Vestal students named Semifinalists/Commended Students

JANUARY 2016
Published for Vestal Central School District parents, students, community and staff
Vestal students named Semifinalists/Commended Students
O
nce again Vestal High School has several
students who have qualified in the National Merit
Scholarship Program. The district is honored to share
that two Vestal High School seniors, Montana
Boone and Thomas Hanes, have qualified as
Semifinalists in the 61st Annual National Merit
Scholarship Program competition. These two
scholastically talented seniors were among
16,000 National Merit Semifinalists nationwide
and will have an opportunity to continue in the
competition for approximately 7,400 National
Merit Scholarship awards totaling $32 million
offered in the spring.
National Merit Semifinalists
Montana Boone & Thomas Hanes...
... continue a long Vestal
High School tradition. It
is the fourth year in a row
that Vestal has had students
achieve semi-finalist status in
this competition. And, a high
proportion of VHS semifinalists do go on to be named
National Merit Finalists.
In addition, Dr. Albert Penna, Vestal High School Interim
Principal, is pleased to announce that Kristian Cho, Anthony
Mangiacapra, Sarah Mughal, Bach Nguyen, Sawako Suzuki
and Valerie Waters were named Commended Students in this
year’s National Merit Program. Commended Students placed
among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students
across the country who entered the 2016 competition when
they took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) in 2014.
Pictured, seated, are Anthony Mangiacapra, Montana Boone, Thomas
Hanes, Sawako Suzuki and Sarah Mughal and, standing, Kristian Cho,
Valerie Waters and Bach Nguyen.
Two Vestal Schools identified as High Achieving
Reward Schools by NYS Department of Education
V
estal Hills Elementary, a 2012 National Blue Ribbon School, and Glenwood Elementary have both been
identified as High Achieving Reward Schools by the New York State Department of Education under the state’s
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver.
New York State Commissioner MaryEllen Elia identified 365 schools across the state as high achieving and high
progress schools Reward Schools in an announcement in August 2015. Both Glenwood and Vestal Hills Elementary
Schools were identified as schools having the highest achievement in the state with no significant gaps in student
achievement. This is the second year that Vestal Hills Elementary School has achieved this designation, and the first
year for Glenwood.
Continued on page 3
Challenge
Upcoming Date Reminders:
BCMEA Auditions
January 9 (Grs. 10 - 12)
Binghamton High School
School Board Meeting
Spotlight: African Road
January 12, 6 p.m.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Holiday - No School
January 18
Heroin & our Community
gister Jan. 21, 5:30 p.m.
Pre-re
online VHS Auditorium
SAT
January 23 (Area Schools)
Regents Exams
January 26 - 29
Kindergarten Registration Dates
School Board Meeting
January 26, 7 p.m. (Admin.)
VSF Trivia Night
January 29, 6:30 p.m.
VMS Cafeteria
Early Release Day
February 5 - All Schools
School Board Meeting
Spotlight: Vestal H.S.
February 9, 6 p.m.
No School
February 12 & 15
Save the date!
K - 5 Parent Math Night
6:30 p.m., March 1
Vestal High School
Winter Concerts:
7 p.m., January 13, Vestal Hills: VHE Band & Chorus
7 p.m., January 14, African Rd. Auditorium: VMS Chorus
7 p.m., January 15, VHS Cafeteria:
Vestal Voices Dessert Cabaret
3 p.m., January 24, VHS Auditorium:
VHS Men’s/Women’s Chorale
7 p.m., January 25, Tioga Hills:
THE Grades 4/5 Chorus & Fifth-Grade Band
7 p.m., January 27, CAE Auditorium: CAE Orchestra
T
he dates for Kindergarten registration for
the 2016 - 17 school year are February 29 March 4, 2016.
If you have a child who will turn five years
old on or before December 1, 2016, you
will receive a letter from the district in early
February with a registration form, along
with other materials to complete. During
Kindergarten Registration Week, come to the
main office of your child’s elementary school
between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on
any day of your choice with the registration
materials and records outlined in the letter.
Parent orientation sessions and student
screenings have yet to be scheduled. Please visit
the Student Registration page on our district
website at http://www.vestal.stier.org/. Schedules
should be posted there after registration week.
Thank You!
T
hank you to all the district residents who took
the time to cast their vote on the proposition to
establish a capital reserve fund on November 17.
The capital reserve fund is a mechanism to allow
the district to save any unexpended monies at the
end of a fiscal year in order to offset the local share
of any future capital projects.
If no money is available, then no money will go into
the fund. Should the capital reserve fund accrue a
balance and a capital project be proposed, we will
once again seek voter approval to use this fund.
7 p.m., January 28, African Rd. Auditorium:
ARE & VMS Chorus, Band & Beginning Band
7 p.m., February 3, African Rd. Auditorium:
ARE Grades 4/5 Orchestra
7 p.m., February 10, CAE Auditorium: CAE Chorus & Band
7 p.m., February 10, Tioga Hills: THE Orchestra
7 p.m., February 11, Glenwood: GLE Orchestra & Band
2
7 p.m., February 22, Vestal Hills: VHE Orchestra & Chorus
Vestal High School
February 25 - 28
SHOWTIMES:
7 p.m., Feb. 25 - 27
2 p.m., Feb. 28
TICKETS:
$10 - Adults
$8 - Students
Support
District opens search for new Superintendent of Vestal Schools
W
ith the retirement of Superintendent Mark LaRoach at the end of December 2015 (see cover of October’s
“Look at Us”), the Vestal Board of Education has commenced a search for a highly qualified educational
leader to fill the position of Superintendent of Schools. The search process will be conducted over the coming
months with input from stakeholders throughout the school district. During the search process, Mr. Jeffrey
Ahearn, current Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Operations & Personnel, has been appointed interim
superintendent (as this newsletter went to print).
While applications are being received, the Board is interested in soliciting input from stakeholders. A survey is
available on the district’s website - find the left-menu link “Search for Superintendent of Schools,” then scroll to
the bottom of the next page and look for the survey under “Links.” We encourage district staff, students, parents
and community members to complete this survey by January 29, 2016.
Greg Tang, Math Guru Extraordinaire
M
ath visionary Greg Tang, author of several books that promote
mathematical thinking in children, visited Vestal School District
on December 2. He made three presentations to elementary students from
African Road, Clayton Avenue, Glenwood, Tioga Hills and Vestal Hills
Elementary Schools at the African Road Auditorium.
Like a magician revealing his tricks, Tang showed the students smart ways
to break numbers apart in order to do math calculations, quickly and easily,
in their heads. “A group of five we’ll find with ease...,” recited Tang as he
shared one of his mental math shortcuts, “ten is just a breeze.”
The students caught on quickly, solving addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division puzzles without counting on fingers or scribbling on paper.
Reward Schools
continued from cover
As just one of the criteria required
to be identified as a Reward
School, a school must be among
the top 20 percent of schools in
the state for English language arts
(ELA) and math performance for
both the 2012-13 and 2013-14
school years, or be among the top
10 percent of schools in terms
of gains in ELA and math in the
2013-14 school year.
These math puzzles, which Tang has on his website, www.gregtangmath.
com, he calls Kakooma. They are fun, challenging games to help kids
practice their math fluency, and he demonstrated several while working
with the students. Working together as a team, fourth- and fifth-graders
were able to solve the multiplication problem of what is 11 times 327,154 in just 15 seconds!
In addition (no pun intended) to the presentations, students also participated
in a poster contest to show Mr. Tang how much they love math. Winners
by grade level were:
- Riya Venkatesh and Meenakshi Chakravadhanula, Vestal Hills grades K & 1
- Sindi Zhou and Claire Park, Vestal Hills grade 2 & African Road grade 3
- Shreya Sonthineni and Kara Dhakal, Glenwood grade 4 & African Road grade 5
S AV E T H E D AT E !
K - 5 Parent Math Night 6:30 p.m., March 1, 2016
Upper right, Kara Dhakal and Shreya
Sonthineni meet the author when their posters
are selected in the contest for grades 4 & 5. Directly right,
Mr. Tang shows Ian Chung the trick to quickly solving a math puzzle.
3
Foster
“Community 101”
A
s the district’s mission indicates, one of our
goals is to help our students grow into responsible, contributing citizens. This column highlights
our students’ many efforts to support the community.
Glenwood Elementary
Staff and students at Glenwood Elementary are
working together to set up their own backpack
program, Glenwood Snack Packs, for local students
who are food insecure. A community food drive by
Boy Scout Pack 243 brought in 300 items of food.
That was combined with a school-wide drive in early
December that netted an additional 700 items.
Tioga Hills Elementary
Student Council members once again coordinated the
Holiday Food Drive in conjunction with Apalachin
Lions Club. The school-wide drive ran November 17
until December 11 and collected 510 food donations!
Members of Tioga Hills student council with staff and
representatives from the Apalachin Lions Club.
Vestal Hills Elementary
Two fifth-graders, Gianna Michitti and Saba Rashid,
coordinated a community service project for the
holidays. They contacted the Family Enrichment
4
Saba Rashid and Gianna Michitti
with some of the gifts they collected.
Network to see if there were any children in the Vestal
Hills’ community who might not have a cheerful holiday.
After some research into wants and needs, they created
mittens for a giving tree that listed the children’s age and
gender. School staff and their classmates’ parents took
mittens and bought gifts for the children. In all, they
collected four boxes of gifts!
Vestal Middle School
VMS Student Council coordinated the annual schoolwide food drive for CHOW from November 2 - 20,
2015. Students and staff brought in non-perishable food
items to be donated to the Community Hunger Outreach
Warehouse just in time for the holidays.
Students at Vestal Middle School added a community
service aspect to their Veterans Day ceremony
on November 10. Students raised money for the
Leatherstocking Honor Flight from November 1 - 10. The
organization takes World War II veterans to Washington,
D.C. to tour the monument erected in their honor. In
all, the students raised
$2,100, enough to send
six veterans. Greg
Furlong, president of
the Leatherstocking
Honor Flight, came in
person on November
10 to accept the
donation and thank all of
the students and staff at
Vestal Middle School.
Sixth-grader Lydia Corcoran presents
Vestal High School
Greg Furlong with the school’s
donation to Leatherstocking Honor
Flight on November 10.
Vestal was proud to
team up with athletic rivals, the Union-Endicott Tigers,
to score big for CHOW. Students on the school’s
Lighthouse Committee issued a friendly challenge
to students at Union-Endicott High School to collect
the most food donations for CHOW. The Food Drive
Challenge began on October 1 and culminated during
halftime of the Golden Bears versus U-E Tigers football
game on October 9. Fans were encouraged to join
the fun, with CHOW barrels located at the “Home”
and “Away” entrances of Hoover Stadium for their
donations during the first half of the game. Dr. Penna
was a good sport for a good cause - challenging one
Invest
of his former students,
current Union-Endicott
H.S. Principal Steve
DiStefano, to a football
throwing contest during
the halftime festivities. In
an impressive showing of
school spirit, the Vestal
Dr. Penna gets ready to
Golden Bears were 3 for 3.
make a winning throw.
We collected the most food
donations for CHOW, Dr. Penna won the throwing
challenge and the Golden Bears football team also
scored a big victory over U-E for the first time since
2008! But, the big winner was CHOW, with over
1,600 non-perishable food items collected during
this challenge.
Varsity Club scored
big for FIRST, the
Foundation for
Ichthyosis & Related
Skin Types, with its
third annual “Dig
Blue for Liam”
volleyball tournament.
Teams that played in
this tournament on
November 14 raised
over $1,290 for FIRST. Members of Team “Bump, Set, Sike”
“Bump, Set, Sike” took were the volleyball tournament champs.
first-place honors, but the real winners are those helped by
FIRST. (For more information on Ichthyosis, visit www.
firstskinfoundation.org.)
The Peace Club hosted its 19th Annual “Make a Difference Day,” on October 24 for Vestal elementary
students. With the help of the high school students,
they made decorative fall crafts that were donated
to residents at Castle Gardens assisted living center
and collected food donations for CHOW. They also
enjoyed a fire safety lesson from the Vestal Fire Dept.
Juniors in the International
Baccalaureate (IB)
program joined forces
with their counterparts
from Binghamton High
School during a field trip
to the Community Hunger
Outreach Warehouse
(CHOW) in Conklin on
December 3. The students
worked together to sort food
and help with other jobs
around the facility.
Jecholiah Stephenson
and Tia Jones supported
the All Out Pink-Out Day.
Pretty in Pink... In anticipation of Vestal High School’s
“All Out Pink-Out Day” on
October 31, Varsity Club
sold pink Vestal T-shirts as
well as pink beads, ribbons
and bracelets to raise $90 for
Traci’s Hope.
Daria Chaplin, Anika Dalvie
and Hanna Bogart help sort
food for CHOW.
The Boys &
Girls JV and
Varsity Soccer teams lived up to their
Golden Bear status by setting up a
food drive to benefit one of the Food
Bank of the Southern Tier’s local
pantries. Between November 1 and 20,
the teams collected 16 bags of food
and delivered them to the Catholic
Charities’ food pantry in Binghamton,
just in time for the holidays!
Above right, Jonathan Shapiro and Narayan Jaen dropped
off 16 bags of donated food to the Binghamton food pantry.
Also on December 3, student donors and
high school staff donated a total of 104
pints of blood during the American Red
Cross’ Winter Blood Drive in the gym.
Finally, National Honor Society members
made sure many children had a very
happy holiday; they coordinated a schoolwide toy drive for the Salvation Army
Angel Tree program. In all, they made
sure that 50 local children would have fun
gifts to unwrap this year.
5
Challenge
Red Ribbon Day
Around the District...
I
t is so easy to do the right thing, when you have someone
you look up to lead you by example. On top of the usual
lesson shared on October 8, Red Ribbon Day throughout the
Vestal School District, that making good choices will
benefit you now and in the future, it seemed like the very
act of high school students from YES! Leads and SADD
(Students Against Destructive Decisions) coming into
every elementary classroom showed our younger students that they matter.
“This red ribbon is a commitment,” Josh Walsh, student
government president, told elementary students at Vestal Hills.
“Hopefully it’s a commitment that says you will make good
decisions throughout your life.”
Badges of honor... Cameron
Davis and Josiah Cooley
(GLE) and Ava Czebiniak
and Anthony Petrisch (CAE)
display their red ribbons.
The excitement on these students faces shows how
much the visit from Vestal High School role models
means to them, and how receptive they are to the Red
Ribbon Day message.
Fire Safety Theme for 2015
W
hen you hear the beep, move your feet!.. That was one of the
messages local fire departments shared with Vestal elementary
students during October, Fire Safety Month. This year’s fire safety
theme was “Smoke Detectors Save Lives!” Students learned about
the importance of having smoke detectors in their homes, and of
helping parents remember to change the batteries at least twice a
year in those life-saving devices. They also learned it is good
to practice getting safely out of their house in the case of a fire,
how (and when) to call 9-1-1, and to set up a family meeting
place outside of the home.
Fire educators from Vestal Fire Department visited African Road
on October 6 and Vestal Hills on October 14. On October 19,
Clayton Avenue first-graders walked over to Vestal Fire Station
1 for their annual fire safety lesson which included a tour of many of the
trucks and other equipment. Kindergarten students at Clayton Avenue
and Glenwood were treated to fire safety lessons on October 20 and 21.
Finally, members of the Apalachin Fire Department came to Tioga Hills to
present fire safety lessons on October 15 and 23.
Above: Zoe, Joanna,
Jackson and Caden
(CAE) visit Vestal Fire
Station 1.
As always, our thanks to the fire educators with the Apalachin and Vestal
Fire Departments who take time every year to teach our students how to stay
Photos, middle & bottom: Natalie (ARE)
gives Sparky a “goodbye” smooch.
safe in an emergency, and for all emergency responders for their dedication
to our community. Now, an important message for Parents - You know
At Tioga Hills, Apalachin Fire
Firefighter Evan Nelson shows Christine
the drill... please test the batteries in your smoke detectors every month.
how the thermal imaging device works.
Practice safe exits out of your home with your family regularly. And,
install carbon monoxide detectors in your homes along with smoke detectors.
6
Support
Elks Dictionary Project
C
ommunity role models visited
the elementary schools on
November 5 as Vestal Elks Lodge
2508 continued its annual tradition of
giving every Vestal third-grade student
a dictionary.
Since 2004, the Vestal Elks have
donated over 3,700 dictionaries to third-graders in Vestal Schools
as part of the nationwide Dictionary Project! We are grateful for their
support of our students and appreciate this annual gift that provides a
wonderful tool for enhancing their literacy skills.
Having access to a dictionary helps students
build their vocabulary, and having an extensive
vocabulary is a factor in academic success.
Top left, third-graders Pharvensky Pamphil,
Takumi Guay and Rebecca Kalmus (VHE)
look up words in their new dictionaries.
Right, Glenwood students Maverick Byrne,
Cassandra Brown, Elaina Hochdoerfer and
Samuel White received their new dictionaries from
their bus driver, and Vestal Elk, Patty Fitzgerald.
Veterans Day Ceremonies
F
rom uncles, mothers, cousins, great grandfathers
and “Pop-pops,” students at many of our schools
took time on November 10 to honor the military
veterans in their lives.
Ceremonies took place at African Road, Clayton
Avenue and Vestal Hills Elementary schools, as
well as at Vestal Middle School. Students
and staff invited veterans they knew,
including many family members, in to be
honored. At Clayton Avenue and Vestal
Hills, Cub Scouts from Packs 221 and 244,
respectively, opened their programs with
flag ceremonies. At Vestal Middle School,
students gave a brief history of what was
originally known as “Armistice Day.” In
honor of the end of World War I, “the war
to end all wars,” Armistice Day was proclaimed for the 11th hour of the 11th day of
the 11th month. In November 1919, it was
Substitutes Wanted
V
estal Central Schools is
accepting applications for
substitute teachers and substitute
support positions in all departments
throughout the district. This
includes Food Service, Teacher
Aides/Monitors, Transportation
and more. Applications and
instructions can be found on the
Vestal Central School District
website at www.
vestal.stier.org, (click
“Employment” in the
left menu).
For more information,
please call the
Personnel Department
at 757-2317.
instituted in America by President Woodrow Wilson. After World War II and the
Korean War, President Eisenhower signed
legislation in 1954 which changed the
name of this national holiday in the
U.S. to Veterans Day, and established it as a day to honor American
veterans of all wars.
They were also proud to share the
stories of their family members who
have or are serving in the military.
Top, first-graders Samantha and Joanna
(CAE) with their mother, Cesca Miller, who
served in the U.S. Army National Guard.
Left, teacher aide monitor Lori Matt with
her sons Lucas and Alex (VHE) and their
grandfather, Bob Tanner, a U.S. Army
veteran. The boys are holding the U.S.
Marine Corps’ service flag that belonged to
their fraternal grandfather, Edward Matt.
7
Foster
Universal Pre-K News:
Read for the Record
C
hildren around the world
participated in the 10th
anniversary of the global
reading campaign, “Read
for the Record,” including
students in Vestal’s Universal
Pre-Kindergarten program at
Mason, Olivia, Isabella and Corey love a good
Cub Care Children’s Center
book. They were read to in their UPK classroom
and the Jewish Community
at Cub Care on Read for the Record Day.
Ty, Isabella and Martino, UPK at the
Center.
On
October
22,
JCC campus, look at their classroom
copy of “Not Norman: A Goldfish Story.” everyone read this year’s selected book “Not Norman: a Goldfish Story”
by Kelly Bennett, or had it read to them. Each classroom received their
own copy of the book, courtesy of The United Way. For more information on “Read for the Record,” visit the
Jumpstart website at www.jstart.org.
Exploring the Five Senses
E
very year the UPK classes at Cub Care complete their unit on the senses with a cultural
tradition... they decorate holiday cookies with
their families. As posters in the hallway by their
classrooms highlight, they have spent weeks
analyzing what they see, hear, smell, taste and
feel during the season of winter, especially around
the holidays. What better way to celebrate all
that they’ve learned than with a glorious cookiedecorating marathon! On December 22, after
singing holiday songs for their guests which
included parents, grandparents and some siblings,
the children adjourned to the kitchen where
already-baked cookies awaited. Brightly colored
candies, frosting and sprinkles were analyzed,
touched and, yes, tasted to see if they were
suitable decor for
their creations.
The end results
were, as always,
delicious.
Triplets Justin, Kelsey
and Zach with their
edible masterpieces.
8
African Road News:
Walk to School Day 2015
T
he family, and school, that walks together...
On October 7, African Road Elementary students
joined kids and parents around the world for the second
year to celebrate the benefits of walking during “Walk to
School Day.”
Parents, grandparents
and even family pets
joined the students
as they enjoyed the
benefits of walking.
A reception complete
with the Vestal Golden
Bear and healthy snacks
provided by the African
Road PTO awaited
them just outside
the African Road
Auditorium entrance.
Fifth-graders Riley Kressly and
Banshika Mangal pose with the
Golden Bear mascot during the
Walk to School Day event.
Walk to School Day began in 1997 as a one-day event
organized by the Partnership for a Walkable America.
For more information on “Walk to School Day,” visit
the national website www.walkbiketoschool.org.
Invest
Glenwood News:
Clayton Avenue News:
One Book, One School
Pumpkin Science
W
hat’s orange and is children’s favorite vegetable (or fruit?) to dissect during the month of
October? If you guessed the pumpkin, then you know
what Clayton Avenue third-graders were doing in
science on October 30...
Bailey Paige and Madisyn
Ferrantelli count the
seeds in their gigantic
orange specimen.
Children’s Author David Biedrzycki
A
uthor and illustrator David Biedrzycki (“Ace
Lacewing Bug Detective;” “How Will I Get to
School This Year?”) made presentations to Clayton
Avenue Elementary students and Vestal High School
IB-Art 2 students on Wednesday, November 4. He
talked to the younger students in the morning about
the writing and drawing process, then met with the
high school students in the afternoon. The author
and artist was thrilled to show the IB art students a
number of helpful drawing tips in Photoshop.
Morgan
Whittaker,
Donovin
Martinez,
Raigan Correll,
Ethan Daviau
and Evan Ross
meet the author.
Biedrzycki, winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
Gold Book Award and Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Book of the Year Award,
has written and illustrated several books, and also
collaborated with fellow author, Jerry Pallotta, to
illustrate many of his books.
The author’s visit was courtesy of the Clayton
Avenue Parent-Teacher Organization (CAPTO) and
the Vestal High School PTO.
H
umphrey the hamster was the focus of Glenwood’s
“One Book, One School” celebration of reading that
kicked off this school year. Every family in the school
received a copy of the book “The World According to
Humphrey” by Betty Birney. This reading “assignment”
was part of a movement designed to get the entire
school community, including parents, involved in the
joy of reading.
Book Club
During the month of October, families read the book
together. And, like a school-wide book club, every
Glenwood staff member, including teachers, aides and
bus drivers, read the book right along with the students.
“The goal,” said Glenwood Principal Doreen McSain,
“is to help our students see how much fun it can be to
talk about, think about and enjoy a book together.”
The Party
On November 5, families came to a special evening
to celebrate their joint reading experience. They were
invited to eat, play, exercise and create “Humphreystyle.” Finally, at the school board meeting hosted by
Glenwood on December 8, over 50 students presented
information to the Board about their “One Book, One
School” experience. Third-graders shared readers’
theater selections from the book and the fourth- and
fifth-grade
chorus sang.
Third-graders
perform a Readers’
Theater for the
School Board.
About Humphrey
Providing a hamster’s view of school, the popular
children’s book series is now in its tenth year. The
book selected for this literacy initiative has received
numerous awards, including the The Children’s Crown
Award. For more on this series and the author, visit her
website at www.bettybirney.com.
9
Challenge
Tioga Hills News: Students Stack Up
A
popular activity in physical
education classes across the
country, cup-stacking promotes fine
motor skills and helps kids exercise
their brains along with their bodies.
At Tioga Hills Elementary, students
took part in the Tenth Annual World
Sports Stacking Association’s
“Stack Up!” on November 12.
During their physical education
classes over 200 students joined
sport-stackers from 30 countries
around the world as the WSSA
attempted to set a new Guinness
World Record for the “World’s
Largest Sport-Stacking Event.”
With the help of Tioga Hills’
students, the 2015 Stack Up did set
a new Guinness World Record of
618,394,* breaking last year’s record
of 592,292 by 26,102.
(*Record at press time. For more information,
visit the WSSA website at www.thewssa.
com/stackup/2015/)
Third-grader Christine Tran concentrates as she takes part in
the 2015 Stack Up challenge during her physical education class.
Nutrition Lesson
A
n apple a day… may taste even better if that
apple’s local. Students at Tioga Hills in grades
kindergarten through second had a chance to
exercise their palates when an AmeriCorps’ member
with Cornell Cooperative Extension came in with
some delicious friends to talk to the children about
nutrition. The lessons took place during regular
physical education classes on November 19 and 20.
In addition to a puppet show featuring Brian Broccoli
and Colby Carrot, students had a chance to tastetest a variety of apple called the Fuji. Which was
the sweetest apple of them all? Well, the class was
evenly split on whether they preferred the Fuji apple
grown locally or the sample grown in Washington
state. They took their assignment very seriously,
first sniffing the apple slices, like authentic little
connoisseurs. Amid crunching, adorable comments
floated through the air, like “This one smells local.”
“I think that kids start forming their eating habits even
younger than at the age I’m talking to now,” said
Lexie Edmundson, who conducted the lesson courtesy
of Cornell Cooperative Extension. “It’s important
to talk to them while they’re young so that they can
make healthier choices, like asking for more fruits and
vegetables, early on. These healthier eating choices
will follow them the rest of their lives.”
10
First-graders Leo
and Ryleigh intently
discuss the merits
of a Fuji apple slice
they are sampling.
The lesson was not just about eating healthy, but
eating local, too. During the puppet show, students
learned “what is local,” and also about the fiber,
nutrients and other good stuff fruits and vegetables
have that their bodies need to grow. Brian Broccoli
and Colby Carrot talked about which produce had
the most of different vitamins and minerals, and
even compared what a serving size would be, in kidfriendly terms. Bottom line, that apple a day equals
one cup. A bunch of grapes also equals one cup. And
two handfuls of carrots or one head of broccoli equal
one cup. Brian and Colby advised that kids should
be eating at least three whole cups of fruits and
vegetables a day!
Many thanks to Cornell Cooperative Extension for
helping our students exercise their knowledge of
good nutrition.
Support
A Lesson in Necessities
Good Neighbors
F
ifth-graders at Tioga Hills combined a social studies unit on
discerning needs versus wants with a community-service
tradition, the Community Box Project. Along with learning that
a “need” is something that you can’t live without while a “want”
is something you desire, but is not necessary, the students heard
their teachers explain how some families in our community
cannot always afford the things they need to live a quality life.
For several weeks, the fifth-grade students and their families
collected personal hygiene products, and on December 3 the
children put together
shoe boxes for families
who receive food
through the Apalachin
Food Pantry. The
students took great care
in selecting the right
products for each box
assembled. Then they
wrapped and decorated
them. In all, they
Anthony Khadjadorian, Luke Hughston,
donated 30 filled boxes
Brandon Button and Nicholas Poulton
along with extra products.
decide which shampoo would be appropriate for the family’s box they are filling.
K
indergarten students at Vestal Hills
were thrilled to keep up their annual
Thanksgiving tradition of visiting their
neighbors next door. The children and their
teachers walked over to the Brookdale
Senior Living Center, formally Woodland
Manor, to share Thanksgiving songs, visit
with the residents and pass on handmade
Thanksgiving Day placemats to their friends.
Kevin gave the placemat he made
to Brookdale resident Mary Tirrell.
(Left) Gavin
LaBarge and
Alex DeCarlo
place the pistil
on their presentation sheet.
Vestal Hills News:
Science Labs
I
f it’s October in Vestal Hills’ fourthgrade classrooms, then it’s time to
get hands on with science! Students in
Mrs. Allen’s and Mrs. Middendorf’s
classes completed their annual lab
to make and test hypotheses about
pumpkins on October 23.
(Above) Tucker Zostant
The following week they teamed up
weighs his group’s pumpkin.
to identify and dissect the parts of a
flower. The specimens for this lab were lilies.
(Right) Sea Yos Anankatanyu
They analyzed and measured each lily, and
and Jamilee Sheftall examine
then drew the petals, leaves, pistils and more.
the pollen from a lily.
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Foster
Vestal Middle School News:
Peace Poster Advances to NYS Judging
“
S
hare Peace” was the theme of this
year’s Lions Club Peace Poster contest.
Seventh-grader Holly Stewart’s entry into
the Lion’s Club International Peace Poster
Contest embodied this year’s theme
so well that she won not only the
regional, but also the district
Lion’s Club awards.
Holly was notified of the regional
award in October, and then found
out she won the district level
in early November. This is the
second year in a row that a Vestal
Middle School student has won
the district award in this contest, and only
Holly Stewart with the third time in 14 years that the Apalachin
her winning poster.
Lions have had a student’s poster go on to
Photo courtesy of the
the next level of judging. Holly’s poster has
Vestal Town Crier.
been forwarded to Lions Clubs International to
compete with entries from over 150 countries.
Talent Show Winners
T
he Vestal Middle School Talent Show
was a big hit on November 12. And,
please give a big round of applause for
the top three winners... Taking first place
was eighth-grader Catherine Deskur.
Second- and third-place honors went to
seventh-graders Dan Knipscher and Olivia
Hutchings, respectively.
Catherine Deskur, Dan Knipscher and
Olivia Hutchings were VMS’ most talented.
Bringing Generations Together
F
or the third year in a row, Vestal Middle School performing
ensembles presented a free holiday concert for area senior
citizens. The concert featured the school’s many talented student
musicians from band, chorus and orchestra, as well as the Glee
Club and other select ensembles.
Many thanks to the musical directors,
Kacie Doty, grades 6/7 chorus; Denise
Lacey-Corcoran, grades 7/8 band; Chris
Lewis-King, grade 6 band and grades
7/8 brass quintet; Brenda Schmidt,
orchestra; Rebecca Spena, grade 6
orchestra; and Aubrey Warneck, grade
8 chorus and Glee Club.
Students and their honored guests
alike had a great time!
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Coming Up!..
V
MS Student Council is planning
to host a middle school leadership conference for student councils
in the 16 school districts within
our BOCES (Board of Cooperative
Educational Services). The tentative
date for the first-ever event of this
kind in the area is February 24, 2016.
M
Rachel Rabkin, a violin player
in the sixth-grade orchestra was
thrilled to have her grandparents,
Sandy and Jim Card, hear her play.
ark your calendars! The dates
have been set for the Vestal
Middle School musical, “The Wizard
of Oz.” Performances at the African
Road Auditorium will be 7 p.m. on
April 1 and 2, and a matinee is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 3.
Support
Vestal High School News:
Binghamton University President Dr. Stenger tours Vestal High School
V
estal High School students and staff were pleased to
host Binghamton University President Dr. Harvey
Stenger on November 19. Dr. Stenger was welcomed by
officers of the school’s student government who began
a presentation that focused on the STEM initiatives the
school has developed for its students. After an overview
of Vestal High School’s educational program, community
efforts, student organizations and collaborations with other
local schools by Student Government officers Josh Walsh,
Andi Stack, Payton Gennett, Alicia Kasson and
Brandon McCreary and Jacob Whitaker tell Dr. Stenger about the circuitAbigail Silverman-Hrubes, the members of the
design simulations they are running in their Project Lead the Way class.
joint Vestal and Union-Endicott TigerTronics
robotics team shared information about this
labs, being able to work closely with dedicated
STEM opportunity. Drew Williams, Kyle Tompkins and Julia
researchers really helped me grow as a student,”
Williams talked about how the Vestal and Union-Endicott team
said Eamon about his experience.
members work together to solve a STEM (Science, Technology,
Down the hall in James Cerra’s Anatomy &
Engineering and Math) problem with a robotic invention.
Physiology classroom, Dr. Stenger was delighted
Next, Dr. Stenger enjoyed a walking tour of Vestal High
to watch senior Adam Carman perform his unit
School with special focus on the district’s Project Lead the Way
test, identifying the bones of the skull. He also
program and STEM technology. He stopped into the Project
met James Markstein, Advanced Placement (AP)
Lead the Way classes of Mike Evans and Alan Troidl to see the
Biology teacher; Peter Klimas, IB Physics, and
disciplines they are studying. From digital electronics to fuel-cell
another of Vestal’s NYS Master Teachers; and
experimentation, students demonstrated many of the concepts
Melanie Steenstrup, who teaches Intro to Prethey are learning. They are working in circuit design software,
Calculus. He ended his visit in the Counseling &
running simulations to test connections. They are performing
Guidance Office and enjoyed a very productive
winch efficiency calculations and practicing reverse engineering,
conference with high school counselors on
with a twist. With a 3D printer in the classroom, funded through
such topics as college admissions, scholarship
a Vestal School Foundation grant, the students are challenged
opportunities and more.
to make an improvement on the original design when they put
it back together. This improvement can be designed and printed
The invitation to tour Vestal High School was
out on the 3D printer right in the classroom.
extended to Dr. Stenger to continue the district’s
initiative to build partnerships in the community.
Next stop was an International Baccalaureate Chemistry lab,
This aligns with the district’s mission to
where Tracy Suggs, Vestal High School chemistry chair and
foster pride in Vestal Schools and facilitate
New York State Master Teacher, enthusiastically greeted Dr.
connections that may benefit our students.
Stenger. Also on hand was senior Eamon Reynolds, who was
With a doctorate in chemical engineering from
honored at an American Chemical Society dinner last spring
MIT, Dr. Stenger has a strong foundation in the
for being the top student in the area in last year’s Regional
sciences and a well-documented commitment
Chemistry Olympiad. Eamon has been given research experience
to propagate interest in STEM education. We
at Binghamton University; he is working with a graduate
hope that his visit will help him understand
student under the guidance of Dr. Wayne Jones, the Chemistry
what Vestal is doing at the high-school level to
Department Chair at Binghamton University. “It truly was a
support our students’ ability to succeed
great experience, different from anything I could get in a high
in future STEM careers.
school classroom. In addition to the thrill of working in the
13
Challenge
STEM Asset Experience
NYSSMA Winter Festival
igh School students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields had an opportunity
to see the hi-tech capabilities available in the U.S. Army
when one of its AS7 exhibit showcases rolled onto campus on
September 25. Students
had the option to tour the
truck, which presents a
non-kinetic, interactive
STEM experience.
hree talented young gentlemen were
invited to participate in the New York State
School Music Association’s Winter Festival
December 3 - 6 in Rochester.
H
T
Sophomore Andrew Corbin
experiences a scenario inside
the Army’s STEM Asset Truck.
Community Service Fair
M
elding school
with community,
students were once again
provided an opportunity
to see ways they can
give back outside their
high school walls during
the third annual
Cindy Zheng talks with volunteer coordinator
Community Service
Jerry Terela of The Discovery Center.
Fair on December 4.
Various nonprofit agencies from around the community
came in to talk to students about volunteering opportunities.
Order 2016 Vestal High
School Yearbooks Online
Use www.lifetouch.com; navigate
to the Vestal High web page
& find the Lifetouch link
ybpay.lifetouch.com
in the News article.
All VHS students can order their
yearbooks at ybpay.lifetouch.com
Please enter ID Code 12533716
14
(Above) Michael Slilaty, Drew Sprague and
Eli Holmes were selected by NYSSMA.
Eli Holmes, a junior, and Michael Slilaty, a
senior, were selected for the All-State Wind
Ensemble. Senior Drew Sprague was selected
for the All-State Mixed Chorus.
Eli and Michael are in the Vestal High School
band, under the direction of Gregory Harris,
and Drew is in the chorus, Vestal Voices and
Bear Necessities, under the direction of music
teacher Austin Kiley.
Orchestration Merit Award Winner
T
his continues to be a fulfilling year for Michael Slilaty. In addition to performing during the NYSSMA Winter Festival, he
recently received a Merit Award for orchestration from the Dana Niu
Orchestration Project for an arrangement he submitted last spring.
The Dana Niu Orchestration Project is an opportunity for advanced
Music Theory students to work on creating a musical arrangement
of their own, while experiencing the authentic demands of meeting
a deadline that professional orchestrators must accomplish to
succeed in their profession.
Slilaty was given a piano-only excerpt with a specific list of instruments for which the music must be orchestrated and had a deadline
of two weeks to submit his completed piece.
Invest
Championships & States
G
olden Bear athletes scored numerous championships this Fall season!
The Boys Golf team captured the STAC championship in October. Their sectionals are in May.
The Lady Golden Bears’ Field Hockey team once again captured the Section IV crown in October.
At the end of October, both Boys and Girls Soccer teams won their Section IV championships. And the Girls
team did not allow a point against them the entire season, remaining undefeated through playoffs! In addition,
senior Madeline Beaulieu earned Class A first-team honors from Section IV. Securing a spot on the second team
for Class A was Payton Gennett.
The Girls Cross-Country team were Section IV champs, and the Boys Cross-Country team placed second at the
Section IV championships in early November.
The Girls Volleyball team set up a successful season and clinched the STAC Division championship.
The Wrestling team set a STAC school record with an 84 - 6 win over Binghamton at a match in early December.
Letter of Intent Signings
Jared Nelson signed his letter of intent to play
lacrosse with the Div. I Binghamton University
Bearcats. He had a joint signing with friend,
Tyler “T.J.” Wegmann on November 16.
T.J. Wegmann accepted his scholarship to play
on the B.U. Bearcats’ baseball team in a joint
signing with Jared Nelson on November 16.
Baylee Burghardt will be joining the Div. I
SUNY Albany Great Danes’ field hockey squad.
She signed her letter of intent on November 23.
Another Lady Golden Bear teammate, Emilly Schutt,
accepted a scholarship to play field hockey for Div. I
James Madison University on November 30.
Clockwise (from top left) are Baylee Burghardt, Jared Nelson,
T.J. Wegmann, Noelle Patterson and Emilly Schutt.
Noelle Patterson signed her letter of intent to accept an
athletic scholarship to Colgate University on December 21.
She will play lacrosse with the Div. I Raiders.
Scholar Athletes
The NYS Scholar Athlete Award program honors student athletes and teams that achieve a high standard
of academic success during the sports season. This fall a total of 149 fall athletes on all 10 of our varsity
teams qualified to be named Scholar Athletes, resulting in a combined GPA of 95.234! A list of the Fall
Scholar Athletes is posted on the Athletics page of the district website.
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Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 4
Vestal, New York
13850
Board of Education
201 Main Street
Vestal, NY 13850
Michon Stuart, President
Jerry Etingoff, Vice President
Rick Bray
Linda Daino
David Hanson
John Hroncich
Mario Nunes
Sylvia Place
Tony Turnbull
Current Resident or
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Jeff Ahearn
[email protected]
757-2211
ECRWSS
Postal Patron
Public Information Coordinator
Regina M. Felice
[email protected]
757-2205
Heroin and our Community: Dinner & Dialogue
January 21, 2016
5:30 p.m., Complimentary pizza dinner
6 p.m., Panelists’ discussion begins
Vestal High School Auditorium
(205 Woodlawn Drive, Vestal)
Anticipated speakers include Capt. Pat Garey/New York
State Police; Caitlyn G./person in recovery; John Barry/
Southern Tier Aids Program; Lisa Bailey/parent; Gerald
Mollen/former Broome County District Attorney; Sgt.
Chris Streno/Vestal Police Department; Alan Wilmirth/
UHS New Horizons.
Register online at
vestal.stier.org/HeroinandourCommunity.aspx
or call 757-2280
Register by January 20