batavia

Batavia sustained its 13th loss of the season, against one win, on Friday in Girls Basketball.

Honeoye Falls-Lima won 62-40.

For the Lady Devils, Jaimin Macdonald scored 15 points, and Ali Tomidy scored 12.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Press Release:

Join GO ART! on Saturday, February 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. to celebrate the accomplishments of GO ART! member artists and staff members who participated in the annual members show and honor the awardees, including the President’s and Peoples’ Choice Awards winners.

The public is invited to share this evening with us and view the visual art of local, regional, and GO ART! staff member artists. In addition to viewing the exhibition, visitors will be treated to light refreshments and live music, meet the awardees, and access the GO ART! bar.

This annual art show features work in all media created by GO ART! member artists and staff members. GO ART’s! Board of Directors, members, and staff look forward to this special exhibit each year that has become a signature event that wraps up all our fantastic events for the last year and kicks off the New Year’s exhibition series.

Don’t miss this opportunity to consume this multi-media exhibit that will evoke pleasurable emotions of joy, happiness, and peaceful contemplation. It is also an opportunity to purchase a unique gift for your special Valentine!

The GO ART! member artists and staff exhibition opened on December 12 and will close with the awards reception on February 8. So, come celebrate with us, and we look forward to welcoming you. This event is free, but the experience will be invaluable! 

Click here for more information.   Click here to purchase event tickets!

Press Release:

Batavia Lion's Club inducted new members at their monthly meeting, Dr. Ross Fanara led the induction.

Coupled with a discussion about the astronomical rise in healthcare costs Monday evening, City Manager Rachael Tabelski and City Council members also kicked around the idea of paying a larger portion of gym memberships for city employees and council members.

The proposal was to pay from $100 to $500 toward a membership to one of three city facilities, with the $500 going to the brand-new Healthy Living YMCA. Employees already receive the $100 perk for gym memberships, and the $500 and adding council members is new. 

The money would come from a slush fund of sorts, Tabelski said. 

“So as the city continues to incentivize health and wellness of our employees through various programs, such as our premium reduction for their health screenings, physical fitness incentives for firefighters and police officers and the $100 gym reimbursement, I believe the city should partner with the new Genesee County YMCA and offer a discounted membership for all city employees, including council members," Tabelski said during the conference meeting at City Hall. "I've had many employees come to me, council members come to me, saying, wouldn't it be great if we could provide some kind of membership or incentive towards using the new facility. 

"So I went and looked at this year's budget. We have interest in earnings right now at about $24,000 that might pop out around $50,000, so we could cover the majority of employees and council members if they were to sign up for this incentive," she said. "So I leave it to you to discuss and determine if this is something you'd like to move forward with.”

Meanwhile, the remaining budget talks included increasing the tax cap with an override that will require a future public hearing to deal with about $1 million more in expenses for healthcare and retirement this coming year.

The only council member who vocally seemed to have an issue with the proposal was Bob Bialkowski, who apparently was one of the people who asked Tabelski about such a perk.

Paying $100 to the other gyms and $500 to the YMCA, and all are “paying property tax, local tax,” seems “discriminatory,” he said.

“We could get rid of the $100 and force them to join the Y. It’s just an offering,” Tabelski said. “You're actually the council member that asked me about joining, right?”

To clarify, YMCA is a nonprofit and is exempt from paying county, city and school taxes. 

Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. and Kathy Briggs were in favor of the gym proposal.

“It’s a perk for employees, I like it,” Briggs said.

Jankowski said that a YMCA membership is from about $600 for a single to $1,000 for a family membership per year, so the person would still have “some out-of-pocket costs.”

“I think it's a great idea. I think you could get rid of the $100 if you'd like, and just do the $500 to the Y. I don't know that we'd want to incentivize $500 to any gym across America, you know what I mean, because it'd be way too hard for us to track,” Jankowski said. “I like the idea. I like where we're going with it, because in the long run, when you stay healthy, it saves us money.”

No one brought up the inclusion of council members in the package. If they are covered and all of them choose YMCA, that would mean an additional $4,500 in the budget, plus their annual salaries of $5,000 per council member and $7,000 for council president.

Council took a vote to move the topic to the next business meeting on Feb. 10, and approved it by 6-1. Members Briggs, Jankowski, Al McGinnis, Rich Richmond, David Twichell and Derek Geib voted yes and Bialkowski voted no. Paul Viele and Tammy Schmidt were absent.

With all of the availability of artificial intelligence — AI for short — and the myriad apps available to help with research, to answer questions, and figure out how to do most anything, comes a new dilemma for educators wanting to ensure their students aren’t misusing the technology, State University of New York Chancellor John King says.

“We actually just added artificial intelligence to our general education requirements around information literacy, because we think our students will need to understand how AI works, how to use it ethically,” King said during a recent visit to Batavia. “And so we’re now building that into the general education requirements for all undergraduates across SUNY, and we’re doing a lot of professional development with faculty thinking about both, how do you teach students about using AI, but also, how do we think about the role that AI plays in the classroom?”

That might change how teachers dole out homework, he said, moving them from at-home assignments to asking students to complete them during class time.

“Because you want to make sure that students are engaging with the material themselves and not just relying on AI. You know, some of the work is actually helping students understand how best to use AI, you know, the prompt development, for example, the kind of question you ask matters a lot with what you'll get back from AI, and so helping students think about, how do you design the right question?” he said. “Also helping students be skeptical readers of what they find, whether it's on the internet or from AI, they have to ask, is this right? How do I know? Let me go check these sources.”

There are so many interesting things that college faculty members are working on with AI, he said, including simulated conversations in foreign languages.

“It’s such an incredible tool if used well,” he said. 

The State University of New York — of which Genesee Community and Empire State colleges are included — will require undergraduate students to take courses in AI and civic discourse as part of their general education curriculum beginning in fall 2026. 

The courses will be part of the university’s effort to prepare students to engage with emerging technologies and evaluate information, as King said, ethically. 

According to SUNY's website, students will be learning how to use AI tools to locate information, evaluate that information from different sources, understand the ethical implications of using AI, how to weigh information for bias, truthfulness and other factors and how to navigate and assess the impact of AI in society. 

Monday night's heavy winds snapped a utility pole in the area of 434 East Main St., Batavia, just before 9 p.m. causing a power outage in the area.

National Grid was on scene quickly to begin repairs.

Eastbound lanes of East Main Street were closed during repairs.

A high-wind warning is in place until 6 a.m. with winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph.

Currently, the largest power outage in Genesee County is centered in Elba, stretching south into the Town of Batavia, affecting 327 National Grid customers.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Nichole Dykstra is missing her "sweet boy" Max, a 90-pound German shepherd, who was last seen on Naramore Drive in the city of Batavia. If anyone spots him, please call her at 585-250-3891.

Press Release:

The Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery is kicking off 2025 with an exciting new sculptural exhibit! The Bennington Concrete Collective features artwork by Ed Hallborg and J. Brian Pfeiffer. Hallborg and Pfeiffer both use concrete/cement as the foundation of their pieces. 

Hallborg creates relief sculptures by spreading layers of cements onto wood, and then carving into it. Recently, he has been experimenting with color in his artwork by layering chalk pastels onto the dried cement for added dimension. Take note of the colorful strokes used in Collaboration Piece, which consists of many interlocking sculptures on display together for the first time. 

Pfeiffer creates stone blocks out of concrete and marble dust, which he then carves into to create his free-standing sculptures. In contrast to his smaller pieces on display, Pfeiffer also creates large scale sculptures, some of which you'll find permanently displayed around Western NY. This requires him to weld metal armatures to create a stable base, which he then covers in concrete. 

Pfeiffer says most of his sculptures are built for interaction, and he encourages viewers to get up close to his artwork. Feel free to take a seat on Sitting Man when you visit the Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery. Texture and shadow take center stage in The Bennington Concrete Collective. There is a playful mix of abstract artwork on display next to figurative pieces, from both of these talented artists.

Ed Hallborg is a Western New York based studio artist, theatre designer, educator and musician. He first began working with wood forms and concrete while studying as a Carpenter's Apprentice in the Southwest United States. Graduating SUNY with a BS of Design in 2002, he currently serves as Professor of Practice and Resident Designer/Technical Director for the Theatre Department of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 

In June 2024, he was selected as one of the four Roycroft Emerging Artists:Cohort 2024, sponsored by the Roycroft at Large Association, a Craftsman community in East Aurora, NY. In October of the same year, he was juried in as an exhibiting member of the Buffalo Society of Artists. Ed just finished up a delightfully collaborative NYSCA Independent Artist Grant working with elementary aged artists in the fall of 2024 which he'd be happy to tell you about. He has shown at gallerys throughout the Western and Central NY region.

J. Brian Pfeiffer is a self-taught sculptor, born in 1964. He has been creating sculptures using concrete or stone (alabaster) since 1984. Pfeiffer is the owner of A Sculptor's Soul Studio, which is located in the rolling hills of Bennington, a small town in Western New York. He has abstract and figurative sculptures of all sizes scattered around his property, as well as commissioned pieces in private collections and public installations peppered throughout Western New York. The largest being a 6-ton concrete sculpture, which is called UNITY, a 911 Memorial donated to the Fireman's Home/Museum in the Hudson Valley. He is a recipient of the New York State Council on the Arts Community Arts Grant in 2024, and has won numerous awards for his sculptures at the Allentown Arts Festival.

Two receptions will be held on January 30 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and at 5 to 7 p.m. Meet our artists and enjoy some refreshments while viewing this exciting new sculptural exhibit.

The Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Wednesdays 5 - 7 p.m. The gallery is also open on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Any changes to the gallery hours will be posted on the gallery social media pages.

For more information please contact: Jessica Skehan at the Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery via email jeskehan@genesee.edu or gccgallery@genesee.edu or telephone 585-343-0055 ext. 6490.

Genesee County Undersheriff Brad Mazur was there for Buddy Brasky's first win as Batavia's varsity basketball coach, and on Friday, he was in the Batavia High School gymnasium for Brasky's 500th win.

Mazur played on Brasky’s first squad in 1990-91, and this season, his son Brady, a senior, and his son Casey, a sophomore, who is a big part of the team's current success.

"What a great honor for Coach Brasky to win number 500," Brad Mazur said. "He's done a great job throughout all these years. His dedication to the program, the dedication to the student-athletes, the community, and I tell you what, he won 500 games in the Monroe County League. So that says a lot. The Monroe County league is a difficult League, and doing that is an incredible accomplishment."

The win didn't come easily on Friday, with Eastridge holding close through all four quarters before the Blue Devils locked down a 83-79 win.

Over two dozen former players who Buddy Brasky coached in his 35-year career were on hand to support him. 

It was tremendous, Brasky said, to see so many former players turn out for what was expected to be his 500th win.

"As a coach, you hope you're making an impact on kids that goes beyond basketball, and you never really know until the players get older, and they get on with their lives, and to have so many of them take their time to come back and just in case I won that game last night, to be there, it really meant the world to me," Brasky said.

Jeff Redband, part of the 2013 squad that vied for a state championship, said it was an honor to return to his alma mater to watch Brasky pick up his 500th coaching win.

"Tonight was very special to see all the alumni, all my old teammates, and just the camaraderie that we all had from playing for Coach Brasky, going through that experience together, and just what he taught us," Redband said. "It was great to give back to support him as much as he supported us in the past."

The Batavian reached Brasky on Saturday to talk about the big win.

"It's a big accomplishment. Obviously, I know how big of an accomplishment it is. I mean, I didn't know this, but I found out today that I'm only the sixth coach in Section V history to get 500 wins," Brasky said. "That's very gratifying to me."

Among Brasky's 500 wins are six Section V titles and four regional titles, which have sent the Blue Devils to the state's final four. But Batavia has never made it to the championship game.

The closest a Brasky-coached squad came, he said, was in 2005. The Blue Devils took the semifinal game to overtime after being down 19 points. Kevin Saunders hit a three-pointer with 16 seconds left in OT to put Batavia up by one point.

"It looked like we were going to win, and they hit a shot at the buzzer to beat us," Brasky said. "Funny how you don't forget those things."

It was pretty special, Brasky said, to have Brad Mazur at the game, who was part of that big first win, while his son, Casey, played a big role in the 500th win.

Casey Mazur was Batavia's top scorer on Friday, hitting seven three-pointers, all in the first half, for 21 points. Carter Mullen and Justin Smith each scored 20 points, and Gavin White scored 19.

Every season, every year, Brasky finds the boys playing for him are a special group of guys, and the 2024-25 team is no different. They're young, but they're willing to be coached and learn.

He called the team a "work in progress."

With two big guys who can score at forward, Smith and White, matched with guards who can shoot, Mazur and Mullen, he had to convince the team that the best strategy is for the guards to feed the big guys early in the game to open up the outside shooting later in the game.  That means Mazur and Mullen need to pass up open shots to get the ball in low.

"They have been willing to buy into the change," Brasky said. "I wasn't sure they would be willing to do it. Winning helps, for sure."

The second team, Brasky noted, is a big part of this team's success, and he thinks those players don't get enough recognition for what they contribute.

"I got two sophomores and two juniors on that second unit, and some of the games they play a little bit, and some games they don't, and they're good players," Brasky said. "On a lot of teams in this area, they'd be starters and there is no sign of unhappiness. They cheer for the first group, and when they get in, they play their tails off and try to do their best job, no matter how many minutes they're getting."

The big test for the team and how it holds together will come if some adversity hits. That will be the "true sign," Brasky said.

"When some adversity hits, an injury, someone gets in trouble in school., that's when we'll see if it's really taken hold, but so far, it's been really enjoyable," Brasky said.

However, some adversity did hit the team this season -- when their coach was diagnosed with cancer and took a break after the first two games of the season to have a kidney removed.

Brasky's surgery was on Dec. 17.  He attended the Christmas Tournament, sitting behind the bench, but wasn't able to coach a game until the Blue Devils played Newark on Jan. 4. Batavia won 67-53 and hasn't lost since. The team is currently 10-3.

"It was a different experience. It was not easy," Brasky said. "While sitting out, with the new technology, I could watch practices on the computer, and it showed me I'm not ready to retire. It was very hard to just sit at home."

After his cancer timeout, there is an extra dimension to getting his 500th win just a few weeks later, Brasky said.

"I had cancer in my kidney. They removed the kidney, so the cancer is gone, and I kind of hope that it doesn't reappear anywhere else in the body because there's no evidence that it's anywhere now," Brasky said. "After going through something like that, you know, I've been a pretty healthy guy my whole life, and it just makes you realize -- tomorrow's promised to nobody. When something you love is taken away from you for a period of time, it makes you appreciate those moments, to be honest with you. So yes, that really, really made it even more special in that way."

Perhaps the biggest reward of a career that brings 500 wins is the success in life he sees of his former players as adults, Brasky said.

"Some guys are successful, you know, lawyers, doctors, coaches, and there's also guys who are successful working in the factory and raising a family," Brasky said. "When I see guys when I go out to dinner or whatnot, and I see guys out, and they'll come over and make it a point to talk to me and thank me and let me know that I made an impact on them -- that's why you coach. Everybody thinks it's the wins and losses, and it is. Every coach wants to win, but those other things are what really make coaching special. It's the greatest job in the world."

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Press Release:

The Genesee County Office for the Aging (OFA) is inviting dedicated individuals to join its Advisory Council and play a role in shaping programs and services for older adults in the community.

The OFA is seeking representation from both community members and service providers.

• Community Members: Residents of Genesee County aged 60 and older, including minorities and individuals with economic or social needs, are encouraged to participate.
• Service Providers: Professionals from agencies such as Social Security, healthcare, and other related organizations are also welcome to apply.

By joining the Advisory Council, members will have the opportunity to share their voice, advocate for older adults, and help improve services across the county.

The OFA is particularly seeking members from different municipalities to ensure countywide representation.

For more information or to apply, please contact the Genesee County Office for the Aging at 585-343-1611 or visit this link to apply.

While surrounded by a group of onlookers, Madeline Wilson dramatically pumped a male’s chest with crossed hands repeatedly Thursday while watching a nearby heart monitor to see whether her actions were effective enough to resuscitate him.

Not only was she under pressure with the cardio maneuver, but she had an audience for her first attempts.

“So, especially in this, we can apply this knowledge to the community when we go into clinical and work,” the nursing student said during the demonstration at Genesee Community College’s Med-Tech building. “So if this did happen to our patient, we would be totally prepared and know what to do.”

Unlike old-school upper torso mannequins that don’t really resemble human persons besides crude physical mechanics, this male was a full-body specimen with working features. GCC purchased the $28,000 mannequin, an accompanying defibrillator and other equipment with 2024 state funding of $8 million to expand community college healthcare workforce training and mental health programs. 

This investment will allow students opportunities for hands-on learning with the most up-to-date technology, officials said during a tour of the nursing, child care center and HVAC wings with SUNY Chancellor John King and Senator George Borrello.

Nursing faculty member Rebecca Herlan gave a close-up view of a mannequin, encouraging King and Borrello, who noted that the patient was even blinking, to touch the skin and feel the pulse from hands to toes.

“One of the things that we love about nursing simulation is mannequins is we can use them throughout the program. So one of the nicer things for these particular mannequins is you can see the chest, right? So some of our older model mannequins, you can't necessarily see that, and that is actually how we teach students to check, like a respiratory rate. So this is a more realistic mannequin for the students to work on,” Herlan said. “Other things you'll notice, if you actually touch the mannequin, it's more realistic skin. You can actually feel the pulses. So our old mannequins did not have great pulses. You have radial pulses, also pedal pulses, which our old mannequins definitely did not have.”

Herlan said that “we have IV access for this patient,” pointing out an adjacent IV monitor atop a pole.

“Actually, just now, Rochester hospitals are thinking of expanding what they allow students to do in terms of IV medication. So having this in the lab lets them practice sufficiently so that when they're in the clinical space, they can sort of confidently do this, but obviously, you want to have that instructor with them at all times,” she said. “But we really utilize our mannequins throughout the program, and these mannequins, as opposed to our previous mannequins, sort of have better functionality and more true to what students are actually going to see.”

The models in that room ranged from $5,000 for lower fidelity to $60,000 for a full functionality mannequin, she said. Another much more compact cut useful piece of equipment, she said, is an arm sleeve used to practice inserting an IV — “you can kind of see some of the veins” — that gets hooked up to fluid that flows through the needle to simulate when drawing blood.

King thanked Borrello for his help in getting a bill passed that increased the amount of time training nurses could spend in these simulation type exercises.

“I want to appreciate you because two years ago, we had the bill to allow the simulation to count for a third of the clinical hours. So if not for the support of the legislature, we wouldn't be able to leverage the simulation experience as effectively,” King said. “And then last year, with the $8 million in operating aid, we were able to dedicate $5 million across the system, at community colleges to healthcare workforce, and that made these purchases.”

The tour continued into the next room, which included a CPR simulation by students. The monitor has a feedback feature that shows if the compression is deep enough, are the hands in the right position, and gives “feedback in real-time,” Harlan said. Instruction also includes logistics, such as whether a student is tall enough to perform the maneuver or if a stool is needed, or if there’s no stool, “we’re climbing on the bed,” she said. 

“This particular mannequin can give us that feedback on whether we're doing it appropriately. There's a lot of moving parts. So it's not a great idea to do CPR on any mannequin, but this one is specially designed, and it's really great,” she said. Like I said, we are showing the students some of the heart rhythm, help them kind of see what we were talking about in class.”

Some stats about the nursing program: there are 214 students and about 100% of them will walk away and right into a job. An amount of $310,000 was earmarked for GCC’s new Health Care Programs recruitment specialist, four new adjunct professors for the Physical Therapist Assistant and Respiratory Care programs, and to purchase equipment for respiratory care simulation education. Part of the program upgrade also includes enhanced student mentorship.

King asked what the limiting factor was for there not to be 300 students. Faculty and space, Herlan said. 

Most of the students are adult learners, some come from the military, and another limitation for students living in New York City is transportation, she said. They often don’t have their own vehicle, and there’s no regular public transportation to and from GCC. After some quick head math calculating how many miles would be traveled in the program with clinicals, King nodded.

“This seems solvable,” he said, adding later that it’s a topic he will carry back with him for further discussion. 

From nursing to puppies
King and his entourage, which also included GCC President Craig Lamb, stopped by the Child Care Center across the road at the main campus. Kids were excitedly chatting and playing, hitting upon a favorite subject of puppies. Lamb pulled out his phone and showed a photo of the one he has at home while King talked to a youngster at the child’s play station. 

Center Director Kayleen McEwan talked about the services, facility and the fifth classroom that opened in August 2024 with funding the college received last year. No sooner had the additional room opened, and it was full, she said. When asked by King what she could she do with more resources — a question he asked of every department — McEwan didn’t take long with her answer.

“We could open eight rooms,” she said, with the caveat that staffing is a challenge. 

King is aware and said so is Gov. Kathy Hochul, that childcare needs are great in New York, and SUNY’s growing population of adult learners is ripe for that service. 

Keeping cool under pressure
Heating and cooling was also part of the tour, and instructor Bill Hayes exuded the enthusiasm that perhaps only a veteran HVAC business owner could display. He shared the importance of imparting his 30-year experience to students, especially when it comes to proper maintenance of appliances.

“I have a lot of people that really talk about this class. It's really a groundbreaking opportunity here for people that just walk out of here, be able to look at a furnace, look at an air conditioner, put the gauges on there, change the maintenance, oh my gosh. Maintenance is probably 50% of the problem with any type of service call; stuff's not being maintained,” Hayes said. “The college is invested here, has invested into their staff, their maintenance staff, to take this course so they can do a lot more of the HVAC work here and not have to bring in outside contractors. 

"That's a huge investment for people, not only here, but also when that word gets out, there's going to be other facilities out there," he said. "They're going to want to send their people here so they can save some money. That's the game plan.”

Closing in at nearly two hours, the group ended with a talk about mental health issues and counseling challenges that most believed have been exacerbated since COVID. 

Worrying about mental health
Certainly, the use of social media can be a cause of stress, and counselors also see “suicidal ideation, anxiety and panic disorders, personality disorders, autism and ADHD and major depressive disorders,” said Macy Reyngoudt, assistant director for counseling services.

“There’s lots more, but those are the biggest patterns that we see almost daily,” she said. 

Remedies have included quiet meditation spaces, counseling, lots of talk and communication to let students and faculty know the counseling center is available, yoga, Mindful Mondays, and focused health talks, Assistant Dean for Student Services Monica Romeo said.

One population that hasn’t needed as much assistance is the older adult learner, Reyngoudt said, because “they’re ready” when they come to college and don’t seem to have the same problems or distractions as younger students do. That’s good news, given that Hochul’s proposed 2025 budget includes $28 million for free tuition, books, supplies and fees for adult learners to obtain an associate’s degree or certificate at community colleges in the state.

“We're very excited about the governor's proposal for free community college for folks 25 to 55 in high-demand career areas like nursing, like advanced manufacturing, like cyber security, renewable energy and green jobs. And so we're pleased that she's put real resources behind that," King said. "I think that will make a big difference as we think about what our community colleges need as we grow those high-demand workforce programs. We also need to continue to invest in equipment. We need to continue to invest in faculty, one of the big challenges for nursing. We’re looking at ways we can partner with healthcare providers to have job shares so that we have the faculty that we need. 

"We need more child care in New York. You know, they have a long wait list, particularly as we try to attract more adult students to community college campuses, child care is going to be a significant factor. So that's something I'll be thinking about," he said. "It's great that they were able to use the additional resources from the governor and legislature last year to support more counseling, more services around meeting mental health needs, but more is needed, and you heard that so clearly that there is a lot of pain that folks are carrying and experiencing, some of it carrying over from COVID, and we've got to make sure that we help our campuses support student mental health needs."

Batavia's offense sizzled against Marcus Whitman on Wednesday leading to a 63-36 win at home.

Casey Mazur scored 17 points for the Blue Devils, Gavin White, 15, Carter Mullen, 14, Justin Smith, 7, and Ty Gioia, 6.

Mazur hit five three-pointers.

"We're trying to become an inside-first team with Gavin and Justin," said Coach Buddy Brasky. "We normally have an advantage with at least one of them on the inside, so we're trying to play through the post, get them scoring early, and then when the other team makes an adjustment and tries to double down and sag in on them, we go inside out, and that leads to some open threes, and the guys are starting to get it, and it's working for us."

Batavia’s next home game is Friday at 7:15 p.m. vs. Eastridge

A win on Friday would be Batavia head coach Buddy Brasky’s 500th career win.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Press Release:

The Batavia High School (BHS) Rock Band has been honored with the 2025 Excellence in Student Services Award by the Genesee Valley School Boards Association. 

The award, presented on Saturday, January 18, recognized the Rock Band program for its outstanding contribution to student development and music education.

Now in its 11th year, the BHS Rock Band program offers students the opportunity to explore and perform various styles of rock music, focusing on the four primary rock instruments; drums, bass guitar, guitar, and keyboard. 

The program is performance-focused, with several concerts each year that allow students to showcase their skills and growth as musicians.

Originally launched as a single class in 2014, the Rock Band program has expanded significantly over the years. It now includes three classes and an after-school advanced ensemble.

Congrats to the BCSD Music Department for this impressive achievement!

Press Release:

The Batavia Winterguard is thrilled to announce its 25th Annual Fantastic Visions Competition, taking place on Saturday, February 1, at Batavia High School. 

This exciting event will showcase the talents of 28 Winterguard teams from across Western New York and Canada, and we invite you to join us for an afternoon of incredible performances.

The competition begins at 2:50 p.m., with Batavia’s own Cadet and IA Winterguards taking the stage at 3:56 p.m. and 7:13 p.m., respectively.

Tickets are $10 for spectators ages 8 and older, with children 7 and under admitted for free. This is a fantastic opportunity to support local and regional talent while enjoying a thrilling day of Winterguard competition.

We look forward to seeing you there!