Clymer Central School is set to share an Occupational Therapist with Cassadaga Valley and may potentially begin a shared program with Chautauqua Lake for agriculture. School board members are pictured discussing the matter during a meeting this week. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

CLYMER — Clymer Central School is set to share an occupational therapist with Cassadaga Valley Central School and may also end up in an agricultural technology program swap with Chautauqua Lake Central School.

Clymer recently did interviews to fill the role of occupational therapist at the school. There were four applicants but only three interviewed because the fourth applicant didn’t have the needed qualifications.

“I did make an offer to one of the candidates and she accepted,” Superintendent Beth Olson said at the latest Board of Education meeting. “We’re still trying to work out the start date because she is currently a 12 month employee and this would be for ten months. She wants to still be able to work through the summer, so we’re just trying to figure out if we need evaluations. We have to identify how we’re going to do that.”

Olson added that the applicant hired knows that she will be shared with Cassadaga, and that their school was also very impressed. The hiree’s name will be given at the next board meeting.

There is also the possibility of Clymer entering into a shared program with Chautauqua Lake for the agriculture program.

“We’ve been in conversation with Chautauqua Lake,” Olson said. “They had come over here for a visit and looked at our agricultural technology area and talked about our programing. They have a couple students that would possibly be interested in that program.”

On the day of the meeting, six Clymer students went over to Chautauqua Lake’s manufacturing space. The students did a project there using a laser cutter and a burning tool to make a wood project. Others welded and learned more about the Project Lead The Way classes Chautauqua Lake provides. The school gave the students time to think it over and to gauge interest about entering into the program. Grades involved included those going into ninth grade and also juniors and seniors.

“The whole idea is that it would be sort of a one-for-one swap,” Olson said. “If we send two kids they would send two kids. We’ll talk about that and sort of work out the details. We need the interest first before that were to happen.”

The program would be a half day program, and Olson said the goal is to create more regionalism in the area and supplement what the school may not be able to offer that students can pick up at Chautauqua Lake.