Oakfield-Alabama beat Kendall in the Class B3 tennis semifinal on Wednesday, 4-1.
The Hornets are the #1 seed in the bracket and play Cal-Mum for the championship today at Batavia High School at 4 p.m.
Individual results:
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
Press Release:
Independent Living of the Genesee Region is offering a 12-week Anger Management Class on Tuesdays from June 6 to August 29, 9-10:30 a.m., in the office at 319 West Main St. in the Crickler Executive Business Center in Batavia.
The class will be led by Debra McKnight, a Certified Peer who holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services and has extensive experience facilitating support groups. The purpose of this group is to help individuals with Anger Issues using different Conflict Resolution Strategies to better manage and resolve conflicts in their lives. It is open to individuals who are mandated by the Courts or Boards of Parole, as well as the general public.
A Certificate of Completion will be awarded to those who attend all twelve weeks, but class size is limited. Pre-Registration is required, along with the $50.00 class fee (a Payment plan is available).
For more information or to RSVP, contact Cathy DeMare at 585-815-8501, Ext. 400.
The Fighting Irish will play for a Class C Section V championship after beating Campbell-Savonia at Dwyer Stadium on Wednesday, 6-3.
Notre Dame scored in the opening frame when Bryceton Berry singled on a 2-2 count, driving in a run.
Berry earned the win, going three 2/3 innings, surrendering only one hit, no runs and striking out nine.
Nolan Jamison took the loss for Campbell-Savona, allowing five runs on three hits and striking out two.
Jaden Sherwood was Notre Dame's starting pitcher, allowing three hits and three runs over 3 1/3, striking out nine.
Jay Antinore went 3-3.
Also, on Wednesday,
Submitted info. Photos by Pete Welker.
A two-vehicle accident is reported at Route 77 and Indian Falls Road, Pembroke.
One vehicle rolled over but the occupant is reportedly out of that vehicle.
Unknown injuries.
Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments dispatched along with Mercy EMS.
UPDATE 8:31 a.m.: Minor injuries. All occupants out of the vehicles.
When The Batavian covered the opening of Jagged Edges 12 years ago, owner Amanda Lowe was clearly a bit nervous about opening a business.
"It was a big jump, for sure," Lowe told The Batavian today at the grand opening of her business's new location, 4 State St., in Downtown Batavia. A dozen years ago, she was an experienced hairstylist but had never run her own business before.
This next big step, a more upscale location that moves the business out of a strip mall, is definitely exciting, she said.
"I've learned a lot over the 12 years," Lowe said. "There's a lot of growth in different areas. But definitely, having a great team of girls to share everything with makes it so much more enjoyable."
In the beginning, it was Amanda and her sister Sarah, who is still with her, and two other stylists who changed locations with her from another hair salon in town where they all rented booths.
Now she has nine employees and an interior at her new location that is more fashionable and inviting.
Regular customers at Jagged Edges over the past decade could definitely see the business growing, and Lowe said she was driven to see it grow and get better.
"I'm definitely a goal-setter," Lowe said. "I like to see that growth, and it was super exciting and so meaningful. Even through ups and downs, and every business has ups and downs, we always continued to grow. That was just all the hard work that goes into it, so it was rewarding to see all that happen."
The new space is something she had her eye on for a while, she said. She was looking for something that flowed better and was better suited to the brand of her business, which specializes in hair coloring and providing just that perfect hairstyle for each customer.
It's a new location with more space, but Lowe said she has no plans to branch out into other lines of business. She knows what she and her team do best.
"We do hair," she said. "We do it well. That's what we like to do, and we work together well."
Previously (from 2011): From dream to reality, Batavia woman opens her own salon
As Genesee County prepares to enter its third week of not allowing any undocumented immigrants to enter, per an executive order barring busloads of immigrants expected to leave New York City for upstate, at least one Batavia church has extended a welcoming message.
“We are a church that is open to help people, all people. We know we can’t solve the political problem of immigration. However, our Christian beliefs lead us to show compassion and dignity to those in need,” said the Rev. Roula Alkhouri of Batavia First Presbyterian Church Wednesday. “For us, the help we are prepared to offer is no different than the help we currently offer people that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release from the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility on a regular basis. Los Samaritanos, a joint ministry of multiple churches, supports those who are released from the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia.
“If the need arises for us to help others, we will respond as Jesus has taught us”:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Matthew 25:25-36
Alkhouri spoke on behalf of the church elders after a meeting this week to discuss the issue that has caused a local and regional State of Emergency and ongoing executive order that is being evaluated five days at a time.
In short, the order may fine anyone that harbors undocumented immigrants and zeroes in on hotels and motels. Law enforcement has been on heightened alert for busloads of visitors to the county.
Because First Presbyterian Church has been involved in the Los Samaritanos program and other civil rights initiatives, The Batavian asked how its leadership and congregants felt about this ongoing immigrant situation.
County Manager Matt Landers issued the local State of Emergency and related executive order on May 15 and has extended it once already. During Wednesday’s county Legislature meeting, he said it was likely that he would extend the order again for five more days at the end of this week.
Landers noted that Genesee County is not alone in its concern, as there are some 22 state counties with similar executive orders also in effect.
During the manager’s initial announcement, he mentioned that the county was already “stretched too thin” to be able to deal with — and pay for — additional people seeking shelter, food and similar amenities.
The county already has a “homeless” problem, he said. The Batavian asked him to clarify that.
“It's currently a challenge in Genesee County because we don't have a homeless shelter. We use our local motels, and they fill up at times, and there's situations where somebody presents as homeless to DSS, and we don't have space for them now. So under those conditions, similar to Orleans County, they specifically did their state of emergency, I believe, because of homelessness,” Landers said. “That is a factor of us not having the resources to take care of our own homeless. So, therefore, we really are not in a position to take on busloads of other homeless."
How many homeless people do we have here?
“It’s fluid,” he said. “I do know that at times it is not uncommon that we have to utilize a shelter in Buffalo or Rochester for our own homeless.”
Can others step in to help?
As for another organization, in this case, First Presbyterian Church, offering assistance to immigrants, "Genesee County is not in a position to house and handle an influx of asylum seekers," Landers said.
"These individuals need more than just a place to sleep, and any organization that circumvents the County is only doing a disservice to both the people of Genesee County and the asylum seekers," he said. "I welcome any group to reach out to my office to have an open and honest dialogue on the County's capabilities."
Genesee County Legislature approved the appointment of Charles Zambito as Board of Director for Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation Wednesday to fill the vacancy left by Richard Siebert, whose last day was May 2 of this year.
Siebert’s time on the board was a seamless 28-plus year that began on Oct. 3, 1994. Background of his leaving, along with the expected approval of Zambito, was reported first on The Batavian May 22.
The Genesee County Republican Committee recommended Zambito for consideration to fill the vacancy and serve his initial four-year term.
The Legislature agreed, and appointed the former county judge, of 50 South Main St., Elba, to serve his initial four-year term effective May 24, 2023, through May 23, 2027. He will serve on the Board of Directors of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation representing the County of Genesee and provided further "that this action shall expire and be deemed repealed four years after such effective date," according to the resolution.
After the county Legislature meeting, the group went into executive session with Zambito and the county attorney for reasons of “pending litigation,” County Manager Matt Landers said. He referred further questions to county Attorney James Wujcik.
Click here for more information on this listing.
Notre Dame scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to record a dramatic come-from-behind win in their sectional playoff game against Alfre-Almond on Tuesday at GCC.
Loretta Sorochty tossed a three-hitter, allowing two runs (no earned runs) and striking out 14.
She whiffed the side in the seventh to preserve the lead and secure the win for the Irish.
Katie Landers led the way for Notre Dame on offense with two base hits up the middle. She scored the go-ahead run and drove in the game-tying run in the 6th inning.
Mia Treleaven accounted for the other ND base hit.
Sorochty scored the first run in the 6th inning after drawing a walk. When Alfred's defense misplayed a bunt attempt by Cayleigh Havens, Sorochty was able to streak from first base to home. Katie Landers drove a ball up the middle for a base hit, plating Havens, and then she advanced to second on an error by left fielder. Following an Anna Panepento walk, the bases were loaded. Landers scored on a wild pitch.
"I can't say enough about the fight in these ladies to come back like they did in the sixth inning and pull out the win tonight," said Head Coach Otis Thomas. " Hopefully, we can build on this game and play tough Thursday night."
The Irish, the #4 seed in Class D, play the #1 see Keshequa on Thursday.
Also scheduled for Thursday:
Submitted photo and information.
Press Release:
Aaron Treleaven has signed to compete in track and football at Hartwick College in Oneonta next year, while majoring in physics.
He is believed to be the first Notre Dame male athlete to sign for two college level sports.
Aaron has been an outstanding member of our Irish track teams from 2019 thru 2022 winning the B4 sectional championship in the discus in 2021 while earning Genesee Region All-Star recognitions.
He was also a standout swimmer for 6 years at ND where he earned multiple GR All-Star recognitions, won sectional titles and qualified for state competition.
Aaron is an exceptional student who was recently named Co-Salutatorian for the Class of 2023 by posting a GPA that placed him tied for 2nd in his class.
Submitted photo courtesy of Mike Rapone
Press Release:
Four seniors in each of the GLOW counties have been awarded the 2023 Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship administered by Arc GLOW.
The $1,000 scholarship award winners - Saniiya Santiago, Nicole Cartwright, Ava Quincey, and Morgan Brace - were chosen out of 18 candidates, and are planning to pursue careers related to healthcare or working with people with disabilities.
Saniiya Santiago, a senior at Batavia High School, is planning on going to SUNY Genesee Community College (GCC) this fall, and then Roberts Wesleyan University to continue her education in social work. Santiago wants to become a social worker to help kids who have disabilities, or who are struggling in school or in their home life. She said she wants kids to feel comfortable talking to her about anything, or if they just need somewhere they feel welcome in a peaceful, calm environment.
As a junior, Santiago mentored kids at Batavia Middle School, and this year is taking a college course called “Intro to Education.” This class teaches how to work with students who have disabilities.
“I am a teacher’s aide at the GLOW YMCA working for the Before and After School Enrichment (BASE) program,” Santiago said. During this program, she has gained experience working with children with disabilities, solidifying her career choice. She also participated in a Day of Caring at the New York State School for the Blind in Batavia. Santiago said it was amazing watching the kids communicate with Braille and use their senses to get around the school.
Nicole Cartwright, a senior at Keshequa Central School District, is planning on going to SUNY Cortland to major in childhood education and minor in special education. Growing up, Cartwright always knew she wanted to work with children. She enjoyed helping her younger sister and younger cousins learn in creative ways.
As she grew, Cartwright started working at Swain Ski Resort as a ski instructor. It was here she learned how much she loved working with children with developmental disabilities. "One of the first ski lessons I gave was to a young girl who was hearing impaired. The lesson was successful, and it made me so happy to see the excitement on her face as she succeeded in each step with learning how to ski,” Cartwright said. “I had multiple students that season with special needs, and it made me realize what a positive impact patience, kindness and being a positive role model can have.”
She is also a member of the Keshequa National Honor Society. As a member, she has participated in many community service activities, one of which being a clean-up day at Camp Stella Maris. While a student at Keshequa, Cartwright said certain subjects haven’t always been easy for her. However, between perseverance, hard work and help from her teachers, she became a top scholar in her graduating class. Cartwright wants to be the type of teacher she’s had the pleasure of having, always being there for students and encouraging them to never give up.
Ava Quincey, a senior at Holley Jr./Sr. High School, is going to SUNY Geneseo for the childhood with
special education program. She became inspired to become a special education teacher last winter when helping elementary schoolers make gingerbread houses to bring home to their families for Christmas through the Rotary/Interact Club.“I was assigned to a special education classroom. I was able to sit down with students and assist them with hands-on instruction, verbal reassurance and kindness,” she said. “In return, I received grateful smiles and giggles from the students. Volunteering to help children with special needs was one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.”
Quincey keeps busy in and outside of school as she plays in band and volleyball. She performed in her school musical and partakes in Lisa’s Dance Boutique. Quincey is the Interact Club vice president, National Honor Society secretary, Student Council vice president, and senior class treasurer.
Morgan Brace, a senior at Letchworth Central School, will be going to Houghton University to study
inclusive childhood education and sports recreation and wellness. Brace plays volleyball, basketball and softball. She is the president of Student Council and participates in the Leadership in Action class, National Honor Society, Big Buddy and Spectrum.Brace can also be found in the community volunteering at concession stands, craft shows, and creating backpacks for children in need. She also organized a dozen projects which benefit her school and community through Leadership in Action.
“Most recently, I put together a charity basketball game at Letchworth Central School that raised $4,000 for the Autism Nature Trail,” Brace said. “I absolutely love working with children who have special needs. I feel that it is important to work with these students, especially to make sure they receive the education they deserve.”
Now in its 18th year, the Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship is given out to area high school students planning to attend college to pursue a degree in human services, special education or a field related to helping people with developmental disabilities.
It is in honor of Mary Anne Graney, a special education teacher who died in 2004. The scholarship is funded by the Friends & Family 5K, scheduled this year for Sept. 16 in Elba. In all, 59 scholarships - including this year - have been awarded since 2006 to local high school students.
Submitted photos
Press Release:
The West Division Champion, Batavia Muckdogs, have announced 10 more members to their 2023 roster. These new Muckdogs include Rashad Robinson from Bishop State Community College, Kyle Hetherington from Lipscomb University, Galvin Sims Jr from Dyersburg State Community College, Thomas Blaydes from the University of Rochester, Victor Alongi from Genesee Community College, Zach Kasperowicz from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Preston Prince from Niagara University, Matt DeStefano from Stony Brook College, Steven Oates from Stillman College, and Jack Keeler from the University of Fort Lauderdale.
Standing at 6’0 and weighing 160 pounds, Rashad Robinson is a freshman second baseman/outfielder from Bishop State Community College. Robinson has been impressive at the plate with a .388 batting average and also possesses the ability to bring his teammates home with 31 RBIs to match.
Standing at 5’11 and weighing 195 pounds, Kyle Hetherington is an outfielder from Lipscomb University. In his first year of Division I baseball, Hetherington proved he belonged with a .500 average, including a 1.250 on-base slugging as well as 2 home runs in only 8 at-bats.
Standing at 6’0 and weighing 205 pounds, Galvin Sims Jr. is an infielder from Dyersburg State Community College. This past year he was ranked in the top 500 of all JUCO players going into the Spring 2023 season. In his senior season of high school baseball, he had a .500 batting average, 1.434 on-base slugging, and 34 RBIs.
Standing at 5’10 and weighing 195 pounds, Thomas Blaydes is a pitcher from the University of Rochester. In his junior season, Blaydes had 8 appearances for the Yellow Jackets in which he had 3 strikeouts in two innings against St. Lawrence and impressively struck out the side against Cairn.
Standing at 5’9 and weighing 190 pounds, Victor Alongi is an infielder from Genesee Community College. This past season, Alongi had a .348 batting average, a 979 on-base slugging, and had an efficient 7 for 8 on stolen bases.
Standing at 5’10 and weighing 185 pounds, Zach Kasperowicz is a catcher from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Before arriving at the Division I level, Kasperowicz played at Bergen Community College, where he had a .353 batting average along with a .500 on-base percentage.
Standing at 6’4 and weighing 205 pounds, Preston Prince is a lefty pitcher from Niagara University via Hilton, New York. In his 10.2 innings pitched this past season for Niagara, Prince racked up 12 strikeouts.
Standing at 6’0 and weighing 190 pounds, Matt DeStefano is an outfielder from Stony Brook College. Being in the outfield is where DeStefano’s value on the baseball field shows, as this past season, he had a perfect fielding percentage. DeStefano also scored the game-winning run against the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Standing at 6’2 and weighing 205 pounds, Steven Oates is a pitcher from Stillman College. This past season on the mound saw him strike out 30 batters in only 28 innings. Oates finished with a record of 2-2 in his 6 starts and only allowed 2 home runs.
Standing at 6’3 and weighing 210 pounds, Jack Keeler is a pitcher from the University of Fort Lauderdale. Keeler, in his sophomore season, made some giant improvements lowering his ERA from a 4.63 to a 2.41. In this past season, Jack also recorded 27 strikeouts and allowed no home runs.
You can see all of these new players from this list in their home opener at Dwyer Stadium against the Elmira Pioneers on Saturday, June 3. Following the opener will be a fireworks display for all to enjoy. For both individual and season tickets, as well as keeping up with future games and promotional nights, please check out our website https://www.canusamuckdogs.com/ or call (585)-524-2260!
Press Release:
The Digies, a yearly conference and festival organized by the School Library Service, which is part of Genesee Valley BOCES, aims to enhance the connection between digital media across various educational levels, from Pre-K-12 schools to higher education and professional institutions. The Digies showcases the talent and potential of students through an annual festival, attracting entries from the region.
Congratulations to these creative students!
Student Name(s)/Project Title/School District
Audio - PreK-3
- 1st - Ares Kohlerman/The Pika Podcast/Geneseo CSD
Audio - 7-9
- 1st - Megan Kinney, Tori Halpin/Concerned about Political Polarization?/Avon CSD
- 2nd Aydan VanDekken, Elisha Swift, Panagiotis Kolokouris, Nick Fries, Ryan Diddio/US Citizenship: Rights and Responsibilities Podcast/Avon CSD
Audio - 10-12
- 1st - Gadge Savastano/Feilde/Mount Morris CSD
- 2nd - Matthew Domzalski/Island Breeze/Orchard Park CSD
- 3rd - Earl Kipler III/Evolution/Orchard Park CSD
Interactive PreK - 3
- 1st - Jace Jordan, Scott Solis Berger/Dogman the Video Game/Letchworth CSD
- 2nd - Donnie Anderson, Layla Bailey, Amelia Braley, Norah Chesnes, Cash Coyne, Arianna Crotser, McKenzie Cullinan, Andrew DeCarlo, Connor Freeman, AJ Heeres, Anthony James, Remington Knapp, Desire Maynard, Olivia Miller, Addie Nardi, Westley Paganin, Gracelyn Potter, Coltin Ranalli, Chole Ventura, Zack Walworth/Habitats and Animal Adaptations/Avon CSD
- 3rd - Brooklyn Bannister, Bailey Granger, Briea Moore, Emah Powers, Ariana Sardina, Abby Stephens, Kendall Tucci, Lincoln Bowes, Maxon Logsdon, Grant Mead, Zack Moon, Jase Osterman/Monster Story Writing/Pavilion CSD
Interactive 4-6
- 1st - Teagan Heeb/One Wild Space Adventure/Letchworth CSD
- 2nd - Owen Lugo/Road Dodger video game/Alexander CSD
- 3rd - Maria Kipphut/Meow Machine/Livonia CSD
Interactive 7-9
- 1st - Alexander Haywood/Masked (Demo)/Town of Webb UFSD
- 2nd - Ayden Midkiff/Steam Tractor/Pembroke CSD
- 3rd - Brenna-Lynn Marleau/Jupiter's Quest/Town of Webb UFSD
Interactive 10-12
- 1st - Mya Button, Wes Morrell, Morgan Moses, Kyle Worden/Student Media Arts Collective/Wayland-Cohocton CSD
- 2nd - Karli Hy/Photo Web Portfolio/Geneseo CSD
- 3rd - Christopher Doody, Evelyn Northrup, Kylie Conway, Liam Campbell, Keean Cummins, Lauren Kingsley, Karley Zinkievich/Pavilion Gopher Pride Instagram/Pavilion CSD
Graphic Arts - PreK - 3
- 1st - Layla Price/Layla Price Self Portrait/Avon CSD
- 2nd - Rayna Marciniak/Rayna Marciniak Self Portrait/Avon CSD
- 3rd - Wyatt Vetter/Wyatt Vetter's playground/Avon CSD
- 3rd - Ashley Dechau/Ashley Dechau's Playground/Avon CSD
Graphic Arts 4-6
- 1st - Alice Szustakowski/STEAM Award/Alexander CSD
- 2nd - Christy Succes/Aurora Shadows/Livonia CSD
- 3rd - Andrew Klancer/Emoji Art/Pavilion CSD
Graphic Arts 7-9
- 1st - Isabella Ehrman/Self Portrait/Southwestern CSD
- 2nd - Bennett Antonucci/Andy Warhol style Self Portrait/Geneseo CSD
- 2nd - Olivia Mower/Portrait of Ellie from the Last of Us/Alexander CSD
- 3rd - Madeline Ingraham/Rush-Henrietta District Calendar Cover/Rush-Henrietta CSD
Graphic Arts 10-12
- 1st - Skylar Wilson/Hands With Water/Pittsford CSD
- 2nd - Molly Chittenden/Fleeting Time/Pembroke CSD
- 3rd - Lukas Ladd/Enduring Issues/Alexander CSD
Video PreK - 3
- 1st - Annie Tuttle/Dog Stuffy Commercial/Geneseo CSD
- 2nd - Paisley Emerson-Kunes/Polar Bears/Livonia CSD
- 3rd - Nathan Sedore, Henni Baughman/Fiestas Patrias in Chile/Livonia CSD
Video 4-6
- 1st - Caden Montesano, Evan Vetter, Keaton Griffiths/The Booner's Solve/Avon CSD
- 2nd - Gracie Stroud, Gianna Zidanich, Emelia Honan/Santa's Delivery/Avon CSD
- 3rd - Noah Wheeler, Ethan Heeres, Dylan Jimenez-Rodriguez/The Corn Escape/Avon CSD
Video 7-9
- 1st - Ari Arnold/How to Build a Fire (featuring Harry and Ron)/Avon CSD
- 2nd - Benedict Lickona, Noah Lantz, Albert James Parker, Daniel Aforismo, Hayden/Long Break and Build/Rush-Henrietta CSD
- 3rd - Keith Giardina/Animated Cart Wheel/Rush-Henrietta CSD
Video 10-12
- 1st - Adriana Ochoa/Fetch/Pittsford CSD
- 2nd - Charlie Ritter/Dots/Pittsford CSD
- 3rd - Ethan Taft/Rotoscope GIF/Dansville CSD
Press Release:
The following is the schedule of events and activities being conducted this Memorial Day, Monday, May 29 by Botts-Fiorito Post #576, American Legion:
7 a.m. - Placement of flags on Main Street (Commander and small work detail)
7:30 a.m. - Memorial ceremony for deceased veterans at St. Francis Cemetery (Color Guard only participates with the Knights of Columbus at Mass).
8 a.m. - Memorial ceremony for deceased veterans at Machpelah Cemetery (Color Guard and Firing Squad)
8:45 a.m. - Firing Squad join the Color Guard at St. Francis Cemetery for Ceremony at Veteran's Monument in Cemetery.
9:45 a.m. - Form up at the American Legion parking lot for Annual Memorial Parade.
10:30 a.m. - Parade "Steps off"
11 a.m. - Memorial Day program at the Trigon Park Memorial
- Introduction and Welcome by Commander David A. Rumsey
- Invocation by Post Chaplain Gary Bassett
- National Anthem sung by Mrs. Mary Brady
- Introduction of the 2023 “Poppy Girl”- Ms. Quincey Williams
- Speaker: Rev. Jim Ruddy, Pastor Living Waters Church
- Reading of list of deceased veterans who have passed away in the past year with the placement of Memorial flag for each veteran.
- Playing of "Taps" followed by Firing Squad volley
- Benediction and closing by Post Chaplain Gary Bassett
- Singing of “God Bless America” led by Mary Brady and the combined LeRoy High School bands.
11:45 a.m. - DISMISS
Hot dogs (Zweigles) and soft drinks free to all after Parade at the Legion Post Home, 53 West Main St., Le Roy, immediately following the parade.
Press Release:
The financial services firm Edward Jones has hired David W. Hall as a new financial advisor for the Batavia - Michael R. Marsh; Robin Ettinger branch office located at 7 Jackson Street. Hall has 3 years of experience in the financial services industry. Hall received a bachelor's degree from UNC at Pembroke. Michael R. Marsh, David W. Hall and office administrator Robin Ettinger can be reached at 585-345-1773. You may also visit their website at EdwardJones.com.
Variety, choice, quality ovens, a modern menu system, and health options are helping the Le Roy Central School District deliver nutritious and popular breakfasts and lunches to students, Melissa Saunders told the Board of Education at its regular meeting on Tuesday night.
Saunders is the district's school lunch manager.
During her presentation, she ticked off a number of accomplishments for the cafeteria staff during the current academic school year.
Among the accomplishments was a switch in online menu distribution from PDFs to a database-driven menu platform called Nutrislice.
"This has made my job a lot easier," Saunders said. "It's given me a lot more flexibility with the menu. It allows me to make real-time changes to the menu that everyone can see instantly."
The system allows her to store all the different food items that can go into making up a school day's breakfast and lunch menus as well as add products. When compiling a menu, she can include nutritional information along with allergens.
"It's a really big project, adding all that information for every single product," Saunders said. "I mean, just tracking down nutrient analysis for some of these products is this challenging, but it's something we've been working on. It's something that we will continue to work on through the summer."
A board member asked if she makes a menu change is a notification sent to parents. She said there is no automatic notification, but if it's a significant change, she does send out a notification.
A new purchase this year is combi-ovens.
"They can add a precise amount of steam or a precise amount of browning to any food product," Saunders said. "My cooks love them. It has the capability of cooking with steam or cooking with heat, or cooking with a combination of steam and heat to get a precise moisture and browning on food products."
The ovens the district purchased, she said, were manufactured in Germany and are the #1 combi-ovens on the market.
Saunders has also been trying to serve students more fresh fruit, a program partially funded by the federal government.
"We've been really scaling back on the amount of canned fruit we use," Saunders said. "It still has a place within the menu. There's still some products that the kids really like, and we will continue to use, so it's not that I'm not going to use it or the goal is to never use it but to really ensure that the majority of what they're getting is fresh. The reason for that is that during the canning process, food loses its nutrients. We've been using for fresh fruit this year -- we've used strawberries, we've used cantaloupe, leeks, honeydew, melon, watermelon, kiwi, clementines, blueberries, pears, oranges, apples, bananas. We've been trying to give them a really good variety."
Saunders is also working on scaling back the number of food items that include whey protein as filler.
"It's in a huge amount of products to use across the board," Saunders said. "Personally, from my interest in nutrition, I feel like it would be an improvement to our program to use less of (whey protein filler). Again, just like with the canned products, we won't necessarily be able to completely get rid of it, but can use some cleaner products without whey protein fillers."
She said she is now buying products like chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, and popcorn chicken, that doesn't use whey protein fillers. She's also found a nearby New York company that makes meatballs without whey protein filler. They're also allergen-free meatballs.
"That's a focus for next year," She said. "We were awarded some money from a local food and school cooperative grant that's going to allow us to purchase some more New York foods. I can put it towards things like the meatballs."
For breakfast, the staff had been serving prepackaged meals, but during the recent National Breakfast Week, the staff went in a different direction.
"It didn't allow for a lot of choice," Saunder said. "So during National School Breakfast Week, we discontinued using those, and they now have a variety of different cereals, cereal bars, and little snack options that they can create their own breakfast bag."
The number of meals the district served increased when meals were free during the pandemic, Saunders noted, but the district is still serving more meals than it did before the pandemic.
Districtwide participation in breakfast is up 45 percent over the 2018/19 school year, and participation is up seven percent for lunch.
The variety of choices for students, which always includes warm foods and things like yogurt and fresh fruit, is helping to drive meal participation, she said.
In April, The Batavian reported about issues the district was facing with unpaid meal bills for some families. Superintendent Merritt Holly told the school board that staff was trying to work with families to handle the topic in a sensitive manner. The district at the time was owed $2,751.58 for meals that had not been paid for at the time they were served (the district has a policy of providing a meal to every student who wants one, requiring students who don't have any money with them to pay for it).
The Batavian's story promoted two people to come forward and offer to make donations toward paying the unpaid bills. This evening after the school board's regular meeting, Holly said the district has yet to work out how best to accept those donations, and he isn't sure how much those people are planning to donate. He doesn't know, he said, if the donations will cover all of the unpaid bills, which have likely gone up in the past month, he said.
When you hear the term block party, what comes to mind?
For City Councilman-at-large Bob Bialkowski, he thinks of idyllic picnics on Kingsbury Avenue for a barbecue, children's games and everyone going home by sundown, whereas Jerry Smith Jr. envisions food and craft vendors, a heavy musical lineup, T-shirts to commemorate the event and fun that goes well into the evening.
While block parties can stray in structure and size, they typically have one thing in common: they are meant to bring folks together to get to know one another and — ideally — strengthen the neighborhood.
While Smith believed that happened for his southside block party last year, others in his neighborhood had different feelings, as expressed to various council members. Before the summer party season begins this year, members of council wanted to revisit a few elements of that party that seemingly went off the rails, Bialkowski said.
“The whole thing was a disaster last year,” the councilman-at-large said, adding that nearby residents complained about various issues. “People sat on (one resident’s) front porch and on her lawn furniture, and wouldn’t move. She was afraid to tell him to get off her driveway, and she couldn’t leave. And other people had the same problem. The neighborhood hadn’t been notified about the block party, people couldn’t get into their driveways.”
Bialkowski asked to put the issue on Monday’s conference agenda for the group to discuss. There were other complaints, apparently, about loud and late-night music, street access being blocked off by barricades, a barbecue and smoker grill blowing volumes of smoke into adjacent homes and concerns that streets were full of vendors with little room for emergency vehicles to access if necessary.
Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said he doesn’t think anyone purposely did anything wrong; it’s just a matter of following through on some ground rules. Yes, sometimes a neighborhood party may inconvenience folks a bit, but it shouldn't prevent them from getting into or out of their own homes or otherwise enjoying their environments, he said.
“It's not a problem. I mean, as long as they follow the rules, there's no problem,” Jankowski said. “No one called the police, no one called the authorities, no one knew who was running the party, the people that complained really weren't sure what was going on. So they didn't know who to contact. So later on, they contacted council members and said that they were upset because the block party had caused them some inconvenience. Some of those inconveniences were being unable to get in their driveway, strangers walking on their front lawn and such. And they didn't know what was going on. And they were concerned.”
Smith told The Batavian that he was unaware of any complaints, as none had been addressed to him directly. He had not attended the council meeting when his application was reviewed last year either. He is planning to have another block party this year, and he said that he will notify the street of the event.
He was bothered that there might be something else going on related to the complaints, primarily that he and many party attendees are black.
Jankowski said that their racial makeup has no effect on him, and he lives on the southside and has no issues with anyone. He then took pause to reflect on that issue for a minute.
“Let's just talk about the elephant in the room here. It's not uncommon that any time somebody has an issue, it's a race-related issue, right? Everybody's got this on their mind. And they're in, so everybody's trying to say, Well, it's because we've had a block party and because we're black. Yeah. Nice try, but no, it’s because people couldn't get to their driveways,” Jankowski said. “And, you know, I live on this side of town. And it's a diverse side of town. Italian, Polish, black, Hispanic, everybody's fine. I don't see any problem. It's a peaceful place to live, it’s the best-kept secret of Batavia.
“So, you know, like I said, some disconnect took place within the parameters and, and if everything is done safely and through the health department, if you're going to be charging people for food … parties sometimes, it causes inconveniences, but maybe we should put a mechanism for someone to be aware of one of those, if you're gonna have a block party, you need to make sure everybody in the neighborhood knows what's going on,” he said. “And that they can get in and out of their driveway at all times. And that emergency traffic can go through at all times, you’re not blocking it off.”
City Manager Rachael Tabelski summarized the main points to be highlighted to applicants:
“The last question I had was a topic that came up, do you have to be a neighborhood resident to throw the party? Council member Richmond brought it up, I just want clarity on how the rest of the council feels,” Tabelski said, getting her answer. “Okay, so in this case … the majority of times when these parties are thrown, it is a resident of that neighborhood who tries to open their yard or their home in the street.”
After council’s discussion on Monday, they agreed that city staff would be more communicative with applicants so that both sides would be better informed about events. Bialkowski was satisfied with the end result, he said.
“What I had hoped to accomplish, I think, is accomplished. The staff’s going to review these things from here on in. Police should need to send somebody down when they have one to make sure everything's copacetic,” Bialkowski said.
He also had a suggestion for Smith, who is planning to submit an event application for an ambitious-sounding block party this year: maybe he’d want to consider having it at a park instead.
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