Susquehanna
Valley
Central School District
The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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January 2015
“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
Saber Views
January 2015
Bus referendum scheduled for February 10
Susquehanna Valley School District voters will go to the polls in
February to consider a bus purchase proposition.
The referendum, Tuesday, February 10, 2015, between the hours
of 12:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., would authorize the district to purchase one
72-passenger bus, two 66-passenger buses, and one wheelchair bus at a
total cost not to exceed $441,000.00.
As part of the District’s ongoing bus
replacement plan it is not anticipated the
purchase will increase the tax levy. The district will be sending detailed information to
residents in the coming days.
Voters who require an absentee ballot may apply for one at the Office of the
District Clerk, 1040 Conklin Road, P.O.
Box 200, Conklin, New York 13748. A request for an application must be
received by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education at
least seven (7) days before the vote if the ballot is to be mailed to the absentee voter or by the day before if the ballot is to be delivered personally
to the absentee voter. Absentee ballots must be received by the District
Clerk or designee not later than 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote.
Sabers trio named to Elite 24 and
All-Region Football teams
Canady
Zembek
Clark
When the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, the Elmira StarrGazette and The Ithaca Journal announced their fifth annual Elite 24 football team, there were some familiar names included. Three Susquehanna
Valley Sabers seniors - Lain Zembek, Bruce Canady, and Adam Clark
- were selected by the three newspapers’ sports staffs. The Elite 24 consists of 24 players from the Section 4 Football Conference. In addition,
each of the three newspapers selected an All-Region squad, made up of
players from teams in the respective newspapers’ circulation areas.
The newspapers wrote of linebacker Zembek: “multi-faceted athlete - had a huge hand in SV’s resurgence; orchestrated at the line of
scrimmage, then went ahead and read and whacked and covered - just
plain answered the call.” Zembek won high praise from competing coaches for his physical play and ability to cover a lot of ground on the football
field.
Canady did it all for the Sabers this past season. His ability to play
multiple positions well was among the complimentary things the Sabers’
skipper had to say in the newspaper profile. “He’s a specimen of versatility,” was how Sabers coach Mike Ford summed up this Defensive End/
Tight End/Running Back/Wide Receiver/Linebacker/Punter. The sports
staff also praised Canady’s speed: “burst off the line of scrimmage with
the snap of the football and pursuit of the ball carrier set him apart. Team
leader in sacks, made 72 tackles and was among the premier punters in the
section as SV returned to the Section 4 playoffs.”
Clark, who played on the Sabers offensive line, was named to the
All-Region team representing players from the Binghamton Press & SunBulletin’s circulation area.
Saber Views
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Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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On the web: www.svsabers.org
Resident
Update on search for superintendent
The Susquehanna Valley School Board continues to search for a
successor to retiring Superintendent Gerardo Tagliaferri.
In December, the board reopened the search after the candidate
selected, Joseph Dyer, informed the district that he had decided to remain
at his current position as superintendent of the Tuckahoe School District
on Long Island.
At that time, board president Robert Strick announced that the
search would be reopened, and that the board, in reviewing its options,
would discuss the potential need for an interim superintendent until a permanent successor can take the helm.
“Even though we had to resume the process, the time already
spent has been very productive for our board,” Strick said. “It has helped
us identify and focus on the attributes that we think are critical to finding
the right person to lead our school district. This is a great school district
with an established record of sound leadership. I have every confidence
that we will continue to be an attractive option for potential superintendent candidates.”
The Big Apple awaits!
Sabers singers, musicians
invited to the big stage
The Susquehanna Valley High School Chorus, Concert Band and
Orchestra have been invited to perform in New York City March 27-29,
2015. The Concert Chorus will perform at
the Statue of Liberty, and the
combined Concert Band and
Orchestra will perform at Lincoln Center. Between performances, students will travel to
Broadway to see a performance
of Phantom of the Opera, and
will tour the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Radio City Music Hall,
the Top of the Rock, and the 9-11 Memorial. They will also be taken on
guided tours of Manhattan, China Town and Little Italy.
“This is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime performance opportunity for these students, and we are really honored to have been invited,”
said band director Meggan Olds. “The kicker
has been the cost - we have been
fundraising to assure that every
student that wants to go is
able to afford it!”
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The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
A Message from the
Superintendent
It is with great pleasure that we present to
you this edition of Saber Views. In the pages
of this newsletter you will find a great deal of
information and photographs, showcasing our
students and staff participating in the many
events and activities that define our school district as a great place to live and learn.
As we make our way through the 2014-15 school year, we find
ourselves grappling with a number of familiar challenges. The development of the 2015-16 budget is well underway. Our team has been hard at
work, carefully reviewing our expenditures and anticipated revenues in
preparing a budget that will meet our needs for the next fiscal year.
We are continuing to prepare for work related to the $3.2 million
capital project approved by voters December 10, 2013. We are still on
track for work to commence this summer, with projected completion in
the fall. As you may remember, this project will be funded with a combination of state aid and use of the district’s capital reserve fund, with
no anticipated impact on school taxes. Work will include replacement
of the entire roof at Brookside Elementary School, along with asbestos
abatement of corridor floor tiles, electrical upgrades at Richard T. Stank
Middle School, and - at SV High School - replacement of a portion of the
floor, a new theatrical lighting system and upgrades to the original house
lighting system in the auditorium, replacement of student lockers, and
classroom renovations to improve and relocate high school technology
and pre-engineering programs.
As you saw on the front page of this publication, we will be putting before you a bus purchase referendum February 10. A safe, efficient
transportation system is vital to our mission, and this involves periodically replacing older buses with new ones. I encourage you to learn the
details of this referendum and exercise your right to vote on February 10
between 12:00 and 9:00 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.
I’ve been extremely proud to see our athletic program enjoying
a very successful year. Many team and individual accomplishments are
chronicled in the pages of this newsletter, and I commend our athletes,
coaches, and parents for their ongoing dedication to excellence. I also
applaud our music staff, student musicians and parents for working so
diligently to stage winter concerts when weather disrupted the original
schedule. Our music department staff is second to none, and our students
gave performances they can be proud of.
This is to be the last time I will communicate with you as superintendent in this column. As you know, I am retiring at the end of January.
Over the last 27 years at Susquehanna Valley, it has been my privilege to
work with an outstanding group of administrators, teachers, support staff,
board members and parents as we have all strived to prepare students for
“grade 13.” It has always been my goal as an educator to provide leadership in doing what is best for kids and for the organization for which
I’ve served. It is my hope that over my career, I have positively impacted
both.
Thank you for your support and I wish you the best in the years
ahead.
Gerardo Tagliaferri, Superintendent of Schools
Saber Views
A publication of the Susquehanna Valley Central School District
SVCSD Mission Statement:
“The Susquehanna Valley Central School Community is committed to
providing a caring, equitable environment with high expectations for
learning. We encourage the development of critical thinking,
self esteem and responsible citizenship.”
Gerardo Tagliaferri, Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Renee Stalma, Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Board of Education
Robert Strick, President • Mary Haskell, Vice-President •
Jordan Jicha • Raymond Storm • Robert Sullivan
Suzanne Vimislik • Joseph Walker
Writer/Editor/Photographer: Jim Hull
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2014-15 SV Board of Education
2014-15 SVCSD Board of Education and Chief Administrators
Seated (left to right): Dr. Renee Stalma, Assistant Superintendent, Robert
Strick, President, Mary Haskell, Vice-President, Gerardo Tagliaferri, Superintendent. Standing (left to right): Joseph Walker, Raymond Storm,
Robert Sullivan, Jordan Jicha, Suzanne Vimislik.
The Susquehanna Valley Board of Education meets the third
Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the board room adjacent to the
SV District Offices in SV High School. Additional special meetings may
be scheduled during the year. Any additions or changes to the board’s
meeting calendar will be publicized. The public is invited and encouraged
to attend. At each meeting, there are two opportunities for public comment on agenda items and non-agenda items.
New leadership post for former SV
board president Ruffo
Sandra Ruffo, who served on the Susquehanna
Valley school board for 18 years - 15 as president - has
assumed a new educational leadership post. Ruffo was
elected in September 2014 as Area 4 Director of the
New York State School Boards Association. She began
her two-year term January 1.
As Area 4 director, Ruffo will represent Broome,
Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Onondaga,
Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins Counties on the NYSSBA, an organization that provides advocacy, training and information to school boards in
support of their mission to govern the state’s public schools.
In addition to her time on SV’s board, Ruffo has served since
1995 on the Broome-Tioga BOCES Board - the last ten as president.
RTS students flex their math muscles
Richard T. Stank Middle School was well-represented in the
B.A.E. Mathalon Competition, December 6 at Vestal Middle School. SV
fielded two out of the
twelve teams.
Team A:
Sean Bronson, Kayla Miller, Hope Savercool, Dylan Gaska,
Jonathon Cerretani,
Alex Fedo, Caiden
Hogan.
Team B: Mercedes
Stiner, Joey Mayglothling, Karim Al-Khalidi, James Mullen, Caroline Bunt, Matthew Casado, Barbara Hill. Coach: Andrea Gresko.
The competition consisted of seven 15-minute rounds, with students working in teams to solve math problems. In an additional round,
students worked individually to solve
problems without
assistance or even
a calculator. The
R.T.S. teams placed
5th and 7th.
The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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January 2015
“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
RTS science students ‘tank’ful for answers
In show business - and, apparently in education, it’s “who you
know.” Students in Mary Therese Ostanek’s science classes at Richard T. Stank Middle School
are giving “tanks” for someone their teacher knows.
As Mrs. Ostanek tells
it: “In science we were studying density of different materials, etc., and we got on the
topic of synthetics and started
talking about acrylic and how
they use it to construct fish
tanks in the TV show Tanked.
I happen to know the producer of the show and contacted him to see if
we could send a video of 8th graders asking questions.”
For those unacquainted with Tanked, it’s a show that airs on
Animal Planet that follows two brothers-in-law as they run the largest
aquarium manufacturing company in the nation, Las Vegasbased Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM).
As it turns out, not only
was it o.k. for Ostanek to send
a video, but teacher and students
alike were surprised and pleased
Reading takes center stage
at Brookside, F.P. Donnelly
November 10 was a big day at
Brookside Elementary School - the
official launch of this year’s PARP
(Parents as Reading Partners) Program. This year, Brookside PARP
organizer Beth Bieber invited
a pair of local authors, Marcus
Mohalland and Jan Lewis Zelesnikar to help launch PARP
by (you guessed it) READING!
The pair talked about how they
came to create their “Silly Nomads” books, based upon Marcus’ years
growing up in Jamaica. They signed and distributed copies to Brookside
students and had some help from a couple of young men to “act out”
scenes from their book.
At Francis P. Donnelly
Elementary School, students
and staff spent most of the
month of November diving into
book after book to celebrate
PARP. While they take reading seriously at Donnelly Elementary, they also know how
to have fun! This year’s theme
of Riding the Reading Wave
gave PARP organizers a chance
to receive a video
in return, featuring the stars of
the show, Wayde
King and Brett
Raymer, answering all the submitted questions.
Ostanek
showed the response video to her students at the end of November. The Tanked stars
also sent pictures and other memorabilia.
For Ostanek, her friendship with the producer of the show pro- to get really creative. With the help of a team of “professional” hula
vided a unique opportunity for some outside-the-ordinary teaching. dancers, FPD kicked off this year’s edition of PARP in a big way with a
“This is a real-life engineering application of science for my students,” Hawaiian-style luau, complete with a vacation of the mind to the islands.
she said.
SV High students explore construction careers
Twenty-five Susquehanna
Valley students joined nearly 600
of their peers from 19 surrounding school districts at the annual
Southern Tier Construction Career Day October 8. The daylong
event gives young people an opportunity to experience firsthand
what awaits them in construction
careers. The event was held at the
Broome County Highway Department facilities in Chenango
Bridge and featured exhibits by
a number of construction-related
organizations and schools, as well
as heavy equipment demonstrations. Many of the students actually got the chance, under supervision, to operate equipment such
as bulldozers, backhoes and dump
trucks.
Construction Career Day
introduces high school students
to a range of career opportunities in the construction industry.
The event was organized by a consortium
of groups, including
the New York State
Department of Transportation, the Broome
County highway Department,
BroomeTioga Workforce New
York, Broome-Tioga
BOCES, and several local companies and trade
unions involved in the
construction industry.
The program is directly
supported by the Federal Highway Administration through the
NYS Department of Transportation, which provides grants to
fund the program around the Empire State. This grant covers busing, insurance and lunch. In addition, Broome-Tioga Workforce
New York provides grant funding
to offset the costs of the event.
There is no cost to the schools.
In addition to Broome
County, the program is currently
offered in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca,
Rochester, Syracuse and Utica.
Susquehanna Valley students who attended: Andrew
Rudy, Alex Bange, Jason Lakin,
Jordan Major, James Shea,
Nick Miller, Daniel Griffiths,
Vince Dellacorino, Damion Burgess, Jeff Correll, Austin Win-
ans, Nick Giles, Hunter King,
Nicholas Schwenz, Joshua Andrade, Geoffrey Sutliff, Kayla
Henry, Trevor Harder, Austin
Theodoroff, Chance Johnson,
Jacob Edgington, Cameron Patton, Robert Pierson, Eric Naro,
and Preston Brown.
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The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
SV High School NHS Induction
The Susquehanna Valley High School Chapter of the National
Honor Society inducted fifteen new members during a ceremony November 13 in the high school auditorium. Chapter President Alexis Rolston
welcomed those gathered for the ceremony and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Gerardo Tagliaferri, Superintendent of
Schools, offered opening
remarks, along with SV
alumnus Kacy Zelesnikar,
in a special section devoted to the voices of past,
current and new members. Carly Hattala and
Katherine Mosher rounded out that trio of voices.
Officers Alexis Rolston, President, David Matthews,
Vice-President, Julia Allen, Secretary, and Carly Hattala, Treasurer talked about the NHS tents and lit the ceremonial NHS candles. NHS CoAdvisor Katherine Hattala then introduced this year’s inductees, who lit
candles, received the NHS pin and a congratulatory handshake from NHS
Co-Advisor Gianni Cordisco.
Hundreds enjoy Brookside Pasta Fiesta
The Brookside Elementary School cafeteria was transformed
into a bustling Italian restaurant Thursday, November 13. The Brookside PTA-sponsored event attracted hundreds of hungry patrons
who feasted on a delicious pasta
dinner, prepared and served by
Brookside staff, students, and PTA
volunteers. This annual event has
become one of the most popular
on the Brookside calendar.
Mathways to the Stars at RTS
National Honor Society Members in attendance: Julia Allen,
Kent Boatman, Justin Caroway, Maria Christoff, Carly Hattala, Ian
Lupole, David Matthews, Madison O’Dea, Alexis Rolston, and Jordyn Williams.
2014-15 Inductees: Julia Black, Meghan Evans, Mira Hailu,
Emily Harding, Natalie Hogan, Emily Howland, Megan Howland,
Mary Kate Lindemann, Tyler Miller, Katherine Mosher, Joseph Osgood, Kaitlyn Stewart, Kashawn Stroman, Christina Waite, and Lain
Zembek.
Musical selections were provided by the Senior High Orchestra
under the direction of Eileen Miller.
The orchestra: Violin 1: Michael Christian, Jade Fiess, Emily Harding*; Viola: Carolyn Jones, Amanda Miller, Erin Oakley, Brian Lord,
Brianna Mott; Violin 2: Adriana Giammarino, Giannino Giammarino, Christian Kilmer, Payton Prince, Marisa Whitman; Cello: Ian
Lupole*, Keelin Laskaris, Joshua Shore; Bass: Erik Bovee, Nick Schwenz. *National Honor Society Member
Francis P. Donnelly Elementary School
2014 - 2015 5th Grade Honor Roll
1st Quarter
Sierra Cook • Madison Deyo • Andrew Gerrehy
Katelyn Howe • Payton Lloyd • Kyleigh Lord
Grace Lovell • Abigail Mayglothling • Dawson McAvoy
Gianna Morabito • Elizabeth O’Neill • Kassandra Page
Patricia Roon • Ava Spottek • Joshua Stewart
Madeline Ulma • Gayle Valentine
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The annual Mathways to the Stars Program at Richard T. Stank
Middle School has wrapped up for this year. Once again, it featured many
activities and projects, including creating solar
system posters, like the ones Kolton Gardner
(pictured left) and
Alex Fedo (right) are
displaying. There was
also the annual visit
from the DigiDome a mobile planetarium.
The Mathways to
the Stars closing ceremony was held October 29. This year’s
participants (pictured below before entering the
DigiDome) were: Karim Al-Khalidi, Sean Bronson, Ethan Brusso,
Caroline Bunt, Maresa Burr, Madison Dorunda, Jack Dyson, Alex
Fedo, Kolton Gardner, Dylan Gaska, Payton Gendron, Barbara Hill,
Caiden Hogan, Joseph Mayglothing, James Mullen, Lisa Prmar, Jessica Roon, Marisa Sarantapoulos, Hope Savercool, Emily Trudell,
Lara VanPutten. Co-Advisors: Andrea Gresko, Michael Pixley.
The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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January 2015
“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
Bravo! to star Saber musicians
Saber Stage Productions to present classic
Adalet Kurtulus • Junior High Area All-State Chorus
Jared Basmajian • Junior High Area All-State Band
Julia Black • High School Area All-State Chorus
Roberto Jensen, Tyler Miller • High School Area All-State Band
Carolyn Jones, Erin Oakley • High School Area All-State Orchestra
The Junior High Area All-State students traveled to Cortland on
November 7-8, 2014 to perform in regional honors ensembles under the
direction of top conductors from across the Northeast. They spent Friday
night and Saturday morning rehearsing, and shared their performance Saturday afternoon at Cortland Junior/Senior HS.
The High School Area All-State students will travel to Ithaca College on Friday and Saturday, January 30-31, 2015. The students will perform with the top high school students from NYSSMA Regional Zone
3, including schools from Broome, Cayuga, Onondaga, Cortland, Tompkins, and Tioga Counties. Students will be under the direction of leading
conductors from around the country, rehearsing together all day Friday
and Saturday. The weekend will culminate in a performance in Ford Hall
at Ithaca College on Saturday, January 31, 2015 beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Fire Prevention Week at F. P. Donnelly
Francis P. Donnelly Elementary kindergarten students recently got an up-close look
at a very important tool during Fire Prevention Week. Members of the the Kirkwood
Volunteer Fire Department visited the school with their fully-equipped fire truck.
SV High School’s drama club - Saber Stage Productions - will present the timeless classic The
Wizard of Oz, March 20-22, 2015 in the high
school auditorium. Cast and crew are busy at
work creating the yellow brick road that leads
to the magical city of Oz, and they’re hoping
to take full houses with them. Show times Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 are 7:00
p.m., curtain on Sunday, March 22 is at 2:00 p.m.
THE CAST:
Dorothy...........................................Carly Hattala
Scarecrow........................................Julia Black
Tinman............................................Tyler Miller
Cowardly Lion................................Cam Wright
The Wizard......................................Joe Osgood
Auntie Em........................................Meghan Evans
Uncle Henry, City Leader 1............Kevin Cady
Hickory............................................Nick Miller
Hunk................................................Thomas Coe
Zeke.................................................Patrick Schwartz
Miss Gulch, Braggart.....................Clare Osborn
Professor Marvel............................Kory Harder
Glinda.............................................Megan Howland
Wicked Witch of the West................Jhane’ Basmajian
Crows...............................Jen Santi, Kiannah Rodriguez, Zach Finney
Trees......Maddie Wooden, Mary Kate Lindemann, Samantha Lown,
Shyanne Daye, Kayla Henry, Sophia Kilmer
Guard..............................................Joe Osgood
Ozians.....Payton Prince, Alexis Douglas, Erika Roberts, Liz Wiggins
Winkie General...............................Holly Bjalme-Evans
Munchkin Mayor.............................Nick Merrell
Munchkin Barrister.........................Mr. Cline
Munchkin Coroner..........................Mr. Naccarato
City Leader 2..................................Mary Kate Lindemann
Munchkin Teachers.........................Maddie Wooden, Samantha Lown
Woman............................................Mikayla Djokic
Oz Ensemble, Winkies,
Monkeys, Poppies, Lullaby League,
Lollipop Guild.............Cast, dancers, teachers
New additions to the Sus Valley
Wall of Fame
The Susquehanna Valley Wall of Fame committee hosted the 6th
SV Wall of Fame class induction, Saturday, October 25, 2014 at the SV
High School football field.
Eight former athletes,
one coach, and four teams were
recognized for their outstanding
athletic accomplishments during
their Sabers careers. The induction ceremony took place at halftime of the varsity football game
versus Windsor. A reception followed in the high school gym.
2014 Athlete Inductees:
Brenda Rader-Matias – Class of 1990
Patrick Bado – Class of 1989
Steven Kaminsky – Class of 1972
Meredith Mullins – Class of 2004
Rachael Wiggins – Class of 2004
Erik Boveé – Class of 1998
Ted Storti – Class of 1975
Andrew Whalen – Class of 2004
2014 Coach Inductee:
Ron Simkulet – Golf
2014 Teams: 1978 Boys Cross Country,
1993 and 1994 Girls Bowling, 1998 Boys Golf
The committee welcomes anyone to pick up a nomination form to help select the 2015 Wall of Fame Class.
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The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
January 2015
Holiday decorations carry sobering message Young SV artists are YES! winners
Doors around Susquehanna Valley High School were dressed up
in their holiday best, thanks to SV High’s chapter of SADD (Students
Against Destructive Decisions). SADD sponsored a door decorating contest, calling on homerooms
to incorporate a timely
SADD message, discouraging young people - and
others - not to drink or text
and drive.
In addition to decorating
Three elementary school students from Susquehanna Valley are
among 27 winners in this year’s YES! Safe Choices for Kids Red Ribbon
Week Poster Contest. Over 1,000 elementary school student artists from
Broome, Chenango and Tioga counties submitted entries.
Winning posters were designed by Brookside Elementary School
students Amanat Dhillon and Anthony Palmieri, and Francis P. Donnelly Elementary School student Vance Cokely.
The 27 winners were recognized recently at a reception held at
the Binghamton Senators Arena Club. Each of the young artists was presented with a personalized certificate and a gift card.
YES! Safe Choices for Kids (www.YesSafeChoices.org) is a partnership between Senator Tom Libous and Lourdes Hospital. YES! works
to help kids in our area learn skills they need to resist using alcohol and
drugs. YES! also provides parents with useful tips and fun activities they
can use as starting points in talking about substance abuse with their
kids.
Red Ribbon Week is one of the oldest and largest drug prevention
programs in the nation. The tradition of displaying Red Ribbons is a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. Students used their creativity
and knowledge about the dangers of alcohol and drugs to design original
artwork for the YES! Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest.
doors, SADD members took
WBNG-TV’s “Eyes Forward”
Don’t Text and Drive Pledge.
Students who signed the pledge
this season put their names on a
mitten to be hung on the Friendship Line at the high school.
Susquehanna Valley winners (L-R) Vance Cokely, Francis P. Donnelly Elementary
and Amanat Dhillon and Anthony Palmieri of Brookside Elementary were among the
27 elementary students who were presented awards for their creative entries in YES!
Safe Choices for Kids’ Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest. (Photo courtesy of Preston
Evans, YES! Safe Choices for Kids Program Coordinator).
Members of SV High School’s S.A.D.D. chapter.
Sabers are driven to learn traffic safety
In October, a contingent of SV High School students joined peers
SV Students participate in YES! training from 16 regional school districts at Teen Traffic Safety Day at the Floyd
L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The event, hosted and sponsored
October 21, a number of SV High by the Broome County Traffic Safety Program, STOP-DWI Program and
School students traveled to Dou- State Farm consisted of a full day of fun and educational traffic safety
bletree by Hilton in Binghamton activities and presentations.
for YES! Ignites! - a day of training The Battle of the Belts pitted teams of four students (wearing their
to help prepare middle school and team t-shirts) against one another as they
high school students for Peer Lead- tried to buckle up faster than their comers presentations they will make - petitors. Students also used a simulator
in Susquehanna Valley’s case - at to safely experience the dangers of texBrookside and Francis P. Donnelly ting while driving, and donned Fatal ViElementary Schools.
sion Goggles to feel the effects of drugs
The YES! Safe Choices for Kids! and alcohol on their ability to drive. event featured a number of speak- Attending from SV:
Katie
ers familiarizing middle and high school students with the tools they’ll Mosher, Nate Rose, Ellie Olsen, Lexi
need to make effective presentations to their younger peers. Presenters Stettinius, Austin Hardy, Devyn Freeoffered insight on public speakman, Maura Hanrahan, Alex Whiting skills, some sobering statisney, Jason Lakin, Luke Sutton, Caittics on young people’s somelyn Mizerak and Chris Surace.
times dangerous and destructive
behaviors and being a positive
role model, not just to younger
students, but to everyone with
whom they come into contact.
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The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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January 2015
“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
SV Fetes Senior Athletes, Parents
At the conclusion of each sports season, the SV Sabers Athletic Department honors senior athletes at their final home game/match, along with their parents/
guardians. Below are images from the Fall 2014 Senior/Parent Recognition Ceremonies. Senior athletes, families and coaches are congratulated by Superintendent of Schools Gerardo Tagliaferri and SV Director of Athletics Denise Wickham.
Football: Jacob Bunts (Daniel Bunts and Andrea Paugh), Bruce Canady (Maria Doty), Adam Clark (John Clark and Claudine Tierno), James Farrow (Brian And Kimberly Megquier),
Jake Hawley (Scott and Jennifer Edwards and Matthew and Karen Hawley), James Holler (Jim and Teresa Holler), Byron “Marquis” Jackson (Donna Serette and Byron and Brandy
Jackson), Matthew Jones (Craig and Patty Jones), Jared Kachmar (Ed and Lisa Kachmar), Alexander Kane (Kevin and Kate Kane), Jack LaMantia (Thomas and Sharon LaMantia),
Ian Lupole (Jamie and Maria Lupole), David Matthews (Dave and Erin Matthews), Tyler Miller (Bill and Christine Miller), Derrick Richards (Michael Richards and Shannon Whitesell), Theodore Storti (Michael and Casey Storti), Jared Vroblefski (David and Angela Vroblefski), Jeremy Yager (Alexandria Yager), Lain Zembek (Jeff Zembek and Lisa Donovan).
Head Coach: Mike Ford.
Girls Tennis: Julia Allen (Terry Allen and Ann Turner-Allen), Holly Bjalme-Evans (Michael Evans and Kirsten Bjalme-Evans), Maura Cleary (Richard and Megan Cleary), Clare Mastronardi
(James and Kelly Mastronardi), Clare Osborn (Tim and Barbara Osborn), Maddie Wooden (Jeffrey and Cherie Wooden). Coach Marion Foley.
Boys and Girls Cross Country: Richard Buchanan (Richard Buchanan), Jason
Lakin (David and Rose Lakin), Caitlin Mizerak (Jack and Eileen Mizerak), Mackenzie Ottens (Brian and Donna Ottens), Alexander Whitney (Brian and Cathlene
Whitney). Coach Grace Tabeek.
Golf: Jared Fletcher (Joe and Mary Ann Fletcher), Kory Harder (Charles and Carmella Harder; Glenn and Teresa Gregory), Dakotah Pritchard (Kyle Pritchard and Debra Biden). Coach
Mary Shea.
Courtney Beauter (John and Kandy Beauter), Lina Francavilla (Paul and Carmen Francavilla), Kiana Gardinor (Brett and Jennifer White, John Gardinor and Caylene Schilling),
Madison O’Dea (Thomas and Kelly O’Dea), Katarina Stockton (Dana and Teresa Stockton), Jordyn Williams (Jack and Jackie Williams). Coach Sara Gorton.
Girls Swimming and Diving: Emily Corbin (Francis and Tina Corbin), Maura
Hanrahan (Larry and Joyce Hanrahan), Michaela Karpiak with parents Michael
and Melissa Karpiak. Head Coach Teresa Steflik.
Boys Soccer: Justin Caroway (Duwayne and Paula Caroway), Kyle Kovach (Mark and
Kathy Kovach), Ryan Lehtonen (Jon and Brenda Lehtonen), Anthony Micalizzi (Mike
and Lisa Micalizzi). Coach Ted Hudock.
Cheerleading: Mikala-Lyn Eldred (Bill Sisler
and Tyna Eldred), Alycea Graham (Shannon and
Daren Graham), Ashley Lane (Grandmother Kathy
Lane, mom Betty Adams), Sherry Ortloff (Debra
and Federick Ortloff), Maria Tambascio (Steve
Tambascio), Destiny Tyler (Keith and Theresa Bovier), Megan Wagstaff (Eric Wagstaff and Tonya
Bado). Coach Mary Clark.
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The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
Richard T. Stank Middle School
2014 - 2015 Honor Roll
First Quarter
6th Grade
Karim Al-Khalidi • Peyton Anderson • Isabelle Bedrin •
Sean Bronson • Thomas Brusso • Caroline Bunt
• Nathan Burns • Maresa Burr • Cheyanna Clauson •
Kyle Coddington • Patrick Cooper • James Cortese
• Mara Donnelly • Madison Dorunda • Jack Dyson •
Kirstyn Dyson • Alexander Fedo • Peyton Finch
• Jayden Foxx • Kolton Gardner • Dylan Gaska •
Payton Gendron • Juliana Green • Daniel Hailu
• Paige Harper • Logan Haskell • Barbara Jean Hill •
Caiden Hogan • Jacob Ianuzi • Jacqueline Kane
• Nicholas Layman • Trevor Lezotte • Joseph Mayglothling
• Skylar McClain • Kayla Miller • Gregory Mullen •
Lisa Parmar • Nathan Paugh • Savanna Ponder
• Bella Pope • Lucy Ramirez-Patterson • Allison Reifler •
Halsten Rockwell • Jessica Roon • Marisa Sarantopoulos •
Hope Savercool • Christopher Sears • Kayla Shafer
• Faith Smith • Mercedes Stiner • Kara Swartwood
• Emily Trudell • Reagan Tuttle • Nathan Twitchell •
Lara vanPutten • Haley Wing • Elizabeth Zelenyak •
Emma Zelenyak • Emily Zitzmann
7th Grade
Amber Adams • Samuel Argetsinger • Connor Brown •
Shea Caudell • Erin Clow • Emily DeMoney •
Darren Dietrich • Marco DiRosa • Patrick Enright
• Sha-Diamond Evans • Matthew Fiorentino •
Trevor Frable • EriAnna Graham • Danyal Haniff
• Logan Hartline • Maxwell Henry • Brooke Holmberg •
Madeline Humphries • Lyndsie Jicha • Sophie Keehle
• Nathan Kick • Nathan Kuhnke • Zachary Lawrence
• Kadin Levene • Aidan Lupole • Gillian Mullen •
Cayla Perez • Emily Repp • Leanna Ricci • Sierra Root •
Emily Rudock • Kyle Spisak • Adam Srednicki
• Mason Steen • Logan Stettinius • Zachary Taro
• Ava Travis • Esther Valentine • Dylan Vanderbilt •
Alexis Winans • Leilani Zamora
8th Grade
Kristen Allen • Tyler Ball • Simon Bange •
Richard Bedosky • Samantha Bennett • Marissa Bovee
• Harley Burgess • Nicholas Burns • Kaylee Carruthers
• Dominic Cooper • Benjamin Crisman • Tyler Dietzen •
Maeve Donnelly • Ryan Ewanow • Nicholas Fiato
• Josaiah Frank • Jarred Freije • Jakob Gaskins •
Ivan Gates • Connor Gorman • Quincy Gray
• Trey Green • Zackary Green • Katelynn Griffiths •
Desta Hailu • Elijah Holicky • Audrey Howell •
Nathaniel Hrehor • Cody Jacobs • Christian Kick
• Sethan King • Alexander Knewasser • Adalet Kurtulus •
Cyle Lewis • Alyssa Lezotte • Molly Mahon
• Camille Mastronardi • Daniel Matthews •
Griffin McMahon • Joseph Nanni • Taylor Paugh
• Jared Pencek • Samantha Reifler • Colton Repsher •
Justin Rosenkrans • Joshua Rudock • Jaclyn Ryder
• Lindsey Salisbury • Matthew Scheffield • Dominic Setzer
• Joseph Sharak • Kelsey Shea • Ciera Smith •
Mason Spottek • Gabriella Toombs • Madison Tuttle •
Daniel Wager • Brianna Wasko • Rachel Weyant
• Nathaniel Wickham • Kevin Williamson • Jenna Yezzi
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January 2015
Students, staff say welcome and thanks
with holiday feasts
At Susquehanna Valley High
School, Lisa Chavez’s Basic Food Prep
classes prepared a Thanksgiving feast for
faculty and staff, putting their culinary
skills on full display for a wonderful meal.
Students were responsible for every facet
of the event: from preparation and menu
planning to cooking, decorating, hosting
and cleaning up. Students were asked
to invite
one teacher or faculty member of their
choice as a way of saying thank you.
At Richard T. Stank Middle
School, the holiday season provided two
opportunities to welcome our district’s senior citizens to enjoy a time of socializing,
musical entertainment,
and hearty
meals cooked and served
by middle school students
and staff.
Our guests seemed
very appreciative for the Thanksgiving luncheon in November and the
Holiday luncheon just before the
winter break, which featured a
visit from a jolly old elf in a red
suit!
The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
-
January 2015
“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
National Jr. Honor Society Induction at RTS Middle School
As an audience of family and friends
looked on, the RTS Middle School chapter of
the National Junior Honor Society inducted
twenty new members Wednesday, November
5. Chapter President Jarred Freije was at
the helm of the induction ceremony, leading
fellow chapter officers Quincy Gray, Daniel Wager, Benjamin Crisman and Audrey
Howell in explaining the tenets of the NJHS:
Scholarship, Citizenship,
Leadership, Service, and
Character. The ceremony
also featured musical selections from the 7th and
8th grade band and motivational remarks from
RTS Middle School Principal
Roland Doig.
Reciting the pledge and receiving certificates and membership cards this year: Amber Lynn Adams, Erin Clow, Darren
Dietrich, Marco DiRosa, Brooke Rose Holmberg, Nathan Kick, Nathan Kuhnke, Aidan Lupole, Cayla Perez, Leanna B. Ricci, Sierra
Root, Emily Rudock, Joshua Rudock, Kyle Spisak, Logan Stettinius, Michael Swiderski, Zachary Taro, Ava Travis, Dylan James
Vanderbilt, and Leilani Zamora. Co-Advisors are Ms. Jennie Sherman and Mr. Eric Holmberg.
SV high students use forensics training
to help solve crime
There was some serious business going on in room 36 at SV High
School just before the winter break. Like something right out of an episode of NCIS, students in Sharon Repp’s Science III: Forensics class
were helping to solve a homicide. In a lab titled Murder and a Meal,
students performed a series of four macromolecule tests for fats, proteins,
glucose and starch. Their objective: determine where the “victim” had
eaten his last meal.
Danika Dykeman and
In her lab
Kyle Novobilski find
instructions, Repp
that macromolecule
wrote: “Central to
testing sometimes
involves
unpleasant
identifying the indisights
and
smells.
vidual who committed this crime
is establishing where the
victim
was
the day of the
crime so that
detectives can
Working the case are:
question the
Austin Mooney (left)
and Jesse Caskey,
individuals
Damion Colwell and
with whom
Robert Conklin (below).
the
victim
came
into
contact. An
autopsy was
performed on the victim has revealed
that the victim ate just prior to the time of
death.”
Students tested the victim’s
“stomach contents” (actually a concoction Repp whipped up in a blender) to
narrow down from three choices which
restaurant the victim patronized. Upon
questioning the victim’s friends and family detectives working the “case” learned
that the victim enjoyed eating at Davis Brother’s Pizza,
Buffalo Wild Wings and Avanti’s Restaurante, where the victim loved to
go for a night of bread, olive oil and pasta, and - as tests confirmed - the
victim ate his last meal.
Brookside Elementary School
2014 - 2015 Honor Roll ~ 1st Quarter
FOURTH GRADE
Dakota Byron • Elliyana Dattoli • Sofie Dyson • Colin Fish •
Grace Gaffney • Lauren Hannigan • Tyler Harder •
Mason Karns • Katie Leighton • Dominic Lisi
• Sebastian MacNamee • Lucas Medinosky
Morgan Payne • Justin Pencek • Dylan Petryszyn
Dylan Rice • Nelle Slavitsky • Lola Summa
FIFTH GRADE
Madison Andrew • Austin Bailey • Sydney Burford
Dominick Cararo • Shane Cook • Daniel Davies
Makenna DeMoney • Alexander Derventzis-Hayes
Alexis Devendorf • Kaitlyn Eddy • Isabella Gaskins
Aiva Gendron • Isabella Giammarino • Ryan Guilfoyle
Benjamin Holicky • Claire Holler • Elizabeth Kick
Mason Lawrence • Daniel Leighton • Mason Matias
Samuel Micks • Francesca Murray • Ian Phillips
Thomas Ricci • Ryan Rychlewski • Troy Schneider
Jenna Smith • Jacob Staff • Timothy Stank
Nicholas Stilloe • Graciana Thompson
Adrienne Vanderburg • Adrianna Winseman • Eric Yingling
Warming holiday hearts and hands at
Brookside Elementary
The second grade at Brookside Elementary School
organized a “mitten tree” for our whole school family
to participate in during December 2014 - the month
of Kindness. Organizer Beth Bieber said, “We collected 26 hats and over 100 pairs of gloves, which
were donated to local children, the Wyoming
conference, and the Family Enrichment Network to help kids in our area!
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The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
SV High School 2014 - 2015
High Honor Roll • First Quarter
9th Grade: Joshua Andrade, Alyssa Barrett, Jared Basmajian, Evelyn Bennedum, Preston Brown, Kelly Cady, Sarah
Coddington, Alexis Dietzen, Nathan Dirig, Alexis Drake, Danielle Duke, Parker Fanara, Sara Figura, Adriana Giammarino, Nicholas Giles, Kristian Gilg, Carter Gray, Hannah Haskell, Michaela Haskell, Olivia Heater, Kayla Henry, Joseph
Hoskins, Emily Jacobs, Zoe Johnston, Sean Kane, Sophia Kilmer, Kyle LaVergne, Padraig Lupole, Nicholas Miller, Abigail Olsen, Sophia Pappas, Heather Rigo, Kianah Rodriguez, Dusty Root, Kendal Ryan, Rebekka Stewart, Jared Tyler,
Christian Yoder
10th Grade: Christina Cebula, Thomas Coe, Dominique Columbus, Timothy Cooper, Shyanne Daye, Rachel Feltz,
Brianna Gaska, Vivian Gates, Olivia Gorman, Mallory Gregory, Ethan Hanrahan, Erika Harder, Emily Harding, Austin
Haskell, Jessica Hawley, Nicole Hoffman, Carolyn Jones, Caitlyn Knapp, Courtney Knapp, Joseph Kosik, Ariel Levene,
Joshua Nichols, Erin Nolan, Ellie Olsen, Jason Opela, Tiffany Ostrowsky, George Pappas, Payton Prince, Andrea Robilotti, Evan Salisbury, Jennifer Santi, Emily Shafer, Allisaundra Stank, Allyson Steen, Mikkala Todd, Jazmyn Toombs,
Mirella Tucci, Brandon Vosbury, Shannon Wheeler
11th Grade: Jhane’ Basmajian, Meghan Bjalme-Evans, Julia Black, Doris Brown, Kevin Cady, Celia Clifford, Elizabeth
Cooper, Ellen Cullen, Matthew DePersiis, Heather Donnelly, Alexandra Ferrante, Paige Finch, Marisa Fiorentino, Tyler
Gulick, Dinah Haniff, Natalie Hogan, Susan Hoskins, Emily Howland, Megan Howland, Gillian Hulbert, Adrianna Kibbler, Zachery Knewasser, Linnea Kolanda, Keelinn Laskaris, Mary Lindemann, Vincent Malandra, Cameron Manchester,
Nicholas McGrath, Katherine Mosher, Joseph Osgood, Katelyn Page, Molly Robinson, Nathaniel Rose, Lyndsey Steinbrecher, Alexia Stettinius, Lucas Sutton, Kasey Tokos, Christina Waite
12th Grade: Julia Allen, Courtney Beauter, Holly Bjalme-Evans, Nicholas Blakeslee, Lincoln Boyle, Mitchell Buchanan, Richard Buchanan, Miranda Buckland, Jacob Bunts, Justin Caroway, Whitney Carter, Michael Colwell, Anthony
Dellacorino, Brittni Duke, Miranda Ferris, Kiana Gardinor, Lindsay Gregory, Kory Harder, Carly Hattala, Jake Hawley,
James Holler, Matthew Jones, Kyle Kovach, Jason Lakin, Ryan Lehtonen, Ian Lupole, Christopher Marcello, Clare Mastronardi, David Matthews, Anthony Micalizzi, Tyler Miller, Logan O’Connor, Madison O’Dea, Sherry Ortloff, Alexis
Rolston, Rachel Smith, Katarina Stockton, Theodore Storti, Megan Wagstaff, Jordyn Williams, Lain Zembek
SV High School 2014 - 2015
Honor Roll • First Quarter
Grade 9: Kaleb Allard, Corey Bond, Anbrouse Buckley, Kayla Burns, Danielle Charlton, Vincent Cooper, Genevieve
Cortese, Nathaniel David, Dakota Daye, Gabriella DiRosa, Jacob Edgington, Andrew Gaffney, Harrison Gage, Brittany
Garrow, Giannino Giammarino, Abby Gilbert, Connor Hadfield, Trevor Harder, Joseph Hardy, Christopher Harold, Maliah Harper, Kelsi Hayes, Reshawn Henry, Jonathan Holmberg, Thomas Horan, Charles Howell, Graciela Jensen, Chance
Johnson, Hunter King, Alyssa Lasky, Holly Manchester, Kaylin Marean, Tomoaki Joey Mayormita, Nicholas Merrell,
Shelbie Merritt, Dominic Micalizzi, Hillary Morgan, Andrew Mosher, Brianna Mott, Olivia Parker, Robert Pierson, Barbara Reynolds, Kaitlin Rodriguez, Abigail Rose, Zoe Rowse, Alex Russell, Nicholas Schwenz, Daniel Sheridan, Solena
Slater, Mallory Smith, Travis Smith, Deanna Spafard, Jessica Steinbrecher, Noah Sussmann, Geoffrey Sutliff, Austin
Theodoroff, Isaac Valentine, Mackenzie Wagstaff, Shawna Zawiski, Rebeckah Zitzmann
January 2015
Mat milestone for Saber
wrestler Ian Lupole
Ian Lupole
earned his
150th win in
the January
6 wrestling
match versus
Chenango
Forks. The
milestone career varsity victory
came over CF’s Jimmy Dyer in
the 132 lb. weight class. Ian,
who was profiled as a ScholarAthlete of the Week by Time
Warner Cable News in December
2013, has now learned he has
been selected to be a WBNG-TV
Academic All-Star!
For Brookside dozen,
the moon awaits!
Twelve Brookside Elementary School students are off to see
the moon! They’ve been chosen to
participate in NOVA Science programs at Kopernik Observatory &
Science Center, Vestal.
NOVA Science - part of
Kopernik’s Science Talent Search provides extra enrichment throughout the elementary school years
for students interested in science.
Programs encourage students to
work and think like scientists as
they explore the world around
them. They emphasize creativity,
teamwork and independent learning, and teach students to draw on
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math resources to solve
problems in the real world.
Grade 10: Haley Anderson, Mikaela Atwater, Jordan Bado, Dalton Brown, Mark Buchanan, Patience Buckley, Samuel
Chapman, Anthony Cortese, Darian Dix, Thomas Donnelly, Dante Esposito, Alex Ewanow, Grayson Fanara, Robert
Farrow, Abigail Finch, Brad Finch, Giuseppe Giammarino, Daniel Griffiths, Ervina Halilovic, Timothy Hawley, Amber
Hession, Elizabeth Hrehor, Sydney Lister, Brinden Lord, Shalyse Lucas, Devin Mangan, Brooke McBride, MaryEmma
McRae, Jason Moelder, Kaneisha Newborn, Hailey Osterhout, Jordan Paugh, Parker Reifler, Ryan Reifler, Erika Roberts, Robert Rolston, Mason Shimer, Joshua Shore, Nathan Smith, Amy Storti, Mackenzie Stringer, Jenna Urso, Jeremy
Walker, Jordan Wheeler, Marisa Whitman, Alexandria Williams
Grade 11: Elisabeth Axton, Mikayla Bond, Rachael Burford, Jordan Campbell, Christopher Comerota, Paul Deeley, Caroline Donnelly, Alexandra Drake, James Fish, Ryan Fletcher, Devyn Freeman, Torriana Graham, Mira Hailu-Martinez,
Austin Hardy, Emily Heater, Kobe Jaworski, Roberto Jensen, Hannah Johnson, Jessica Kilmer, Joshua Kipp, Shyanne
Knapp, Hannah Kuhnke, Shayna Lee, Trisha Meloling, Matthew Merrell, Alexis Miller, Nicholas Miller, Greggory Morgan, Paul Morris, Kyle Novobilski, Renee Percival, Timothy Schackne, Jesica Schmidt-Harty, Derek Snedeker, Kaitlyn
Stewart, Kashawn Stroman, Christopher Surace, Hannah Taylor, Trevor Terboss, Gair Ulma, Justin Wheeler, Sara Yezzi,
Tori Zurn
Grade 12: Alexander Bange, Monica Blewett, Kent Boatman, Samantha Campbell, Michael Christian, Adam Clark,
Robert Conklin, Emily Corbin, Rocco DeAngelo, Gabriella Dellacorino, Mikala-Lyn Eldred, James Farrow, Jared Fletcher, Lina Francavilla, Alycea Graham, Brock Hadlick, Maura Hanrahan, Matthew Hassig, Kaitlyn Hession, Byron Jackson,
Alexander Kane, Michaela Karpiak, Jack LaMantia, Ashley Lane, Jordan Major, Derek Mendoza, Abigail Merriam,
Shauna Meyers, Kimberly Miller, Caitlin Mizerak, Brianna Molyneux, Brenden Naro, Clare Osborn, Mackenzie Ottens,
Andrew Pickering, Derrick Richards, Bailey Rought, Andrew Rudy, Jessie Smeltzer, Maria Tambascio, Destiny Tyler,
Krista Vandgrifft, Jared Vroblefski, Alexander Whitney, Maddie Wooden, Morgan Yager
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Brookside participants:
NOVA 3 - Heidi Brusso, Parker
Davidson, Syria Frank, Ian Harder, Carly Lewis, Dylan Root
NOVA 4 - Dakota Byron, Joshua
Frear, Lauren Hannigan, Katie Leighton, Ben Mosher, Cody
Olds
NOVA 4 Honors Science
Program “Exploring the Moon” - in
this workshop, students will become lunar scientists and investigate the Moon’s environment.
Using Kopernik’s extensive collection of Moon maps and data,
students will find a suitable spot
for a Moon Colony, then find out
how craters are made. If it is clear,
they will observe a Crescent Moon
through Kopernik’s telescopes.
The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
-
January 2015
“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
On behalf of the Susquehanna Valley Central School District, we would like to thank the following community members and organizations for their generous donations to our annual Holiday Drives. Your kindness helped make the holidays brighter for many
families who live in the district. We hope you have a happy and healthy New Year. Thank you again for your thoughtfulness. We
could not have done it without you!
Brookside Elementary School Staff and Teachers, RTS Middle School Staff and Teachers, SVHS Staff and Teachers, Gearcor, Vestal Walmart, Jennifer Edwards, Mr. and Mrs. DeMane, Mrs. Elizabeth Hayes and family, Conklin Forks United Methodist Church
Willing Workers, Kirkwood United Methodist Church, Conklin Kiwanis Queens, St. Mary’s of Kirkwood Knights of Columbus
11062, Kirkwood Fire Department, Kirkwood Town Hall, The Children’s Place, Oakdale Mall, Mr. and Mrs. Bill and Cathy McGowan, Brackney Inn, SVHS Bowling Team, SVHS Booster Club, SVHS Student Council, SVHS Peer Leaders, SVHS Drama Club,
SVHS Class of 2015, SVHS National Honor Society
“Thank you to who helped with the
Sincerely,
Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts.
Anita Barry, Brookside/Donnelly School Social Worker
You are all angels. I wouldn’t have
Daniel Kosick, RTS Middle School Social Worker
been able to make the holidays
Heather Fitzgerald, SVHS School Social Worker
special for my daughter without
your help. So again thank you.
“The gifts are all greatly appreciated. It’s wonderful to
God Bless you all.”
know that there are kind and generous people that help
the less fortunate. God Bless and Merry Christmas and
an amazing New Year.”
- Thanks, a grateful family
An SV Holiday Season to Remember
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The Susquehanna Valley Central School District
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“A Great Place to Live and Learn!”
SV grad shares tales of teaching, travel
Susquehanna Valley High School graduate Jamillah Rodriguez (Class
of 2011) returned to her alma mater to speak to high school students
about her experiences teaching and traveling in South Korea. Jamillah, who currently attends Stony Brook University, spent a year in that
country after winning a prestigious scholarship offered by the South
Korean government. During the talk she shared stories, as well as pictures, about the country’s food, customs, school, and entertainment.
Jamillah now speaks fluent Korean and will be graduating in May with
a B.A. in Linguistics. SV High School librarian Pat Westgate sponsored the event.
Another mountain conquered for former
star Saber bowler Becca Barton
Rebecca Barton, who dominated girls’
bowling for the Sabers before her graduation
(Class of 2006), has now been to the top of the
bowling mountain: she just rolled her first 300
game! It happened January 4 at Valley Lanes in
Great Bend, Pa. during the First Annual Big Dog
Scratch Tournament.
“My games were 189-300-200-225-231-267 for
1412 to put me at first seed,” Becca reported. “I
lost to Keith Buck 206 to 224 and got second place.”
After leaving SV High, Becca went on to bowl for Mohawk Valley Community College and then Medaille College in Rochester. She
graduated with a masters
in business in May of 2010
just 3 weeks after her father
passed away unexpectedly.
Her dad, Rob Barton, was
the owner of Valley Lanes,
and Becca has kept the business running since his passing.
“He was her mentor and teacher,” said mom
Sandy Travis. The two of them shared not only a love of bowling,
but a love of the outdoors. They were attempting to hike all of the
high peaks in the Adirondacks.”
F.P. Donnelly 3rd graders toy with engineering
Francis P. Donnelly
Elementary School 3rd
graders learned about
engineering thanks to
Kopernik Observatory.
Kopernik brought an interactive Lego Workshop
that enabled students to
build and program mechanical birds that would
dance and sing.
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Well earned kudos for two of SV’s finest
It’s been a remarkable year thus
far for SV High School senior
Jordyn Williams. On October 11,
Jordyn was crowned 2014 Homecoming Queen during a ceremony
at half time of the Sabers varsity
football rout of Oneonta. A short
while later, Jordyn earned a new
accolade: Scholar Athlete for Time
Warner Cable News (formerly
YNN). TWC’s Ted Goldberg and
Brian Mueller combined to put
together a wonderful profile on
Jordyn. A well-deserved honor for
one of SV’s finest.
David Matthews is a leader on
and off the field. This three-sport
varsity Saber athlete’s dedication,
motivation and work ethic earned
him recognition as a WBNG-TV
Academic All-Star. They’ve also
earned him the respect of his
coaches, teammates, AND classmates. Dave manages to balance
success on the hard court, the diamond and the turf with academic
achievement. His 97 GPA has him
currently ranked in the top ten of
the SV High School Class of 2015.
SV LPP students are getting involved!
Students in Susquehanna Valley High School’s Liberty Partnership Program have been plenty busy this school year. Recent activities
have ranged from volunteering at the annual Southern Tier AIDS Program
(STAP) Client Dinner, to touring the sites in New York City to beautifying
the river walk in downtown Binghamton.
SV’s LPP students worked with students from the Binghamton
University Center for Civic Engagement at the annual STAP dinner, setting up, serving, and cleaning up. STAP staff, clients, and families were
impressed with the hard work our
students put in. They served more
than 150 sit down dinners and prepared almost as many take-out dinners. Participating were Alycea
Graham, Michaela Karpiak, Olivia Parker, Shawna Zawiski, Kim
Miller, and Barb Reynolds.
Over the winter break, SV’s
LPP students traveled with counterparts from Binghamton and Owego to
New York City for a day-long tour. Stops included Columbia University,
Central Park and Times Square. For many of the students, it was their
first time in the Big Apple. Participating were Colby Cochran, Olivia
Parker, Howie Farrow, Mikkala
Todd, Michaela Karpiak, Alycea
Graham, Hailey Osterhout, Shelbie Merritt, Thomas Coe, Sarah
Amey, Shawna Zawiski, Barbara
Reynolds.
LP students from SV and Owego
volunteered with local artist Emily
Jablon to complete an extensive mosaic mural along the Binghamton River Walk Trail. After learning the basics of working with tiles and grout, LPP students jumped in, and the finished result was
spectacular! SV Students involved: Kim
Miller, Bailey Rought, Lizzie Moelder,
Dominique Columbus, Hailey Osterhout,
Gabby Jefferson, Brooke McBride, along
with SV LPP Alumni Brooke Osterhout
and Claudia Fernandez. SV’s LPP advisor is Tracy Parker.