The Cool Kids from BOCES

Today was the going away picnic for a group of students from BOCES that have been working in the County office buildings. I don't know what BOCES stands for, but it had pretty negative connontations when I was a kid (Example: "Ooohh.. you're so stupid you have to ride the BOCES bus.") But I digress. These kids, who are mentally and/or physically challenged, have been working here for the entire school year and have really made huge progress in their abilities. They even surpassed what their instructors thought it was possible for them to do. So I was pretty honored to be invited to their picnic today. The thing that got me the most was how sad a lot of them were that they couldn't come back to work tomorrow. The people in the Buildings & Grounds department (where the kids worked) are looking into whether the kids can come back this summer and volunteer. That's how much the kids loved their jobs here. They weren't paid in money, but in experience. It must have been a hell of an experience if they want to keep doing it. Just a cool afternoon.