In an ongoing effort to obtain information from city residents about water pipe materials, city officials have issued an open letter asking for assistance. Below is the letter from city Water and Wastewater Superintendent Tom Phelps:

Dear Residents of Batavia, 

The City of Batavia is reaching out to request your assistance in an important initiative to ensure the safety and health of our community.

We need your help to identify and replace pipes within our water system, specifically the buried service lines that connect the water mains in the streets to your homes. Regardless of the material your pipe is made of, it is crucial for us to gather this information to protect public health.

In the coming days, you will receive a letter from the City of Batavia Water Department regarding Home Lead Line Testing. We kindly ask that you take a few moments to complete the steps outlined in the letter and report the type of pipe that brings water into your home. Your timely response will greatly assist us in expediting the inventory process of the pipes within our city’s water system.

Additionally, some residents will receive a separate letter from our partner, ElectroScan. Their field crews will need to enter select homes to conduct a survey using a hand-held scanner at the water meter. This survey is expected to take about an hour, during which your water will be temporarily shut off, and your pipes will be flushed before service is restored. Please note that this service is provided free of charge, and no digging will be required. We encourage you to schedule the survey as soon as possible upon receiving the notification.

As part of a nationwide initiative mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all water systems in the country are required to complete an inventory of drinking water pipes from the mains to residences. The goal is to identify and ultimately eliminate any water service laterals containing lead. 

For any questions or additional information, please visit our website at https://www.batavianewyork.com/department-of-public-works/pages/lead-service or contact us via email at leadservice@batavianewyork.com. 

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to keeping Batavia a safe and healthy place to live.

The Pok-A-Dot is such an iconic location local filmmaker Andy Rich decided to shoot a scene on Saturday morning for a film he and a team of other local filmmakers are putting together for a film festival.

The festival, the 48-Hour Film Project, gives filmmakers just 48 hours to write a script, film it, edit it, and submit it to the contest.

The project can't begin before the Friday night of contest weekend because the team leader must receive two genres the filmmakers must choose from, the two characters that must be included, their professions, a prop and one line of dialogue that must be in the script.

This is the sixth year Rich's team has entered the contest.  They've previously made the Top 10 and been nominated for awards.

The Buffalo-area winners will be screened at an international film festival, Filmapolooza, at a location to be announced in 2025. Selected films from that festival will be screened in a special exhibit at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

"Every year, the film gets a little better," Rich said.

Rich likes filming in Genesee County.

"The thing about Genesee County is Genesee County has that feeling of comfort," Rich said.

He was grateful to Tim and Phyllis Beers for allowing the team to film a scene at the Pok-A-Dot.

"It feels like a place that everyone has been to wherever they are in America," Rich said. "It feels like places in small towns all over America."

You can view the 2019 entry here.

Previously: Le Roy actor offers opportunity, tools of the trade in free workshop

Photos by Howard Owens

Click here for more information on this listing!

Press Release:

The Batavia Country Club (BCC) concluded its 2024 Junior Golf Camp with impressive performances from young golfers in two age groups. The camp for ages 7-10 was held from July 29 to Aug. 2, and the camp for ages 11-15 was held from August 5 to 9. 

The camps featured instruction from experts, including Tom Tucker, a W.G.T.F. “Top 100 Golf Teacher,” Roxanne Noeth, a 14-time BCC Women’s Club Champion and Byron-Bergen H.S. Men's Basketball Coach, Dominic NiCastro, a single-digit handicap player, and Jada Fite, BCC Girls Junior Golf Camp Champion for 5 out of 6 years.

Ages 7-10: July 29 - Aug. 2

The camp for ages 7-10 saw enthusiastic participation and great weather. The week was highlighted by a shortened Friday tournament due to heavy rain, but the competition remained fierce.

Tournament Champions:

• Girls Champion: Macey D’Amico
• Boys Champion: Brady Ayres

D’Amico clinched the girls' title by two strokes in the one-hole tournament. The boys' tournament concluded in dramatic fashion, with Ayres winning a four-hole sudden-death playoff against Max Flannery. Flannery’s final putt just missed, allowing Ayres to secure the win.

Girls Medalists:

• Macey D’Amico (Champion)
• Payton Ford (Accuracy Putting, Lag Putting)
• Dakota Ford (Putting Contest, Chipping)
• Evie Lankford (Pitch Shot)

Boys Medalists: 

• Brady Ayres (Champion)
• Max Flannery (Putting Accuracy, Lag Putting, Putting Contest)
• Ryan Morasco (Chipping)
• Micheal Sexton (Pitch Shot)

Additional contests, including team scrambles and “putts for bucks,” kept the campers engaged and lightened Coach Tucker's wallet. Pictures courtesy of Coach Noeth can be found at 2024 Golf Camp Photos Ages 7-10

Ages 11-15: Aug. 5 - Aug. 9

The camp for ages 11-15 featured competitive play and camaraderie. Due to inclement weather on Friday, a four-hole tournament was held on Thursday. This adjustment ensured that the tournament continued smoothly despite the forecast.

Tournament Champions:

• Girls Champion: Melina Moscicki
• Boys Champion: Trent Darling

Moscicki excelled in a limited field, while Darling won the boys' competition decisively, showcasing impressive power with a nearly 275-yard drive on the long drive hole.

Girls Medalists:

• Melina Moscicki (Champion, Putting Contest, Chipping Contest, Pitch Shot Contest, Long Drive)
• Elizabeth Lankford (Lag Putting Contest, Aimline Accuracy, Closest to the Pin on Hole 17)

Boys Medalists: 

• Trent Darling (Champion, Long Drive Hole 15, Pitch Shot Contest)
• Eli Fancher (Chipping Contest)
• Xavier Vargas (Lag Putting Contest)
• Arlo Hoisington (Aimline Accuracy Contest)
• Lucas Hoisington (Putting Contest)
• Cal Fancher (Closest to the Pin Hole 17)

The campers enjoyed daily team scrambles and various skill contests, continuing the tradition of friendly competition, and "putts for bucks". Pictures courtesy of Coach Noeth can be found at 2024 Golf Camp Photos Ages 11-15.

Both groups had great weather, made new friends, and left with improved skills and cherished memories.

For more details on upcoming events and golf instruction, visit TomTuckerGolf.com.

When you find there isn't much of a punk rock scene in your hometown, you create your own. That's the DIY ethic of the punk movement, after all.

That's the inspiration behind the second annual Punk Rock Picnic on Sunday in Genesee County Park & Forest.

"We come from Batavia, and we don't really fit in the Rochester scene or the Buffalo scene," said Ronald Ratulowski, one of the organizers of the picnic. "I'm old enough to know we're not going to create a scene in Batavia so this our scene."

There will be five bands playing on Sunday, the two Ratulowski plays in, Cowboy Vampires and Election Day, plus two bands from Buffalo, Space Cowboys and Bastard Bastard Bastard, and a fifth band, Privatized Air.

"We've played with the bands in Buffalo and liked them and wanted them to join our party," Ratulowski said.

The picnic starts at 11 a.m. in Pavilion 2, with the first band taking the stage at 1 p.m.  Each band will play an hour-long set.

Ratulowski and fellow Cowboy Vampire Chris Humel worked together to organize the event.

There aren't many venues in Batavia that book bands playing original music so this is a chance for people to come out to the park and hear local bands playing their own songs, Ratulowski said.

"They can hear music they might not otherwise hear," Ratulowski said.

Submitted photos from 2023.

Press Release:

In the second quarter of 2024, ESL awarded 150 grants for a total of $7.4 million to local organizations that provide critical services and programs to individuals and families.

“The crucial work of our community partners is producing positive and measurable results that are having a direct impact on individuals and families throughout our community,” said Maureen Wolfe, executive vice president /director, human resource and community impact, ESL Federal Credit Union. “ESL is motivated and inspired to collaborate with our partners in order to help support the growth and prosperity of the Greater Rochester region.”

ESL and its Community Impact team partners with and reinvests in the community through philanthropic grants aligned with expanding individual opportunity through quality education and employment, building strong neighborhoods that are affordable and connected, and strengthening organizations. The team also works to share stories that highlight the positive, measurable outcomes of this important, benevolent work in the community.

“Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Critical Home Repair Program built a mobility ramp for one of our clients who is preparing to age in place and has just secured his first electric scooter to make getting around easier.,” said Julie Allen, marketing and communications manager, Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity. “His daughter says ‘he refuses to accept help unless he really needs it, so he rides his scooter on the sidewalk down to the market. It gives him some independence that he’s not ready to give up. It’s a sight to see, but at least we know he’s got support. This ramp will make that independence more attainable, longer’.”

A sample of the organizations that received grant commitments from ESL include:

Organization: Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity

• Project Title: 2024 Critical Home Repair Program
• Grant Awarded: $458,800.00
• Description: Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity provides programs and services to support affordable, quality housing and critical repairs needed to ensure the longevity of those homes for hundreds of families in the region. In collaboration with community partners, these programs help build homes, strengthen communities, and foster hope.

Organization: Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board Inc.

• Project Title: Finger Lakes Regional Career Connections Coordinator
• Grant Awarded: $200,000.00
• Description: Funding for this year two-year regional coordinator position will help build and maintain training for employment programs among high school students preparing to enter work-based education and training programs. These programs are designed to lead directly to employment with partnering employers.

Organization: GLOW YMCA (Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Wyoming counties)

• Project Title: Summer Funding for Youth Development    
• Grant Awarded: $136,000.00
• Description: Serving four counties, GLOW YMCA provides summer programming to approximately 1,500 youth in the four-county region to support the continuing development and education of youth. 

Press release:

“Together we can” is the theme for this year’s International Overdose Awareness Day campaign – the annual observance that includes a local event from 3 - 7 p.m. August 28 at Austin Park in Batavia.

The world’s largest annual movement to end overdose, IOAD is dedicated to remembering without stigma those who have died and acknowledging the grief of family and friends left behind.

More than 200 community events have been scheduled across the United States and around the world during the month of August to raise awareness of one of society’s worst public health crises.

Initiated in 2001 by Sally J. Finn at The Salvation Army in St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia, IOAD spreads the message about the tragedy of drug overdose death and that drug overdose is preventable.

Goals of the campaign include:

Providing an opportunity for people to publicly mourn loved ones in a safe environment, some for the first time without feeling guilt or shame.

Including the greatest number of people in IOAD events and encourage non-denominational involvement.

Providing information about the issue of fatal and non-fatal overdose.

Sending a strong message to current and former people who use drugs that they are valued.

The GOW Opioid Task Force ceremony will feature several guest speakers, including Rob Kent, president of Kent Strategic Advisors, LLC, and former general counsel for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Other speakers scheduled include Lynda Battaglia, director of Genesee County Mental Health & Community Services; Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee & Orleans Health Departments; and Chris Budzinack, Supportive Living counselor at UConnectCare.

The event will feature live music, a petting zoo, ice cream truck, bounce house and free pizza and refreshments. Representatives of nonprofit agencies have been invited to set up booths at the park.

For more information about the Austin Park observance, contact Jay Baran at jbaran@uconnectcare.org.

Press Release:

Genesee County Spartans Head Coach Harry Rascoe is looking at two “keys” to knocking off the undefeated Lockport Wildcats this weekend and advancing to the championship game of the Northeastern Football Alliance semipro league.

“Not turning over the ball and pressuring their quarterback,” Rascoe replied when asked what the Spartans need to do to defeat the Wildcats in the Western Conference semifinal scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Lockport’s Outwater Memorial Park, 125 Outwater Drive.

The Spartans take a 6-2 record into the game, with both losses coming at the hands of Lockport, 8-0 in league play.

Genesee County lost to the Wildcats, 16-6, in their opening game (although the score was 8-6 with less than two minutes to play), and then fell, 36-14, to Lockport on July 13 in a game marred by six Spartans’ turnovers.

Rascoe, speaking during a practice session on Wednesday at Farrall Park in Batavia, said it’s imperative that the offense hold onto the ball.

“We’re going to have to sustain drives on offense – the defense can’t be on the field the whole time -- and we’ve got to contain (Lockport quarterback) Willie (Fair III).”

Fair, while completing less than half of his pass attempts, has thrown for about 850 yards and 11 touchdowns this season – with several of those TDs coming on long passes after broken plays.

“He’s got a great arm,” Rascoe said. “He can throw pretty much the length of the field so it’s hard to cover receivers on those broken plays. That’s why we have to win the battle in the trenches and get to him.”

Rascoe said he expects defensive back Jzhon Henderson to play on both sides of the ball – splitting the ball carrying duties with standout halfback Jed Reese (363 yards rushing in five games as three of the Spartans’ victories were by forfeit).

“This is the playoffs; there’s no more offense and defense. We’re going to put our best 11 guys on the field to compete with them. We know they (the Wildcats) are already overlooking us, so we’ll play the underdog.”

Quarterback Corey Turpin, who has thrown for 680 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions, said he has to be efficient for the Spartans to win.

“We can’t give them extra opportunities,” he said. “It’s up to me to not turn the ball over, to execute and go in there with confidence. I feel that this is the game where we put everything together.”

Defensive Coordinator Craig Tiberio said the Spartans match up well against Lockport in terms of talent, so it will come down to discipline.

“More than anything, it’s the attention to detail and everyone doing their job,” Tiberio said. “If we can clean up the missed tackles and the few potential interceptions that we dropped, we’ll be right there.”

Tiberio said the Spartans’ front four of Gunner Rapone, who has 6 ½ sacks thus far; Jalen White, Ryley Elliott and Steve Kowalczyk “is the best in the league.” He also praised linebacker Kaden Marucci, who leads the league in tackles and has two interceptions and four fumble recoveries.

“Marucci has had a super year and has been nominated for Defensive Player of the Year,” he said, noting that Rapone earned that honor in 2023.

Linebacker Marley English leads the team with three interceptions.

Genesee County Spartans' projected starting lineup for this Saturday’s game:

Offense

Quarterback: Corey Turpin; Running backs: Jed Reese, Jzon Henderson; Tight end: Rob Thurston Jr.; Wide receivers: Deyonci Farley, Rayshawn Huitt; Center: Tim King; Guards: Austyn Fernandez, Anthony Natrigo; Tackles, Baylee Vercruysse, Jordan Chambers. Kicker: Julia Petry.

Defense

Front four: Gunner Rapone, Jalen White, Ryley Elliott, Steve Kowalczyk; Linebackers: Nick Santos, Kaden Marucci, Marley English; Secondary: Max Rapone, Dontre Woods, Jzon Henderson, Cody Wenner or Amir Cleveland. Punter: Deyonci Farley.

Press Release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) sent a letter to Federal Election Commission Chairman Sean Cooksey and Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub demanding an investigation into the abnormal transaction activity related to donations to ActBlue, a fundraising platform used to support left-leaning and Democratic nonprofits and politicians.

This letter addresses reports of unusual transactions involving large sums of money through ActBlue. According to FEC data, many individuals have allegedly made numerous donations through the platform each year, often without realizing their names and addresses were being used for these donations.

"As the co-chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus, I am deeply concerned about reports of fraudulent donations through ActBlue undermining the integrity of our elections," said Congresswoman Tenney. "ActBlue's decision not to require CVV numbers for donations raises serious concerns about the potential of fraudulent activity and foreign interference in our electoral system. This is on top of the extremely troubling reports of unauthorized use of individuals' names and addresses to create fraudulent accounts and make substantial donations without their knowledge. It is imperative that the FEC thoroughly investigates these claims and reviews ActBlue's security measures to ensure compliance with the law."

In the letter, Congresswoman Tenney demanded answers to the following questions:

1. Has the FEC already examined anomalous transaction activity or ActBlue's lax verification processes? If so, please provide a detailed summary of the results of that investigation.
2. If not, will the FEC commit to investigating potential fraudulent donations to ActBlue, as well as the organization's lack of verification guardrails?
3. Is ActBlue in compliance with federal rules as it relates to accepting online donations? 
4. Will the FEC consider the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration's August 5 request for emergency rulemaking to require political campaigns to verify the CVV of donors who contribute online?

Read the full text of the letter here.

Press Release:

Depending on the weather, aerial and hand distribution of oral rabies vaccine baits will take place in Western New York from August 12- August 17. Areas of New York State are once again taking part in a nationally coordinated effort to halt the spread of raccoon rabies in 16 states.  

Ongoing field evaluation of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) called ONRAB will occur in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Clinton, Erie, Essex, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and
Wyoming counties. 

These sites were selected in part because of ongoing collaborations with Quebec and Ontario, Canada in the fight against rabies to protect human and animal health and reduce significant cost associated with living with rabies across broad geographic areas.

“Rabies is a serious public health concern because if left untreated it is generally fatal. Costs associated with detection, prevention and control of rabies conservatively exceed 500 million annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, greater than 90 percent of reported rabies cases in the United States are in wildlife,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director of the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health).  

The efforts are focused on controlling raccoon rabies, which ontinues to account for most of the reported wildlife rabies cases in the United States. 

Raccoon rabies occurs in all states east of the established ORV zone that extends from Maine to northeastern Ohio to central Alabama.  Continued access to oral vaccine and bait options that are effective in all target wildlife species remains critical to long-term success.

The ONRAB bait consists of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) blister pack, containing the vaccine.

• To make the baits attractive, the blister packs are coated with a sweet attractant that includes vegetable-based fats, wax, icing sugar, vegetable oil, artificial marshmallow flavor, and dark-green food-grade dye.  
• While humans and pets cannot contract rabies from the bait, those who come across the bait directly should leave it undisturbed. Most bait packets are consumed within four days, and nearly all of the bait will be gone within a week.
• Please do not attempt to remove a bait from your dog’s mouth. The bait will not harm the dog and could lead to vaccine exposure.
• Should contact with baits occur, immediately rinse the contact area with warm water and soap and contact your local health department at 585-344-2580 ext. 5555 for Genesee County or 585-589-3278 for Orleans County.  

If you have additional questions related to the field evaluation in New York, please contact the Wildlife Services office in Rensselaer, NY at (518) 477- 4837.

Click here to view 46 Swan Street, Batavia
Click here to view 5158 East Main Street, Batavia

Press Release:

Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr. announces the graduation of Correction Officers Kelsey Kasmarek, Trent Ryan, and Tyler Brown from the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy’s 28th Basic Course for Correction Officers.

These Correction Officers recently graduated in a class of 10. At the top of the class was C.O. Kasmarek who received the Academic Excellence Award and C.O. Ryan received the Defensive Tactics Award.

The 247-hour course included training in effective communications, essential services, use of force, NYS Penal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Inmate Transportation, Firearms, Pepper Spray, Taser and Defensive Tactics, and other topics pertaining to corrections.

“Congratulations to all three of these Correction Officers. We look forward to their future in Corrections at the Genesee County Jail,” stated Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr.

Press Release:

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce its latest exhibit, “Don Carmichael: Ink in History.” The exhibit will open on Tuesday, August 13 and will be on display through December. “Don Carmichael: Inked in History” features over 50 pieces of artwork from Don Carmichael in various mediums from throughout his life. The works come from the museum’s collections alongside others loaned from Carmichael’s friends and family. 

The exhibit can be seen during the museum’s normal operating hours of Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Don Carmichael (1926-2005) was one of the most iconic artists from Genesee County in the 20th century and continues to grace the walls of homes and businesses across the County. Locally known for his famous pen-and-ink sketches, called “Memories of Historic Batavia.” 

Don Carmichael captured the historic essence Batavia and Genesee County offered, and many have loved them ever since and have proudly displayed them in their homes and offices. Luckily, Carmichael sketched dozens of the landmark structures before Urban Renewal tore them down in the 1970s, or he captured the structures through old photographs. Carmichael stated, “I’m fond of Batavia and Batavia history, it’s rapidly disappearing, so I decided to record it for posterity.” Before his iconic pen-and-ink drawings, Carmichael played a major role in the community by being the Director of advertising at The Daily News, Where he worked for over 30 years.

Press Release:

At the final concert of the Batavia Concert Band's Centennial Season, which concluded on August 7, the Band awarded two scholarships to band members and future music educators. 

Congratulations to John Antsey and Abigail Hoerbelt.

The Batavia Concert Band look forward to our next season, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.  We will see you in Centennial Park!

Press Release:

The Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is proud to announce the recently selected 20th Hall of Fame class. The 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees will be introduced at halftime of the Batavia vs Vertus Charter homecoming football game on Friday, October 18. Game time is at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, October 19, the committee will host the Hall of Fame Dinner at the Batavia Downs Banquet Facility. A social hour will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m. and the ceremony immediately following dinner.

The 2024 Inductees:

• Peter Arras - 1957 - Football, Basketball, Baseball (Contributor) 
• Tony Kasmarek - 1960 - Football, Wrestling, Baseball 
• George Galliford - 1961 
  • Athlete: Cross Country, Wrestling, Track & Field
  • Coach: Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field, Alpine Ski, Track & Field
• Trisha Lewandowski - 1996 - Alpine Ski
• Robert Darch - 2003 - Football, Wrestling, Baseball 
• Melissa Thurston - 2006 - Soccer, Basketball, Track & Field
• Jennifer Adams - 2008 - Soccer, Indoor Track & Field, Track & Field
• Ryan Darch - 2010 - Wrestling
• Batavia Ice Devils 2002-2003

If community members would like to attend the event, they can purchase Hall of Fame tickets in the Athletic Office at Batavia High School or send a check payable to The Batavia Coaches Association at the address above.

The cost of the Hall of Fame tickets is $40 per adult and $20 for children under 10.

Tickets must be purchased by Friday, October 11. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Athletic Director’s office, at 585-343-2480 ext. 2003.

When it came to her own education, Lindsay Warner had no qualms about where she was going. 

She would follow the same path as her father, siblings, cousins and Uncle Mike. That path led her to Batavia’s Notre Dame High School, as it does now. 

“For me, there was no other way. My family was a Catholic family; that’s how we grew up. I had friends who went to public school; the thought just never crossed my mind that I would go.  My father and his siblings all went to Catholic school, and it’s just what all my cousins did. When I was in high school, when I was a senior, I had two cousins, Mikey and Joey Rapone, who were juniors and then Francesca and Sierra were sophomores, and my sister Jessica was a freshman. I think my own family has inspired me to pursue this job that I’m in right now.”

Warner, a native of Le Roy who lives locally with her husband Jeremy and their four children, began her role as the new principal at Notre Dame in July. She will be working alongside longtime Athletic Director and former interim Principal Michael Rapone, aka Uncle Mike.

“He’s one of my biggest role models. And I mean, really, he's the role model for a lot of people who went here,” she said. “He's a model of dedication and faith and everything it means to stand up for something. So it's a privilege to have gotten to work with him, and it's an even bigger honor to say ‘that's my uncle.’”

Warner obtained her first teaching job at Notre Dame after 11 years of coaching while raising her family. She became the assistant principal in 2023 and earned her certificate of advanced study in school leadership from Stonybrook State College this past May. 

Her transition from teacher to administrator didn’t come without some trepidation, she said.

“My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t have that connection with students because that’s what I loved so much about my job, was getting to know the kids and helping them through. As a business teacher, I was a work-based learning coordinator, so I was helping them come up with career plans and college plans, and setting them up for job shadows, and helping them prepare for whatever it is that they wanted to do next. I got to really know the kids, and I was really worried about, ‘Am I going to be at my desk all day?’ And it’s going to be an administrator job, and I’m not going to get to work with the kids?” she said. “I was very happy to see that wasn’t the case at all. It’s equally, if not more, rewarding. I really do like this role, and I also like that you’re not only getting to know students and support students but are also supporting teachers.”

Nothing has compared to the academic environment, she said, such as other impromptu jobs at a bank and insurance agency. In between she worked through BOCES at the Western New York Tech Academy for seven years before the assistant principal position became available, and liked the opportunity to work directly with students as they began to make future plans.

Still, it was Notre Dame that kept calling her heart: “I loved coming to Notre Dame. I loved working with the kids. It wasn’t until a couple of my cheerleaders said to me, you’d be a really cool teacher, that I thought, you know, maybe that’s where I should be. I did a lot of thinking about it and praying about it and realized that’s where I should be.”

Tucked into beginning her family and coaching, Warner went back to school for her master’s in education at Nazareth College to enable her to get that first teaching job. 

Now to be taking another rung up the ladder has put her in charge but not very far from her crew, she said.

“It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to be kind of steering the ship,” she said. “I don’t look at it as being on top; I’m just leading the team. Everything that we do, that the school is known for, the excellence that we've really built our reputation on, that comes from the teachers and the coaches and the families. So I'm blessed to have had the background and in my own history and my own personal love of the school that I can use to kind of guide decisions that we make. But all the glory goes to our staff. I mean, they really are amazing people to work with. And so dedicated to the school success and to the student success, and I see that even more so now in this role.”

Contrary to how you might think her former teachers would react to their student now being their administrator, there was no awkwardness at all, Warner said. In fact, it was “a homecoming” for everyone.

“All the staff is amazing,” she said. “My leadership style is a servant leader. I’m here to support, I’m here to help, I want to do whatever I can do to help.”

One of her primary goals this coming school year is to have a better promotional strategy for what’s happening at Notre Dame, and to get the word out about events that are open to the public, such as a dinner theater coming up in December. 

“Last year was our most successful year since COVID, we’re happy about that and are setting the goal higher this year,” she said. “It’s all about involvement; how many alumni can we get to participate? It’s the generosity of others that’s kept Notre Dame going.”

The school, which housed 201 students in grades seven through 12 last year, and is finalizing numbers for the 2024-25 season, brings back fond memories of her own cheerleading days, Warner said. A 2001 graduate, she was there when the basketball team made states.

“We got to cheer on the team when they won on St. Patrick’s Day,” she said. “When I look back as an adult, I realize it was about more than cheerleading, and when I went to college, it was how prepared I was and how confident I was. It affects you in a lot of ways.”

Why do students and families choose a private, tuition- and faith-based education? Students come for various reasons, Warner said, ranging from the smaller school atmosphere and Catholic foundation to how people have described the feeling that “we’re a family.” 

Counselors, parents and teachers all interact on behalf of the student, and Notre Dame does “a great job at pushing them to reach their fullest potential,” Warner said. All of this makes for an environment she wants to be part of at the Union Street school.

“I’m very excited to be in this role and looking forward to a great year,” she said. 

With a parent and siblings who attended Batavia Notre Dame High School, Julia Rogers’ story may sound strangely familiar to that of fellow colleague and newly promoted principal Lindsay Warner.

But then again, there are likely many stories of local residents with family members past and present connected to the only Genesee County-based Catholic institution for students through grade 12. 

Nonetheless, it’s a tradition that Rogers cherishes, especially since her mother, Sheila Tehan Rogers, was a graduate of the very first Class of 1955, and her dad, the late Bradley Rogers, coached for the Fighting Irish in Batavia.

“It’s very powerful,” Rogers said of her new role as director of instruction, curriculum and assessment. “I’m definitely following in their footsteps. It’s like coming home.”

A native of Batavia, Rogers opted to attend public schools while some of her six siblings went to Notre Dame. She wanted to teach languages — Spanish and French especially — and Batavia City Schools offered both of those classes. 

As it turns out, the city school district drew Rogers in, for a 31-year career that included teaching and administrative roles and also included coordinating initiatives with community organizations, families and students. Then Notre Dame’s board opted to create a brand new position at the school, and it seemed ripe for her career path, Rogers said.

“It came along at the perfect time for what I wanted,” she said. “I worked in curriculum office as the coordinator of instruction and assessment prior to COVID. I will be assisting staff and teachers in building their instruction. I will be more of a teammate assisting the teachers with instruction and brainstorming ideas and opportunities for learning and crafting their art of teaching.”

She will be in charge of assessments, from Regents and SATs and PSATs, and working on local assessment that teachers will be giving to students and working with various grants.

Even as a child, Rogers wanted into the academic scene. As the oldest of seven siblings, she and her family members would play school, and later she discovered the thrill of real life learning in progress.

“It's seeing the light bulb turn on for children when they get something, it is the most amazing sight that you could see as a teacher and as an educator. There's no words for it,” she said. “It's like a Christmas morning. It's that look that a student gets, a child gets, when they've learned something new and they have that sense of accomplishment, it’s like no other, and that's truly why I do what I do.

“This just takes it to another level, where it’s a cabinet role,” she said. “It’s a different impact that you can have.”

Will there be a learning curve between public and private schools?

“I definitely think there will be,” she said. Private schools have different requirements and reporting needs than public schools, though, students are striving for and achieving the same types of diplomas in the end, she said.

What has changed the most about curriculum, what needs to be considered?

“The biggest thing with curriculum is you want to stay ahead of the game.  You want to, in this day and age, with curriculum, you have to think about what's going on in society, but also keeping in mind, we're a techno savvy community. When you look at the young people in our community, and I used to describe it as the remote control era, where you don't just stick with one TV show when a commercial comes on, you pop to another one, or you're fast forwarding, or you're moving,” she said. “And as educators, you've got to keep that same energy of keeping things interesting for the students in your classroom, because they just can't get up and leave your class to go somewhere else. You've got to keep that intriguing to them.

 “So I think that's even different from when we were in school. You know, it's just everything's faster pace. I guess you would say maybe that's age too, but you can keep that out of it, but … I think also, to make our students be successful in the future, they have to have those opportunities of adding innovation to their learning.”

For example, students that may be into video games may be more adaptable to an opportunity to learn about becoming a game designer, she said.

“One of my first steps is really to look at the curriculum that is being taught here at Notre Dame and also talking to the students to see what they want to do in their future and see how we can assist supporting their dreams and aspirations in their curriculum that they’re learning about,” she said. “And I also feel that we have a very unique opportunity here at Notre Dame to really utilize the Christian faith and the Catholic faith to enhance the students’ learning and making sure that we are also graduating good Christian students here at Notre Dame who have a firm grasp on their beliefs and a great foundation to rely on in the future.”

An important factor for her is that she’s still in the community even though not at the city school district any more: “I’m still working with children of Batavia and now expanding it to children of neighborhood communities,” she said. “My first love is educating children.”

Rogers’ first 30 to 60 days will be filled with meeting the school community as she does a lot of “learning and learning and learning” about this new position and how to proceed toward year one. She can envision a graduation day for students and herself.

“There will be a sense of, wow, this was a powerful year for all of us, and successful for the students,” she said. “The students are going to be graduating, and I will be graduating from year one.”

She’s a believer of community service and is a member of Batavia Rotary, Salvation Army’s Advisory Board, Holland Land Office Museum Board of Directors and a second year chair person for the Alzheimer’s walk.

Vincent Chiropractic is hosting a Summer Pop Up this weekend for folks to meet its staff and several other local businesses, including Jagged Edges Salon, Eleanor Delilah, Raw Beauty Wellness, Styled Artistry by Abbey Rose, Thrifted, YK Designs, Sempre by Macey Jon, Green Compass, and Copper Custom Spray Tans.

The event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 4105 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.