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Submitted photo and press release:

WXXI’s Television Program Director Irene Fink, who lives in Bergen, was recognized as the “Charles Impaglia Programmer of the Year” by TRAC Media Services and the Public Television Programmers’ Association (PTPA) at the PTPA Annual Meeting in New Orleans on May 6.

The Programmer of the Year Award is given to someone who “has developed a program format that has had significant impact on his/her community,” and “demonstrates an ability to creatively use changes in the media environment to his/her station’s advantage.”

Fink has served as WXXI’s Television program director since 2009. She is responsible for programming strategy and scheduling on WXXI's television stations and on City 12 (cable 1303) in the City of Rochester. 

The PTPA praised Fink’s impact at WXXI and the effect she has had on the community. They listed several reasons why she was the top programmer:

• She weighs all content decisions with the audience and community in mind.
• She is a good communicator and collaborator, ensuring that WXXI’s content reaches the widest audiences across multiple platforms.
• She goes above and beyond in the programming and promoting of WXXI’s Move to Include initiative, helping to ensure people with disabilities are represented in WXXI’s content throughout the year. Move to Include is a partnership between WXXI and the Golisano Foundation designed to promote inclusion for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. 

Fink joined WXXI in 1998 as a casual in the Engineering Department, and in 2002 moved into the TV Division as traffic coordinator. In 2006 she was promoted to assistant director of TV Programming/Traffic and in 2009 to TV program director. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from SUNY Brockport. Fink resides in Bergen with her daughter Kaitlyn.

This is the second award Fink has received from PTPA and TRAC Media Services. The first was the Golden Grid Award in 2011, which she received in recognition of her ability to help strengthen her community by scheduling high-quality programs.

The “Charles Impaglia Programmer of the Year” award is given by PTPA and TRAC Media Services, an audience analysis organization that works with public television stations.

About WXXI

WXXI is the essential, lifelong educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues.

WXXI also has a long-term affiliation with Little Theatre, which helps enhance the cultural life of the community and strengthens two of Rochester's most vital arts institutions. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.

Information provided by Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Pavilion Central School.

Students at Pavilion Central School are being treated to a delicious BBQ beef lunch on Wednesday, May 23, in recognition of their achievements in the recent Top Cut Beef Contest.

The catered lunch is being provided by the New York State Beef Council and New York Agriculture in the Classroom.

Ag in the Classroom is co-hosting the lunch later this month because Pavilion students established three Tower Gardens (aeroponic systems) thanks to a Grow with Us grant from Ag in the Classroom. They are growing strawberries, lettuce, Swiss chard, tomatoes, basil and cucumbers.

Pavilion's eighth-grade Family Consumer Science students placed first in the Middle School Division of the Top Cut Beef Contest for their product, "Grab-A-Bull's Beefy Sliders."

It was the only school in Genesee County to place in the top five of the Middle School Division.

In the High School Division, Pavilion's 12th-grade Family Consumer Science class placed second for their "Gourmet Beef and Tatar Bites."

Both classes are taught by Catherine Johnston.

Pavilion won a total of $350, thus purchasing a Weber grill for their Family Consumer Science classroom.

A class taught by Kerri Richardson at the Agri-Business Academy at the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center received an Honorable Mention in the High School Division for their "Texas Beef Chili -- Chili con Carne."

About the Top Cut Beef Contest

Slow-roasted beef brisket sandwiches, flaming maple beef jerky, and a Texas chuck roast chili were just a few of the delicious recipes developed, tested, and tasted in the debut of the Top Cut Beef Contest for middle and high school students.

Students and teachers in grades six through 12 were exposed to beef production and nutrition with this experiential learning competition by developing a marketing strategy for a food product of their choice and design.

Every classroom was equipped with a "True Beef: From Pasture to Plate" DVD, the True Beef Educator Guide, lesson plans, and consumer guides to better understand the many cuts of beef and their best uses.

Schools were paired with a local beef producer who mentored the students through the process of beef production or supplied the beef necessary for the project. In this hands-on experience, students were exposed to careers in the beef industry and learned about safe food-handling practices.

Participants created beef-centric recipes which they made and tested with their target audience. Submissions included sandwiches, stews, meatballs, and even jerky.

The creativity with this contest was unlimited as students filmed their own commercials and designed websites to market their products.

One of the judges, Ken Krutz, manager of Empire Livestock and board member of New York Beef Council, said of the entries, "I was amazed at the talent and innovation our youth put into their projects. It was an honor to be a judge for the Top Cut Beef Contest."

A total of 30 entries were submitted for judging by a panel of beef producers and industry experts. Each entry was scored based on the product, the market analysis, the marketing plan, and the beef nutrition analysis.

The first-place classroom in each division received $250, second place earned $100, and third place earned $50; all receive a banner to display their achievement, and the first-place teams, like Pavilion's eighth-graders, are also receiving a catered barbeque lunch from the New York Beef Council.

New York State Beef Council thanked participating schools for increasing the agricultural literacy of their students. "It is our hope that they will grow an appreciation of New York’s food system and gain exposure to the many careers available in agriculture," the council stated.

(To enter your classroom in a future contest, or to volunteer your time as a mentor, please contact nyaitc@cornell.edu.)

Grow With Us Grant

Below is the letter Pavilion Central School teacher Catherine Johnston received from Katie Carpenter, director, New York Agriculture in the Classroom, regarding the Grow with Us Grant.

"Congratulations! You have been selected as a recipient of the Grow with Us Grant from New York Agriculture in the Classroom. Your grant application communicated your school’s need, interest, and commitment to providing healthy food and food system education to your students. The applicant pool for this program was deep and competitive; less than 25 percent of the submitted proposals were funded. You should be proud of your achievement in this difficult selection process.

You have been awarded three Tower Garden aeroponic systems.

Within the next week you will be receiving an emailed link. It will be important for you to thoroughly read the information about accepting the grow system, provide an accurate shipping address, and confirm your contact information. This will be essential to ensuring your grow system is shipped and received in a timely manner. Once this information is received, you will be provided additional information about the shipment of your grow system.

We are excited to work with you and your school as you extend your growing season throughout the entire school year. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Again, congratulations on your success in the Grow with Us Grant program."

Press release:

Sunday, May 13th, is Jazz Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia. It is located at 300 E. Main St.

Hosting the local jazz group, DSP, the church will sing such favorites as "Precious Lord," "Take My Hand" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."

The jazz combo will play before church and during the coffee hour afterward.

The Sanctuary Choir will sing "Wade in the Water" with their accompaniment.

Come at 10:30 a.m. for the pre-service music and stay through coffee hour for an inspiring time of worship and fellowship led by Pastor Roula Alkhouri.

Press release:

Genesee County is in the process of updating its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). The HMP documents the County’s vulnerability to hazards and its strategy to reduce that vulnerability.

A meeting to discuss the updated risk assessment will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 24, at the Genesee County Office of Emergency Management Services, 7690 State Street Road, Batavia.

Additional information about the HMP and the planning process is available at www.geneseecountyhmp.com.

Updated hazard profiles will be available for review at www.geneseecountyhmp.com under the "Draft Documents for Review" page. Please check the website regularly for updates.

Contact Tim Yaeger, coordinator, Genesee County Office of Emergency Management Services, at 585-344-0078 for additional information.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee County ESU Team (Emergency Support Unit) held a Confined Space Exercise at the Cargill Inc. facility located at 8849 Wortendyke Road, Batavia, on May 5^th.

The ESU Team simulated a rescue of a worker in a product silo utilizing high-angle rope and confined-space skills and equipment. The Rescue Technicians scaled a 140-foot tower and entered a product silo descending approximately 70 feet to gain access to the simulated trapped worker.

Cargill’s commitment to the safety of their workers is second to none and this proactive approach in allowing local rescue personnel to train and hone their skills reinforces their commitment. The East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy EMS assisted in the training event.

The Genesee County ESU team trains and drills monthly in addition to attending hazardous material and technical rescue programs regionally and nationally. The County ESU Team consists of volunteer firefighters from across Genesee County.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact your local volunteer fire department or the Office of Emergency Management Services at 585-344-0078.

Spring is here and nature is, well, springing up all over the place. Bright green, pops of yellow, soft pink blossoms. The bees are buzzing and the birds are flitting.

But over at the Genesee County Animal Shelter, Serena and Boots are just sitting. Waiting for a friend, you, anybody really (Volunteers for Animals notwithstanding), to stop by and say 'hi,' or better yet take them home.

Serena is a spayed adult pit bull terrier mix who absolutely loves to play outside, and on a day like today, who wouldn't?

Playing fetch with a ball is her favorite thing. Unless she's eating dinner, which is then her favorite thing, or palling around with her people, which is also a favorite thing.

So basically whatever Serena is doing at that moment is her favorite thing. Such is a dog's life and attention span. 

Boots, a spayed tiger and white domestic shorthair cat, takes the long view of our sweet old world, making patient mental notes of the global continuum, parsing in her own way the values and actions she holds dear.

Like chin scratching, the importance of which cannot be overstressed.

This "quiet and docile...very sweet" feline is all set to get out of the shelter and make patient mental notes in a much better place -- like your windowsill or lap.

Genesee County Animal Shelter

3841 W. Main Street Road, Batavia

Hours

Sun., Mon., Tues., Fri.: 1-3 p.m.

Wednesday: 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Closed Thursdays

Saturday: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

GO ART! is hosting wild and crazy tea parties the day before Mother's Day on Saturday, May 12.

For All Ages

Join the Mad Hatter and the March Hare for a crazy day-before-Mother's-Day tea party.

Make sure to wear your prettiest, favorite or funniest hat.

There will be dainty tea sandwiches and toothsome desserts along with a selfie station and, of course, tea (juice for those who don't want tea).

Open to all ages.

Two sittings available: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; or 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 per person for GO ART! members and $18 per person for non-members. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Adults Only (21+)

Adult Tea Party with Vivian Darling -- Drag Queen Extraordinaire, 5-6:30 p.m. (Photo above.)

The Queen of Hearts demands you join her for tea!

Make sure you wear something red because we all know how much the Queen loves red and your don't want her to say "off with their head!"

Scrumptious tea sandwiches, sublime desserts and two very adult beverages are included with the purchase of a ticket.

(Long Island iced tea anyone?)

Additional "adult" drinks will be available for purchase from the bar.

This event is intended for guests 21+.

Tickets are $30 for GO ART! members and $35 for non-members.

Press release:

For five decades, Genesee Community College has celebrated its graduating classes at commencement, and the College is excited about the upcoming 50th annual graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 20.

The College, however, is also pleased to be introducing a new tradition this year.

On Wednesday, May 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the Richard C. Call Arena, the "SUNY GCC Employees -- Serving Beyond Expectations" ceremony will formerly recognize the many outstanding achievements of GCC's faculty and staff.

Among the highest honors are recognizing the recipients of prestigious 2018 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor's Award for Excellence, which includes the following:

Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

• Timothy P. Tomczak, professor/director of Social Sciences

Award for Excellence in Professional Service

• Tara E. Conrad, assistant registrar
• Amy A. Masters, technical specialist/financial aid retention

Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Service

• Joseph L. Ziolkowski, assistant professor, Photography and Art

Award for Excellence in Teaching

• Candice S. Vacin, associate professor of Psychology
• David W. Johnson, instructor of Biology

Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching

• Carol E. Geiselmann, adjunct instructor
• Raymond A. Boucher, adjunct instructor

Award for Excellence in Classified Service

• Raymond J. Strzelecki, building maintenance supervisor

"Genesee Community College has long had a reputation for being a great place to work," GCC's President James M. Sunser said. "In the spirit of commencement and the hard work and commitment of our students, we have also wanted to recognize the dedication of our faculty and staff who consistently go beyond expectations in helping our students succeed.

"This new event is the opportunity to honor the many GCC employees whose passion and compassion are on the job every day."

It should be noted that some College offices will be closed the afternoon of May 16 to accommodate the new awards ceremony.

In addition to the SUNY Chancellors Awards, the new "Serving Beyond Expectations" Ceremony will also recognize employees with extensive years of service at the Longevity Awards with benchmarks of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service to the College.

And, the College also created a whole new segment of recognition with seven unique categories of service in the newly adopted "Cougar Awards" in the following areas.

Spirit and Community Award -- celebrates exemplary school spirit

Innovation Award -- recognizes one who's implemented idea made a positive impact on GCC

Cougar Salute -- honors a supervisor or manager consistently demonstrating GCC's core values

Teamwork Award -- praises superior performance by a department or cross-functional team

Rookie of the Year Award -- acknowledges the outstanding achievements of a new staff member

Inclusive Excellence Award -- commends a significant role in embracing the diversity, equity and inclusiveness of the campus community

President's Award -- distinguishes the efforts and services of an individual in support of the college's mission and strategic priorities

The Cougar Award nominees are secret until the awards ceremony and recipients will be named live during the event.

Lastly, but no less important, the "Serving Beyond Expectations" Ceremony recognizes the numerous accomplishments and contributions made by GCC's faculty and staff throughout the past academic year.

The number and breadth of these achievements exemplifies the quality and compassion that seems near endemic across all departments and divisions at GCC. Forty-four members of GCC's staff, and many of them with multiple honors and recognitions are listed under the general Awards category.

From professional presentations to serving as a panelist, board member, keynote speaker, juror, volunteer, evaluator, singer, exhibitor and even earning a certified drone piloting license -- GCC staff members are an active collection of top-notch professionals motivated by passion, patriotism and the idea of making the community a better place to live and work.

The Spring Physical Education meeting for teachers countywide will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, at Pavilion Jr. /Sr. High School. It is located at 7014 Big Tree Road in Pavilion.

Here is the schedule:

9 -11 a.m. --  Technology in PE: Presenter -- Nancy Stauber

• Google Classroom: (Classroom, Forms, Quizzes, Sheets) announcements, links, videos, photos, study guides, quizzes, surveys, assignments, data collection and presentation, grading, …(Google Expedition) virtual reality field trips, anatomy;

• Pear Deck: program that combines slides, video, photo, graphs, class questions with live answers, interactive in many ways to engage students;

• Apps: Learn a variety of apps to use in a PE setting;

• Music: Amazon, Pandora, etc.: How we can be efficient in incorporating music into our lessons.  

***This is a make and take session: bring a quiz/survey/study guide…. and we will be creating during the session.

11:15 a.m. – noon -- Care to Share and extra time to work on technology projects.

Please bring ideas to share with your colleagues.

Lunch: On Your Own

1:15 – 3:15 p.m. -- Outdoor Education Presenter -- Shannon Morley

• Shelter Building (also known as debris huts)

• Fire Building 

• Geocaching

• Outdoor Scavenger Hunts

Come prepared to be outside and be involved.

Registration Links

GRTC Link: For Alexander, Attica, Batavia, Byron-Bergen, Elba, GVEP, Le Roy, Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama, Pembroke, St. Joe’s, NYS School for the Blind, Wyoming Districts   https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=18433&I=2772175

TCTRC Link: For districts of Avon, Caledonia-Mumford, Dansville, Geneseo, Keshequa, Letchworth, Livonia, Mt. Morris, Perry, Warsaw, Way-Co, York

https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=18433&I=2772031

Questions? Contact: Marianne Witkowski—Pavilion PE Teacher & PE Network coordinator mwitk@pavilioncsd.org; Juanita Henry, director GRTC jhenry@bataviacsd.org; or Pat Mullikin, director TCTRC pmullikin@avoncsd.org

Press release:

Batavia High School Coach Buddy Brasky will hold Basketball Training Camp at the Batavia city schools this summer. Gym locations to be announced at a later date.

Brasky will be joined by: skills / shooting instructor Tim Sullivan; Tom Redband -- girls varsity coach at Elba HS; Matt Shay -- boys varsity coach at Pembroke HS; Billy Truitt -- former Division 1 and professional basketball player; and Bill Pitcher -- longtime area basketball player and coach.

This is a five-week program that will emphasize offensive skill development. The program is open to anyone, male or female, from grades 7-college. Cost for the program is *$350.

(*Sibling Discount: First sibling full price, each one after is $175. Team Discount: $325 per player for teams of five or more attending.)

Registration deadline is June 25. A $50 deposit secures your spot. Don't delay; we have sold out every year for the past five years.

Basketball Training Camp will be held from July 9th - Aug. 10^th. There will be two sessions:

1. Monday/Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for boys in grades 9-college.
2. Tuesday/Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Friday from 9  to 11 a.m. for boys in grades 7 and 8, and girls in grades 7-college.

Players must bring their own basketballs.

For an application call or text Buddy Brasky at 585-356-4050 (cell) or email mbrasky@bataviacsd.org

Or to view the training camp flier and print/mail the attached application form, click here (PDF). Make checks payable to: Three Season Basketball.

Why this camp? This camp is for the experienced and serious player only. Compare this camp -- with 40 hours of pure basketball instruction -- to St. Bonaventure Camp's 32 hours. Compare the cost of the Batavia camp to Syracuse camp's price of $595. The benefit of repetition -- your player will be receiving instruction and the instilling of positive habits over a five-week time period, not three to four days like most camps.

Offensive skill development will include:

• Ball-handling -- stationary and on the move
• Shooting -- 200 to 500 shots per day
• 1 on 1 moves: single direction, double direction, triple direction
• On the move: wrist roll series, change of direction series
• Post-move series
• Point guard instruction
• Full court and 1/2 court game situations
• Layup series

About Coach Brasky

Under the direction of Head Coach Buddy Brasky, Batavia High School has won 11 league titles, six Sectional titles, and has reached the state semifinals four times over the last 18 years. He has been awarded Section V Coach of the Year six times; Monroe County Coach of the Year five times; and All-Greater Rochester Coach of the Year. Over this time he has developed numerous collegiate players including NJCAA & NCAA D3 All-Americans.

Photo: File photo from 2014 camp.

Press release:

On Thursday, May 10, starting at 9 a.m., more than 100 high school students from across the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties) region will be participating in high-tech, agricultural career experience at Genesee Community College, hosted by The BEST Center.

The third annual Precision Agriculture Day at the College's Batavia Campus features a wide array of presenters from the industry who will share information on the latest technological, science, engineering, and agricultural trends including drones, embryo transfer, precision farming and processing, GPS/GIS, auto steering and robotics.

This emerging technology is anticipated to create new employment opportunities in the future. High schoolers from 13 districts across the four counties have the opportunity to discover more about these potential and exciting career pathways and will be checking out how these technologies are used in their own backyard of Western New York.

The Precision Agriculture Committee, chaired by Nathan L. Rudgers, senior vice president of Business Development at Farm Credit East,was formed in 2015.

The committee, comprised of local precision agriculture consultants, agricultural leaders, as well as high school representatives, has been providing guidance and input on the development of programs to address the educational and awareness needs of this growing field.

Advances in technology have resulted in agricultural systems collecting data and using it in multiple operations all controlled through a computer, tablet or smart phone. This technology has created education and training opportunities, but there is a lack of skilled workers.

Enter The BEST Center, which is working to provide multiple educational opportunities in this growing arena.

The BEST Center provides businesses and organizations with customized training solutions ranging from supervisory skills to technical training. The Center also offers numerous professional and personal development courses for individuals, including classroom and online opportunities.