Linkageswww.geneseocsd.org Communicating Excellence to the Community November 2009

School Board Books Collected By Recognition Week Elementary Students Arrive October 19 to 23 was de- In Africa clared New York State School Right: Students at Board Recognition Week by Dadaad Primary School Governor David Paterson. in Kenya carry one of the “The men and women boxes of books shipped serving as members of school to them from Geneseo Elementary School. boards are dedicated to chil- dren, learning and commu- Eighteen boxes, nity, and devote many hours containing almost 2,000 of service to elementary and books, were recently secondary public education delivered to the Dadaab as they continually strive for Primary School in Kenya. improvement, excellence and It was made possible progress in education,” said thanks to the efforts of Governor Paterson. elementary students “The members of New during the Geneseo York’s local school boards Elementary Reading Week Celebration, last school year. are community leaders Elementary librarian Carin Barwick shipped the books to her sister-in-law Rachel who provide an invaluable Eidex, who works for the Center for Disease Control in Nairobi. It was Mrs. Eidex resource as local decision who alerted GCS students of the desperate need for books and reading materials in makers, responding not only Kenyan schools, where classes are conducted in English. to the respective educational Mrs. Eidex transported the books over rough roads and terrain to the remote needs of their communities, Dadaab School. but also serving in “The headmaster was thrilled to get the books,” reports Mrs. the interests of Eidex. “The school is a mix of ages, with about 600 boys and 250 girls, almost all are Somali Kenyan. The school, about an schoolchildren REMEMBER TO VOTE! and their fu- eight-hour drive from Nairobi, is very poor but very orderly. It tures,” he added. Project II Capital has a book room stocked with exercise books. They don’t Geneseo Renovation vote have a library and there are absolutely no story books, so the Central School is is on Nov. 17, donated books will fill an enormous gap. They will really go a fortunate to have HS foyer, 6 am-9 pm. long way out there.” See page 2. “I am proud of our elementary students for sharing …continued on with a ‘sister school’ across the globe,” said Mrs. Barwick. page 8 2 Geneseo Central School District Investing in Our Future at Allied Frozen Geneseo Central Storage Aids by Tim Hayes, Superintendent of Schools District

There is an old adage that reads: “If you think education is expensive, In late August, when the GCS you should see the price of the alternative.” As we have begun the 2009-2010 Cafeteria’s freezer broke down, school school year it is evident in our District that many caring people invest heavily lunch manager Kathy Odrzywolski in the education of Geneseo Central students every day. Parents and family feared the district would lose its fro- members work each day to get our students to school ready to learn. Teachers zen food stock and the lunch program are willing to spend extra time and energy to insure that every child has the would be jeopardized. opportunity to learn and succeed. Administrators work to hire and develop Thanks to the efforts of Stanley the very best teachers and staff available. Community taxpayers fund the good Janczak and Allied Frozen Storage, work that happens daily. And of course, our students dedicate themselves to Inc. of Mt. Morris, this did not hap- being the very best they can be and help classmates achieve their highest po- pen. The firm generously offered GCS tential. the use of its facilities, free of charge, In November we are asking our community to invest further in the educa- until the freezer could be repaired. tion of our children. The Project II referendum on November 17 will determine “The custodial staff emptied the whether our community invests capital resources in the physical environment freezer in record time,” said Mrs. that our current and future students will spend their school years in. Odrzywolski. “This promptness of These are difficult times in our Country, our State, and even in our region. getting the stock to Allied assured Some would say that this is not a time to be investing in our future. It is dif- there was no food spoilage.” ficult to think of spending money on renovations and improvements to our The published school lunch menu school facilities when the economy is so fragile. However, I believe that Project for September had to be abandoned II can be viewed as an investment in the students of Geneseo Central School. classes began. Each day, the cus- Repairs, additions and renovations to our classrooms, auditorium, pool, gym- todial staff picked up a pallet of food nasiums, transportation facility and other areas will enhance and improve the from Allied, and whatever was on it educational experience for the children of Geneseo. was the surprise dish of the day. “We Making investments is hard. It requires planning and discipline. In the had to improvise, but there were no end, however, the rewards are great. For details on Project II, please complaints,” said Mrs. Odrzywolski. my office or visit our school website at: http://www.geneseocsd.org/about. The necessary parts to repair the cfm?subpage=830521. freezer were not readily available, so it took three weeks before things could return to normal. Of note… “It was really nice that Allied Fro- zen Storage stepped forward to lend …Little Leaguer Jameson Moran was selected as a Livingston County the support we needed during our News “Athlete of the Week.” freezer crisis,” said Mrs. Odrzywolski. …Little Leaguer Corey Valentine ranked as a Livingston County News “Thanks to them, the custodians, and “Athlete of the Week.” our good-natured students and staff, …Little Leaguer Jim Root was selected as a Livingston County News we were able to make it through Sep- “Athlete of the Week.” tember and continue to serve nutri- tious meals.” …Little Leaguer Travis Johnson was named “Athlete of the Week” by the Livingston County News. …Erin Adonnino was named to the LCAA Division III Softball All-Star First Team. Honorable mentions went to Kathryn Dewar and Hannah Dolan. Communicating Excellence to the Community 3

Art Senior Betron Attends CCAD Summer Session Senior Rachel Betron (left) says she had “the artistic experience of a lifetime” when she attended a three- week pre-college art program at the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD), in Ohio, last summer. Rachel took several classes includ- ing the foundations of design, com- puter art and animation, and portfolio preparation, all taught by accredited faculty and augmented with lectures given by professional artists. She also took an illustration class, something she would like to study in college. In addition to class work, there were opportunities to take part in campus activities and explore the cultural life of Columbus. She earned three college credits from the CCAD program and is apply- ing what she learned in her GCS art classes. It was an educational opportunity, Rachel acknowledges, that her high school art teacher Beth Adams helped make possible.

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place; from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”

~Pablo Picasso

Art students and faculty displayed their finest work during the Art Stroll, held September 18 on Main Street, Geneseo, and enjoyed an evening of art and music. Pictured are (front, left to right) Rachel Betron, Sam Clar, and Paige Way, (in back) art teacher Beth Adams, Sierra Ellis, Laura Wachholder, and art teachers Rob Antonucci and Michael Wedge. 4 Geneseo Central School District Yankees in GCS Drama Club Bullpen

Damn Yankees, the clas- Makenzee Cohoon, Kassidy sic Broadway musical, is the Cook, Mallory Crane, Liz upcoming presentation of DaBramo, Ariel Dee, Logan the award-winning Geneseo Ellis, Sara Finn, Jackie Frost, Central School Drama Club Makenna Gagnier, Sierra on November 19 - 21, at 7:30 Haddad, Evan Halstead, pm. Tickets are $8 for adults Phoebe Hartvigsen, Corinne and $6 for students and se- Jenkins, Brittani Jopson, niors. All seats are reserved, Elizabeth Kaye, Melita and can be obtained by call- Kingston, Michaela Kingston, ing 243-3450, ext. 3013. Zach Kreiley, Charles Damn Yankees offers Lawrence, Leary, a funny twist on the Heather Leary, Claire Linton, story. Here, a married, Caysey Lofquist, Megan middle-aged man makes a Sarah Peace as the devilish Lola and Ethan Fletcher as Mikolajczyk, Emily Mullin, pact with the to become long-hitter Joe appear in the upcoming GCS Drama Veronica Rice, Chelsea Club production, Damn Yankees, November 19 – 21. the world’s greatest long- Robb, Mary Rutigliano, Nino hitter and help his favorite team, the Washington Rutigliano, Dan Teall, Liz VanSickle, Meghan Walsh, Senators, win the pennant from the invincible New York Emily Watkins, Maddie Welch, and Maggie Wheeler. Yankees. Of course, deals like this never work out, and The GCS production is directed by Bettina DeBell with that’s were the fun begins. musical direction by Chandra Downs. The lauded song score by and Jerry Also working behind the scenes are stage manager Ross includes the memorable breakaway hits “(You Gotta Kathryn Esham; lighting manager Rebecca Esham with Have) Heart” and “.” The book by Joy Letson and Mills on spots, and sound by Con- Douglass Wallop and was based on Wal- nor Callahan assisted by Allison Kreiley. lop’s novel The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant. It is Costume crew chiefs are Beth Morris and Heather of interest to note that Abbott, who also directed the origi- Scoville with the crew of Aly Boughton, Naomi Fambro, nal Broadway show, is a Western New York native born Amber Feenaughty, Beth Hallowell, Courtney Irons, Amy and raised in Forestville. Martin, Valerie Munley, Martha Norton, and Hannah Garrison Kingston plays Joe Boyd, the man who fool- Roth. ishly agrees to sell his soul to the demonic Mr. Applegate, Props chiefs are Rebecca Cook and Ali Lyon with the played by Tim Banker. When the pact is sealed, old Joe crew of Terra Andrest, Lexi Conner, Stephanie Graham, is transformed into young Joe Hardy – played by Ethan and Mariah Haddad. Fletcher. Sarah Peace plays the role of Lola, Applegate’s On the running crew are Terra Andrest, Rebecca Cook, secret weapon to keep Joe in line. Nick Lemen, and Ali Lyon, led by crew chief Jamie Pratt. Also in the cast are Molly Bennett, Rachel Betron, The house manager is Claire Dehm, assisted by Lydia Alison Brasser, Brigid Herlihy, Alley Lattime, Jessica O’Brien-Lynn. Mothersell, Rebecca Mullin, Kaytie Nesbitt, Chelsea Robb, Damn Yankees was first performed on Broadway Cameron Skidmore, and Jon Stone. in 1955 and was a major hit running for more than two Portraying ballplayers are Bram Adams, Jamie An- years. In addition to its entertainment value, the show is drest, Kyle Fletcher, Grainger Flint, Tom Hartvigsen, Ben praised for capturing the expansive optimistic spirit of the Kelly, Sean Kelly, David Lattime, Evan Magnussen, Mat- 1950s. It starred as Lola and thew McClure, Corey Miskell, Connor Ragan, and Joseph as Applegate, who both repeated their role in the excellent Rutigliano. 1958 film version starring as young Joe. In addition: Desiree Alexander, Sean Bennett, Felicitas Beger, Madelyn Bruckel, Grace Calderwood, Hanna Case, Communicating Excellence to the Community 5 New Faces Geneseo Central School is pleased to welcome our new staff. Each brings excellent credentials and energy to our students and will be an outstanding addition to the knowledgeable and committed GCS faculty. Parents that are inter- ested in learning more about the credentials or qualifications of their child’s teacher may contact the District Office.

Jillian Birnie Jen Bugbee Position: AIS Reading Teacher- Position: Elementary Physical Educa- Grades 1 and 2. I work with classroom tion Teacher teachers providing support in English Raised in: Geneseo Language Art activities and pull-out Education: SUNY Brockport small groups of students for reading Professional interests: Professional intervention. development of my primary curriculum Raised in: Scottsville (K,1,2) Education: Undergrad.- Niagara Uni- Philosophy of education: You can versity, Grad.- Nazareth College. not fail if you resolutely determine that you will succeed. Professional interests: Using language experience in On my bookshelf: No Opportunity Wasted by Phil reading and writing instruction, using tactile practice to Keoghan; The Man Watching by Tim Crothers; Success In motivate and promote understanding. Soccer On my bookshelf: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert; What’s on my ipod: “Its a Beautiful Day” and U-2 Top Chef Cookbook (I have yet to produce anything ed- Favorite movie: Hoosiers ible out of it!); Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and How I keep active: Run, weights, mountain bike, ski, David Oliver Relin. snowboard, play soccer, hike, extreme sports… Music to my ears: “Love, Love, Love” by Tristan Pretty- If I could have dinner party and invite anybody in man; also Jason Mraz. history the guests would include… UNC women’s Favorite play: Wicked soccer coach Anson Dorrance and Abraham Lincoln. I’d Double Feature: Life is Beautiful; Meet the Robinsons serve King Crab Legs. How I keep active: Yoga, swimming, hiking. A member in good standing: National Soccer Coaches A member in good standing: The Institute for Learn- Association and NYS Association for Health, Physical ing Centered Education Education, Recreation, and Dance Freetime: Soccer! Brian Paganin Position: .5 Math Teacher Maurin Lawrence Raised in: Avon Position: First Grade Teacher. Education: BS in Mathematics from Raised in: Corfu SUNY Brockport Education: Bachelor’s in Early Child- On my bookshelf: Let Me Tell You A hood and Elementary Education - Ni- Story: A Lifetime In The Game by John agara University; Master’s in Reading Feinstein and Red Auerbach and The Education- Boston University. Yankee Years by . Philosophy of education: All stu- Music to my ears: Alternative/Indie dents in the classroom can be success- Rock ful. It is my job to meet their educational needs in a way Favorite movie: Major League that allows each child to achieve success at some level. How I keep active: Slow-pitch softball, flag football On my bookshelf: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch; At leisure: Playing the guitar Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In addition: I coach soccer, basketball and baseball at Avon Central School 6 Geneseo Central School District

Chris Davidson Keri Laux Position: Earth Science Teacher. Position: MS/HS Spanish teacher Born and Raised in: Newark, NY Raised in: West Seneca Education: BS Geology from SUNY at Education: Undergrad – SUNY Buffalo, MS Education from University Geneseo, Spanish with Secondary of Rochester. Education. Masters – SUNY Geneseo, Professional interests: Inquiry- Spanish and Secondary Education. based technology. On my bookshelf: A Tree Grows in On my bookshelf: Rich Dad, Poor Brooklyn by Betty Smith; A Thousand Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki; Squirrel Inc. by Stephen Den- Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; The Cabinet of Curi- ning. osities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. What’s on my ipod: “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz; Led How I keep active: Beach volleyball, running, swim- Zeppelin. ming. Favorite play: Beauty and the Beast If you could have dinner party and invite anybody Favorite movie: Casino Royale in history, the guest list would include… Christo- How I keep active: Golf and mountain bike. pher Columbus. If I could have dinner party and invite anybody in A member in good standing: New York State Associa- history, I’d invite… Henry Ford, I’d ask for his thoughts tion of Foreign Language Teachers on how to manage people and money. I’d serve macaroni Freetime: Reading and cheese. Travelogue: I’ve been to Spain three times. Next on my At leisure: I’m really into cars. I have owned several cool list are Argentina, Greece, and Italy. sports cars and am always looking for the next one. Courtney Morse Wendy Greer Position: Second Grade Teacher Position: Third grade teacher Raised in: West Irondequoit Raised in: Big Flats, New York Education: Hartwick College (BS in Education: SUNY Geneseo (under- psychology and elementary ed. cert.), grad/and graduate)/ SUNY Brockport University at Albany (MS in special ed (advanced studies) and literacy). Professional interests: Reading, Professional interests: Multicul- character education tural education; writing. On my bookshelf: The Traveler’s Gift Philosophy of education: It can be found in the poem by Andy Andrews; Plain and Simple by Beverly Lewis; The “Children Learn What They Live” by Dorothy Law Nolte. Shack by William Paul Young On my bookshelf: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin What’s on my ipod: “This is My Prayer” by Erin In my All-Star Band: Jack Johnson, Ben Folds, Jason O’Donnell; Dave Matthew’s Band; Nora Jones Mraz, Ingrid Michaelson, and Colbie Caillat. Favorite play: Wicked Film Festival: The Wizard of Oz; Little Women; Now Favorite movie: and Then; A Goofy Movie; ; and Bollywood How I keep active: Gardening, walking movies (from India). Genepool: My grandfather was a musician in the Law- How I keep active: Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, rence Welk Orchestra. biking, rollerblading, walking, kayaking… If I could have dinner party and invite anybody in Travelogue: Ireland, England, France, Brazil, Bahamas history, the guest list would include… Mark Twain and Canada… for laughs, Mother Teresa for inspiration, and Oprah Win- Pet project: Dogs frey to moderate the discussion! Steak and potatoes would Comfort food: Ice cream, pizza, chicken wings be served, with peanut butter pie for dessert. Volunteerism: Scouting events. Freetime: Camping and parenting. More New Faces in our Next Issue Communicating Excellence to the Community 7 School Pesticides Fire Inspection Notice Starting July 1, 2001, a state law came into effect Notice is hereby given that the annual inspection for the requiring every school to maintain a list of parents who year 2009-10 of the Geneseo school building of Geneseo wish to receive advance notice of pesticide applica- Central School for fire hazards which might endanger the tion in their school building. Each time pesticides are lives of students, teachers, and employees therein, has scheduled to be applied at the school, parents on the been completed and the report thereof is available at the list must be provided with a written notice at least 48 office of Geneseo Central School at Geneseo for inspection hours in advance specifying date and location of the by all interested persons. application, the name and EPA registration number of the product being applied, the name and number of a person at the school who can be contacted to dis- cuss the precautions being taken to protect children from exposure, and telephone numbers of information AHERA Management services that can provide specific information about the pesticides being applied. Therefore, if you wish to Plan be notified of such use, please fill out this form and re- The annual Geneseo Central School AHERA Management turn to the Business Administrator at Geneseo Central Plan is available for review by contacting the school School prior to November 6, 2009. For further informa- superintendent. While all friable asbestos has been tion please contact the Business Administrator at 4050 removed from the district, ongoing maintenance and Avon Road, Geneseo, NY 14454, 243-3450, ext. 2219. inspection activities will be conducted to ensure non- In the event of an emergency application necessary to friable asbestos-containing materials (i.e. floor tiles) protect against an imminent threat to human health, a remain in safe condition. good faith effort will be made to supply written notifica- tion to those on the 48 hour prior notification list.

Geneseo Central School District Request for Pesticide Application Notification

Date______

I am the parent (or guardian) of______

who attend(s) Geneseo Central School in the following grades:______. Please consider this my formal request to be placed on the list to receive pesticide notices and information. All notices are to be mailed to the following address: (Please Print Clearly)

Name______

Street Address or Post Office Box______

City______State______Zip______

I can be reached by telephone at the following numbers:

Daytime______Evening______

Sincerely,

______Music Boosters Invaluable to the success of the Geneseo Central School music program are the Music Boosters. If you’ve ever purchased a snack during the intermission of a school concert or Drama Club production, you’re helping the Music Boosters support the growth of the GCS music pro- gram. Over the past High school vocal music teacher Chandra Downs provides accompaniment for her students. The three years, Music GCS music program has been enhanced by the efforts of the Music Boosters. Boosters has raised more than $15,000 for the music program. These funds are used for scholarships, to help offset the costs associated with the band and chorus trips and the New York State School Music Association All-County Music Festivals. The group hosts the annual reception for senior class music students. The acquisition of the grand piano in McCarthy Auditorium was also made possible by Music Boosters. A highlight of the GCS concert School Board continued from page 1… season is the annual Music Boost- seven outstanding people serving on the Board of Education. These individ- ers Dessert Soiree. It will take place uals volunteer countless hours. They attend meetings twice a month. They during the Jazz Band & Show Choir participate in Livingston County workshops and state workshops in Albany. concert, on January 20, 2010, starting They serve on committees, attend school plays, concerts, and athletic con- at 7:00 pm. tests. They oversee the educational policies, programs, and finances of our Music lovers from the community District. who would to help the Music Boost- Our School Board is truly the eyes and ears of our community for the ers efforts are encouraged to contact Geneseo public schools. Katie Rommel-Esham at rommel@ Thank you to… geneseo.edu or 243-5551 or Chris Minges [email protected] Dr. Michael Wischnowski, President at 243-3450, ext. 2281. Stephen Miskell, Vice President Upcoming Music Boosters meet- Roger Collins ings are scheduled for the following Marlene Hamann-Whitmore Thursdays at 7:00 pm: November 5, Mark Peace December 2, January 7, February 4, Dr. Dan Strang March 4, April 1, May 6, and June 10. Charles Whittel for your dedicated community service and your efforts on behalf of our students.