Truth

Wisdom

Honor

Chronicle

Keshequa

Leadership

Congratulations to the Class of 2009

Thankyou Voters…

The Board of Education, Administration and Staff of the Keshequa Central School

District, would like to thank all who participated in the Budget and Board Member

Election vote on March 19, 2009.

We are proud to announce our new Board of Education Members Todd Galton,

Ken Forrester and Jennifer Reichard!

Valedictorian Brian Gordinier

and Salutatorian Jeffrey

Steidle. See Top Ten on pages

2 & 3 inside!

June 2009

www.keshequa.org

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Page 2

Keshequa Chronicle

Brian Gordinier,

son of John and Karla

Gordinier of Dalton, is the Valedicto-

rian of the Class of 2009. During his

years at Keshequa Central, Brian

played on the soccer, basketball,

golf, and track teams. He is presi-

dent of Student Council and trea-

surer of National Honor Society as

well as a member of Key Club, Math

Club, Odyssey of the Mind, Master-

minds, Interscholastic Mathematics Competition, and

Interscholastic Competition in English. He was also a class

officer. Brian has received the Valedictorian Scholarship,

Daughters of the American Revolution Award, Rotary

Club Award, and the GCC Academic Excellence Award for

English. He is nominated for the Robert C. Byrd Award.

Brian also received the Elmira Valedictorian Scholarship.

He plans on attending Elmira College in the fall.

Jeffrey Steidle

has been named the

Salutatorian of the Class of 2009. Jeff

is the son of Lisa Smith and Richard

Steidle. He is a member of National

Honor Society and Math Club. He

was honored with the American

Chemical Society Award and the Ro-

tary Club Award. He plans to attend

SUNY Geneseo to major in physics.

Sarah Gray,

daughter of Doug and Lori

Gray of Nunda, is ranked third this

year. While at Keshequa Central,

Sarah participated in volleyball, track

and field, Jazz Band, Masterminds,

National Honor Society, Key Club,

and Drama Club. She has been

honored with the American Chemi-

cal Society Award, George Eastman

Scholarship and has been named to All-

County Chorus, All-County Band, Area

All-State Band, and LCAA Exceptional Senior in volleyball.

She will be attending Roberts Wesleyan College to study

music education.

Keshequa Central School’s Top Ten Seniors

Albert Schmitter

is ranked fourth in

this year’s graduating class. Albert is a

member of the Math Club and Span-

ish Club as well as the president of

National Honor Society. He served

as class president for three years.

He played on both the wrestling and

baseball teams. He has received the

Army ROTC Scholarship. Albert will be

busy in the fall studying economics at

E l m i r a College and as a member of the Army ROTC. He

is the son of John and Sarah Schmitter of Portageville.

Brandon Nickerson,

son of John and

Cheryl Nickerson of Nunda, is the

fifth ranked senior. Brandon is a

member of National Honor Society,

Math Club, and the golf team. He

has received the American Chemi-

cal Society Award. Brandon plans

to earn his associate’s degree in

mechanical engineering science from

SUNY Alfred and then a bachelor’s degree

in aerospace engineering from another college.

Kayla Beardsley

has been named to

the sixth spot of the Top Ten seniors.

Kayla is a member of the soccer,

basketball, and softball teams. She

is a member of the Math Club, Key

Club, Masterminds, National Honor

Society, and a class officer. She has

been named a NYSPHSAA Scholar

Athlete, Livingston County Soccer All-

Star, and an Exceptional Senior for soccer

and basketball. She plans to attend Canisius College to

study biology. Kayla is the daughter of Darwin Beardsley

and Tammy Clark.

Lindsay Gunn

is the seventh ranked

student in the senior class. She is the

daughter of Lisa and Edwin Gunn

of Nunda. Lindsay is a member

of Drama Club, National Honor

Society, Chorus and Band. She is

the junior editor for the yearbook as

well as a member of the varsity track

team, Jazz Band, and Select Chorus.

She is the director of the middle school

drama productions. Outside of school Lindsay takes bal-

let, tap, and modern dance at the Genesee Valley School

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June 2009

Page 3

of Dance. She also takes vocal lessons and piano lessons.

Lindsay has been honored with the Dick Smith Young Art-

ists Grant, Best Lead Actress for RBTL’s Stars of Tomorrow

(two years), All-State Chorus, and Area All-State Chorus.

She has been named to All-County Chorus and Band

several times. She’s received the Dean’s Scholarship from

Fredonia and was accepted into Fredonia’s honor program

where she will study music education (vocal track).

Chrysta Giles,

daughter of Dave and

Cathy Giles of Dalton, is ranked

eighth. Chrysta is a member of the

varsity soccer and track teams, Math

Club, Band, National Honor Society,

and a class officer. She has been

honored by the American Chemical

Society and All-County Band. In the

fall, Chrysta plans to attend St. John

Fisher College to study elementary/

special education.

Erin Pattridge

is ranked ninth in this

year’s senior class. She is a member of

Chorus, Drama Club, and National

Honor Society. She served as

class president, vice president of

Chorus, and the senior editor of

the yearbook staff. She received

an Honorable Mention at the 2008

Congressional Art show. She plans to

attend SUNY Fredonia to major in visual

arts. Erin is the daughter of Jeff and Beth Pattridge of

Hunt.

Matthew Moran

rounds out the list of

the top seniors. Matthew is the son of

Dan and Kathy Moran of Nunda. He

has participated in several activities

during his years at Keshequa Central

including soccer, basketball, Student

Council (president), Key Club, class

treasurer, National Honor Society

(vice president) and Math Club. He has

been honored with the American

Chemical Society Award and was named an Exceptional

Senior for soccer and basketball. He plans to attend Keuka

College to study criminology and accounting.

Thanks for the

Memories…

KCS says goodbye and thankyou

to this year’s retirees

Gwen Gottschall

Teacher Gwen Gottschall has

enjoyed giving her students a good

home and careers experience. She’s

enjoyed teaching them how to cook

and how to use a sewing machine.

Gwen is retiring this year after eight

years at Keshequa Central School

District. Before coming to KCS, Gwen

taught at Canaseraga Central School

District for 24 years. She also taught for Steuben-

Allegany BOCES. She’s looking forward to staying busy

after retiring and “seeking new adventures.” “It’s been

a pleasure being at KCS and knowing the staff. Fellow

staff members have been fun to work with.”

Linda Graham

Science teacher Linda Graham

is looking forward to becoming a

first-time grandmother and working

on her husband’s farm after retiring.

Linda has spent 25 years teaching at

KCS. “I enjoy doing the labs with the

students. They enjoy hands-on activi-

ties,” she says about a favorite aspect

of her job. As for advice to the Class

of 2009 she says, “I would tell them to diligently work

at what they’ve chosen and make sure it’s challenging

enough to make them happy.”

Connie Mullikin

Keshequa Central School District would like to

honor and thank Connie Mullikin for her many years of

dedication to the District. Connie worked as a custodi-

an at Dalton Elementary since 1980 before retiring this

February. She will be greatly missed by the students

and her colleagues.

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Page 4

Keshequa Chronicle

End of the Year Updates

by Marilyn Capawan, Superintendent

On behalf of the Board of

Education, faculty and staff of

Keshequa, thank you for sup-

porting the budget for 2009-

2010 with your vote on May 19.

Additional support of necessary

bus purchases and the establish-

ment of a Building Capital Re-

serve Fund are further evidence

of your commitment to the long

term well-being of our District,

and our students will benefit

from your choices. Congratula-

tions to Todd Galton and Ken

Forrester who have been elected

to four year terms on the Board

of Education, and to Jennifer

Reichard who will serve a one

year term. Best wishes and many

thanks to Lori Gray and John

Gordinier, who are ending their

terms this month. The hours and

dedication you devoted to KCS will always be remembered.

Our EXCEL Capital project is progressing on schedule.

We were proud to host our spring concerts in the “new”

auditorium, and look forward to having our Middle School

Musical there on June 13 and

14. At this writing, new roof-

ing is being installed in Dalton,

with new windows scheduled for

installation in early June. Our

technology upgrades are nearly

completed, and landscaping at

both buildings will get underway

over the next few weeks. Now

that the tile and painting are

complete in the oldest portions

of the Nunda building, our art

teacher Kevin Raymond and

his talented Mural Club will

begin decorating the hallways in

creative ways to make the school

“uniquely Keshequa.”

As you read through this

issue of the Chronicle, you will

see that our students and staff

excel in many areas, from the

visual arts to athletics. We hope that you will have the

opportunity to join us throughout the month of June as

we recognize the accomplishments of our students, and

honor the class of 2009 as they begin the futures for which

Keshequa has prepared them.

Keshequa Parent Teacher Student Association

Appreciates Our Teachers

For Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4 - May 8, our K.P.T.S.A. members solicited local and regional businesses for

donations. The responses we received from the community were great! Every day that week, from both buildings, several

teachers’ names were drawn from a bowl and they received a gift from all of the generous donors. We are hoping to

receive even more next year to expand to the teacher aides. During the week, students had the opportunity to write a

few words about their teachers. We attached them to colorful crayon shaped pieces of paper, and posted them outside

of the teachers’ rooms. We had such a joy doing this and we are sure that when the teachers read them they were just as

joyful. These were a wonderful token showing how much the students value and appreciate them.

The K.P.T.S.A. elections took place on Monday, May 4. Our new officers will be Rhonda Elliot, President;

Carol Barranco, Treasurer; and Mistie Tucker, Secretary.

We are looking forward to another productive year, and members are excited about the direction in which it is

moving. We would like to thank the former president of K.P.T.S.A., Carol Barranco, for giving her endless dedication to

the K.P.T.S.A.’s meetings, book fairs, workshops, and countless other tasks that she has performed during her two years

as president. Hats off to you Carol! We cannot forget to commend all the other members who continue to give their

time to make this great association even better. We encourage parents, teachers, and students to become a member. We

invite all of you to come together to make a difference in our school’s community. Our meetings are every first Monday

of every month. The next one will be 6:30 p.m. in Keshequa Middle School/High School Library. We hope to see some

new faces there.

Maria Joy Thompson Amador

Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship will be awarded to a KCS

graduate pursuing a field of study in nursing or

medicine. The $500 award will be available with

the successful completion of the first semester

of higher education. Selection criteria are based

upon recommendations of administration,

faculty, and staff for a graduate exhibiting

academic excellence and good moral character.

Donations can be sent to:

Keshequa Central School

PO Box 517

Nunda, NY 14517

Please specify that the donation is for the

Amador Award.

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June 2009

Page 5

Student Spotlight: Flora Fabre

Flora Fabre addresses the Speaker of the

House at the New York State Assembly

in Albany.

A year ago, student Flora Fabre

emigrated from Cuba not knowing

any English. In September, Flora be-

gan her junior year at Keshequa Cen-

tral not only having to get used to a

new school and language, but a whole

new culture. Fast forward a year. Flora

is now thriving in school and the ESL

classes she attends at Mount Morris

Central. In April, she was one of 200

Hispanic students statewide chosen

to visit Albany for the annual Angelo

Del Toro Puerto Rican Hispanic Youth

Leadership Institute (PR/HYLI).

Flora splits her school day be-

tween Keshequa and Mount Mor-

ris. She works closely with teacher

Melissa Camuto on history, reading,

writing, and English. Camuto said the

other students in her classroom have

benefited from working with Flora

because while she’s learning about

American culture, they get to learn

about Cuban culture.

“Flora is a teacher’s dream to work

with,” said Camuto. “She’s extremely

motivated. Any piece of information

I give her she takes and goes with it.

She is very, very driven.”

In January, Flora began attending

weekly meetings with the PR/HYLI in

Rochester. Hispanic Outreach Coor-

dinator Maria O’Hearn provided her

with transportation every week. Dur-

ing the meetings, students focused on

learning the state legislative process.

They each prepared a speech which

they gave during a mock legislative

session in the New York State As-

sembly chambers. Students debated

actual bills that reflect issues in their

communities. Flora debated from the

perspective of Assemblyman Daniel

Burling.

“I never imagined that a Cuban

girl without enough English was going

to be chosen to deliver the invocation

to the assembly and sit in Legislator

Daniel Burling’s seat,” said Flora. “As

well as the nervousness that I felt

when I stood over the podium speak-

ing to more than 200 people about an

American bill.”

The student delegates participated

in several workshops while in Albany.

Some of the workshops focused on

college and future possibilities for

the students. The students met with

members of the New York State Legis-

lature, New York State Assembly/Sen-

ate Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task

Force, and New York State Education

Department. The group visited the

New York State Museum and the Uni-

versity of Albany.

PR/HYLI is sponsored by the

State Senate/Assembly Puerto Rican

and Hispanic Task Force in conjunc-

tion with the annual Somos El Futuro

Legislative Conference. The program

was dedicated to the memory of As-

semblyman Angelo Del Toro and aims

to foster leadership skills of Latino

students and to introduce them to

New York State’s legislative process.

Looking ahead to the future, Flora

hopes to earn her GED and get voca-

tional training. She plans to attend

college in the fall of 2010 to major

in accounting or law. She is currently

working on her senior paper about

Cuban writer Jose Marti.

“PR/HYLI gave me the experi-

ence of feeling more secure about my

future and opened my eyes to op-

portunities for Latino students in the

United States,” said Flora. She encour-

ages other Latino students to “Never

forget your dreams; work hard to

make your dreams become a reality.”

Chess Teams Finish

Successful Season

The KCS chess teams have capped a very successful year. The varsity

team finished 15-2 with four students competing in super sectionals. The

Middle School was league runner-up with Christian Garwood winning an

individual honor. Fifth grader Garrett Thompson competed on the High

School team (5-3-1), winning the Livingston County individual champion-

ship and top Elementary honors in Rochester on May 16.

Philip Wood finished the season with a 16-4-2 record and was an All-

Greater Rochester Small Schools Champion candidate along with Christian

Garwood (18-4) and Brody Wood (10-2). Kirk Schrier finished with a 13-7-1

record while teammates Jeremy Smith and Garrett Thompson finished with

3-4 and 5-3-1 records, respectively. Substitute players included: Ray Force

(1-2), Cody Wise (1-1), Josh Gath (1-0), Jake Green (1-1), and Thomas

Wood (2-4). The team was coached by I.D. Schoenacker.

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Page 6

Keshequa Chronicle

Teacher Amy Covell Presents at New

York State Convention

Middle

School Reading

Skills teacher

Amy Covell was

recently selected

to present a paper

reflecting her

research in the

area of reading.

The paper titled

Reading Strategies

Used At Home by

Parents of Children

with Autism Spec-

trum Disorders

was presented at the New York State Speech-

Language-Hearing Association’s Annual Convention in Sara-

toga Springs, NY on May 9. The paper included a detailed

study of eight children diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum and the strategies

they used to read. “Attending the annual NYSSLHA’s convention was an honor

and I enjoyed having the opportunity to share my research with others,” said

Covell.

Bicycle Safety

Winner

Second-

grader Joshua

Tallman won

a bicycle hel-

met for the

colored picture

he entered in

the Livingston

County Safe

Kids’ Wheeled

Safety Con-

test. Josh was

invited to an award ceremony held

at the Livingston County Safe Kids

7th Annual Child Safety Fair on

May 9 at Livonia High School. Josh

received his helmet and his work

was displayed during the safety fair.

Congratulations Josh!

Peace Poetry

Contest Winner

Second-grad-

er Adam Yencer

was chosen as

a winner in the

Fourth Annual

Genesee Valley

Peace Poetry

Contest. Over

500 poems were

entered from the

Genesee region

with less than 70 named winners.

The winning entries will be printed

in a free chapter book published by

the English department at SUNY

Geneseo. Adam was invited to read

his poem on May 21 at the Alice

Austen Theatre at SUNY Geneseo.

Josh Tallman

Adam Yencer

Students Find Creative Ways to

Celebrate Earth Day

Above: Students in Meg Galton’s class

try to filnd the right recipe for creating a

water-cleaning system.

Below: Second graders in Cathie

Gehrig’s classroom celebrated Earth Day

by keeping Dalton clean.

Classes at Dalton Elementary

spent April 22 learning about, and

giving back to, the environment. Sec-

ond graders in Cathie Gehrig’s class-

room traveled around the community

picking up garbage. Erinn Brickwood’s

and Meg Galton’s fifth graders spent

the morning conducting experiments

on water-cleaning systems. Students

were given cotton balls, coffee filters,

charcoal, and gravel and had to find

which combinations filtered soiled

water more efficiently. They then had

to compare their findings with the

systems used in community water

treatment plants. The experiment

corresponded with their visit to the

waste and water treatment facilities

in Nunda later in the spring. Earth

Club members along with advisor

Holly Adams celebrated the day by

planting trees around the area.

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June 2009

Page 7

PageTurners End Successful Season

The Middle

School Page Turn-

ers team finished

its season plac-

ing second in

the spring com-

petition held at

Keshequa Central

on April 27. The

team, coached

by High School

Librarian Lydia

Keough, competed

against students

from Dansville,

Letchworth, and

Warsaw. The team

also placed second in the winter competition. Students have been reading several books over the course of the school

year. Teams have regular practices to discuss the books and create questions to drill their comprehension. The team

includes: Tori Coon, Katelyn Costello, Blaithe Donovan, Latisha Learn, Sarah Link, Samantha Lucier, Emma Snyder,

Katelyn Walradt, and Kirsten Willey.

Elementary PageTurners Take Third Place at

Spring Competition

by Joan Ellison

On April 22 the Elementary

PageTurners team traveled to Wayland

Central School to compete against

teams from Wayland, Cohocton,

Dansville and Letchworth in the

second meet of the year. The students

had to read as many books as possible

from the official PageTurners list of

15 books and then answer questions

based on those books. It was a tough

competition and in the end, with only

a few points separating first and last

place, the KCS team came in third.

The team members this year were:

Allegra Learn, Lillian Willett, Dan-

ielle Dean, Savanah Vasile, Christina

Adams, Liam Costello, Hannah Wood, Nicole Simone, Hannah Moriarty, Garrett Thompson, Kyrstin Rawleigh, Sylvia

Thompson, Cheyenne James, Cassandra Szuluski, Julia Howell, Lauren Simmons and Tami Lovell. Great job everyone!

In September, students in grades 3-5 may join the Elementary PageTurners team while students in grades 6-8 may

join the Middle School PageTurners team. The reading lists are now available for next year. See Mrs. Ellison for either list

if you are interested!

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Page 8

Keshequa Chronicle

Several KCS Middle

School students were

honored by the Merry-

Go-Round Youth

Theatre’s ECHOES

Program. The pro-

gram was developed

to encourage students

in grades 6-8 in the

creative writing pro-

cess. Students submit-

ted their work which

included poems, short

stories, skits, songs, etc. in December.

After evaluating the estimated 4,000

submissions, the MGR creative team

chose several to adapt into a stage

performance. MGR actors visited the

District in March to perform several

of the pieces from students across

Western New York. They held an

award ceremony following the perfor-

mance.

Student Lindsay Piraino was

chosen as a “showcased author” and

her work titled “Middle Child” was

performed onstage by MGR actors.

Several students received a “writing

excellence” award. Only 200 of the

nearly 4,000 submissions received

Students Recognized for Writing Skills

this honor. Those students were:

Cooper Galton, Sarah Link, Brayden

Link, Alicia Ludwig, Hannah Snyder,

Jessica Steidle (received two), and

Leigh Swartzfager. The following

students received an Honorable

Mention for their work: Hannah

Acciari, Olivia Axtell, Kylie Blanchard,

Bailee Borden, Zachariah Cramer,

Morgan Ewing, Jane Farrell, Luke

Faulds, Kate Forrester, Courtney

Germack, Erin Gibson, Michelle

Hand, Lia James, Zach Kennedy,

Riley Kirwan, Savannah Kraft, Seth

MacNeal, Kathryn Piraino (received

two), Lindsay Piraino (received two),

Kirk Schrier, Emma Snyder, Jessica

Steidle, Jenny Tallman, TJ White and

Mother’s Day

Essay Winners

Nunda’s Chamber of Com-

merce, Rotary, and Kiwanis orga-

nized the

Springtime in Nunda

arts

and crafts event on May 9. As part

of the event, students were encour-

aged to write an essay on “Why I

have the best Mom in the world!”

All the essays were displayed at

the Kiwanis pavilion as part of the

“celebration of women” display.

First place winners included Abigail

Knapp, Brittany Ann Duryea, Tay-

lor Martin, Hannah Wood, Krystin

Rawleigh, and Selena Otero. Ad-

ditional winners were: Cesar Batlle,

Miguel Kunkle, Siobhan Costello,

Ashley Barkley, Gage Geens, Tori

Weber, Alyssa Guldenschun, Alexa

Spencer, Savanah Vasile, William

Elliott, Lily Kiser, Nicole Simone,

and Carson Garwood. Congratula-

tions to all the students for their

hard work!

Tracy Wise. All students

received a participation

award.

Carol McCarville, In-

terim Director of Cur-

riculum and Instruction

and Data Adminis-

trator, said the KCS

students were compli-

mented on their writing

skills and behavior by

ECHOES road manager

Michael Antico.

“He was just so impressed with

the quality of writing,” said McCa-

rville. Antico also commented on the

fact that the students’ writing gets

better every year. Congratulations to

all the students for this outstanding

achievement.

NCAA Bracket Contest Winners

The winners

of the 2009 NCAA

basketball bracket

contest were Kendra

Smith for the stu-

dent division and

Kurt Schneider for

the faculty division.

Tied for second place

were Kayla Beardsley

and Matt Moran and

finishing third were

Cyrus Acciari and

John Swartzfager.

It was a great way

to break up the mid

winter blues! The con-

test was organized by

the KCS technology

department.

Student Kendra Smith and teacher Kurt Schneider

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June 2009

Page 9

Auctioneer Presents to Law Class

Scott Burt, Busy Bees

teacher, owner of S.R. Burt

and Sons Auctions, and of

the New York State School

of Auctioneering, visited

Shawn Bielicki’s business law

class this spring. The guest

speaker was arranged as a

school-to-work activity in

an effort to add relevance

to classroom instruction.

Mr. Burt discussed ethics,

auction laws, appraisals,

contracts, negotiations, fam-

ily issues for estates, taking

possession of other’s prop-

erty, disputes, sales, rem-

edies, concealment, fraud, innocent misrepresentatives, and selling on EBay.

He surprised not only the class, but also Mr. Bielicki with a test to see if they

could appraise a dozen items. The items ranged from a GI Joe, to autographed

baseballs, and books. No one passed the surprise test. The students found the

presentation informative and interesting while learning how to protect them-

selves against unscrupulous sellers. The visit aligned with the Career Develop-

ment and Occupational Standards of the New York State Learning Standards.

Scott Burt discusses the value of once popular G.I.

Grant Funds Field Trip

School-to-work Coordinator Shawn Bielicki was

awarded a 2008-09 Target Field Trip Grant, allowing re-

cipients to bring learning to life outside of their classroom.

This spring, Bielicki’s students experienced a variety of

jobs in Letchworth State Park. The group visited the camp-

grounds and cabins. They met with a curator and toured

the William Pryor Letchworth Museum. Students learned

what park rangers and DEC officers do, and about careers

in recreation, forestry, and conservation. The day included

a white-water rafting trip on the Genesee River and a hike.

“I applied for the grant because I wanted to make

learning real for the class and to give our students expe-

riences beyond the classroom, without the obstacle of

tightening budgets,” said Bielicki.

The grant included supplies the students might need

on their field trip including a $20 digital camera gift card

to develop photos, a field trip bag, pens, notepads, and

hand sanitizer. Criteria for the selection of grant recipi-

ents included the description of the field trip and its objec-

tives, the benefits to students, the tie-in to the school cur-

riculum, the number of students who would be impacted

and the proposed use of funds.

Students Compete

in Special Olympics

Six Keshequa student athletes

participated in the 2009 Genesee

region Special Olympic Games on

Saturday, May 2 at York Central

School. Student athletes competed

in the 50 meter dash and the softball

throw events. All students placed in

the top three for their divisions, and

each student was awarded a medal. In

addition, Ian Pierce had the honor of

helping to carry the Olympic torch for

the Opening Ceremonies. Students

participating included: Ian Pierce,

Jacob Ostrander, Hunter Ostrander,

Hannah Ostander, Victoria Keppen,

and Eric Reed

.

Te Black and White Photography class took a walk

through Oakwood Cemetery to photograph the historical

monuments, beautiful landscape, and unique symbolism.

Retired social studies teacher and Town Historian Mr.

Tom Cook donated his time and knowledge to the class.

Te students developed their fillm and made prints onto

postcards which will be donated to the Nunda Historical

Society. Te above photo was taken by KCS sophomore

Claire Mann.

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Page 10

Keshequa Chronicle

Dalton Hosts Fine Arts Festival

Students Madison Ewing, McKenzy Bennett, and

Nicholas Wood showoff their artwork that was

displayed during the Fine Arts Festival.

Author Uses Storytelling to Evoke Students’ Imaginations

Author Rafe Martin visited Dalton Elementary on May 5 to entertain students with his anima-t

ed and electric storytelling skills. The author of

Te Boy who Loved Mammoths, Te Rough-Face Girl,

Te Shark God, and Te Brave Little Parrot,

talked to students about the importance of words and

where their imaginations come from.

“Writing is like an adventure,” said Martin. “When you are writing, you can travel anywhere in

your imagination.”

After a group discussion, Martin told students a story. Each story was meant to get the listen-

ers’ attention and get them involved. Students were seen jumping out of their seats when Martin

used his spooky voice. Students asked the author questions about his career and family. Elementary

Librarian Joan Ellison raffled off a free Rafe Martin book to a student in each grade level.

“I thought it was good,” said Ellison. “The kids seemed pretty enthralled with him.”

The students were. They had spent months prior to the visit reading Martin’s books and learn-

ing about his life. Some of the classrooms even incorporated the author into daily lessons. First-

grader Madison James, whose favorite Martin book is

Te Rough-face Girl,

said the author was

“funny” and his books “have good pictures and stories.”

This is the third consecutive year an author has visited Dalton Elementary. Last spring, author

Suzanne Bloom presented to the students. As in the past, students were able to purchase the fea-

tured author’s book prior to the visit in order to get it autographed. Ellison is anticipating another

author visit next year.

Rafe Martin

Dalton Elementary hosted

the 7th Annual Fine Arts Festival

the evening of May 18. The night

celebrated the Dalton art program

and showcased artwork from

students and community mem-

bers. Art teacher and organizer

Linda Strathearn said the artwork

represented each Dalton student.

Strathearn has been collecting

and mounting artwork for many

months in preparation for the

event.

“It’s all for the kids,” said

Strathearn. “Just because we’re in

a rural area they should have access to what people in the

cities have. The creative skills fostered in art class will aid

them with any career path they choose. This fact is well

documented in art education data sources throughout the

world.”

Student artwork was displayed throughout the hall-

ways of Dalton Elementary. In the cafetorium, artwork

submitted by community members could be admired.

Community artwork was submitted by John Gordinier,

John Jones, Amanda Kennedy, Bonnie Miller, Carol Nick-

ol, Chris Norton, Ruth Ann Polito,

Becky Schiano, Erin Schiano, and

Danielle Willowglade.

Instrumental teacher Danielle

Willowglade and music teacher

Cheryl Sanford performed with

students from band and chorus.

Sandy Cox and the cafeteria staff

provided the refreshments which

everyone enjoyed. To the delight

of visitors, Brett Pierce provided

a glass blowing demonstration

throughout the evening along

with displays of his glass artwork.

Board of Education members were

also on hand for a meet and greet with community mem-

bers.

Many volunteers helped Strathearn prepare for the

evening, including Meg Dean, Danielle Dean, Bonnie

Measel, Val Bugman, Nancy Cross, Becky Schiano, Erin

Schiano, Diane Brooks, June Brumsted, Elaine Cromwell,

Jessica Gorton, and Trisha Gorton.

A big thank you goes out to the community for its

continued support of the students and the Dalton art pro-

gram. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

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June 2009

Page 11

AAU at Keshequa

Keshequa Goes Green

The KCS Earth club, also known as the “Mean, Green,

Recycling Team,” held a “Walk for the Rainforest” on the

Greenway on March 25 to raise awareness and funds for

rainforest protection. The group walked from school to the

branch trail that begins at the top of Vermont Street in

Nunda and goes to Halstead Road and back. The 17 student

and 4 adult walkers raised a total of $372.48. The money

raised will be matched by Earth Club funds and donated to

a rainforest protection program. Prizes were awarded to the

top fundraisers. Luke Canfield was the top fundraiser, fol-

lowed by Victoria Underwood. The student walkers received

a free custom designed t-shirt. This walk was the idea of

Earth Club members Kathryn Piraino and Leigh Swartzf-

ager. Earth Club is currently a group of 15 sixth grade students who, along with their advisor, Holly Adams, meet weekly

to collect and recycle paper, cardboard, ink cartridges and deposit bottles for the middle and high school.

On May 1 the Earth Club attended the “My Fragile World” fair at the Seneca Park Zoo. This annual environmental

fair is created to engage, inspire and empower students in grades 6-8 to act on behalf of wildlife, nature and the environ-

ment. Our trip was funded by a Business Education Alliance mini-grant and was free to students. In addition, students

brought a “trash free” lunch to eat at the Zoo, in keeping with the environmental conservation theme of the day.

The Lady

Indians of

Keshequa

have their

own Amateur

Athletic Union

(AAU) basketball

program under

the coaching staff

of Pat Forrester

and Sue Piraino.

The Lady Indians

joined the AAU

in January and

have participated

in four

tournaments to

date. Practicing up to twice a week, the team has put a

tremendous amount of time and effort into becoming

better basketball players. The team traveled to St.

Monica’s in Rochester at the end of January for their first

tournament. There they encountered great competition

and began learning the ropes of an AAU athlete. In

February, the Lady Indians traveled to Lyons, New York

where they took second place in the Central Western

spring shoot out. The following month, they traveled

to Niagara Falls and participated in the NAYS (North

American

Youth Sports)

tournament.

The girls were

crowned

tournament

champs for their

age bracket and

celebrated with

a visit to the

American side

of the falls. At

the beginning

of May, the

team traveled

to Brockport

College to

participate in the Western New York Lady Lakers

Tournament. Once again, the Lady Indians were named

champions defeating teams from Buffalo, Rochester,

Penfield and Binghamton.

The team ended its tournament season at the end of

May with a tournament in Lima. Everyone has enjoyed

their first year as AAU players and hope to keep playing

throughout their high school careers. They would like to

thank the Nunda Community and their parents for their

support!

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NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 1

NUNDA NY 14517

Keshequa Central School

P.O. Box 517

Nunda, New York 14517-0517

June 2009

School Board Members

Anita Buchinger, President

Paul Jackson, Vice-President

Mark Ewing

Todd Galton

John Gordinier

Lori Gray

Barbara Waddle

Marilyn Capawan,

Superintendent

Dominic Aloisio,

Business Administrator

Middle School Presents Musical

On Saturday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m.

and Sunday, June 14 at 1:00 p.m. the

Middle School Players will be present-

ing the musical comedy

You’re A Good

Man, Charlie Brown

in the High School

auditorium.

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown

is

a musical comedy based on the charac-

ters created by cartoonist Charles M.

Schulz in the comic strip

Peanuts

. The

original Broadway production opened

on March 7, 1967 with Gary Burghoff

in the title role. Music and lyrics were

written by Clark Gesner.

The play presents a day in the life of Charlie Brown, consisting of moments

from all the days of Charlie Brown, including Valentine’s Day and baseball sea-

son. The day is also interspersed with moments from Charlie Brown’s friends,

both human and non-human.

In this production the part of Charlie Brown will be played by eighth grader

Blaithe Donovan. The part of Lucy will be played by seventh grader Jane Farrell

and the part of Snoopy will be played by Kate Forrester, also a seventh grader.

The play is directed by KCS Seniors Lindsay Gunn and Erin Pattridge. This

is the second Middle School production that Lindsay and Erin have collabo-

rated on. Last year’s production of

You Can’t Take it With You

was a big success.

This is the first time that the Middle School has done a musical production

and the kids have put in many hours of hard work to make the show a success.

We encourage everyone to come and enjoy this family oriented production.

June Brings

Exciting Events

by Ami Hunt, Elementary Principal

I would like to thank everyone for

being so welcoming to me in my first

year working at Keshequa. It has been

a pleasure getting to know the stu-

dents, faculty, staff and families in the

district.

We have updated our end-of

-year schedule at Dalton Elementary.

Students will be in session for a full

day on Monday, June 22. They will

be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on Tues -

day and Wednesday, June 23 and 24.

Wednesday will be the last day that

school is in session.

Kindergarten Graduation is on

Monday, June 22 at 9:00 a.m. We

will also have awards assemblies for

grades K-2 on Tuesday, June 23 and

for grades 3-5 on Wednesday, June

24.

I hope you have a safe and enjoy-

able summer!