Rush-Henrietta Central School District

Summer2001

Congratulations Class of 2001!Best wishes to the Class of 2001! Commencement

was held on June 22, 2001 in the Blue Cross Arenaof the Rochester War Memorial. Some of the 317graduates are pictured here. Many of the graduatesreceived awards, commendations and scholarshipsfor their outstanding achievements during their highschool careers, and 86 of the graduates were membersof the National Honor Society.

Among those who received diplomas this year wasGeorge Rossiter, a veteran of World War II whojoined the Army after Pearl Harbor was bombed.Veterans across the country who could not completehigh school were awarded honorary diplomas as partof the government’s Operation Recognitionprogram. The Class of 2001 Valedictorian was KyraTichacek and the Co-Salutatorians were ToobaFayyaz and Marianne Stott.

2 Rush-Henrietta Central School District

This fall, the Rush-HenriettaBoard of Education will moveforward with its plans to present forvoter approval a proposition for anew Rush-Henrietta Central SchoolDistrict Transportation Center.

The special vote is scheduled forWednesday, October 10, 2001 from6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the DeeStrickland Conference Room of theNinth Grade Academy, located at2000 Lehigh Station Road.

At its January 22, 2001 meeting,the Board of Education unanimouslydecided to bring to public vote aproposition that would authorize theacquisition of land located at thecorner of Middle and Lehigh StationRoads for the purpose of construct-ing a 35,000 square foot transporta-tion center at a total cost not toexceed $9.5 million. The cost includesthe acquisition of 56.7 acres; sitedevelopment; sewer implementation;required permits and easements;

general construction; architect,engineering, insurance and legalfees; and equipment costs.

The Board’s decision to bring thisproject to a public vote was basedupon an assumption that currentbuilding aid (53.1%) would beavailable. After building aid, the totalnet cost to District taxpayers wouldnot exceed $4.4 million. This trans-lates to an estimated average cost ofapproximately $1 per month for aprimary residence with a full valueof $100,000 under the STAR program.

The Board of Education hadplanned to present this propositionto voters along with the annualschool budget this past May. How-ever, based upon the fact that thestate budget had not been approved,there was uncertainty about state aidrevenue for this project and adecision was made to postpone thevote until a later date. Although thestate budget remains stalled in the

Board of Education to Move TransportationCenter Proposal Forward

legislative process in Albany, currentinformation and advice from arealegislators, financial advisors andeducational organizations closelyfollowing the budget debate havegiven the District assurance thatlegislators are not likely to changethe building aid formula for this typeof project next year. Additionally,further information from Albanysuggests that state aid for non-instructional building projects, suchas this transportation center project,may be eliminated or significantlyreduced in two to three years.

The Board of Education hasscheduled a Community Forum onthe proposed District TransportationCenter for Tuesday, September 25,2001 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Districtresidents are invited to attend theforum that will be held in the DeeStrickland Conference Room of theNinth Grade Academy, located at2000 Lehigh Station Road.

Kyra K.Tichacek,Class of2001, hasbeennamed aPresidentialScholar.Kyra isone ofonly threestudentsin NewYork Stateand 141

students nationwide who were sonamed. Selection was made by a 32-member Commission onPresidential Scholars and is basedon academic achievement, essays,self-assessments, activities, schoolrecommendations and schooltranscripts. The PresidentialScholars Program was established

Kyra K. Tichacek Named Presidential Scholarin 1964 by Executive Order of thePresident.

During her senior year, Kyratook Advanced Placement (AP)Economics, AP Chemistry, APCalculus, AP AmericanGovernment, Spanish V Honorsand electives in Sociology andYearbook. In previous years, shecompleted AP English Language,AP Physics, AP History and APEnglish Literature. The Class of2001 Valedictorian, Kyra is not onlyan outstanding student, but she hasexcelled in soccer, has been acommunity volunteer and has heldpart-time and summer jobs. Overthe years, she has earned over 50awards in academic subjects,writing, art and athletics.

Kyra and the other winnersattended the awards ceremony andother activities during several daysat the end of June. Among the

activities were a visit to the WhiteHouse and a recognition ceremonyat which she received a PresidentialScholar medallion. In applying forthe program, Kyra named JamesDeCamp, her 10th grade Englishteacher, as the teacher who mostinfluenced her. He was also invitedto attend the activities inWashington.

In addition to this honor, Kyrawon a National Merit Scholarshipfrom the Xerox Foundationrenewable for up to four years ofcollege undergraduate study. Kyrawill attend Cornell University thisfall, where she plans to major inindustrial and labor relations. Shehopes to eventually earn a lawdegree.

3Rush-Henrietta Central School District

At its June 26, 2001 meeting, theRush-Henrietta Board of Educationvoted unanimously to host a Commu-nity Forum on Tuesday, August 14,2001 to share information regardingthe process for establishing the schooltax rates, including the impact ofequalization rates and propertyassessments.

Typically, school tax rates are veryclose to the tax rates projected at thetime the school budget is voted on.However, at the time of the schoolbudget vote, school tax rates areestimates only. Three important piecesof information must be known withcertainty to establish school tax rates:state aid, equalization rates andproperty assessments. Each of thesefactors is estimated at the time of theschool budget vote. If the schooldistrict’s estimates are accurate, theschool tax rate estimate is also accu-rate. However, if any of these threefactors differs significantly from theschool district’s estimate, actual taxrates will be higher or lower than taxrates projected at the time of theschool budget vote.

At the June 26 Board of Educationmeeting, Debbie Rogowicz, ExecutiveDirector of Financial Operations forthe District, presented to the Board themost recent information available to

school district officials on state aid,equalization rates and propertyassessments. Additionally, the schoolboard was shown the impact that thisinformation would have on tax rateswhen the Board sets the school tax ratein August. Board members discussed,at length, the possibility that theywould be required by state law to set aschool tax rate in August withoutcertain information about state aid.State aid will remain uncertain untilthe state budget is adopted.

Recognizing that communityresidents may wish to know moreabout how the Board establishesschool tax rates, the Board of Educa-tion will host a Community Forum onAugust 14, 2001 to share informationregarding this. District residents areencouraged to attend this importantforum scheduled from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.preceding the regularly scheduledBoard of Education meeting. TheBoard will vote on school tax rates forthe 2001-2002 school year at a latertime.

The Community Forum will be heldin the Dee Strickland ConferenceRoom of the Ninth Grade Academy at2000 Lehigh Station Road. For moreinformation, please contact the Officeof the District Clerk at 359-5010.

Community Forum onUnderstanding Tax RatesScheduled

52 Staff EarnTenure

The Board of Education hosted areception on May 22 for 49 teachers, aschool psychologist, a social workerand a principal who were awardedtenure. They were introduced by theirrespective building principals. Con-gratulations to the following staffmembers who were honored:

Senior High School: Ross Amstey,Linda Blake, Jessica Burdick, MichaelFantauzzo, Sarah Kamm, Scott Nash,Daniel McMurray, Gary Parisi,Katherine Pizzutelli and BrianUsselman.

Ninth Grade Academy: JosephBellanca, Doreen Blankenbush, AmyBray, Jeffrey King, Tami Loftus,Marissa Privitere and Carly Tallman.

Burger Middle School: KarynMagnanti and Felecia Morris.

Roth Middle School: Cristy Balling,Lisa Czebatol, Mary Laio, LynnMarquart, Suzanne Macauley-Meyert,Kristen Pencek and Sharon Rickard.

Crane Elementary: Kristen Cress.Fyle Elementary: Tracie Czebatol,

Jennifer Dalto, Starla Gerlach, BarbaraHadley and Eileen Lyons.

Leary Elementary: Mary EuniceSitzer, Martin Fagan, Michelle Stodd(school psychologist), Ruth Teitel andJessica Weld.

Sherman Elementary: JamesLoughner, Heather O’Brien, KimberlyO’Mara, Catherine Shutt and Kim-berly Usselman.

Winslow Elementary: RonaldChesterton, Mary Jo Costello, Chris-tine Hess, Michelle Karam, MaryMullin, Nancy Scott, Ron Springer(principal), Elizabeth Steblenko,Barbara Thorogood (social worker)and Elizabeth Wood.

Voters in the Rush-HenriettaCentral School District approved the2001-2002 budget of $78 million onMay 15, 2001 by a vote of 1,652 to 794.Voters also approved expendituresfrom two Reserve Funds: a $1.5 millionappropriation from the CapitalReserve Fund for improvementsthroughout the District (1,697 to 583)and the expenditure of $800,000 fromthe School Bus Replacement ReserveFund (1,693 to 594). The Reserve Fund

Voters Approve Budget andElect Three Board Members

propositions do not impact the budgetor tax rate.

Three members were reelected tothe Board of Education: Susan M.Derrick, with 1911 votes; David R.Pennella, with 1,754 votes; and A. DirkHightower, with 1,611 votes. BernieFallon and Mohammad Nasar re-ceived 837 and 568 votes respectively.

At the July 10 organizationalmeeting of the Board, David R.Pennella was reelected President, and

Sylvia Perez-Hardy was elected VicePresident for the 2001-2002 school year.

The Board of Education expressesits sincere gratitude to the communityfor their support of the budget andpropositions. The programs andservices that will be supported by thebudget are vital to guiding studentsuccess.

4 Rush-Henrietta Central School District

Three R-HPrincipalsNamed

The Rush-Henrietta Board ofEducation has named three newprincipals for schools which havehad interim leadership during thepast year.

NicholasDiPonzio wasnamed principal ofCrane ElementarySchool effectiveApril 10. He hadserved as theschool’s interimprincipal since last

fall and was Teacher on SpecialAssignment during the previousyear. DiPonzio is a former specialeducation teacher in Rush-Henrietta’s Leary and Fyle Elemen-tary Schools and has also worked inBOCES programs and CatholicDiocese schools.

Cindy Neth wasnamed principal ofFyle ElementarySchool beginning inJuly. She comes toRush-Henriettafrom the GreeceSchool District,

where she was an elementaryprincipal. Neth is also an experi-enced special education teacher andhas worked in Pavilion schools andBOCES programs, as well as theGenesee Hospital developmentalunit.

Stephen Barbeaubecame the princi-pal of Rush-Henrietta SeniorHigh School in July.He was formerlyprincipal ofCaledonia-Mumford

High School. He is a former socialstudies teacher and coach at PavilionHigh School and has also served onthe LeRoy Town Board.

2001-2002 School CalendarSeptember 3 Labor Day (Schools closed)September 4 Teachers report to workSeptember 5 Staff preparation for the opening of schoolSeptember 6 First day of classesOctober 5 Superintendent’s Conference Day (No school for students)October 8 Columbus Day (Schools closed)October 25 Half Day Grades 1-5 - Kindergarten in session

(K-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences in evening)October 31 Half Day Grades 1-5 - Kindergarten in session

(K-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences in afternoon)November 6 Half Day Grades 1-5 - Kindergarten in session

(K-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences in evening)November 12 Half Day Grades 1-5 - Kindergarten in session

(K-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences in afternoon)November 21-23 Thanksgiving Day Recess (Schools close at the end of day

Nov. 20 and reopen Nov. 26)Dec. 24-Jan. 1 Winter Recess (Schools close at the end of day Dec. 21 and

reopen Jan. 2)January 21 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Schools closed)January 22-25 Regents and Midterm Examinations

(High school students attend exams only)January 25 Grading Day (No school for K-8 students)January 25 First Semester EndsJanuary 28 Second Semester BeginsFebruary 18-22 February Recess (Schools close at the end of day Feb. 15

and reopen Feb. 25)March 8 K-12 Parent-Teacher Conferences (No classes K-12)March 29 Good Friday (Schools closed)April 15-19 Spring Recess (Schools close at the end of day April 12 and

reopen April 22)May 27 Memorial Day Holiday (Schools closed)June 18-24 Regents ExaminationsJune 21 Last day for K-8 StudentsJune 25 Regents Examination Rating DayJune 25 Last Teacher Work Day

Creative Crane ChildrenYoungsters at Crane Elementary School presented two terrific musicals this springon the theme of asset development. Grades 3-5 presented I Like Being Me andGrades K-3 presented Once Upon a Lily Pad. This scene from Lily Pad featuredstudents as birds,snakes, alligators,turtles and fireflies.The Rush-Henriettacommunity supportsand promotesprograms andactivities thatencourage thedevelopment of theattributes that helpyoung people growup healthy, caringand responsible.

5Rush-Henrietta Central School District

Best wishes for a long and healthyretirement to all the employees whoretired from the school district duringthe 2000-2001 school year. Together, ineach of their positions, they wereinstrumental in preparing Rush-Henrietta students for responsiblecitizenship, productive futures andlife-long learning.

The retirees are Carol Andrews,elementary teacher, 34 years; LorettaBiller, reading teacher, 14 years;Theresa Capluzzi, elementary teacher,33 years; E. Joyce Carson, clerk, 12years; Deanna Coats, bus driver, 26.5years; Carol Conti, elementary teacher,34 years; Jim Cox, physical educationteacher, 33 years; James Davidson,science teacher, 34 years; RobertDayton, science teacher, 33 years;Elizabeth DeMersman, bus driver, 28years; Eugene DeVeto, bus driver, 11years; Michael DuPre, Science &Health Director, 11 years; David Eike,social studies teacher, 34 years; GeraldEverling, physical education teacher,26 years; Robert Fleming, scienceteacher, 33 years; Richard Fratta,English Language Arts Director, 9years; Barbara Freeman, paraprofes-sional, 19 years; Myrthia Grabenstetter,food service helper, 7.5 years; RichardGuido, English teacher, 31 years; LindaHalldow, paraprofessional, 18 years;Geraldine Hogan, English teacher, 32

Staff Members Retireyears; Marsha Hughes, Englishteacher, 29 years; and David Jamieson,cleaner, 38 years.

Retirees also included DonnaKleinhans, enrichment teacher, 8 years;Thomas Langan, maintenance me-chanic and courier, 22 years; EdwardLeary, science teacher, 33 years; KarinMelkis, bus driver, 24 years; ShirleyMeston, math teacher, 30 years; CaroleMills, elementary teacher, 31 years;Dorene Misner, food service helper,28.5 years; Joan Mortier, paraprofes-sional, 23 years; Marcia Nabut, specialeducation teacher, 23.5 years; MaureenO’Connor, elementary teacher, 33years; Ruth Pick, paraprofessional, 21years; Leola Porter, bus driver, 28years; Sue Raymond, physical educa-tion teacher, 33 years; Gary Rich,physical education teacher, 34 years;Penelope Rider, library-media special-ist, 33 years; Phyllis Rosen, paraprofes-sional, 13 years; Pamela Scheg, elemen-tary teacher, 31 years; Barbara Sloan,bus driver, 36 years; Katherine Smith,elementary teacher, 31 years; Linda J.Smith, science teacher, 33 years; LindaSteinberg, elementary teacher, 32years; Robert Stiles, cleaner, 37 years;Margaret Thurston, elementaryteacher, 33 years; Sandra Wiborg, busdriver, 31 years; and Gerald Zeltmann,English teacher, 32 years.

Rush-Henrietta Senior HighSchool has had a long-standingrelationship with the Lycee ReneDescartes in Rennes, France, one ofthe Rochester sister cities. Everyother year, including this year,students from upper-level Frenchclasses travel to Rennes to spend 10days with their host partners. Whilein Rennes, they live with families,attend classes at school and partici-pate in a variety of cultural andeducational activities. During thealternate years, the French partnerstravel to Rush-Henrietta to completethe exchange.

This spring R-H students were inRennes from April 14-24. Theiractivities included regular atten-dance in classes at the Lycee ReneDescartes, a guided tour of the city ofRennes, a reception at the Mayor’soffice and audience with the com-mercial attache to the U.S. consulatein France, a visit to Quiberon and itswild beaches, a visit to St. Malo (aseaside town on the northern coastof Brittany), as well as bowling anddancing. Students also visited anelementary school to teach youngerstudents about America.

At the end of the trip, studentsspent four days in Paris, where theyvisited the major monuments andexperienced all that the City of Lighthas to offer. Among the highlightswere Notre Dame Cathedral (and theclimb up its 400+ steps), the LouvreMuseum, Versailles (where R-Hstudents were interviewed by FrenchTV on the effects of the French strikeon museums), the Latin Quarter, theEiffel Tower, the Arc of Triumph andthe famous street les ChampsElysees.

The R-H exchange studentsincluded Kimberly Baker, ThoNguyen, Kara Lamanna, NickLiberto, Eric Jendryaszek, JohnStandish, Brian Roman, John Smith,Jeanette Sugrue, Julie Stoll, KatherineHead, Courtney Galusha, Becky

R-H Students Travelto French SisterSchool Schreier, Tracy

Roach, KristinaParker, KristineCartagena,Kelly O’Connelland JessicaCase. TeachersCandace Blackand FranciaGonzalezaccompaniedthe group.

All had afabulous time with their host partners and developed relationships that willlast beyond their high school years.

6 Rush-Henrietta Central School District

The Rush Henrietta EducationFoundation (RHEF) awarded fourscholarships at the Senior AwardsNight on May 24. Four graduatingseniors received the first ever scholar-ships awarded by RHEF.

The School-To-Work Award wasgranted to Jimmy Cleere in theamount of $1,000. This award is givento an R-H senior who is going directlyinto the work force upon graduation.

Lacey Laskowski and MichaelPatterson each received a $1,000scholarship toward college.

The fourth scholarship, funded by aprivate contribution from a parent andpresented in the memory of ChrisTanski, was awarded to Dan Bond inthe amount of $300.

Joe Bellanca, RHEF Trustee andScholarship Chair, commented at thepresentation of the four awards. “In itsfirst year of grant-making, RHEF ispleased to award four scholarships tofour deserving seniors who demon-strated achievement not only in theclassroom, but also in their dailyactivities.”

Each year the Rush-HenriettaCentral School District gives specialrecognition to a school volunteerwhose contributions to the Districthave been particularly noteworthy.This year, more than 20 people werenominated for this honor. From thisexcellent group, Michael Yudelson wasselected Volunteer of the Year.Yudelson is a long-time Districtresident and father of three children, ason at Winslow Elementary Schooland two pre-schoolers.

Yudelson has been heavily involvedwith Winslow for the four years hisson has attended Winslow. He can befound working at almost every schoolevent during and after regular schoolhours. He served as Vice President ofthe Winslow PTO for one year andPresident for the past two years. In thiscapacity, he actively worked to changethe perception of the PTO from afundraising organization to one thatencourages parent involvement in theeducation of their children. He servesas a parent representative on theWinslow Shared Decision MakingTeam, and in that role helped the teamstart monthly Parent Forums wherestaff gather information from parentsto help guide future school improve-ments and initiatives. He was instru-mental in the success of manyWinslow initiatives, among them the

40th birthday celebration and PTOfamily picnics.

In his professional life, Yudelsonwas the Director of the Town ofHenrietta’s Recreation Departmentand Youth Bureau as well as DeputyTown Supervisor. In this capacity, hewas a strong advocate for the StudentAssets initiative and other joint effortsof the school district and town insupport of this community’s youth.

Mike Yudelson’s generous workand positive interest on behalf ofWinslow children and the District aregreatly appreciated and set an ex-ample of how important parents are aspartners in providing an environmentconducive to student success.

Michael Yudelson Named R-HVolunteer of the Year

Michael Yudelson, left, Volunteer of theYear, is pictured with Dr. KennethGraham, Superintendent of Schools.

• District Launches RHTV CableProgramsA school district initiative during2001-2002 is to broadcast schoolactivities and events on cabletelevision. Beginning in July, theDistrict is presenting two two-hourcable television programs onChannel 15 (Brighton/Henrietta),generally on the second and fourthWednesday of each month from7:30-9:30 p.m. There were twoprograms in July, and there will beone program on August 8. Video-tapes of each program will beavailable for loan to District resi-dents who live outside the cablecastarea or who do not subscribe tocable. This initiative will enhancecommunication and provideopportunities to share some of themany successes of R-H studentsand staff with area residents. Thosewishing to borrow a tape may makearrangements by calling 359-5000.

• School Calendars Will Be AvailableIn mid-August, school districtcalendars and sports calendars willbe mailed directly to parents ofchildren attending R-H schools andwill be available to all communitymembers at several locations. Assupplies last, the calendars will beavailable at the Henrietta, Rush,Brighton and Pittsford libraries; theHenrietta Town Hall, Senior Centerand Youth Bureau; and the ParkerAdministration Building, 2034Lehigh Station Road. The calendarwill also be on the website atwww.rhnet.org in early August.

• Stardust DisplayCommunity members are invited tovisit the District administrationbuilding during the summer from8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to see thebulletin board display featuringStardust, the Fyle ElementarySchool “Horse on Parade.” Thebulletin board display is on thelower level of the Parker Adminis-tration Building located at 2034Lehigh Station Road.

7Rush-Henrietta Central School District

All students and staff mentioned belowwere Newsmakers during the 2000-2001school year.

• The TransportationDepartmentselected Mike Bellas this year’sProfessional PupilTransportationEmployee of theYear, a program of the RochesterArea Transportation SupervisorsAssociation. Over 30 schooldistricts and transportation organi-zations select employees for thiscelebration of student safety, whichwas held on May 21. Bell has beenan R-H bus driver since 1998. Hehas a perfect attendance, a goodsafety record and gets along wellwith all staff members. He alsoresides in the school district.

• Three R-H students were namedfinalists for the Young Women ofDistinction Award given by theWomen’s Council of the GreaterRochester Metro Chamber ofCommerce. They are ChristinaKettles, Shana Page and DeniseSiebert. This award is designed torecognize young women in theirjunior or senior year of high schoolin the Monroe County area whohave demonstrated superioracademic performance, volunteerservice and leadership.

• Six R-H cheerleaders were selectedas members of the All-AmericanCheer and Dance Squad that willperform in the 2002 NationalFootball League Pro-Bowl in Hawaii.They are juniors Kristen Bithornand Rhea Santangelo and sopho-mores Jenna DeMersman, AmandaCarden, Caitlin Minute andAmanda Locke. The girls are allmembers of the R-H VarsityCheerleading Team, which earnedthird place at the EasternCheerleading Association Cheer and

Miss Deaf AmericaVisits R-HMiss Deaf America, Lauren Teruel, was aguest in Rush-Henrietta schools, where shediscussed her experiences growing up as adeaf child, the pageant and her work asMiss Deaf America. She is picturedsigning the word “practice.” Over 600students in R-H schools study AmericanSign Language (ASL). Students can beginstudying ASL in sixth grade or when theyget to high school. Teruel’s visit wasarranged by the Deaf Education/ASLDepartment of Monroe I BOCES.

Dance Nationals in March. The sixwere nominated by their coach,Michelle Bealle, and they wereaccepted for the All-American Squadon the basis of their individualperformances at the nationals. Theteam is accepting donations towardthe expenses of the trip. The VarsityCheerleaders also took secondrunner-up in their division at theEastern Cheerleading Champion-ship in Virginia.

• The New York State Athletic Admin-istrators Association presented aDistinguished Service Award to Barband Chris Tanski, Jr. in memory ofthe late Christopher Tanski, Sr.,former Senior High School Principal.Mr. Tanski was well-known for hisextensive background in athletics.The award is presented annually toa person, or in memory of anindividual, who has made a signifi-cant contribution to athletics.

• Two members of the R-H commu-nity received community awards atthe annual dinner of the HenriettaCommerce Network on May 9.Jean Lazeroff, Director of the R-HTeacher Center, earned the Educa-tion Award for her contributions tothe community and the impact ofthe Teacher Center on professionaldevelopment for teachers in theschool district. David Pennella,president of the R-H Board ofEducation, earned the PublicService Award for distinguishedservice to the community andschool district as a member of theschool board.

• The following students organizedand implemented workshops atthis year’s Rochester area leader-ship conference at NazarethCollege in March. Over 425 areastudents attended. R-H studentpresenters included Joe Pennella,Fernando Nussenbaum, GretchenOechsle, Meaghan LaRocca, Vicki

Coons, Margaret O’Neill, Eliza-beth Schirmer and AmandaCarden.

• Sherman Elementary Schoolstudents and staff are truly caringand giving. Among their activitiesthis year was collecting manyitems on the Wish List of theRochester Ronald McDonaldHouse. Staff members again raisedmoney for various charitiesthrough Dre$$ for Dollar$. Once amonth for the past three years,staff members have “dresseddown,” and for that privilege, theyadd money to the charity “kitty.”This year they collected $1,054.35.

8 Rush-Henrietta Central School District

Teachers of the Year

Two R-H teachers were honored thisspring as Teachers of the Year. Lisa Pastore,left, a sixth grade science teacher at BurgerMiddle School, was named the HenriettaSam’s Club Teacher of the Year. Pastorereceived the most parent and student votesat the Henrietta location. Pastore willreceive a plaque and a $500 grant, whichshe plans to donate to the school’sHomework Hangout program. CarolAndrews, right, a recently retired fifthgrade teacher at Crane Elementary School,was named Henrietta Walmart Teacher ofthe Year. She received the most votes fromstudents and teachers at the Henriettastore. Andrews received a certificate fromWalmart at the Crane Faculty/PTAVolunteer Breakfast in June. The schoolwill receive a grant for $500 in Andrew’shonor.

Tops inStocks

Students representingsix teams from FyleElementary School werehonored at theDemocrat &Chronicle’s SpringStock Market GameAwards for finishing inthe top 20 teams of 102teams competing regionally. Fifty Fyle fifth graders participated in this on-linesimulation coordinated by Donna Plain, Fyle’s Enrichment Technology Teacher. Eachteam was given $100,000 to invest in the stock market. Students met twice weekly for10 weeks to select and track their stock portfolios.

The six teams in the top 20 were, finishing 8th - Elizabeth Bowser, AngelaWambach, Victoria Nachar, Wendy Latham; 9th - Zachary Angus, Joseph Wang, AlexPhillips, Kyle Walsh, David Hassett; 13th - Maneesha Jones, Stephanie Cravatta,Brittany Pfluke, Shannon Herrick, Anna Nwokelo; 14th - Jonathan Neri, NateDelone, Ryan Leonard, Cory McAllister, Brandon Guerrero; 18th - Kerri Hogan,Dominique Richardson, Alexandra Giuliano, Abbey Tedrow, Sheila LaMere; and 20th- Jordan Deane, Heather Kidder, Joanna Vail, Lauren Fulkerson, Nicole Groth.Representing the six Fyle teams at the awards ceremony were, from the left (bottom)Joseph Wang, Zachary Angus, Kyle Walsh, Alex Phillips, (top) Alexandra Giuliano,Abbey Tedrow, Angela Wambach, Wendy Latham, Victoria Nachar, Elizabeth Bowser,Shannon Herrick and Anna Nwokelo.

• Jared Rosenau has been awardedthe 2001 Antoinette BrownBlackwell Scholarship. Jared, agraduating senior at R-H SeniorHigh School, was a junior boardmember of the R-H District ParentsAdvisory Council and Senior HighSchool Student Council. He alsoperformed with the R-H singers inEurope and in Carnegie Hall.

• Andrea Campo and SueCotterman‘s fifth grade class atLeary Elementary School enjoyeda marketing unit in which thestudents designed and made LearyLaces, designer shoe laces, andJimbobobs, bead key chain ani-mals. The students marketed theirproducts to other students, makinga profit of about $400, which theyused for books for the schoollibrary and a donation to the RushFire Department.

• Jessica Burdick, a social studiesteacher at the Senior High School,was selected for the Excellence inSecondary School Teaching Awardfrom the Graduate School of Educa-tion and Human Development ofthe University of Rochester.

• Ten R-H Senior High School stu-dents studying at the EasternMonroe Career Center (EMCC) haveearned special honors. Nine werenamed to the third quarter HonorRoll for maintaining an A average intheir vocational education classes.They are Amy Boula and ThomasWelch (Culinary Arts), James Cleere(Precision Manufacturing), BrandonDetlef and Reinaldo Vasquez (AutoServices), Brian Eshelman (TradeElectricity), Kevin Kneller (Carpen-try), Elizabeth Pisu (CriminalJustice) and Sarah Potter (NewVision Medical Careers). In addition,

• Molly Conway, an eighth grader atRoth Middle School, was selected asone of 30 students to participate inGeva’s Summer Academy 2001. Shewill train with professional actors tohelp develop and explore actingtalents. The program will includecourses in acting, voice and diction,movement, rehearsal productions,music ensemble and text analysis.Molly’s activities include theater,band and chorus at Roth, dancingand serving on the teen editorialboard of Bluejean Media.

• Rush-Henrietta employees con-tributed a whopping $33,000 forUnited Way this year. KristinMosher, Assistant Director forHuman Resources, organized andcoordinated this year’s successfulcampaign.

9Rush-Henrietta Central School District

The District takes great pride in the success of the Ninth Grade Academy during itsfirst year of operation. The opening of the academy was a major initiative of the

District that receivedwidespread support from staff,students, parents and thecommunity. The Class of2004 marked the end of asuccessful first year bymarching from the Academyto the Senior High School onJune 15. The parade signifiedthe end of the first year of anew initiative as well as anew beginning for thosestudents who will attend theSenior High School in the fall.

Class of 2004 Starts a New Tradition

Cosmetology student Cydney Hesswas a second place winner in theNew York State Vocational IndustrialClubs of America Skills Champion-ship in Syracuse this spring.

• Margaret O’Neil, a junior, coordi-nated a DWI reenactment at theR-H Senior High School on June 1.Held on the morning of the SeniorBall, the reenactment was meant toshow students what can happenwhen people drink and drive.Many agencies participated,including the Henrietta Fire andAmbulance Services, the MonroeCounty Sheriff ’s Department andthe Medical Examiner’s office.

• Colby James Burke, a student atLeary Elementary School, wasfeatured in the Democrat andChronicle as a person who ismaking a difference. Colby takesspecial care to make sure hisyounger brother is okay.

• Cheryl Merzke, Monroe #1BOCES interpreter at the SeniorHigh School, coached a Monroe #1BOCES team of high schoolstudents that won second place inthe Gallaudet University NortheastRegional High School Academic

All of the elementary schools celebrate reading with special activities. WinslowElementary School held the “Great New York Read Aloud” during which communitymembers such as Julia Figueras of WXXI Radio, left, enjoyed reading to theyoungsters. Channel 13reporter Mary McCombs wasone of the guest readers at theFyle Elementary School ReadAloud Program. She is picturedreading to Rhonda Mannara’sthird grade class, right.

Celebrating Reading

Bowl for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students. The competi-tion, one of five regional contestsin the country, was held at theAmerican School for the Deaf inWest Hartford, Connecticut.

• David Bryan Buttram of FinucaneRoad, Henrietta, has been electedto represent the Rush-HenriettaCentral School District on theMonroe #1 BOCES Board ofEducation. His term of office runsfrom July 1, 2001 through June 30,2004.

Buttram was nominated by theR-H Board of Education andelected by board of educationmembers in the 10 school districtsthat comprise Monroe #1 BOCES.He replaces John Guarre, whochose not to run after serving onthe BOCES Board for eight years.Buttram is a lawyer and minister atSouthside Church of Christ. Healso works as an instructor ofparalegal students at Bryant &Stratton. He is a board memberand volunteer for Christian YouthServices, Inc.

10 Rush-Henrietta Central School District

Students Learn to“Check It Out”For the past two years, students inthe health classes in the Senior HighSchool have benefited from theexcellent “Check It Out” program ofthe Hadassah organization ondetecting breast and testicularcancer. Among the many volunteerspeakers this year were DonaldDeBlase, far left, a testicular cancer survivor; Dr. Jason Mendler, center, an R-Hgraduate and physician currently studying for a Ph.D. at the University of Rochester;and Linda Loy, right, a breast cancer survivor.

STOP DWIPoster Winners

Three students from theSenior High School werewinners in the MonroeCounty Stop DWI PosterContest this year. Theyare Justin Bombard, firstplace; Laila Garsys,honorable mention, andAndrew Hoffere (notpictured), third place.Justin’s poster will bemade into a billboard inthe City of Rochester.Justin and Andrew arejuniors and Laila is asenior.

• Seven R-H Senior High Schoolstudents were inducted into theEastern Monroe Career Center(EMCC) chapter of the NationalVocational Technical HonorSociety. They are Katie Giroux,Sarah Potter and JulianneThurston, New Vision MedicalCareers; Laura Laredo, Photogra-phy & Imaging; James Cleere,

Precision Manufacturing Technol-ogy; Nicole Pagan, Early Child-hood Education; and KevenKneller, Carpentry. To be eligiblefor the Honor Society, studentsmust have a 90% average, a 95%attendance rate and demonstrateleadership and initiative atEMCC.

• Rush-Henrietta Music ParentsAssociation (RHMPA) awardedSummer Enrichment Grants tothe following students for 2001:Meghan Beattie, Nathan Berry,Margaret Rich, Michael Cottone,Simon Fletcher and DavidGoebel.

• The Senior High School Ameri-can Sign Language (ASL) Clubsigned the National Anthem forthe third consecutive year at theRed Wing “Dummy Hoy/DeafNight” game on June 9. Thefollowing students performed:Beth Erenstone, Mitch Nichols,Ashley Ozelek, Nathan Lantz,Stephanie Barraco and VincentBertolone. Dummy Hoy was thefirst deaf baseball player. The ASLClub signs at Red Wing games tohelp raise awareness aboutDummy Hoy.

• Karen Baker, a teacher at FyleElementary School, participatedin a Rotary International GroupStudy Exchange with Japan forfour weeks this spring. She wasone of the four people in variousprofessions selected for the tripwith Rotary members. Thepurpose of the exchange was toincrease global understanding.Baker was granted a leave to takethe trip by the R-H Board ofEducation, and upon her return,she attended a Board of Educa-tion meeting to thank the Boardand describe the many highlightsof the study exchange. In each offour cities she was involved incultural opportunities, vocationalstudies and attending Rotarymeetings. She was able to get afirst-hand look at the educationalsystems in three of the cities,where she visited five differentclassrooms and met two princi-pals, both of whom had manyquestions about her teaching inRush-Henrietta.

11Rush-Henrietta Central School District

Employer Recognition BreakfastEmployers of R-H students were recognized at the annual Employer RecognitionBreakfast on May 31. Among them were some of the 66 employers of the 102students in the Cooperative Work Experience Program. Also attending were someof the 54 mentors in 38 different companies (including eight R-H schools) whoaccepted 68 students for “shadowing” placements. Forty-three percent of thesenior class participated in shadowing during their high school career. TimSpencer, bottom, who hadthree experiences shadowinga teacher, a veterinarian and apet store manager, said theseopportunities helped himmake a better informeddecision about his future. Forhis last shadowing (Petco), hecombined his love of animalswith his interest inbusiness and wasoffered a part-timejob, which he isgreatly enjoying. Alsopictured is Dan Blomof the HenriettaVolunteer AmbulanceService receiving acertificate ofappreciation from SueBeattie.

• After a rigorousselection process, R-Hsophomore ChaseBuckman wasselected to participatein the World ScholarAthlete Games in Junealong with students from over 160countries and all the U.S. states. Thisevent upholds the tradition of theOlympic Games while celebratingscholarship and cultural growth.Chase, a scholar-musician, attendedas a member of the InternationalSymphonic Orchestra.

• The District Wellness Councilplanned a Spring Training Dayfor about 100 high schoolstudents selected as NaturalHelpers. The focus of the day was“School Climate: Where do wedraw the lines?” The day wasplanned by Lea Theuer, JaniceHargrave and George Falcón.Students talked about behavioralnorms in school and addressedissues such as teasing vs.harassment & bullying, recklessdriving and other peer behaviorsthat affect school climate. Theyimproved their ownunderstandings and talked aboutwhat they can do in their role asNatural Helpers to influenceschool climate. Students whoparticipated in two or more of theNatural Helpers’ 12 communityservice projects this year werealso recognized: Ashley Baker,Cody Baker, Kevin Berliner, MattBerliner, Laura Caraballo,Mandy Carden, Dan Cleveland,Jason Conway, Lisa Cowdery,Lea Daley, Crystal DeBuck,Jenna Demersman, DanielleDoyle, Chris Felluca, KristinFusco, Tameesha Gamble, StevenGilman, Lacey Godden, MattHaschmann, Colleen Irving, JoshKessler, Meaghan Larocca,Richard Lawson, Sam Marcello,

Blake Martin, Frank Martin,Veronica McClive, MollyMcGinnis, Walter Moore,Fernando Nussenbaum, KellyO’Connell, Geoff O’Connor, KimSanderson, Rhea Santangelo,Erin Saxon, Elizabeth Schirmer,Tim Schirmer, AmandaSchulmerich, Brittany Sisson,Amanda Smith, Kristin Spano,Megan Treuthart, MichaelWeaver, Michelle Williams andDawn Wood.

• The R-H Distance LearningCenter has been a great successthis year in connecting studentsand staff in “real time” withpeople and events around theworld. On April 2, Gary Parisi’sAdvanced Placement Politics &

Government class attended adistance learning program calledLessons from Little Rock broadcastfrom the Museum of Tolerance/Simon Wiesenthal Center in LosAngeles. R-H students were ableto meet and converse with Dr.Terrence Roberts, one of the nineAfrican American students who,under the protection of federalmarshals, integrated CentralHigh School in Little Rock,Arkansas. Dr. Roberts’ familyeventually moved to Los Angeles,and he became a clinicalpsychologist and collegeprofessor. The R-H students wereawed to speak with someone whowas part of this importantmilestone in the civil rightsmovement.

2034 Lehigh Station RoadHenrietta, New York 14467(716) 359-5000www.rhnet.org

Board of EducationMr. David R. Pennella, PresidentMrs. Sylvia Perez-Hardy, Vice PresidentMrs. Susan E. BankerMrs. Arlene BurdettMrs. Susan M. DerrickDr. A. Dirk HightowerMr. Matthew D. Spuck

Superintendent of SchoolsJ. Kenneth Graham, Jr., Ph.D.

EditorsNanette P. Hance, Norma A. Press

ECRWSS

Postal Customer

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDRochester, NYPermit No. 887

Rush-Henrietta Central School District

Voter Eligibility• You must be registered with the Monroe County

Board of Elections or the Rush-Henrietta CentralSchool District.

• You must be a United States citizen.• You must be at least 18 years of age by October 10,

2001.• You must be a resident of the school district at

least 30 days prior to the vote.• You do not have to own property in the District.

Voting LocationThe proposed District Transportation Center votewill be held only at the Ninth Grade Academy(Webster Building), Strickland Conference Room,2000 Lehigh Station Road, Henrietta.

Registration DayThursday, October 4, 2001 from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. isRush-Henrietta School District Registration Day. Thosewishing to register should go to the Ninth GradeAcademy, 2000 Lehigh Station Road. A person’sregistration continues in effect as long as that personlives at the same address. Anyone who is registeredwith the Monroe County Board of Elections does nothave to register with the school district.

Absentee BallotsAbsentee ballots are available to qualified residentsof the District who are unable to vote in person onOctober 10, 2001 for reasons specified by law. Votersmust complete an application for an absentee ballotin order to receive a ballot. Applications are avail-able by phone or in person at the District Clerk’sOffice, Administration Building, 2034 Lehigh StationRoad. If you have any questions, you may callElizabeth Bevan, District Clerk, at 359-5010.

AAAAATTENDTTENDTTENDTTENDTTENDa Community Forum

on the proposedDistrict Transportation CenterTuesday, September 25, 2001

7:00-9:00 p.m.Ninth Grade Academy

2000 Lehigh Station Road

READREADREADREADREADabout the proposed

District Transportation Centerin a special brochure to be mailed

to all District residents in late September

on the proposedDistrict Transportation CenterWednesday, October 10, 2001

6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.Ninth Grade Academy

2000 Lehigh Station Road