Afton Central School Newsletter www.afton.stier.org M.Masse Volume 18, Number II July 2010 News from the Superintendent Dear District Residents: Congratulations to Henry Bostelman for his election to I would like to take a moment to congratulate all of our the Board of Education. Henry joined the Board at their seniors! We are very proud of them and wish them well in re-organizational meeting on July 7. all of their future endeavors. We end the 2009-2010 school year by celebrating the We also would like to wish our retirees the best in the achievements of our students in many fields of endeavor. future. Alice Burnett is retiring after working in the District We have observed high academic performances, special for 30-years as the nurse practitioner. Alice has been a talents and numerous personal triumphs this year! All of fixture at Afton, attending games, advising classes, etc. these things make our work worthwhile! She will be sorely missed! Gary Gardner is also retir- As we head into the slower pace of summer and time ing from the transportation department after 19 years, outdoors, please take a moment to relax and enjoy time 16 as the Head of Transportation. Their hard work and with family and friends, dedication to Afton Central School will be greatly missed! —Elizabeth Briggs, Superintendent of Schools Congratulations again Alice and Gary! Our Girls’ Softball team made it into the NYS tour- nament this year after winning the Section IV title for Valedictorian and the 16th straight year, a phenomenal accomplishment! Andy Sanford participated in the State track meet. Salutatorian Announced Isamarie ramos and Nikiah Gaydorus were alternates Dan Clark, son of Daniel and for the meet. The District is extremely proud of their Julie Clark of Coventry, has achieved accomplishments this spring. the academic honor of Valedictorian. The plans for the EXCEL maintenance project have He has maintained a seven-semester been sent to the NYS Education Department for approval. grade point average of 96.71%. We are projecting a start date for spring of 2011. A list of Although academics have always the items to be addressed in the project is in my office. come first, Dan has made a constant If you have any questions or have an interest in reviewing effort to become involved in ACS, as well as the sur- them, please come in and we’ll go over the plans with you rounding communities. Since he was a freshman, he and answer any questions you may have. has been involved in every club available at Afton A big thank you to all of the District residents for their Central School, except FFA. In his Senior and Junior support of the annual budget vote. Your support helps us Years, he has assumed leadership roles in each of maintain our programs and continue to improve the instruc- these clubs. In the majority of these clubs, he is the tion we provide for our children. I am extremely proud of Treasurer. The District Office clerks have come to our staff, our students and our community! know him well. This has been an extremely difficult budget year and Dan has always been a firm supporter of the Music next year is projected to be even more challenging. I would Department. He participates in both Advanced Band like to ask for volunteers to serve on a year long committee as lead trumpet, and Advanced Chorus as President, to work with us on the budget and to try to help us find and ACCENT (a select choral group at Afton.) He is new ways to save money while continuing to offer quality extremely grateful to have the opportunity to learn programs for our students. If you are interested in serving (continued on the next page) on this committee, please call me at 639-8229. about something as fun and intriguing as music. rebecca baudendistel, daughter of Raini Dan has also enjoyed developing an on-air Baudendistel of Afton, is the Salutatorian personality at WACS-TV, the school’s cable news with a seven-semester grade point average program. He now intends to pursue journalism, of 96.07%. specifically broadcast, because of his ambitious While being successful with academics, desire to change the world we live in. Becca has also excelled in other aspects of Outside of school, Dan frequently partici- school. Becca has been the President of the pates in a guilty pleasure of his, musical theatre. Class of 2010 since the 6th grade. She is a member of Student Afton Community Theatre and the Out of the Government, National Honor Society, ACS Yearbook staff, Woodwork Players have graciously taken him LEYP (League of Extraordinary Young People), as well as among their ranks, and he could not be more the Afton Mock Trial team, where this year she helped the grateful for the experience he has had with members of the team achieve their goal of becoming the 2010 everyone involved! Chenango County Champions. The amount of time spent at the Dan now writes a monthly column, titled school after hours for these activities is so extensive, in fact, Teenhood Today for The Daily Star, a regional that some even joke about her being on the payroll. newspaper based in Oneonta. He enjoys every In addition to that, she has been a member of the Advanced article he writes, and is glad to be stepping into Band and Jazz Band for four years, and has held the position the journalism world at such a young age. of Band Treasurer. In the athletic department, she has partici- He would like to thank all of the teachers for pated in JV and Varsity Basketball, earning the title of Scholar shaping him into the very person he has become Athlete in 2009, and is currently the manager for the Boys’ in 13 years at ACS. He would like them to know Varsity Baseball Team. how much of an impact each and every one of Becca was also the first female to become a member of them makes every day. the Boys’ Soccer program at Afton. She participated on He plans to attend The University of Missouri JV for two years, being a co-captain for one of the years, because of their acclaimed journalism program. and was a member of the Varsity team for two years. His other choices include SUNY Albany and the This is one of the experiences from her high school career College of Saint Rose. that she will treasure most. She would like to thank everyone As for advice to underclassmen, and everyone involved in making that experience possible, because without in general, Dan sends a clear message, “When life the support of many, she would have missed out on something gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade. That’s a she truly loved to do. one-time deal. Take that lemon, plant a lemon tree Afton Central School has given Becca various recogni- and you’ll soon enjoy the fruits of life!” tions for her achievements. Becca received the November Senior of the Month award by Afton’s faculty and staff for her citizenship. She was also nominated and sponsored by her school to attend the National Student Leadership Conference Published three times a year by in Washington, D.C. Afton Central School, Afton, New York 13730 Becca would like to thank everyone at the school for making 607-639-8229 it such a great place to go every day. She would especially like to thank the teachers who pushed her and helped make board of education Margery Secrest her who she is today. Whether they believe it or not, they are Vanessa Warren very much appreciated for all that they do and the differences Henrty Bostelman they make every day. John Masse When it comes to advice to underclassmen, Becca’s words Richard Rogler of wisdom are as follows, “Number one—be funny, be wacky, Administration be different and just be you, because life’s too short to be cool. Elizabeth Briggs, Superintendent of Schools And number two—always take the road less traveled by, it Kimberly Werth, Elementary Principal really does make all the difference.” David Glover, Secondary Principal Becca’s future plans include attending Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, and earning a degree June White, Editor in Political Science to eventually work for FEMA and the Typeset and Printed by DCMO BOCES Printing Service Department of Homeland Security. 2 Main Street Grill and Bakery Stevens Attends HOBY Hosts Healthy Living Students Inspiring, educational, compassionate, energizing, Students once again had the unique opportunity to spend enthusiastic, motivating, their class time at the Main Street Grill and Bakery, hosted by transforming, long-lasting, Executive Chef and Owner Liz Dawson. Students learned healthy and life-changing . these eating strategies and were given the chance to do hands-on are some of the words that education. As part of their final project, students were offered students, schools, parents, the choice of making a special dish or designing/making their alumni, volunteers and sup- own six inch cake. Projects were as follows: porters use to describe Hugh Vanessa Armetta—Heart decorated cake for someone special O’Brian Youth Leadership Hannah beames—Fox logo cake (HOBY). brian behorey—One-of-a-kind omelet Founded in 1958, HOBY’s Trysten butts—Monster logo cake mission is to inspire and Aaron Cirigliano—Piggie in the Mud cake develop our global community of youth and volunteers Sarah Cunningham—Blue Elephant specialty cake to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation. Ilona Gorton—Chicken wraps to-die-for HOBY programs are conducted annually throughout Jeff Gurnee—Chicken wraps to-die-for the United States, serving local and international high brittany Hunt—Classy Ribbon cake school students.