education

The boys participating in this year's B Squad, a running group coached by Sarah Gahagan and other Batavia Middle School teachers, celebrated their first year as a team with a pizza party and individual recognition for their accomplishments.

Each boy was nominated for an award by a teacher or administrator based on improvements or contributions they made throughout the school year.  There are 50 boys who participated this year.

The group runs as a team and often to locations where they learn about the community or local businesses.

Among the young artists with featured displays last night at Le Roy High School's Fine Arts Night was Austin Hampton.

Austin is a senior and plans to pursue a career in art, with a focus on fine art and perhaps becoming an art teacher.

He said he always loved art but the teachers at Le Roy helped that love bloom into a passion.

"They're great teachers," Austin said. "They always help me with hands-on activities. Their techniques help me with mine, as well."

He said when he's not at school, at home, his focus is art. He spends at least five hours a day of his own time on art.

"I’m always making art, doing something," Austin said. "I always have to have a pen in my hand."

Press release:

Beginning in the fall of 2018, the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center will offer a new career and technical education program, which will be available to high school juniors and seniors.

A Diesel Mechanics Program will help students on their path to becoming college or career ready. The program is made possible through a partnership with Daimler Trucks North America.

Once the facility is completed, there will be a classroom and service bay located at Daimler’s facility next to the Batavia CTE Center on State Street in Batavia.

The Diesel Mechanics Program is a two-year certified program for juniors and seniors who are interested in working with machines in the construction and agriculture industries. Prospective students could also have an interest in auto/diesel machining, trucking, the lawn and garden industry, welding, and the Armed Forces.

"The Diesel Mechanics Program is a welcome addition to the diverse career and technical program offerings available at the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center," said Jon Sanfratello, executive principal, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership Batavia Campus. "Our region has a rich agricultural presence which offers many opportunities for students to be successful upon graduation. By offering this new program, it’s one more way we are providing our students with college and career readiness." 

The program was first introduced at the Mount Morris CTE Center in September and is offered at Marquart Repair and Equipment Sales in Gainesville. Steve Jacoby is the instructor.

Students will work on trucks of varying sizes including, tractors, forklifts, backhoes, bulldozers, lawnmowers, and small engines.

Class work includes small group as well as individual instruction for engine and transmission teardown, and overhaul and failure analysis. The hands-on course work will require students to test and rebuild fuel system components and machine cylinder heads and blocks for rebuilding.

Additional program highlights include heavy-duty preventative maintenance, air and hydraulic brake systems, air conditioning and climate controls, and hydraulic hose and fitting identification.

For more information about the Diesel Mechanics Program contact: Sarah Luczak, Student Services coordinator, Batavia CTE Center at (585) 344-7716 or Jane Rahn, Student Services coordinator, Mount Morris CTE Center at (585) 658-7805.

About the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center

The Batavia Career and Technical Education Center is a program of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York state.

Submitted photo of Gail Stevens and information from SUNY Empire State College:

Gail Stevens, a past member of the Batavia City School District Board of Education, has been selected to speak at SUNY Empire State College’s commencement event at Rochester.

It will take place at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 31, at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, 123 E. Main St..

Stevens was a longtime resident of Batavia, now residing in North Port, Fla.  

She worked in the Batavia County Sheriff’s Office and then for Troop A of the New York State Police as a clerk for more than 20 years. Stevens remarried in 1998 and, in 2013, returned to Florida to work for Paychex Inc., her current employer.

She is an alumna of Genesee Community College, Class of 1980. The single mother of Michelle and Eric began work on her bachelor’s degree in 1991.

Twenty-seven years later, she has completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Economics, with a 3.80 GPA, and graduates this spring.

As she studied long and hard to complete her degree, Stevens met significant challenges, including the death of both parents, divorce, a career change, a move from Florida to New York, then back to Florida, and a son who became addicted to heroin, and who now has recovered.

Her volunteer leadership experience in Genesee County includes serving as:

• A member, and then president, of the Board of Education of the Batavia City School District from 2004-13;
• President of the City of Batavia Youth Board, 2004-12;
• Treasurer of the Batavia Players Inc., 2005-13;
• Treasurer of the Batavia High School Band Boosters, 2005-13;
• President of the Batavia High School Parent Teacher Group, 2005-12;
• A member of the City of Batavia Consolidation Team, 2010-11;
• A member of the Genesee Valley Educational Leadership Board, 2006-13.

In Florida, she volunteers at San Pedro Catholic Church as an usher, serves on the City of North Port Parks and Recreation Committee and is helping to launch a Celebrate Recovery Group at the New Hope Community Church of North Port, as she continues her career at Paychex.

Photo of the 2018 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence winners, from left: Raymond A. Boucher, Raymond Strzelecki, Tara E. Conrad; Joseph L. Ziolkowski, Candice S. Vacin, David W. Johson, Carol E. Geiselmann, and Timothy P. Tomczak. Missing from the photo is Amy Masters.

Submitted photo and press release:

A new formal ceremony -- "SUNY GCC Employees Serving Beyond Expectations"

As Genesee Community College prepared for its 50th Commencement on May 20, a new ceremony was introduced reinforcing the spirit of achievement, hard work and dedication. Instead of GCC graduates walking across the platform stage, College officials recognized members of faculty and staff.

"The new SUNY GCC Employees Serving Beyond Expectations was a formal ceremony, yet a fun and festive way to recognize the quality of service and the hard work of our GCC family," GCC's President James M. Sunser, Ed.D., said.

"It is a new tradition that combines several different award programs, and gives us all a chance to celebrate our hard work and also decompress at the end of the academic year."

The new event collectively recognized:

Longevity Service Awards recognizing 38 employees who reached milestone years between 10 to 30 years of service, collectively serving 630 years!

SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence

The new Cougar Awards honorees were awarded as a surprise to the honorees in the following categories: Rookie of the Year; Teamwork Award; Spirit and Community Award; Innovation Award; Cougar Salute; Inclusive Excellence Award, and President's Award.

A special congratulations was also given to nine employees who have or will soon be retiring from GCC.

At this special ceremony, in front of the GCC community, Sunser and GCC's Board of Trustees Chair Laura Bohm awarded nine prestigious 2018 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor's Awards for Excellence.

Receiving the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service,which recognizes consistently superior service contributions of teaching faculty over multiple years, was Professor and Director of Social Sciences, Timothy P. Tomczak.

Tomczak joined the faculty at GCC as an Instructor of Psychology in the fall semester of 1987. In that capacity his teaching load consisted primarily of courses in General, Abnormal, and Social Psychology. He expanded the range of his teaching subjects at the College to include Introduction to Logic and Child and Adolescent Development as well as Beginning Karate.

He has been a pioneer of the College's distance learning movement, first teaching "telecourses" and moving on to teaching online sections of psychology. Tomczak was also one of the first full-time faculty members to teach in GCC's ACE program at the program's inception.

In 1994, Tomczak received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Tomczak was promoted to associate professor commencing with the fall 1996 semester, and to the rank of Professor effective fall 2007, the year that he received the Chancellor's Award for Scholarship and Creative Activities. Tomczak holds a B.A. in Psychology from Mercyhurst College and a M.A. in General Experimental Psychology from the State University of New York, College of Geneseo.

Recognizing consistently superior professional achievement, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service was awarded to assistant registrar, Tara E. Conrad. Conrad came to GCC in 2007 as the records information specialist. She joined the highly productive Records Office which provided a great base of functional user knowledge of Ellucian Banner and that has been a central building block of her career.

Conrad has been a leader in developing technological solutions to complicated processes, creating time and cost efficiencies that support the mission of the college. She is recognized for her work both within the SUNY system and in other organizations and has been sought after to help in system-wide ways. Conrad's enthusiasm and flare for technology and her desire to work with software applications prevailed as her career unfolded at Genesee. She has lead several software implementation and has become an effective and essential functional resource for the college.

Conrad earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Merrimack College and a M.S. in Education from the State University of New York, College at Brockport. In addition, Conrad has received a one-year full-time appointment as a SUNY Provost Fellow, the first-ever at GCC. The focus of this fellowship is to perform research and develop recommendation for the implementation of Enrollment and Completion Infrastructure that would support SUNY's student access, completion and success initiatives with a particular focus on Re-enroll to Complete.

Technical specialist/ financial aid retention, Amy A. Masters, was also awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. Masters first joined the joined the College staff in the Business Office in 2008 and transferred to her current position in Financial Aid in 2012.

As she did in the Business Office, she has made significant contributions to the operations and procedures of the Financial Aid Office, particularly in the areas of scholarship awards and tracking and streamlining office processes and forms. She was instrumental in making the scholarship application process a smoother one for students, both for institutional scholarships and emergency scholarships for students in need.

Masters has a B.S in Psychology from Elmira College and she continued her education since she has been at Genesee, receiving her M.S. in Management from Keuka College.

President Sunser and Bohm awarded Assistant Professor of Photography and Art Joseph L. Ziolkowski the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Service for his consistently outstanding scholarly and creative productivity, conducted in addition to teaching.

Ziolkowski has been a member of GCC's Fine Arts faculty since August of 2012. Upon arriving, he immersed himself completely in the GCC classroom the college community, and in continuing his own professional development. Ziolkowski provides "applied learning" opportunities for his students by frequently organizing field trips to exhibits and museums to expose them to all types of art.

He uses technology and other teaching modalities to engage the students and encourage them in their own creative development. He has a passion for creating and sharing it with the world around him that benefits his students and the internal and external college community.

Ziolkowski received a B.A in Photography from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, a M.F.A. in Photography from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an M.S.Ed. in Art Education from Nazareth College of Rochester.

The fifth award at the ceremony, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes consistently superior teaching at the graduate, undergraduate, or professional level of the highest quality was received by Associate Professor of Psychology, Candice S. Vacin. Vacin has been teaching psychology for over sixteen years and joined the GCC faculty in 2007.

She is committed to providing a learning environment for her students that helps them to be successful in her class and beyond, and she creates an environment that encourages each student to express their individuality in a safe and respectful way. She brings much energy to the classroom in her teaching, and she not only makes herself available to students via office hours, but she also meets with each student individually at various points in the semester to provide feedback on their progress and assist them as she can.

She uses a great deal of creativity in presenting the subject matter, and does so in a way that students can relate it to "real life." Vacin holds an A.A. in Liberal Arts from Niagara County Community College, a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Geneseo and a M.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Also receiving the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching was David W. Johnson, instructor of Biology at GCC. Johnson joined the GCC faculty in 2014.

He is a strong advocate of the natural science program, bringing tremendous passion and enthusiasm for science, the teaching of science, and he values the role community colleges play in today's educational arena. The enjoyment that students get from his classes is evident by their enthusiasm in and out of class. He can often be found in the lab working with students and perfecting labs the students will be doing.

Johnson has spent a great deal of time reworking the General Biology sequence and bringing it into the new century with a modern focus. He belongs to several professional organizations in his field and has made several presentations both on campus and off.

Johnson received a B.S in Biochemistry from the State University of New York at Oswego and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester.

Similarly, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, recognizes consistently superior teaching at the graduate, undergraduate, or professional level of the highest quality. Receiving this award was adjunct instructors Carol E. Geiselmann and Raymond A. Boucher.

Geiselmann has been a member of the Genesee adjunct faculty since 2011 teaching several English courses. For 10 years prior to that, Geiselmann was an instructor in the College's Accelerated College Enrollment program. She provides her students with clear syllabi so they understand their responsibilities for the course.

She willingly comes to campus on her days off or stays after class to meet with students and she continually provides feedback and encouragement. Geiselmann is an instructor who meticulously and tenaciously provides students with a solid foundation for life success, and an opportunity for each to develop their own style and voice, simultaneously instilling confidence as students learn and develop writing skills.

Geiselmann earned an A.A. in Arts from SUNY's Orange County Community College, a B.A. in Education/English from the State University of New York at Geneseo and a M.S. in Education/English from Elmira College.

Boucher joined the adjunct faculty at Genesee in 2003 and has taught a variety of course in Theatre, English and Speech. A 2014 winner of the NISOD Award for Teaching Excellence, Boucher is a master teacher.

While he sets high expectations for his students, he is cognizant of the differences of learning styles and he varies his teaching methods to help students be as successful. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom that students find intriguing, and a disciplined yet fun energy that keeps control of the classroom and invites students to explore. Boucher takes his teaching responsibilities very seriously and is a role model for faculty.

Boucher holds a B.S in Theatre Arts and in Literature from the State University of New York at Brockport, post-graduate classes in English Education from Buffalo State College, and a M.A. in Literature from the State University of New York at Cortland.

The final SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence was presented to Raymond J. Strzelecki, Building Maintenance supervisor, for Excellence in Classified Service. This award is a system-level award established to give recognition for superior performance and extraordinary achievement by employees in the Classified Service.

These awards demonstrate SUNY's commitment to individuals who provide superior service to its students and the community at large.

Strzelecki started his career at GCC as building maintenance mechanic in 1991 and went to building maintenance supervisor in 2002 and has been an outstanding employee ever since. He is a team player and demonstrates excellence by continuously going above and beyond in the scope of his job description.

He provides exemplary customer service to the entire College community and is highly respected by his colleagues. This recognition formally thanks Strzelecki for being a role model to everyone on campus.

For the newly established "Cougar Awards," nominations for each of these categories were collected throughout the last semester, and the selected honorees were a tightly keep secret until the moment the awards were announced catching all recipients as a complete surprise.

Recognizing Cougar Accomplishments

In the Cougar Awards segment, Director of Buildings and Grounds Levi T. Olsen was recognized as the Rookie of the Year for his outstanding accomplishments in his first six months on the job.

Fittingly, the entire Buildings and Grounds team, 37 members in all, were called to the stage next to receive the Teamwork Award. The field house audience came to their feet showing appreciation and gratitude for the tireless work of this group especially in light of the two new buildings that were brought online in the past year.

For her exemplary school spirit, secretary in the Financial Aid Office Rebecca S. Patterson received the Spirit and Community Award. Next, ACE Program specialist Karlyn M. Finucane was awarded the Innovation Award for the inception and implementation of the STEM Program that provides young students who are gifted in the math and sciences with the opportunity to pursue college credits while in middle and high school.

The Cougar Salute, which was presented to GCC's Dean for Distributed Learning and Learning Technologies Craig R. Lamb for consistently demonstrating the College's core values.

For embracing the diversity, equity and inclusiveness of the campus community, Director of Student Activities Clifford M. Scutella was awarded the Inclusive Excellence Award. The final Cougar Award, the President's Award, went to Director of Athletics Kristen E. Schuth for her distinguished efforts and services in support of the College's mission and strategic priorities.

Milestones of Service

Genesee Community College also used the "Serving Beyond Expectations" Ceremony to recognize employees' attainment of milestone service through the Longevity Awards.

• Celebrating 30 Years of Service, GCC recognized: Meredith L. Altman, Math/Science; Wayne R. Gruendike, Buildings and Grounds; Timothy P. Tomczak, Social Science; and Mark E. Yasses, Housekeeping.
• Marking 25 Years of Service, GCC recognized: Patricia S. Furness, Albion Campus Center; Karin E. Kovach-Allen, Ph.D., Social Science; and Garth P. Swanson, Humanities.
• With 20 Years of Service, GCC recognized: Ricky D. Bezon, Buildings and Grounds; Jennifer L. Ross, Computer Services; Kathleen A. Kimber, Humanities; Pamela E. Swarts, Art Center; Robert J. Terry, Buildings and Grounds; Diane M. Marchese, Buildings and Grounds; Tanya M. Lane-Martin, Student Services; and Lorraine S. Anderson, College Services.
• For 15 Years of Service, GCC recognized: Celina M. Bartz, Student Support Services; Christine Belongia, Humanities; Michele L. Terry, Student and Enrollment Services; Patricia E. Chaya, Student Services; Timothy D. Davalos, Buildings and Grounds; Jessica L. Hibbard, Warsaw Campus Center; Michael C. Perry, Media Services; Edward J. Levinstein, ACE Programs; Susane J. Nugent, Records; and Margaret I. Szczesniak, Dansville Campus Center.
• The newest milestone employees, celebrating 10 Years of Service, GCC recognized: Erik L. Anderson, Campus Safety; Charmayne R. Bloom, Medina Campus Center; Tara E. Conrad, Records; Debra J. Crossett, Math Science and Career Education; Rebecca J. Day, Upward Bound; Michelle A. Peck, Athletics / Health and Physical Education; Ebony N. Ross, Admissions; Charles L. Scruggs, Humanities; Daniel E. Snyder, ACE Programs; Candice S. Vacin, Social Science; John M. McGowan, The BEST Center. This category also included Alicia M. Catlin, Career Pathways and Richard P. Bartl, Alfred C. O'Connell Library for 10 years of part-time service.

Faculty and Staff: Quality & Compassion

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

The number and breadth of these achievements exemplify the quality and compassion that seems near endemic across all departments and divisions at GCC.

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, 44 members of GCC's staff illustrated their dedication and top-notch professionalism, as well as their passion, patriotism and the idea of making the GLOW community a better place to live and work and flourish.

Hailey Coniber’s favorite subject to study in school is science, which she learns through her robot, Lenny, which attends classes every day at Wolcott Street School in Le Roy for her.

The fifth-grader was one of the first students in the district to use double robotics to attend classes from home for the last three years.

Hailey said it is fun learning through the robot, and she doesn’t feel like she is missing out anymore, not being at school.

“I get to be with my friends,” Hailey said.

Hailey was diagnosed with Stage 4 Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma in 2009 and is currently being treated at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester. Due to weekly clinic appointments and 27 daily doses of medication, Hailey needs to attend school from home.

In Hailey’s treatment, her mother, Missy Coniber, said she doesn’t see a near future where Hailey can attend school in person.

“The doctors would like the scans to be clear for five years, and we haven’t reached anything near that point,” Coniber said.

That's where double robotics comes in.

Double  robotics is  a term -- also the name of the company that makes the devices -- for a robot that is on wheels, has a camera and display screen, allowing it to travel through a remote space from the robot's user to allow that user to virtually be in that location. Hailey is using it for school but double robotics are also used by remote workers to connect with the home office. 

As long as Hailey's robot is turned on, Hailey can control everything from her laptop.

“I control it with the keypad,” Hailey said.

Hailey signs into an app which allows her to control the robot’s movements.  

Not only can she control the movements with the arrow keys, but if Hailey has a question, the robot itself can be raised up, like she would be raising her hand.

Lenny has changed Hailey’s schooling drastically, Coniber said.

“Before the robot, we did two years of tutoring, and we were only getting six hours a week of tutoring and she was falling behind,” Coniber said. “We knew her medical treatments could be a long process.”

The idea came from the WSS principal, Carol Messura, who heard of double robotics and reached out to EduTech to learn more.

The Coniber family offered to pay for a robot because it was a test and they weren’t sure how well it would work, and the school system got it approved through the Board of Education and purchased the robot.

“We’re very fortunate to have the school system that we do,” Coniber said.

The summer before Hailey started using the robot, associates from EduTech tested it to make sure they fully understood how it operated.

“There were some quirks at the beginning that we had to work out, and once we got that worked out, it has become a smooth transition,” Coniber said.

Once the robot was put into the classroom, teachers, students, and the robot adapted well, Coniber said.

“The students don’t see it as a robot anymore,” Coniber said. “They see it as just Hailey.”

Coniber said she would highly recommend the robots for other families in similar situations, as a cost-effective alternative for school systems.

“Now she’s getting a full day of school,” Coniber said. “We can take the laptop or iPad to the hospital and she can attend school from the hospital if she is in-patient, so it has cut down on the number of absences.”

Photo courtesy our news partner, 13WHAM. For 13WHAM's story on Hailey, click here.

The Family Consumer Science students at Pavilion Senior High School and Middle School have been recognized for the creativity and hard work in coming up with a beef-based food product.

The competition was sponsored by the NY Beef Council and New York Agriculture in the Classroom.

The middle school students competed with students from eight other middle schools and took first place and the two, just two, seniors in the class, came in second in a competition among 21 high schools.

The $350 total in prize money was used to purchase a new Weber grill from Crocker's Ace Hardware in Le Roy.

The middle school students came up with a product they called Grabbables. It consisted of a meatball, Hawaiian roll, and mozzarella.

"It was really fun," said eighth-grader Alexa Wolcott, who was in charge of quality control for the middle school students.

"Well," added the group's CEO, Adeline Milligan, "you get food in the end."

The two classes were served a catered lunch yesterday of BBQ beef, baked beans, potato salad, and salad, courtesy the Beef Council.

The competition required the students to develop a recipe, determine a target market, come up with a marketing campaign and cost out their expenses and anticipated revenue.

"There's a lot to manage," Milligan said. "You learn what actually goes into running a business."

The competition is meant to be demanding, said Cindy Phillips, director of nutritional education for the Beef Council.

"This is a project that really challenges them to apply all of their classroom learning, from math to critical thinking, social studies, into an experiential project," she said.

Catherine Johnston, AKA "Miss J," is Pavilion's Consumer Family Science teacher. She said it was important to her to get her students involved in the competition because of the lessons they would learn.

"I really want to promote the fact that Family Consumer Science is the next step from ag," Miss J said. "We are the processors. We freeze things. We dry things. We can things. We learn all about food science in my class.

"I'm hoping students want to go into the new factories that are around here and become lab techs. There are a lot of job opportunities that go into this besides being a chef."

Photos and statement submitted by Tim McArdle, principal at Le Roy HS.

Today was an amazing morning for our seniors! The day began with our annual Senior Yearbook Breakfast where the Class of 2018 received their yearbooks and enjoyed a breakfast. Seniors enjoyed many laughs and conversations looking over the Oatkan!

Big kudos to yearbook advisors Ms. Castro and Mrs. Curtis and our student staff for an awesome job on this year’s yearbook! The senior dedication went to Mr. Crowe & Mrs. Brotherton! 

Next, we boarded the bus and traveled to Wolcott Street School for our third annual “Decision Walk.” Seniors wore T-shirts or sweatshirts representing the college or career they are going into next year and created a poster showing a visual of their chosen career. The elementary staff and students lined the hallways and sidewalks as the seniors paraded past all grade levels.

It was a very powerful experience as it represents one of the major reasons we do what we do; guiding students through years of education and creating a launching pad for them to use for the rest of their lives. It was great for the elementary staff to see their former students and the directions they are taking in the future. We also had our staff wear their own college gear representing their alma mater!

It was a great way to celebrate the future of the Class of 2018! Check out @LeRoy_Knights on  Twitter and Instagram for more videos and pics! 
 

This year's Class of 2018 fundraiser that allowed seniors to paint their own personal parking spaces at Batavia High School was a huge hit, the Board of Education was told Tuesday night, and representatives of the junior class pitched the board on continuing the project next year but with some additional features.

The juniors would like next year's seniors to pay $20 per space and allow juniors (who previously could only reserve an unpainted space) to paint theirs for $30.

They would also like to come up with an employee of the month space that is painted by students as well as sell reserved spaces for teachers, at higher prices, that would be painted by students.

The 2018 class raised more than $700 with its project and there were no problems reported in the student parking lot throughout the year.

There were 35 spaces painted and another 19 spaces reserved.

"It is probably one of the easiest fundraisers that the officers have ever had to do," said senior Mikey Lullo. "We would call it a very big success."

The proposal for the 2018-19 project was presented by Madison Dedman and Brianna Bromley.

Based on feedback from the 2018 class, they would start to start painting in July, get five days instead of two to complete the painting, and be able to paint at night when it's cooler.

The board will vote on the proposal at its next meeting.

The Board of Education meeting Tuesday night included a department review from Amanda Antonucci, art teacher at Batavia High School.

Antonucci shared the art accomplishments and progress for Jackson, John Kennedy, Batavia Middle and Batavia High schools.

At the elementary level, first- and second-graders held their annual monster swap. The first-graders draw monsters and the second-graders re-draw them. She said the project is so popular the teachers are thinking of expanding it for next year to include middle school students, who will make monster sculptures from the drawings.

Jackson just held its annual Fine Arts Night, which gives the students a chance to see their art displayed as if in a gallery.

The middle school was engaged in several cross-curriculum projects, including students drawing their portraits with adjectives describing themselves instead of regular lines. They also looked at cells under a microscope and painted pictures of what they saw.

Once again, this year, on May 30 and 31, the middle school will hold its Human Rights Heroes project.

At the high school level, there were two new electives, both very popular: Digital Photography and Graphic Design.

The students also had a number of electives to choose from, including Drawing, Printmaking, Studio Design, Portfolio, and Sculpture.

"We have great electives," Antonucci said. "For a school our size, it is really outstanding. I really appreciate it."

One of the guest artists who visited the school this year was a 1969 graduate of BHS who is a sculptor.

A popular new activity was mARTch Madness. Antonucci said in March, all the kids can talk about is basketball so the teachers set up a bracket of 16 contemporary artists and the students discussed and debated their work.

"There was a lot of great commentary and discussion," Antonucci said. "We're going to do this forever now because it was such a big hit."

She encouraged her students to enter work into a 6x6 show in Rochester. Antonucci herself entered a solo show featuring portraits she painted of students; and she and student Sophia Dinehart entered a show just for an art teacher and an art student to share a gallery space.

BHS will host its Art Appreciation Night May 30.

Below are photos of student-created and painted murals that are being completed in the hallway of the district administration building.

The Board of Education for City Schools handed out their monthly awards to start last night's meeting. Below are pictures of the winners with write-ups supplied by the school district.

Valle Jewelers invited Mrs. Torrey’s first-grade classroom to their store to further their study of gemstones and minerals in their History of the Earth Unit.

Students were able to see equipment discussed in lessons that jewelers use, find their birthstones and look at them under a microscope!

This was a hands-on way for first graders to learn and we appreciate Valle Jewelers for opening their doors to our students.  What a great experience for them! 

Photo: Stephen Valle, Pat Burk, Carrie Lawrence and her daughter, Sophia.

Jaheim Dana had a rocky start to his high school career and did not earn enough credits to progress to the 10th grade. He struggled academically, lacked motivation, and even talked about dropping out of high school.

When students have to repeat the ninth grade, we often see them lose their desire to graduate, and we struggle to get them back on track to graduate on time. This was not the case with Jaheim.

Over the last year, we have seen him make an incredible transformation! He has passed every class, is planning to study Auto Technology at BOCES in his senior year, and is right on track to graduate in 2019 with his class.

He plans to enter the military after graduation. Mrs. Garner is continually impressed with Jaheim's ability to shut out negative peer pressure and keep his eye on his goal of graduation.

We are so proud of his accomplishments at BHS and can't wait to see him walk the stage next June!

Lauren Leone is an extremely self-motivated, hard-working, and flexible graduating senior who can be depended upon to get a job done and done well.

At the beginning of this school year, she took the initiative to follow up on my invitation (given at the end of her junior year) to do some writing for the District’s A+ Community Newsletter.

She then proceeded to contribute a quality article, on time, for each issue. In addition, she was flexible in what she wrote about, giving equal care to a topic she generated on her own or one that was suggested to her. Throughout the year, she could be counted on to deliver what was needed by the deadline of when it was needed.

This was no small feat for someone who was also busy with so, so many other activities and responsibilities as a class officer, athlete, volunteer extraordinaire, as well as a dedicated student taking many demanding classes, including college-level courses, all while maintaining a grade-point average that puts her at the very top of her class.

Riley Gonzalez works hard every day. He sets a great example of how other classmates should be and act.

He has been on GREEN or ABOVE every single month this year. This is over 130 days of EXCELLENT BEHAVIOR. Over 130 days of being respectful, responsible, safe and following all of the Whole Brain Teaching rules (following directions quickly, raising hand for permission to speak, participate, and leave seat, making smart choices, and making your teachers happy.)

Riley follows all of these, as well as being a polite, caring individual. We are proud to recognize his efforts.

After reading Monday’s story in The Batavian about policies in five local school districts that prohibit individual school board members from sharing their views in public forums, such as news stories, the attorney for the New York State School Boards Association suggested that maybe something has been lost in the translation.

The NYSSBA’s policy recommendation seems clear: “ … whenever communicating about issues related to the district, each board member should clearly state that he or she is communicating a personal opinion and is not speaking for the board.”

Somewhere along the line, some school districts have turned this into a restriction on speech even by individual board members.

The fact that individuals don’t give up their First Amendment rights when elected to any public office, including school boards, could perhaps be more clearly communicated, suggested Jay Worona, deputy executive director and general counsel for the NYSSBA.

“We’re the glad that you wrote the story,” Worona said, “it helps to remind us what the perspective of the press is related to covering their respective stories. Although board members, in the absence of being specifically authorized to speak on behalf of the board, may not do so (speak for the board). They certainly are not precluded from providing the press with their individual perspectives if they choose to do so.”

Further research by The Batavian on the topic also reveals the NYS Board of Education, as expressed in nearly a dozen rulings since 1978 by education commissioners, clearly supports the right of board members to speak freely. Ruling after ruling states, “Individual board members are entitled to express their views about issues concerning the district and engage in partisan activity, provided school district funds are not used.”

In our research, The Batavian also found another document from the NYSSBA that more clearly states that individual board members retain their free speech rights. 

“Individual school board members and other school officials, acting in their personal capacity, have the same right as any other member of the community to express their views on public issues,” the document states.

Yet, in Genesee County, there are five school districts – Alexander, Byron-Bergen, Le Roy, Oakfield-Alabama, Pavilion – that have articulated policies prohibiting individual board members from publicly stating their views outside of board meetings.

After reading The Batavian's story, Rick Blum, policy director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said he was baffled that elected bodies had such rules and the elected officials accepted such restrictions.

"I don’t understand how elected officials are not allowed to talk to their constituents," Blum said. "It doesn't make sense to me. If you are an elected representative, elected to run and administer a school board or any government agency or public office, you need to do it in a representative, democratic way."

Since the story appeared Monday, The Batavian has spoken with one local school official about speech restrictions.

Alexander Superintendent Catherine Huber, Ed.D., said -- in a single statement -- that board members both can and can't speak freely: They can't share their personal views on district business; and, they have the ability to express opinions. (NOTE: We will have more from this 45-minute interview in later stories.)

"Recently we did a board retreat and the board established norms, which you also probably saw on our website, and one of the norms that the board established was that they would speak with one voice," Huber said. "They would speak with one voice on matters related to the school district.

"Board members individually don't have power on their own. They have power and they come together around the board table. That is not the same as their inability to express an opinion. Anybody has the ability to express an opinion. But in terms of commenting on district business, the board members only can speak with that same one voice as a board and not as individuals and they've designated the superintendent, as they probably have in most school districts, as the spokesperson for the district."

In the interview, we compared the "one voice" policy to Communist China. Huber's only response, "You have the policies and I know you have the policies from the other school districts as well."

When The Batavian pointed out such a policy negates dissent or individual views, Huber responded, "It's in keeping with our policy. An important thing to keep in mind, too, is that one of the central jobs of a Board of Education is that they get to approve a policy. So Boards of Education approve the policy that talks about things like who is the spokesperson for the board."

When The Batavian tried to talk with Alexander board members after an April 23 meeting, Huber stepped in, and board members reiterated, that only she could speak to reporters, a communication transaction Huber confirmed during Wednesday's interview.

After that encounter and subsequent communications with the district, The Batavian decided to survey the seven other school district's in the county expecting to find Alexander's policy was an anomaly. What we found is, it is not. While the policies of Batavia, Pembroke, and Elba are, arguably, the anomaly, there are five districts willing to openly state board members can't speak freely.

There does seem to be some confusion in Elba about the policy. While Superintendent Keith Palmer said, "Board members should emphasize to the media when asked to speak as a board member that they can only speak as a private citizen," which is in keeping with NYSSBA guidelines. When, however, The Batavian attempted to send interview questions to Elba's lone school board candidate, Candy Bezon, she declined to answer citing board policy.

The story about board member speech restrictions seemed to surprise NYSSBA's Worona. He indicated he didn't know such policies existed at school districts in New York.

The NYSSBA serves 660 school boards in New York and provides information, training and advice on matters affecting school boards to its members.

Worona said if there is a lack of clarity among school boards, it something NYSSBA should address.

"We want to make sure our school boards are judged by what they do not how they do it," Worona said.

It's reasonable for school boards to have a designated spokesperson, whether that's the board president or the superintendent, because a spokesperson is likely to be the person with the most knowledge and information about a particular topic, but a board designating a spokesperson should not be confused with the right of individual board members to answer questions, or for reporters to ask them.

Board members, of course, have a right to decline interview requests for their own personal reasons.

“Some board member who wishes not to speak the press may not do so, not to be difficult, but because they don’t feel comfortable with that media," Worona said.

Some school district and board policies may not necessarily reflect that nuance, Worona said.

There's no nuance, however, in the decisions issued by NYS Board of Education commissioners going back to 1978 when a commissioner ruled on the appeal of Rita Wolfe. 

Wolfe was a Cold Spring Harbor School Board member who sent letters to residents of Cold Spring Harbor encouraging them to vote against a proposed school budget, an action the commissioner ruled was not illegal since Wolfe lobbied residents at her own expense.

"Although an individual board member or those members holding a minority view are not entitled to have their opinions published at the district's expense in board publications, this does not mean that the individual board member may not communicate his views at his own expense."

The Wolfe decision (which, given it is from 1978, is not available online) is cited in several subsequent commissioner decisions. Decisions that either site Wolfe or state the same principle include the application of Katrina Dinan, application of Rhea Vogel, the appeal of Kevin R. Allen, the appeal of Jeremy J. Krantz (which also notes that school district employees enjoy the same right to publicly express their personal views), the appeal of Guilaine Leger-Vargas, the appeal of Dione Goldin (which involves comments Goldin made to a newspaper reporter), the application of Kaila Eisenkraft, the appeal of Glen W. Johnson, the appeal of Vincent Wallace, and the application of Julianne C. Gabryel.

What an individual reporter can do about government policies that prohibit free speech by elected officials may be limited; though courts have found, such as in Chicago Reader v. Sheahan that government agencies can't argue that alternative newsgathering resources are available as an excuse for refusing direct access to a primary source. Yet this is what Attorney Jennifer Schwartzott -- who represents Alexander, Byron-Bergen, and Pembroke -- suggested when defending school districts' speech policies.

"Community members who are interested in what the local board members have to say can attend board meetings when the members discuss issues, share their opinions, and make decisions," Schwartzott said in response to questions emailed to her last week about individual board member rights.

Speech restrictions, however, abridge the rights most directly of school board members.

David C. Bloomfield, J.D., professor of Education Law at Brooklyn College and The CUNY Grad Center, and author of a book on education law written for community members who wish to better keep tabs on their local school boards, said board members who wish to challenge the speech restrictions might best be served by going to the NYSSBA to get information to bring back to their fellow board members. If necessary, however, they might need to file an application or appeal with the education commissioner.

"The new information (the decisions mentioned above that we found since the last story, with the help of Bloomfield) seals the deal," Bloomfield said. "Rather than speculating, it’s right there, spelled out in black and white. A district shouldn’t even discourage board members from speaking out. The First Amendment should be exercised."

There is no specific state law, such as the Freedom of Information Law or the Open Meetings Law, that addresses directly a board member's right to speak freely but such a law shouldn't be necessary, said Robert Freeman, director of the state's Committee On Open Government. "We have the First Amendment.

“If a board member is speaking out, it’s up to the board to take action, and I don’t think a board would, if they thought about this, because I think a board would recognize the right of a board member to speak out, absent not representing himself or herself, as speaking for the board,” Freeman said.

Later he added, “If a board member wants to speak out then I think he or she should and challenge the policy.”

If board members won't protect themselves, it will be up to voters to make changes, said the Reporters Committee policy Director Blum.

"I think the public is going to have to elect people who are going to change school board policy," Blum said.

The Western New York Tech Academy, at Byron-Bergen High School, hosted its first mentor's breakfast Friday morning and handed out three significant awards for the first time.

Isaac Ladley, a junior in the program, received the first-ever Professional of the Year award. Pictured with Ladley are faculty members Miranda Wharram-Santillo, Thomas Schulte (principal), Mariah LaSpina, Kathryn Beaumont, and Sean Madden.

The breakfast was followed by a business fair and mock employment interviews.

Liberty Pumps was selected as Business Partner of the Year. Pictured are Jeff Cook, David Williams, Robyn Brookhart, Dennis Burke, and Thomas Schulte.

The Mentor of the Year is Gina Lathan. Pictured with Lathan, a student she mentored, Rebecca Haniscewski, and Thomas Schulte.

Batavia CTE NYS HOSA (from left): Nicole Welka, Bonny Shelby -- Batavia CTE Center Health Dimension instructor, HOSA co-advisor and New York State HOSA advisor; Danielle Mason, Catherine Corbin, Faith Jones, Maxim DuFour, Jeffrey Evert; and Sara Kutter -- Batavia CTE Center HOSA co-advisor and instructional support teacher.

Submitted photo and press release:

Batavia Career and Technical Education Center (CTE) students recently attended the New York State HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Leadership Conference, which was held in Syracuse.

Seven Health Dimensions students participated in this event, which included more than 300 students who represented New York state schools and BOCES. As a result of this competition, all of these students have qualified to attend the national HOSA Conference which will be held in Dallas in June.                            

The students, their competitions, and their placements are noted below.

Health Career Issues Exam

• Emily Antonucci (Alexander) – Second Place
• Jeffery Evert (Attica) – Third Place

Interviewing Skills

• Faith Jones (Caledonia-Mumford) – Second Place

HOSA Happenings

• Students must score an 80 percent to qualify for nationals; Nicole Welka (Byron-Bergen) scored an 85;
• Online Testing International Leadership (ILC) Conference qualifiers: Nicole Welka, Maxim DuFour (Attica), Jeffery Evert, Emily Antonucci, Catherine Corbin (Batavia), and Danielle Mason (Byron-Bergen);
• New York State HOSA Future Health Professionals State Officers for 2018-2019: Maxim DuFour will serve as parliamentarian; Faith Jones will serve as Region E vice president.

The Batavia CTE Center HOSA AM Chapter submitted a theme, “The Heartbeat of Health Care,” at the Delegates Meeting and it was chosen as the theme for the New York State HOSA Future Health Professionals Fall Leadership Conference.

The Batavia CTE Center HOSA PM Chapter donated $100 to National Alliance on Mental Illness and will receive recognition at National HOSA for this donation.

“I am so very proud of this group of students; they are exceptional leaders,” said Bonny Shelby, Batavia CTE Center Health Dimensions instructor, HOSA co-advisor and New York State HOSA advisor.

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The Batavia Career and Technical Education Center is a program of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York state.

Ruger Starowitz for his science fair project at Byron-Bergen Elementary School made maple syrup. His father said he had ot use hand tools just like his grandfather would have done.

The science fair and an art show were part of an open house at the school last night. The student art show featured a unique black light art display.

Jackson Primary School held their annual spring student art show on Tuesday night.

Here are results from the elections in Genesee County's eight school districts. Voting was held today.

Alexander: 

Proposition #1, Budget: Yes: 152, No: 32
Proposition #2, Bus Purchases: Yes: 139, No: 46
Proposition #3, Equipment Capital Reserve: Yes: 132, No: 53
Proposition #4, Capital Reserve Fund: Yes: 146, No: 38
Proposition #5, Capital Reserve Fund: Yes 150, No: 34

Board of Education, Sara Fernaays: 151. Write-Ins: 8

Note: These results provided by our news partner WBTA. Alexander CSD did not respond to our request for results.

Batavia:

Budget ($52,189,152 (increase of $2,318,567 or 4.65 percent; 2.40 percent increase in tax levy): Yes: 371 (78.27 percent), No: 103 (21.73 percent)
Student Ex-Officio Board Member (non-voting): Yes: 422 (89.03 percent), No: 52  (10.97 percent) 

Board of Education positions (Three) (Top vote term is from May 15, 2018 to June 30, 2021, and the next two terms are from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021):  Zachary Korzelius, 408, Shawna Murphy, 407, Patrick Burk, 387.

Byron-Bergen:

Proposition 1 (Budget) Yes: 448, No: 125, Passed
Proposition 2 (Bus Purchase) Yes: 439, No: 128, Passed  

Board Member Elected -- Three-year Terms: William Forsyth: 480, Debi List: 429, Amy Mathisen, 165.

Elba:

Proposition #1 -- 2018-2019 Budget -- $9,720,931: Yes: 108, No: 40.
Proposition #2 – Capital Vehicle Reserve to purchase one (1) 65-passenger school bus: Yes: 116, No: 33

Board of Education, Candy Bezon (Incumbent): 133

Le Roy: 

Budget: Yes: 319, No: 65
Library Budget: Yes: 345, No: 39

School Board Members (Vote for Three): William Mackenzie: 322, Lloyd Miller: 289, Lawrence Bonacquisti: 309. Write-ins (one vote each): Mickey Mouse, Stan Barringer, Phil Mangefrida.

Woodward Memorial Library Trustee (Vote for One): Philip Weise: 342. Write-ins (receiving one vote each): Rob Currin, Porpus Rogers, Brian Manley.

Oakfield-Alabama:

Proposition #1: Budget -- Yes: 255    No: 60, Passed
Proposition #2: Buses -- Yes: 278    No:  63, Passed

BOE Members:
Timothy Edgerton: 254
Lorna Klotzbach: 217
Douglas Esten: 141

Pavilion:

Budget, Yes: 156, No: 32, Passed

Board of Education, five-year term (vote for one): Christopher Jeffres: 93, John Bannister (Incumbent): 89.

Pembroke:

Budget Yes: 301 No: 73, Passed 80.5 percent
Authorization to Purchase School Buses, Yes: 301, No: 73, Passed 80.5 percent
Authorization to Establish a Facilities Improvement Reserve Fund, Yes: 296, No: 75, Passed 79.8 percent

Running for a Five-year Term on the School Board: John A. Cima,  335 Votes

Today is the day that residents of Genesee County are being asked to vote for school budgets and members of the board of education.

For the boards of education, we sent candidate questions to 17 school board candidates. Only four candidates answered the questions (noted below). For more information on rules aimed at silencing school board members see our story from yesterday Five school districts in Genesee County restrict speech for board members.

Here's available information for each district in Genesee County:

Alexander: Voters are being asked to approve a $17,704,810 budget with a tax levy of 6,154,675. Besides the budget, there are four other propositions on the ballot. There is one candidate for school board, Sara Fernaays, who did not respond to questions about her positions.

Batavia: From the district website: "The Board of Education, at their meeting on April 10, adopted a 2018-2019 school budget proposal to be brought to the Batavia residents for vote next month. The proposed budget presents a spending plan of $52,189,152, an increase of 4.65% over 2017-2018, but with slightly more than $2.1 million attributable to State aid through the Smart School Bonds Act. The projected tax levy increase associated with the proposal is slightly less than 2.4%. According to New York State's formula, this year's allowable tax cap for a simple majority vote in our District is 7.17%; the projected levy is 4.77% less than that cap." The school board candidates are Patrick Burk, Zachary Korzelius, and Shawna Murphy. None of the three incumbents responded to candidate questions.

Byron-Bergen: From the Byron-Bergen Newsletter: 2018-19 Proposed Budget The $22,998,010 proposed budget projects a 1.01% increase. The budget was balanced utilizing Fund Balance, Reserves, and various reductions in spending. The tax levy is at Byron-Bergen’s “allowable” tax levy limit (cap) of 2.77%. This will enable us to go out under law with a simple majority vote. There are two open school board seats and three candidates: Amy Mathisen, who responded to candidate questions, Deb List (Did not respond) and Bill Forsyth (Did not respond).

Elba: We couldn't find the district's budget information on its website. We were provided a link this morning. Here is a statement from the district's budget newsletter: "The proposed school budget for 2018-19 is in the amount of $9,720,931, an increase of approximately $447,000 (4.82%) over last year’s budget. Most of our increase will be reimbursed through an increase in State Aid and a local levy increase of $59,244 (2% over last year’s levy). " There is one candidate for school board, Candy Bezon, who declined to answer candidate questions.

Le Roy: The budget is $25,199,228 which is an increase of 2.77% or $678,510. The levy will increase by 2 percent, which is below the tax cap formula, and the rate will be $24.54. School board candidates are: William MacKenzie, Lloyd Miller, and Lawrence Bonacquisti. None of the candidates responded to our candidate questions.

Oakfield-Alabama: The school budget for 2018-19 is $20,250,350. There was no further information we could find on the district's website. There are two seats open on the school board and candidates are: Tim Edgerton (Click here for response), Lorna Klotzbach (Click here for response), and Douglas Esten (Did not respond)

Pavilion: We couldn't find budget information on the district's website. School board candidates are: John Banister (Did not respond) and Christopher Jeffres (Did not respond). UPDATE: We were told this morning the total budget is $17,485,851 and the proposed tax levy is $5,517,797.

Pembroke: The general fund budget is $22,284,632, an increase of $698,530 over this year. The proposed tax levy is $8,101,329. There is one school board candidate, John Cima, who did respond to our candidate questions (Click here for response).

For times and locations of polls, check with your school district.

Heidi Mix, above left, director of Regional Medical Programs (left) with Katie Lyons, class Valedictorian. 

Submitted photos and press release:

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership recently celebrated the graduation of 20 students from its School of Practical Nursing program.

Of these 20 students, 15 students graduated with honors.

Students took part in this 12-month, 1,200-clock-hour program that is certified by the New York State Education Department. The program is designed to prepare graduates for the NCLEX-PN Examination for licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse.

This course is offered in three different sites located in Batavia, Rochester Tech Park in Gates, and Leicester.

For more information about this program, contact the Adult Education/School of Practical Nursing at 344-7788.

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The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership offers a broad scope of adult education programs including a School of Practical Nursing and a Certified Nursing Assistant program, vocational training as well as classes for those seeking to broaden their skill sets. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York State. 

(Photo below: Heidi Mix, director of Regional Medical Programs (left) congratulates LPN graduate London Aylor.)