen students joined local teens at the Strike Zone in Milford on Jan. 22. There they learned to bowl, ate french fries and pizza, practiced English-speaking skills and spent time with their Worcester and Schenevus host families.
The program's overall goal is to increase mutual understanding among peoples of the Americas, a media release from SUNY Cobleskill said. Students, chosen from disadvantaged populations, gain knowledge and experience, but also prepare for a lifetime of leadership and community service.
We're glad to see our area take part in that wonderful cultural exchange.
To Davenport's Ray Preston for becoming only the second girls basketball coach in New York to earn 600 victories.
Preston, who has never won a state championship but has a nearly 74 percent winning percentage, hit 600 in a game against Andes on Jan. 24.
The other coach to hit 600 was Red Hook's John Kuhne, who retired after the 2009-10 season with 619 victories.
Preston has also shown his longevity and coaching skills on the soccer field, hitting the 400-victory mark this fall.
"It's an amazing accomplishment," first-year Andes basketball coach Tom Little said. "Just the longevity needed is tough to do. I tip my hat to him. It's a lot of work."
We agree. We congratulate Preston on his accomplishment.
To the building trades class at the Northern Catskills Occupational Center in Grand Gorge for helping the Prattsville Fire Department, and vice-versa.
The department's building was severely damaged by flooding from Hurricane Irene in August.
To help with storage problems, Jim Dymond, of the fire department, contacted Doug Anderson, the class' teacher, to construct a storage shed.
The students in the Otsego Northern Catskill Board of Cooperative Educational Services program created a 10-by-14-foot shed that will be used until next summer, when the repairs of the firehouse are expected to be completed. Then the fire department will raffle off the shed, according to a media release.
We're glad to see partnerships such as that. While the department could have easily gone to a big-box store and gotten a similar shed, the arrangement helped both sides.
The fire department got a much-needed shed for not much more than the cost of materials, and the students learned some skills needed to work in the construction industry.
