Students, families, faculty, and administrators gathered in the Dunkirk High School auditorium to acknowledge the fourth P-TECH cohort. Students included Joel Amadori of Lake Shore, Giles Bills of Westfield, Michael Gugino of Dunkirk, Summer Hannold of Jamestown, Dominic Morris of Dunkirk, Preston Niemeyer of Gowanda, Michael Sanchez of Dunkirk, Charlie Scott of Dunkirk, Lorenzo Tarnowski of Silver Creek, Ryan Wills of Dunkirk, and Steven Zentz of Dunkirk.

Seniors are advancing to complete their associate degrees at Jamestown Community College, and first- and second-year students are excited to step up in their absence.

“Just a few weeks ago, I heard conversations from some of our underclassmen who were talking about who would step up to fill some of the shoes that are advancing tonight,” said Erin Moynihan, P-TECH guidance counselor. “That is amazing to hear because you’ve developed confidence in yourself, and the underclassmen have seen that. They’ve seen you grow into school leaders and want to be a part of that.”

Senior Steven Zentz of Dunkirk lamented the decision he and his classmates made four years ago to leave their home districts and pursue the unknown.

Pictured are seniors advancing in the P-TECH Dunkirk program and students who have recently earned their associate degree by completing the Jamestown Community College portion of the program.

“We had no clue what we were getting into, we were leaving friends from our home district and joining an unknown group, but we’ve all become really great friends,” he said. “We all recognized the endless possibilities before us because we decided to take a chance.”

Also acknowledged during the ceremony were students who earned their associate degrees, including Chelton Bellinger of Gowanda, Jordan Czak of Westfield, David Kozlowski of Forestville, John MacCullough of Jamestown, Garrett Sliwinski of Forestville, and Hope Smith of Jamestown.

Anthony Bautista, Dunkirk Metal Products Sales Engineer, provided the Business Partner Address and noted how much the students have grown in the program.

“My colleagues and I believe we’ve formed a great partnership with P-TECH. The skills and knowledge you’ve gained in this program will help you throughout your life,” he said. “The work I do today for Dunkirk Metal Products is fulfilling, and I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t educate myself and follow a path of technology. The world is a big place, and many opportunities exist.”