Superintendents from across Dutchess BOCES’ component districts joined together on last month to learn about a project-based learning model where high school students of all talents and skills work together toward an end goal.
The Winners Circle Project involves students building a car from the ground up and marketing it to sell. However, it does not have to be a car; Hyde Park Central District is also building a cob oven with assistance from HGTV star Matteo Lundgren. BOCES has provided CO-SERs, or approved cooperative agreements, for districts involved since 2022.
Program founder Pius Kayiira emphasized that students should treat the experience as if they were running a business where they collaborate with each other and develop a mindset leading to success.
“The car is just something to hook them in,” Kayiira explained. “We have an overall program developed to have these students ready for careers, success skills and also self-confidence.” 
Fifty percent of the process is building a car and assuring it runs properly, while the other half involves students designing a logo, making 30-second commercials, writing editorial pieces and creating social media posts that are screened and shared by teachers.
“We really talk about digital citizenship and what it means to brand yourself in the right way and what message you’re trying to convey,” Kayiira said. “You have to come up with a branding concept for your vehicle.”
The car itself, which is not covered by the COSER, can cost a district $45,000, but Kayiira noted most cars make back their money with brands like BMW and Dyson Racing providing additional funding. Additionally, when students make valuable connections in the program, those more than outweigh any high costs, he added.“We’re doing it enough for it to be sustainable,” Kayiira said. “What you get out of the program is far worth more than the cost.”
Wappingers Central School District Superintendent Dr. Dwight Bonk, attested to his students’ success in the program and noted that they work together using their backgrounds in business and entertainment marketing with dedicated technology teachers. 
“They live it, they breathe it and the kids feed right off of it,” Bonk said of his teachers. “We run it part and parcel with the courses we offer.”
CJ Riker participated in Winners Circle when he was a Waverly High School senior in 2021. He helped market his school’s car and plans to use managerial skills he learned to advance his career at Firehouse Subs where he currently manages a location.
“This project has really helped develop who I am,” Riker said. “It has helped me out a lot with the understanding of connections and stepping stones of success.”
