New Visions students earn certificates

The New Visions Justice Professions program is a selective career and college preparatory program that combines academics with career exploration. Three days a week, students take academic classes at WEMOCO. Two days a week, they shadow law enforcement agencies, legal offices and local courts.

The New Visions Criminal Justice Professions program has been using multiple digital platforms during the remote learning period that began mid-March. The group meets daily through the Remind app, email, Schoology and Zoom.

One of the requirements to complete a number of training courses online and continue to build their portfolio.

Students in the program have completed four different Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) online courses, resulting in certifications for each course.

Students have also completed the Homeland Security "Stop the Bleed, You Are Help Until Help Arrives" training course.

Criminal Justice students have also completed another certification through the eight-hour Pre-Assignment Training Course for Security Guards for the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services. This certification will allow students to become security guards when they turn 18.

Criminal Justice teacher Timothy Steves says his students have been great with engagement during remote learning and that the biggest obstacle they’ve had to face is lack of digital resources, such as scanners. To work around this, students are able to submit their work through photos sent via email or through the Remind app. The obstacle has caused Steves to consider other options for future learning plans. 

The students completing the Criminal Justice program through New Visions this spring will be the last to do so at WEMOCO. In the fall of 2020, the course will transition to a Middle Skills Criminal Justice program. Tim Steves will continue to teach the course. The Criminal Justice program will continue to include these certification opportunities!