Look who was "Caught Giving Their Extra Ten Percent":
Each month faculty and staff are asked to nominate a fellow colleague for The Laker Way Award. KAREN VEVERKA was caught giving an Extra Ten Percent! Here is what her nominator said: “I would like to nominate Karen Veverka not for what she was caught doing just now … but for what she does every day, week in and week out, year in and year out. She makes a lifelong impact through her teaching and conducting … and is dedicated beyond measure. She inspires with music -- and that music translates to all of life, as exhibited in the words of her students who write and talk about how orchestra helps them in so many ways, including classes, studying and athletics.”
|
Team Brain Freeze does it again:
Our teacher team (Team Brain Freeze) was the first to take the plunge again at this year's Polar Bear Plunge. The dedicated teacher team earned the honor by raising the most funds for the past three years. This year, the teachers, the Interact Club, and their supporters throughout the district raised $1,300. (Still waiting to hear the winner for this year). Proceeds go SAVES, the fire department and Skaneateles Education Foundation. Here they are before and after. At left, they are anticipating ... in the middle photo they are being interviewed on stage before jumping in. At right, they are warm again and wearing their new polar bear sweatshirts. Bravo to the brave team! And kudos to junior Joe Benedict for leading his club members in this effort.
|
District overview given at forum:
From the SKANEATELES JOURNAL | Residents heard an overview Wednesday of the school district’s fiscal position and how it plans to build the 2016-17 budget.
In the Waterman Elementary auditorium, Superintendent Kenneth Slentz spoke to approximately 50 taxpayers at the first of three community forums.
Earlier this month, he said, Gov. Andrew Cuomo released his proposed education budget. It referenced a $2 billion allocation to schools, plus introduced new state aid categories.
“That is not accurate,” Slentz said. “It’s not untrue, but it’s not accurate.”
Describing Cuomo’s projection as “misleading” and as a “two-year” figure, Slentz explained the governor’s plan includes monies already owed to schools via ...
|
Wrestlers are OHSL champions:
The high school wrestling team won the OHSL Liberty Championship on January 27 with a 69-12 win over Syracuse ITT. It capped off an undefeated season for the Lakers who finished 21-0. Next for SCS will be the Section III Class C Tournament at Adirondack Central on February 6.
MORE from the Skaneateles Press, by Phil Blackwell:
Far from just an isolated accomplishment, what the Skaneateles wrestling team pulled off, going through an entire season of 21 head-to-head matches without a defeat and earning its first league championship in 35 years, ran deep within its family.
No less than four members of that long-ago 1981 team that last claimed a league title – Jon Leubner, Joe Brillo, Chris Rourke and Jim Simmons – had sons that were key parts of this year’s ...
|
A STEM lesson and the Polar Bear Plunge:
As part of their study of animal adaptations this week, second graders learned about how blubber helps arctic animals survive. Teacher Mary Arnott thought the lesson tied in nicely with this weekend’s upcoming Polar Bear Plunge, which features a teacher team. She invited Superintendent Ken Slentz to the classroom to tell about his possible upcoming plunge. After the students showed Slentz the experiment on how blubber keeps a hand warm even when put in ice water, they suggested ways he might stay warm while taking the plunge. (“Wear a blubber suit!” “Wear something hollow”). The Polar Plunge is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, and Team Brain Freeze, the districtwide team, plunges first. The team earned the honor because it has been the top fundraising ...
|
Business students featured in Journal:
SKANEATELES JOURNAL | A hit television show from the 1980s and '90s is poised to make a comeback as the brainchild of two marketing representatives seeking to help their network boosts its ratings and target a new audience.
Not quite — but that is the scenario that Skaneateles High School seniors Bennett Morse and Jacob Patalino came up with to help them take first place in the Sports & Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making event of the Distribution Education Clubs of America regional competition two weeks ago.
The seniors were among eight of their peers, out of 18 students on the Skaneateles team, to place either first or second in the Jan. 6 competition, both numbers of which business teacher Dan Mulroy said are impressive since this is the first time ...
|
Student art at "Both Ends of the Rainbow":
Skaneateles art students are a part of the colorful art show “Both Ends of the Rainbow” at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn. An opening reception from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, January 31, will welcome artists and family members from area schools to view the show. The show will be open to the public through March 6. “It is a great way to brighten up a dreary winter day and be amazed at area student art talent,” said elementary art teacher Susan Barry.
|
National Honor Society Induction Ceremony:
Fifty juniors were inducted into the National Honor Society on Monday, January 25, as parents and educators proudly watched. They were escorted to the stage by seniors who were inducted last year. In this photo, they are pledging:
“I pledge to maintain my high scholastic standing, to hold as fundamental and worthy an untarnished character, to endeavor intelligently and courageously to be a leader, and to give myself freely to others. So doing, I shall prove myself worthy of a place in the National Honor Society.”
In welcoming remarks, NHS Advisor Sandra Taylor praised the students and turned the spotlight on their parents and guardians. “You deserve tons of credit” for inspiring and transporting the remarkable students, she said. “Never have I seen the ...
|
Skaneateles hosts Junior High All-County:
Skaneateles High School was alive with music on Friday and Saturday, as 335 student musicians rehearsed and performed during Junior High All-County. Along with their teachers, students rehearsed Friday afternoon and evening and during the day Saturday before performing a standing-room-only concert on Saturday afternoon.
Students represented 17 districts from throughout Onondaga County. Participation is by audition only. Skaneateles music teachers received high praise for organizing the successful event. They hired outstanding guest conductors from Cleveland, Buffalo and Rochester to work with the students.
Local students who qualified for All-County were:
Josh Pickup (orchestra)
Jonathan Neibuhr (band)
AJ Teixeira (band)
Connor Gell (band)
Katie Olsen (chorus)
Maddie Anna (chorus) ...
|
One-man show targets bullying:
There was only one guy on the stage, but Skaneateles Middle School students were riveted recently by four totally different characters who took them on a suspenseful and uncomfortable journey about the realities of bullying and cyber bullying.
In two assemblies (one for sixth graders and one for 7 th and 8 th graders) solo performer Tim Collins wore various hats to show struggles students face as instigators, bystanders and victims of various types of bullying. His visit was sponsored by the Middle School PTC.
.
TBH (To Be Honest) is a one-man show about cyberbullying, teen dating violence and bystander intervention. STANDING BY, STANDING UP depicts four young men challenged by bullying. This highly acclaimed educational theater piece depicts ...
|
DECA Club will compete at the State Competition:
Students in Dan Mulroy’s business class participated in their first ever DECA competition on January 6 th at Le Moyne College and took home several first and second place trophies! Eleven other local high schools with well over 300 students competed. Skaneateles looks forward to competing again in the State Competition in March. DECA or Distributive Education Clubs of America is an international association of high school and college students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service.
|
Brothers inspire others; MS clothing drive a success:
From the SKANEATELES JOURNAL | Reyan and Amaan Usmani may be short on words, but they are big on heart.
The two brothers — Reyan, a Skaneateles Middle School seventh-grader, and Amaan, a State Street Intermediate School third-grader — led the effort for the second year in a row to collect used coats and clothing at the middle school and purchase new items for those in need around the area.
This year, Middle School Principal Gary Gerst said, the Usmanis waited until after the holidays to start the clothing drive, a timeline that the principal noted worked out just fine with the lack of cold weather until recently.
Gerst said the school put out notice of the drive in its announcements, and he included in the news updates he puts online. From there, the ...
|
Artists recognized at Scholastic Art Awards:
Congratulations to Skaneateles students in 8 th through 12 th grades who earned a total of 40 awards in the 2016 Scholastic Art Awards last week. The works will be on display in the halls of the Whitney Applied Technology Center at Onondaga Community College through February 26. In addition, photographs of pieces will be featured on the screens at Skaneateles High School and on our Skaneateles Schools Facebook page in the coming weeks. Only a small portion of the winning work is pictured here. We will continue to feature different pieces, including an award-winning video. Scroll down to see more.
Gold Key, Liz Williams, 10 th grade, photography ...
|
Butler is new interim business official:
Joseph Butler has joined the Skaneateles Central School District as interim business official, replacing Assistant Superintendent Doug Tomandl.
Butler, who started on January 14, will work about three days per week through June. In addition to budget planning, contract negotiations, mentoring and performance management, Butler’s duties will include assisting Superintendent Ken Slentz in recruiting a new full-time business administrator.
Butler has 40 years in the business, including 27 years as business manager in the Liverpool Central School District. Most recently, he has worked as an internal claims auditor in the East Syracuse Minoa Central School District.
He has a BS in Accounting and an MBA as well as a certificate of advanced study in Educational administration. In ...
|
All-State musicians praise local programs:
The three Skaneateles High School students who recently attended the NYSSMA All-State conference gave high praise for the experience – and also applauded their opportunities and teachers here at home.
Jackie Aberi, Sam Smith and Jim Drancsak were among elite musicians chosen from throughout the state to perform at the festival.
Aberi was in the Women’s Choir; Drancsak played violin in the Symphony Orchestra and Smith was the bassist for the Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
Orchestra teacher Karen Veverka said that the role of bassist for the Vocal Jazz Ensemble “is usually reserved for a musician the NYSSMA audition committee feels is one of the top bass players in the state. Sam fit that bill!”
The Symphony Orchestra performed Les Preludes, ...
|
Pilot program fosters self-regulation:
Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. -- Charles Swindoll
Second graders at Waterman School were introduced to The Zones of Regulation, a curriculum designed to foster self-regulation and emotional control. For the kickoff event, students rotated between classrooms to learn about four color zones representing various states of alertness and feeling. This pilot program is the result of a grant awarded to teachers Doreen Richichi and Laura Vincent by the Skaneateles Education Foundation. If successful, the district will continue it into third grade next year.
http://zonesofregulation.com/
Self-regulation is something everyone continually works on, whether cognizant of it or not. “We all encounter trying circumstances ...
|
Local graduation rate reaches 96%:
Educators in the Skaneateles Central School District took time to celebrate briefly this week when the NY State Education Department released graduation rates for 2015, showing local rates going from 93 to 96 percent and spotlighting a dramatic increase in graduation rates for local students with disabilities – from 43 percent in 2014 to 81 percent in 2015.
After complimenting staff, administrators moved on to address important questions about how to improve in a way that is helpful to all students.
“There is MUCH to be proud of in what these numbers reflect from kindergarten to commencement and I offer my most sincere thanks and appreciation for the work that sits behind the success of our students,” Superintendent Ken Slentz said in an email ...
|
DECA members earn prizes and praise:
Skaneateles High School students competed this week for the first time in DECA – a co-curricular, student-centered organization that works to enhance the education of students with interests in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. Business teacher Daniel Mulroy just started the Skaneateles chapter and was amazed at how well his students did in this regional competition, attended by more than 300students from 12 area schools. Eight of the 18 Skaneateles students placed first or second in the competition. More details soon!
|
The future: a look at enrollment and what it means:
An enrollment study conducted for the Skaneateles School District and released this week confirms what yearly enrollment figures have suggested: in general, the school-aged population in Skaneateles is declining. The study also predicts that recent trends will continue into the foreseeable future, and will eventually level off.
Interestingly, the decline here mirrors the decline throughout most of Central New York, and it also reflects a trend throughout the country, consultant Edward P. Caffarella said during a meeting with the district’s Strategic Planning Advisory Committee on Wednesday, January 6.
“What you are experiencing, virtually every school district in Central New York is experiencing,” Caffarella told the committee, adding that there is similar declining ...
|
MS clothing drive continues through Jan. 15:
The Middle School is collecting new or gently used clothing for children in need (especially jackets, sweatshirts, mittens and hats … but all clothing ) through the end of the day Friday, January 15. The clothing will be donated to organizations that help local families.
“This clothing drive was initiated by one of our students last year and was so successful that the same student requested that we do it again,” said Principal Gary Gerst. “We anticipate the majority of clothing donated will be used, but in good condition. If you have new clothing that you would like to donate...that is great too!”
Please leave donations in the main office or if you are in the building after 4 PM, it can be dropped off on the table in the main lobby. ...
|
|
