The Buffalo News - Education http://www.buffalonews.com Latest stories from The Buffalo News en-us Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:30:42 -0400 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:30:42 -0400 <![CDATA[ Thorn-in-the-side blogger to stay anonymous ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130617/CITYANDREGION/130619245/1020
State Supreme Court Justice Diane Y. Devlin Monday quashed a subpoena to Google that would have forced the Internet giant to turn over the name of the person who runs the Hamburg Educational Ethics blog to the school district.

“I think it’s good news for any blogger, any citizen journalist,” said Joseph M. Finnerty, the attorney for Concerned Hamburger.

He argued the subpoena threatened the blogger’s First Amendment rights.

“They went after Concerned Hamburger because they don’t like what he says, because they’re thin-skinned and don’t like criticism,” Finnerty told the judge.

Anonymous speech is protected speech, he said, and one of the hallowed features of America, noting the Federalist Papers were published anonymously.

Richard T. Sullivan, the attorney for the school district, said the subpoena is merely part of the discovery process and the district wants to examine the person who runs the blog.

“We are not seeking to suppress anyone’s right to free speech,” he said in court. “They can blog their brains out. I don’t care.”

The subpoena was issued as part of a lawsuit filed by the district and several current and former board members and administrators over the taping of an executive session on Sept. 21, 2010. The lawsuit claims Sally Stephenson; her daughter, Lyndsey Stephenson; and teacher Martha Kavanaugh secretly taped the meeting, and is seeking damages from them. Sally Stephenson has taken a seat on the School Board since the lawsuit was filed a year ago.

The women deny the charge, and they denied that they created the blog or post to it.

Sullivan said the district has the right to question Concerned Hamburger, who posted a portion of the tape, on how he or she got the tape. Concerned Hamburger and Sally Stephenson both said the tape was found in their mailboxes, the lawyer told the judge.

“There are only four people who have published this tape for their benefit,” Sullivan maintained.

Concerned Hamburger has sworn that he or she is not one of the defendants, and is not the person who recorded the meeting, Finnerty told the judge.

While the judge ruled in Concerned Hamburger’s favor, she did not grant a motion for the district to pay the attorney fees for the blogger.

Sullivan said the court decision will have little effect on the lawsuit. He said the lawsuit will continue even if the School Board, which will have three new members taking office in July, decides to end the district’s involvement. The individuals will continue the lawsuit individually, he said.

The district also has subpoenaed a teacher, Chris Cerrone, who is corresponding secretary for the Hamburg Teachers Association. It dropped subpoenas to Google for the identities of two people who post to the blog, Klozman and Super. Robert Johnstun identified himself as Super. Johnstun, a father who talks frequently at School Board meetings, said he was pleased the subpoena was quashed.

“To me, its amazing news,” he said, but he added, “I’m upset as a taxpayer that it had to come to this.”

email: bobrien@buffnews.com ]]> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:01:46 -0400 By Barbara O’Brien

News Staff Reporter

]]> <![CDATA[ Buffalo graduation rates sank to 47% in 2012 ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130617/CITYANDREGION/130619174/1020
According to the 2012 data released by the state Education Department on Monday, high schools in Erie and Niagara counties generally showed either modest losses or positive gains outside the City of Buffalo.

Within the city is another story entirely. No longer do more than half of Buffalo’s students graduate from high school within four years. The Buffalo graduation rate was 47 percent, compared with 54 percent in 2011.

The Rochester school district did even more poorly, with only 43 percent of students graduating within four years.

Buffalo showed the sharpest decline among the five largest school districts in the state, causing the Education Department to red-flag the city in its statewide news release.

“Graduation rates for four of the Big 5 school districts remained relatively stable,” the release stated. “However, Buffalo’s graduation rate dropped by more than 7 percentage points.”

The other Big 5 schools ranked include Yonkers, with a graduation rate of 66 percent; New York City, with 60 percent; and Syracuse, with 48 percent.

Buffalo’s 2012 graduation rate erases the gains the district made in 2011 and puts the city school district back at roughly the same graduation level it had in 2010.

The picture is bleaker when looking at the school-by-school breakdowns. Among the 20 city public and charter high schools, only four showed any gains, while nine showed losses of 5 percentage points or more compared with 2011’s rates.

Since 2010, six of the city schools have seen double-digit declines in graduation rates. Burgard Vocational High School showed the single most alarming drop – from half of its students graduating in 2010 to only a fourth – 24 percent – graduating in 2012.

East, Bennett, Riverside and Lafayette high schools also showed a troubling pattern of two-year stagnation or decline, with less than a third of students graduating.

Some schools both in and out of the city showed marked improvement.

Buffalo’s Emerson School of Hospitality showed a 15 percent year-over-year gain in its graduation rates, from 66 percent in 2011 to 81 percent in 2012.

In surrounding school districts, Depew, Lake Shore, North Collins and Frontier high schools made notable one- and two-year gains.

Among the largest suburban school districts, total district graduation rate was 92 percent in Williamsville, 81 percent in Kenmore-Tonawanda and 85 percent in West Seneca.

In Niagara County, graduation rates ranged from 70 percent at Niagara Falls High School to 97 percent at Lewiston-Porter.

The overall statewide graduation rate “remained stable at 74 percent despite increased rigor required for graduation phased in over the past four years,” according to the announcement by Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch and State Education Commissioner John B. King Jr.

Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Pamela C. Brown did not respond to a request to comment on student graduation rates, which reflect a period before her arrival. In a statement, however, she said she’s instituted a number of strategies designed to bring city graduation rates up to 80 percent by 2018.

Those strategies include more collaboration and communication with the Say Yes Buffalo program, more professional development for staff, more early intervention through the use of student data, and more after-school and summer school programs to help struggling students.

For more information, read the School Zone blog at www.buffalonews.com News Staff Reporter Gene Warner contributed to this story. email: stan@buffnews.com ]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:00:19 -0400 Sandra Tan
]]> <![CDATA[ Colorful character coming here to spread word about empowered disabled people ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130617/CITYANDREGION/130619176/1020
The 34-year-old Toronto woman wears ultrabright “Ruby Woo” lipstick, sports permanent tattooed eye makeup, and uses two hot-pink crutches.

She’s also a woman with disabilities who has a message, contained in her Web-based comic strip, the “DitzAbled Princess.”

“The DitzAbled Princess is empowering to women with disabilities, because it demonstrates that they can be fun-loving, take care of themselves and have the world at their fingertips,” she said in a phone interview.

The writer is bringing that message to Buffalo for two public appearances this weekend, at the “Museum of disABILITY History,” at 3826 Main St., near Eggert Road in Eggertsville.

On Friday, she’ll talk to people with disabilities, human-services staff and the general public from 7 to 9 p.m. The following day, from 1 to 3 p.m., she’ll read from her children’s fairy tale, “Cinderella’s Magical Wheelchair.” The museum is a project of People Inc.

Kats never plays the victim, despite physical problems and chronic pain dating back to a car crash when she was 9 years old. She’s had eight surgeries and suffers from osteopenia (low bone density) and arthritis.

“I don’t let that shape my life,” she said. “I think everyone has problems. It’s just that mine are more visible. I just take it in stride. It’s life.”

Kats takes an old cliche – not being limited by a disability – and turns it on its head, suggesting her disabilities help her.

“Disabilities are a perk,” she says. “They make you stand out in a sea of ordinary folks. Limitations are just a perceived mindset. Nobody, nothing should stop you. You’re entitled to reach for the stars in your very own way.”

The former Michelle Katyal took the name Jewel Kats while working as an actress.

A big fan of Archie comics, her husband suggested that “Jewel” was like a comic book character. So why not write a comic strip about herself?

“I poured my life on the page, and it became like a diary,” Kats said. “I think people relate to the fact that I can poke fun at myself.”

The DitzAbled Princess, released on tapastic.com website every Wednesday and Sunday, has had 650,000 Web hits since February, she said.

Kats explained the image she wants to leave on her Buffalo audience.

“People with disabilities – you may not find us in toy boxes. We may not be Barbie, but we can be the ideal woman, in our own shape and form.”

That’s the persona of her comic-strip princess.

“I think princesses can come in every shape, form, type, color or age,” she said. “Anybody can get a prince, but you don’t necessarily have to get a prince to be a princess. You can do it on your own.”

Kats knows how to grab attention. Two of her seven books are “Cinderella’s Magical Wheelchair” and “The Princess and the Ruby: An Autism Fairy Tale.”

The Cinderella story, of course, has its own message.

“She doesn’t rely on a prince to rescue her,” Kats said of her Cinderella. “She makes it on her own. She’s business-savvy, and she opens up her own jewelry store. She’s wheelchair mobile, but she’s also empowered.”

That’s the lasting image Kats hopes to convey to her audiences this weekend – empowerment for people with disabilities.

Anyone wanting to RSVP or learn more about the two events may call the museum at 629-3623.

email: gwarner@buffnews.com ]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:26:13 -0400 Gene Warner
]]> <![CDATA[ Springville-Griffith turns down $1 offer for old bus garage ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130617/CITYANDREGION/130619178/1020
Superintendent Paul Connelly said Friday that the Christian Youth Core, a nondenominational group headquartered in Arcade, made the offer several months ago for the building on Route 240 and five adjoining acres.

The board had reservations, particularly about potential liability.

The building, a former airplane hanger, is no longer used to house buses because engineers said it was unsafe. Connelly said it was deemed structurally deficient and failed several tests. The superintendent said, however, that he was even more concerned about hidden problems, like what might lie beneath the garage, such as dumped chemicals or toxic waste.

The district’s new garage is on North Street, but Connelly said the east side of the old garage is still somewhat sound.

“We still used it as a staging area for wood, supplies and snow plow equipment. If we sold it, I’m not sure where we would house the stuff,” the superintendent said.

Connelly also said that if the district decided to sell the old garage, he would advise the board to first auction off a number of items in the building that he believes have value.

The school board asked administrators to get more information about the disposition of the property. The district has engaged a commercial real estate group to evaluate options regarding the building and property. ]]> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:57:08 -0400 By Eileen Werbitsky

Southtowns correspondent

]]> <![CDATA[ Edward J. McMahon, longtime professor at Daemen College ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130617/CITYANDREGION01/130619188/1020
Edward J. McMahon of Clarence, a retired professor of education at Daemen College, died Friday in Beechwood Nursing Home, Getzville, after a brief illness. He was 71.

Born in Poughkeepsie, Mr. McMahon earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Buffalo State Teachers College, a master’s degree from Canisius College and a doctorate from the University at Buffalo. He taught at Daemen College for 45 years and, upon his retirement in 2011, was granted the title of professor emeritus.

Mr. McMahon served as chairman of the Education Department for 25 years and was the recipient of the Daemen College President’s Award for Outstanding Faculty in 1985.

He was the founder of British Car Club of WNY and a past president of Phi Delta Kappa Educational Society.

Survivors include his wife, the former Joann M. Ciaccio; a son, Charles M. Fell; a sister, Maureen Tibbetts; and a brother, Brian.

A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday in Wick Center at Daemen College, 4380 Main St., Snyder. ]]> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:17:42 -0400 <![CDATA[ UB incubator named best in world for life sciences ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130617/BUSINESS/130619208/1020
The University Business Incubator Index, a company based in Stockholm that serves the incubator industry, studied 150 university incubators in 22 countries and measured their performance on 50 indicators. The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship in Houston was named the best overall university incubator.

UB’s Technology Incubator, located in the Baird Research Park on Sweet Home Road across from the North Campus, rated well for talent retention, post-incubation relationship and other factors, according to statements from the index and UB.

The incubator, which opened in 1988, rents office and laboratory space to entrepreneurs and startups and provides mentoring, training, grant-writing assistance and access to resources and expertise, according to the university.

More than 100 companies have gone through the incubator, and 84 percent of those graduates lasted for five or more years, UB reported. Its current tenants and surviving graduates employ 500 people and have annual revenues of more than $50 million.

The best-known of its 13 current tenants may be ONY Inc., founded by Dr. Edmund A. Egan II and the late Bruce A. Holm, both UB scientists, to market Infasurf, a drug that reduces the rate of respiratory failure in premature infants.

email: swatson@buffnews.com ]]> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:22:57 -0400 Stephen T. Watson
]]> <![CDATA[ Buffalo Pepsi gives $6,500 to support Hillside program ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130617/CITYANDREGION/130619257/1020
The Hillside program, which serves nearly 4,000 high school students in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Prince George’s County, Md., was introduced at South Park High School in March 2011 and was expanded to Bennett High School in 2012.

More than 180 students participate at the two schools.

The program, an affiliate of the Hillside Family of Agencies based in the Rochester area, provides students with a professional youth advocate through graduation and up to two years after high school.

The school-based advocates serve as mentors and role models and help the students graduate and go on to college and careers. ]]> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:06:45 -0400 <![CDATA[ People Talk: A conversation with Robert Clemens ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130615/CITYANDREGION/130619512/1020
He maintains order and academic excellence among almost 800 students who come from families living throughout the district. His system of rules and procedures formulated during 15 years at the school are designed to maximize focus. You can hear a pin drop in P.S. 81, said one parent, who marveled at the school’s quiet halls.

The father of a high school senior, Clemens grew up in North Buffalo and graduated from SUNY Buffalo State in 1978.

One would think that the classroom was a natural choice for Clemens.

People Talk: At what point did you realize you wanted to teach?

Robert Clemens: I had no desire. I hated school. I never dreamed I would go into education. It was one of those things that evolved.

PT: You may have hated school, but were you a good student?

RC: I didn’t always work up to my abilities. I always did my homework but I was a last-minute kind of kid. And I was kind of shy. I caught on in college. I was a much better student than I realized when I was working toward something.

PT: So how did you end up in education?

RC: I ended up going into special-education. My mother was a teacher, and I lived with an uncle who had Down syndrome. I ended up working at United Cerebral Palsy Association, and then I went to the autistic program at the Cantalician Center. I got my master’s in behavior analysis working with the severely handicapped, and I started at the Occupational Training Center (P.S. 42), which had at the time students ages 18 to 21. I did that for a while and then went back and got a degree in administration.

PT: It sounds like you did it all.

RC: I started as a teacher’s aide, so I sort of have done it all. I was a coordinator, assistant principal. I was first hired as a principal in 1999 at the old Riverside Academy, but they were closing that school. It’s hard to close a building. Some people were attached to it, and really wanted to stay. My feeling was it was an old, dark, dank, ancient building. I was in a strange role.

PT: You have achieved academic excellence at your school.

RC: In 30 years this school has only had two principals and it’s always been a school of good standing. We’re proud of that. People always think it’s the neighborhood, that you’re in North Buffalo so it’s the population. But we take whomever they send me. We’re like the Ellis Island of schools. We take them all.

PT: Would you like to be superintendent?

RC: Never. I reached my evolutionary peak here. I’ve been in education for 35 years. It’s a long time to be on the school schedule, but what I mean is that Sunday-night anxiety. You get the knot in your stomach starting in the afternoon. You just start thinking about everything you have to do.

PT: What else contributes to your Sunday angst?

RC: It’s not a job that when you go home, you’re done. If you try to do it right, it’s a job that keeps you humble. You’re always evaluating yourself. Whenever anything occurs in your school you’re constantly replaying it. A lot of people think principals are egotistical, but the ones I know who are getting things done are not. Because the moment you think that everything is going well, something will come along to knock you down to size. It keeps you on an even keel.

PT: Do you practice yoga?

RC: No. I try to run a little and I try to play basketball. I need all that. They keep telling me my blood pressure is too high.

PT: You thrive on a schedule.

RC: Maybe, but I’m sort of a dinosaur when it comes to education because I’ve been around so long. I really believe strongly in order and structure. I really believe that kids can’t learn unless you have an environment set up where kids are focused in class and you’re maximizing the teaching time. So I have a lot of rules in the building and a lot of procedures that are in place to ensure the day is very structured.

PT: Give me an example, please.

RC: When we do change-of-class for our junior high students – the seventh- and eighth-graders – it is conducted in silence. There’s no talking allowed, and some people think that is a very weird rule. Our philosophy is – that when the bell rings and a child goes from class to class – if they leave one class calm and enter another class calm, the instruction starts right away. If a teacher has to tell the kids to be quiet, that teacher is wasting time. It all carries out. It’s the theme of the day, that your focus is not playtime and fooling around. This is a school. People look at it and think it’s punitive, but it’s not.

PT: What is punitive around here?

RC: There’s an alternate-education room – detention, really – but that’s a half-day. Suspensions if they’re deemed appropriate. Parent conferences. Telling children straight out what they need to do – clearly. We have enough systems in place where kids can go talk out their issues, too.

RC: I usually go home and make dinner for the family. They say I’m a good cook. We have a supper club and get together with friends. I’m not very exciting.

PT: What is your most important tool here at school?

RC: Observation, not observing teachers per se, but knowing what’s going on in my building on every floor in every room.

PT: Do you have a favorite teacher from childhood?

RC: I really don’t remember one teacher, unfortunately. I think I was such a shy kid that I just tried to get through school. I think that’s important though in the sense that I always think about that middle student. You have your really good students who take your AP class and do well, and then you have your struggling students. Then there’s that whole population of middle kids that we sometimes forget. Not having a special teacher left me with the feeling of being that kid in the middle.

PT: How do you re-energize? Do you have a routine or ritual?

RC: I’m full of rituals. I’m a very obsessive-compulsive person. I want kids to learn and I want families to be happy with the school. I learned a long time ago that I can’t win. There is no decision that will please everybody. So you make the best decision for the building and you live with it. I try and think everything out so when I do it I’m pretty well prepared for everything.

email: jkwiatkowski@buffnews.com ]]> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:34:22 -0400 Jane Kwiatkowski
]]> <![CDATA[ Niagara Wheatfield tries second budget vote Tuesday ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130616/CITYANDREGION/130619289/1020
Because the first budget was rejected in May, the School Board prepared a smaller budget for voters by making $403,050 in cuts. If the second budget is voted down, too, the district will be forced by state education law to resort to a contingency budget.

The $62.35 million budget for 2013-14 that voters will consider includes cuts in teaching staff at the middle school, teacher aides, monitors, clerical staff and a number of adjustments defined as reductions and reclassifications, according to figures provided by the district.

About 48 percent of the second budget, or $29.95 million, would come from taxes. The average property tax hike in the budget has been estimated at about 4.5 percent.

The $62.75 million budget that was rejected in May by a three-vote margin – 1,598 to 1,601 – carried an increase of 5.9 percent.

That budget would have cut six teaching positions

A contingency budget would force the district to make $1.28 million in cuts to comply with state guidelines. Areas that could be affected include kindergarten, music, interscholastic sports, speech programs, a pool teaching station, alternative education programs and support staff, according to district officials.

Polls will be open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Adult Learning Center, 2292 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn. ]]> Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:14:17 -0400 By Thad Komorowski

NIAGARA CORRESPONDENT

]]> <![CDATA[ Cheektowaga Central to expand alternative school programs ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130615/CITYANDREGION/130619350/1020
During a presentation for the Cheektowaga Central Board of Education earlier this week, representatives of the facility shared information about the 3-year-old center and discussed the introduction of an early-intervention program for those in kindergarten to grade five for the 2013-14 academic year.

The Pine Hill Education Center was founded in 2010 as the Alternative Academy for high school students at the Maryvale campus, and its quick growth resulted in the need for more space, according to Scott Manne, program director and counselor. The following year, the center was formed at 1635 E. Delavan Ave., and middle school programs were added. In addition to Cheektowaga Central, students from Cleveland Hill, Maryvale and Cheektowaga-Sloan attend.

The elementary school program will be similar to those for older students. The children will be placed at Pine Hill through referrals from the Committee on Special Education and representatives of the home schools. The goal is to help students who are having trouble at school for a range of reasons tackle life and learning issues so that they can return to mainstream classrooms.

This year, the school housed three high school and two middle school classes, each with eight students to one teacher, as well as two long-term suspension classes for both middle and high school. Students are given the opportunity to catch up on credits, receive help with personal issues and develop lifelong learning skills.

“We’re providing them with the educational services that they need,” Manne said. “We’ve helped 58 kids graduate over the past three years. We work very, very hard to help these students achieve and reach that stage.”

Manne and school social worker Bernard Huber explained that the school features small class sizes, counseling, behavior modification methods and incentive programs to help students learn while coping with their conditions.

“I’m very proud to be a part of a district that says, ‘We want to care for these kids,’ ” Huber said.

Special education teacher Lauren Hack illustrated nontraditional teaching methods that sometimes are used for students with special needs. One example she offered was the use of desks that are built over treadmills for students who feel a need to move constantly. Another program, “Reading to Rover,” employs the use of therapy dogs as reading buddies to reduce anxiety in students who fear reading aloud.

“That was a phenomenal program we were able to bring in this year,” she said.

She added that the school encourages students giving back to the community, and she highlighted student-run food drives, recycling programs, community cleanups and senior citizens events.

Board President Brian Gould commended the teachers and staff for their work.

“You all should have a lot of pride in what you’re doing,” he said. “What you are doing is truly special.”

Also during the meeting, the board accepted a $15,000 Primary Project Grant from the Children’s Institute to offer a social development skills program to kindergartners. The three years of funding would be used to hire a “play associate” and purchase equipment to enhance learning for the younger pupils, Assistant Superintendent Mary Morris said.

The board’s reorganizational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, in the board room at the high school, 3600 Union Road. Heather DuBard will join the group after winning May’s election. During Tuesday’s meeting, the board presented a plaque to outgoing incumbent Diane Panasiewicz, who has held the seat for 15 years and decided not to seek re-election. Panasiewicz thanked everyone for their work over the years and shared her top dream as the board moves forward with its goals.

“Keep kids first,” she said. ]]> Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:32:06 -0400 By Lisa A. Johnson

Suburban Correspondent

]]> <![CDATA[ Voters head back to the polls in six districts ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130615/CITYANDREGION/130619360/1020
That’s the day they find out if they have to make more cuts to their educational programs.

“We’ve kind of run out of things to cut,” said Lewiston-Porter Superintendent Chris Roser.

Clarence is the largest district in the area conducting a re-vote, but five other districts are also asking residents to go to the polls again Tuesday.

Alden and Clarence in Erie County; Lewiston-Porter, Niagara Wheatfield and Wilson in Niagara County; and Bemus Point in Chautauqua County are among 32 budgets across New York State that failed to gain passage May 21.

This time, all the districts are staying within the tax cap. Both Clarence and Lewiston-Porter put up budgets in May with tax levies above the cap. Under New York State’s tax-cap legislation that took effect last year, districts are required to seek approval from 60 percent of voters if they want to exceed their cap. Budgets that call for increases under the tax cap need 50 percent of the vote plus one to pass.

The consequences of failing a second time would likely mean more cuts. School districts have two chances to pass a budget under the state tax-cap law before they must adopt a contingent budget, which cannot raise taxes a penny more than was collected in the previous year.

“A zero tax levy increase would be pretty devastating for most school districts,” said Dave Albert of the New York State School Boards Association.

Every district is facing dramatic increases in pension and other costs that must be paid, and many have already cut staffing.

Clarence cut nearly 25 positions in its first budget and has reduced staffing by another 29 for this budget. Lewiston-Porter reduced staff by more than 40 positions. And in the last three years, Niagara Wheatfield has cut 112 jobs positions, and Wilson has reduced staff by more than 20 people.

Many districts made changes to their defeated budgets.

Clarence reduced the tax levy from a 9.8 percent increase to 3.62 percent. It may be enough. Anti-tax proponents had a meeting of the minds with pro-school residents last week and agreed to work for passage of this budget.

Most districts also made more cuts, said Orleans-Niagara BOCES Superintendent Clark Godshall.

“The stakes are very high in terms that there’s no other place to receive revenue,” he said.

But Bemus Point and Wilson are taking different routes.

Wilson is keeping the same spending plan because an exit poll showed a significant number of people wanted to preserve programs. The revised budget proposed using more reserve funds to reduce the tax burden.

Residents in Bemus Point will be looking at the same budget that was defeated by 12 votes.

“After the budget failed, a lot of people came and apologized to the Board of Education for not voting,” said Bemus Point Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Latshaw.

Alden is in a period of transition as it approaches its budget re-vote. School District Superintendent Lynn Marie Fusco will take over the same position in Niagara Wheatfield beginning July 1. The School Board appointed Adam Stoltman as interim superintendent, and he will take over June 24.

The last budget included a 3 percent tax levy increase and a 3.56 percent spending increase.

“I think it didn’t pass the first time largely because of tax rates,” School Business Administrator Paul Karpik said. “The tax proposal was what we got the most feedback about. There were other issues as well, but that was the biggest one.”

Last year, only two districts of the nearly 700 in the state adopted a contingent budget after two defeats at the ballot box. One of them was Cheektowaga Sloan.

This year, districts that wind up in that position could be slashing to the bone, looking at kindergarten, athletics, art and music to reduce the levy.

“They only have so many things they can cut from,” Albert said.

For Lewiston-Porter, that means another $893,000 would be cut.

“We had a pretty lean budget as it was,” the superintendent said.

Contingent budgets also would mean cutting costs to bridge gaps of $1.47 million in Clarence, $1.28 million in Niagara Wheatfield and $424,000 in Bemus Point.

“I think people are aware of it. I think taxpayers are aware of it, said Godshall. “It’s in the hands of the taxpayers now.”

Aaron Mansfield contributed to this story. email: bobrien@buffnews.com ]]> Sat, 15 Jun 2013 21:23:38 -0400 By Barbara O’Brien

News Staff Reporter

]]> <![CDATA[ Creativity its own reward in Odyssey by Roy-Hart students ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130615/CITYANDREGION/130619382/1020
Seven fifth-graders from Royalton-Hartland Middle School, their families and their substitute coach, Daniel Mault, traveled to the World Finals of the Odyssey of the Mind competition in East Lansing, Mich., three weeks ago.

Held on the campus of Michigan State University, the competition drew thousands of students of all ages from across the country – and from around the world.

“When they got to the 20,000-seat arena in Michigan, the kids just sat looking around in awe,” Mault recalled. “It was like the Olympics with all of these kids from different states and different countries. It was the first time they had ever experienced that level of excitement, and they were a part of that. It was awesome for the kids and meant a lot.”

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition that encourages original and divergent thinking. For each problem they tackle, there is more than one solution. The key is for the students to have fun along the way.

Mault coaches a fourth-grade team at Royalton-Hartland Elementary School and accompanied the fifth-graders to the top competition when their coach, Adam Eschborn, was unable to make the trip. There also is a seventh-grade Roy-Hart team.

The problems offered fall into five categories: mechanical/vehicle, classics, performance, structure and technical performance.

Teams choose a problem, create a solution, then present their solution in a competition against other teams in the same problem and division. Students work in teams of seven under the guidance of a coach and spend months creating solutions to long-term problems. But they come up with the ideas and do all of the work themselves.

Roy-Hart’s team of Abby Ander, Aaron Bacon, Andrew Corser, Michael Huntington, Anna Rickard, William Rickard and Sandy Sparks tackled the problem titled “It’s How You Look at It.” Overall, the students placed 17th out of 50 teams in the World Finals.

The problem was to create and present an original humorous performance that includes two characters who act naturally – to themselves – but seem odd to those around them, Mault said. The students wrote the skit and made their own costumes, scenery, props and equipment, which included a meter indicating the degree of odd/normal behavior.

The Roy-Hart students designed a meter powered by chicken eggs. The eggs, which were weighted, made the scale indicate the level of “oddness” that was being exhibited by the characters. The skill in creating this meter helped the Roy-Hart team travel to the world competition.

In the competitions, teams have 8 minutes to present their long-term solution to the problem and are scored for meeting the requirements of the problem and for creativity in categories specific to the problem. At the competition, teams are also presented a spontaneous problem to solve on-site.

The program particularly appeals to students who are “naturally” creative, as well as students with untapped potential but no outlet for it, according to Professor C. Samuel Micklus, who founded Odyssey of the Mind more than 25 years ago.

The Roy-Hart fifth-graders earned the Ranatra Fusca Award this year at the state competition in Binghamton, which helped propel them to the World Finals. The award’s name is Latin for “water strider,” a reference to an early competition where students were tasked with designing a boat.

Mault, a fourth-grade teacher at Roy-Hart Elementary School in addition to being the team’s substitute coach, said that in the past, students have been chosen for the team at the suggestion of their teachers, or simply by showing interest in joining. But now he is considering starting tryouts.

“I’m looking for kids who are creative, have a spark, are dedicated and can cooperate and have ideas that are out of the box,” he said. “… We don’t have a team in the high school yet, and we’ve been discussing how some of these younger kids continue to have interest in this, but there are not a lot of these types of programs around as they get older. But there’s so much interest in this, and it’s really a fairly inexpensive program to run.”

Fifth-grader Aaron Bacon, 10, who has been involved with the program since third grade, said, “It’s cool that we weren’t just representing Roy-Hart, but we were representing New York State, and it was cool to meet people from other countries.”

“I worked on the skit and plotted out three of the six backgrounds that other kids painted,” he said of his involvement. “… I like being able to meet other people and build things and solve problems.”

His mother, Ann, who accompanied her son to Michigan, said, “I think this is an incredible opportunity for the kids. It’s such a unique program. … It’s quite entertaining to watch these kids all come together, and if we watched the show 15 times, we’d see 15 different shows. … They are really an impressive group of kids, and I mean an impressive group beyond just our school. We have a lot of pride in them as parents.”

Andrew Corser, 10, who joined the team this year, said the competition “was even better than I ever could have imagined. They had a pretty awesome light show. This was my first year, and it was pretty cool. I helped with making the backdrops and painting some scenes. … You need imagination, definitely.”

His grandmother, Jane Corser, a retired librarian for Wilson schools who accompanied him to Michigan, called the program “remarkable.”

“I don’t know why all schools don’t offer it,” she said. “This reflects well on the school and on the teachers.”

For more information, visit www.odysseyofthemind.com.

email: niagaranews@buffnews.com ]]> Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:20:23 -0400 By Teresa Sharp

Niagara correspondent

]]> <![CDATA[ Maritime Charter School students dress — and drill, and study — for success ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130615/CITYANDREGION/130619519/1020 One student is graduating after three years with plans to become a physician assistant. Another graduating junior has been drafted by a hockey team and hopes to play in the National Hockey League. A senior is planning to attend seminary and be ordained a Catholic priest.

The students are taking these diverse paths after spending their high school years in the uniform of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at the Western New York Maritime Charter School in Buffalo. Like their classmates, whom they call “shipmates,” each has a rank, understands military protocol, and can bark out, “Aye aye, sir!” in response to an order. But like most of the sixth graduating class at the school, they have no immediate plans to enter the military – and some have no plan to ever enlist.

The Junior ROTC training “is definitely something I wanted to experience, but now that I have gone through it I don’t think I really want to go into the military,” said Cadet Seaman Melanie Montanez, 17, who lives on the West Side. “I want to go to college first and get a career going.”

“Usually 10 to 15 percent of the graduating class goes into the military,” said Commandant Lawrence Astyk, whose civilian title would be principal. This year, four students from a graduating class of 62 will go into college ROTC programs; seven or eight more plan to enlist.

“Nobody here looks down on those who do not choose the military,” said Melinda Callihan, chair of the humanities department at the school. “We want kids to be successful and be leaders within their community, no matter what that community ends up being.”

“We call this a leadership factory,” said Astyk, a Bishop Timon and Naval Academy graduate who served 28 years in the Marine Corps before retiring in 2004 as a lieutenant colonel. “They get more leadership and citizenship training here than most Americans ever will.”

Since it was founded in 2004, Western New York Maritime Charter School has become a sought-after option for students from 18 school districts, as far away as Niagara Falls and Angola. The cadet corps now includes students who have transferred to Maritime from Buffalo Seminary, St. Francis High School and public schools across the region.

It didn’t start out that way. In the first years of the school, most of the students were enrolled at the request of their parents or guardians who “wanted the discipline and structure,” Astyk said. In 2004, the 135 ninth-graders who attended the school in its temporary home at the Rev. Bennett W. Smith Family Life Center on Michigan Avenue were disruptive and defiant, wearing gang colors along with their uniforms. Then-commandant Richard Middaugh, a retired Navy aviator and former English teacher, spent much of his time dealing with conduct issues. Astyk was hired halfway through that year, and together he and Middaugh were able to start to make changes.

“Sixty to 70 percent of our students now choose to come here themselves,” said Cmdr. Tony Deaville, vice-commandant for the junior ROTC program and teacher of the mandatory Naval Science classes.

The State Education Department’s statistics show that class that started at Maritime in 2007 had a 78.4 percent graduation rate four years later, with 5.9 percent of the students in that class still enrolled and working toward their diplomas. Buffalo public schools, excluding charter schools, have a 54 percent graduation rate after four years; statewide, the number is 74 percent.

Astyk said that many of the students who enrolled in Maritime in 2007 and did not graduate in four years “haven’t been in this building for two or three years.”

Among the members of the class of 2013, he says “it looks as though 100 percent” of those who started as freshmen and were attending school at the start of their senior year will graduate.Montanez, who plans to attend D’Youville and study to be a physician assistant, said that the lessons she has learned at Maritime – “integrity, honesty, courage, commitment” – will help her in civilian life. She is one of three calendar year juniors who have accumulated enough credits to graduate.

“New York State requires that students have 22 credits to graduate; we require 24,” said Astyk. “We have eight periods a day, and can add a ninth period, so after three years, some students are ready to graduate.

Another graduating junior is Cadet Seaman Apprentice Frank Hora of Cheektowaga, who just turned 17 and has been drafted by the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. Hora is glad that he was able to complete his high school education before pursuing his dream of playing professional hockey.

“The teachers have been here for me whenever I needed them,” said Hora, a 6-foot-tall defenseman who has played for the Buffalo Junior Sabres.

Cadet Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Donovan, 18, from South Buffalo, spent his senior year as executive officer. He will enter the ROTC program at Canisius College and study philosophy and theology, with the goal of attending seminary and being ordained into the priesthood, and possibly pursue a career as a military chaplain. “I would like to serve God and his people fully and to the best of my ability,” he said.

One graduating senior who chose immediate enlistment is this year’s valedictorian, Cadet Senior Chief Andrea Frey, 18, of Lockport. Frey was offered a scholarship to the prestigious Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, but chose to enlist in the Air Force with the goal of getting a college degree in meteorology. One of seven children, she has excelled at academics and activities.Today, students supervise and maintain order in the school and during events outside the school. As Astyk approached the cafeteria before the start of classes, a student opened the door for him and shouted, “Attention on deck!” Every student fell silent, rose and remained standing until Astyk released them.

Rather than attendance, each class begins with muster, with each student snapping to attention and answering, “Yes, sir,” or “Yes, ma’am,” as his or her name is called. “Muster is a great transition between the activity of the hallway and learning,” said Deaville. “It stabilizes the class and gets them ready to learn.”

The halls are silent and empty during class periods, and the classrooms themselves are quiet. “We don’t have any roamers, kids roaming the halls,” said Astyk.

One student who was late to a class entered the room and immediately began the required penalty of push-ups. When he finished, Astyk complimented him for beginning the push-ups himself without requiring the teacher to interrupt her class remind him.

“And be on time next time,” he added.

Of course, some students resist the discipline and structure, and charter schools may expel them. Deaville says 22 students were asked to leave the school this academic year, down from the 30 or 40 expelled in past years. “They want to fight the system,” he said. “They are allowed to be kids, but there are things they can’t do; they can’t cuss, they can’t hit other kids.

“Kids have to understand that actions have consequences,” Deaville said. “If they can learn that lesson now, it’s to their benefit. We want them to be on time and do their work, because when they get a job their boss will want them to be on time and do their work.”

Astyk meets regularly with prospective students who are considering attending Maritime. One teenager who visited in early June had seen the drill team at a public event and wanted to be part of the award-winning synchronized marching unit, which includes a flashy rifle spinning team. Those cadets twirl, throw and catch their 9.5-pound, World War I-era bolt-action Springfield rifles with grace and precision.

A few days before the deadline to submit student applications, Amanda Dixon, 15, of West Seneca, toured the school with her mother, Sandra Sparacino, and older sister, Alysha Sparacino. Dixon, who plans to enlist in the Marine Corps, learned about Maritime from a military recruiter.

“Most of the recruiters now know about us,” said New York Army National Guard Major Jon F. Mellott, the school’s director of instructional services.

After her tour, Dixon said, “I liked all the teachers; they were very welcoming.” Her mother left with an application.

“Anybody can come; anybody is eligible to come,” said Astyk. “We want to keep the doors open to everybody.”

“You want to look good in that uniform, which represents our school, the 3,000 high schools that have Junior ROTC as well as military veterans throughout the country,” said Astyk as incoming students lined up to be inspected at 7:15 a.m.

Montanez said her first days wearing the uniform were challenging. “They were really strict, you had to have your shoes shined and everything, but it became easier as you continued, and then it became like second nature.”

At the end of the school year, seniors turn in their uniforms and then wear the school polo shirt and khaki pants, along with a class-designed hoodie.The uniform also contains visible symbols of each cadet’s accomplishments. “That’s her resume, right there,” said Deaville, gesturing toward Mann’s rows of ribbons for academic and military achievements.

The more a cadet excels, the more his or her uniform is decorated. Cadet Lt. Maxwell DiNatale, 17, of Kenmore, next year’s community action officer and commander of the air rifle team, wears a dress uniform that is bright with ribbons, medals won in competitions and bright green aiguillettes, elaborately braided and looped cords worn on the shoulder.

“Getting good grades here is cool,” said Deaville. It’s also immediately apparent. Students who make the merit roll get their black name tags replaced with silver ones; those on the honor roll wear gold name tags.

“It’s an effective reward,” said Callihan. “They really want those silver and gold name tags. They are constantly coming and checking with us, ‘What do I have to do to get that A?’ ”

“Everyone can see how well you have done,” said Montanez.

The academic challenges offered at Maritime attracted Cadet Ensign Leann Roland, 16, who lives on the East Side. “There were greater chances for me to succeed academically, and I wanted to go into the Navy,” she said. Maritime offers some classes that carry college credit – “our goal is to have students graduate with 9 to 12 college credits,” said Astyk.

Callihan, who is in her 13th year of teaching, said she was initially unsure how she would fit in at Maritime. But she said she soon realized, “They are wearing the uniform, and they say ‘Yes, ma’am’ and ‘No ma’am,’ but they are still kids and I am there to teach them English. We still service special-education students, we still service English language learners, we still have all of the same programs that any school in our city has. The bottom line is that it’s really just a high school, except that the kids have a discipline system in place so I can do my job effectively. You don’t have the same level of disrespect or apathy.”The building the school occupies was built as a livery stable, then used as a warehouse. Today it has 40 classrooms, a library, media center, weight room, assembly hall and offices, along with an outdoor blacktopped area for marching called the drill deck. The hallways and offices are decorated with military posters and artifacts, many from the collection of the building’s owner, Attorney Thomas H. Burton.

On a sun-splashed day during the final week of classes, students gathered on the drill deck for a ceremony to wrap up the school year. Cadet Battalion Commander Brandon Cruz, 17, from Hamburg, the highest-ranking cadet in the school, ceremonially handed over the school flag – and with it, command – to next year’s battalion commander, junior Alex Campbell, a member of the school’s drill team and academic team, whom Astyk described as “a very motivated and dependable individual.”

First, Deaville attached streamers to the top of the school flag designating the school as a distinguished unit with honors, a citation given by the regional Naval Junior ROTC office. In 2011, the school was first named a distinguished unit; in 2012 and 2013 it had “honors” added.

Donovan then presented the flag to Cruz, who ceremonially handed it over to Campbell. Although all three maintained perfect discipline, Cruz admitted later that handing over the flag – and all it symbolized – was sad. After graduation Friday, he will attend The Ohio State University, enter the Marine Corps ROTC program and study political science and U.S. history, leading to a pre-law program.

Astyk said he understands that asking adolescents to modify the way they dress and act in public, the very methods many teens use to express themselves, requires a sacrifice.

“I tell them that you may have to give up some of your individuality, but you give that up to join something very big and powerful, something that’s respected throughout the country, something that will really set you up to be successful when you graduate. They realize it’s worth the sacrifice, to act and look a certain way, to become part of something special.”

email: aneville@buffnews.com ]]> Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:19:55 -0400 Anne Neville
]]> <![CDATA[ Bennett students’ nonviolence agenda seeks to repair image ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130615/CITYANDREGION/130619434/1020
It didn’t sit well with other students, who took disparaging Internet posts about their school personally, their principal said.

They did something about it on Friday, donating $200 they had raised themselves to the Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence.

“We’re showing people that not all students are like that,” Chronicle McLain, 16, said of the students accused of the Shoshone Park assault. “We’re not all deficient like that. We don’t all make poor decisions.”

McLain, who just finished his junior year at Bennett, helped organize the fundraiser with classmates Rachel Bish and Eric Thompson.

On June 7, they sold black ribbons to other students for $2. Anyone who bought a ribbon could wear jeans to school instead of the school’s uniform. And on Monday, students remained silent in the hallways between classes as a way to show a commitment to nonviolence.

“This is a nonviolent school,” said Principal Teena Jackson. “We don’t support the actions that took place by some of our students. And by no means does it represent the student population here at Bennett High School.”

The assault happened May 16, when city employee James LeGrand, 66, of the Mayor’s Impact Team tried to break up a fight in Shoshone Park. He was assaulted and robbed, and the incident was captured on video.

Chronicle said most of the alleged attackers were his friends.

“Obviously, I was very angry with them at first,” Chronicle said of his friends. “And it was kind of outrageous what they did ... We were extremely disappointed with them.”

Wearing shirts that read, “Bennett students believe in peace,” Chronicle and some of his classmates presented a $200 check to Vivian Waltz of the Klimczak center, which holds workshops in local schools on peaceful conflict resolution. Waltz said the money will go directly toward the organization’s work in Buffalo Public Schools.

Waltz found it unfortunate that others have associated the actions of a few Bennett students with the entire school. But, she said, “It’s work like these students are doing that helps to dispel those kinds of myths.”

Leonard Katz, who graduated from Bennett in 1953, was at the school on Friday.

He has served as the president of the school’s alumni association and helps students prepare for college. He said he is proud of the students’ fundraiser and donation.

“I’m glad that the school and the students of the school responded to this awful event that took place and making clear that Bennett High School is not like that,” Katz said. “And we come into the school all the time. It’s as calm and peaceful as you could imagine. Students are polite.”

Chronicle said he feels “100 percent safe” coming to Bennett every day. And LeGrand said in a statement that he will still attend track meets held at the school.

“I appreciate what they’re doing, and I understand their feelings,” LeGrand said of the students. “I’m sorry if this incident painted the school in a bad light. I know it’s not that way.”

email: lhammill@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:46:09 -0400 By Luke Hammill

News Staff Reporter

]]> <![CDATA[ Charter director retires after creating ‘what a school should be’ ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/CITYANDREGION/130619575/1020
Students and staff all wore T-shirts bearing her picture and declaring it “Dr. Massey Day.” Mayor Byron W. Brown visited the school to read a proclamation honoring her. Third-graders serenaded her with a rendition of “We Are the World.”

Children and adults alike praised Massey’s gentle, loving approach, as well as her tireless dedication to the students.

“She has incredible humility, equaled by her tenacity and her vision,” said Cathy Wettlaufer, president of the charter school’s board. “What she has never forgotten to do is put the children’s education as her paramount concern.”

Massey, a native of Tennessee, was a professor of education at Houghton College for 24 years before leaving in the late ’90s to work with young children on Buffalo’s East Side at the King Urban Life Center.

In 2000, she became the founding director of the first charter school in Buffalo, King Center Charter School, housed in the former St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church on Genesee Street.

When it opened, the school served 80 students in kindergarten through third grade. Over the years, the program has grown to serve 260 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with plans to expand through eighth grade in the next two years.

The school has had its ups and downs.

After its initial five-year charter expired, the school’s test scores were so low that state officials questioned whether they should close the school. Then, Massey implemented changes that improved achievement – including a longer day and a six-week summer program more focused on reading.

In more recent years, funding cuts have led the school to scale back its summer program to two weeks. The violin lessons that were once given to all students now are optional.

Still, many features that distinguish the school remain in place. Each classroom has two certified teachers, one provided through AmeriCorps for up to two years and one on staff long-term. A variety of partnerships within the community yield enrichment activities. All the students take ice-skating lessons in North Buffalo, for instance, through the help of Hasek’s Heroes. Fifth- and sixth-grade girls play squash at Buffalo Seminary.

Now, the school generally posts test scores slightly above district averages. Forty-two percent of fourth-graders are proficient in math and English, compared with about one-third in the Buffalo Public Schools.

Both the mayor and Regent Robert M. Bennett, on their Thursday visit to the school, deemed it “one of the best schools in the state of New York.”

“This really is what a school should be,” Bennett said. “Excellence is expected all the time of students, of teachers, of administrators. You have to love the students, and when you do, you have great expectations for all the students.”

Massey, 67, said she is looking forward to the chance to travel to see her daughters – one in New Mexico, one in North Carolina – and devote more time to her volunteer interests. She serves on the board of Jericho Road Ministries and belongs to True Bethel Baptist Church, where she plans to become involved in ministry programs.

And, she says, she relishes the opportunity to be able to reflect on her experiences with the students. On a daily basis, they overcome challenges with great creativity and resolve, she said. “The greatest privilege has been getting to know the children so well and understanding their life struggles,” she said. “I’m so impressed with their resiliency and their strength. We have so many examples of children solving problems in their lives that we can’t even imagine existing. Not everything can be measured by a test.”

email: mpasciak@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:07:10 -0400 Mary Pasciak
]]> <![CDATA[ In Ken-Ton School District, more than just a ‘lunch lady’ ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/CITYANDREGION/130619576/1020
But this school day ended on a special note for the 85-year-old woman when an award in her name was established to recognize two students who embody her qualities of kindness and respect.

“She’s one of the kindest, most genuine people I know,” said Tom Schwob, a guidance counselor who has known Hernandez for 32 years. “Without a doubt. She’s one in a million.”

Hernandez does more than just empty trays, wipe down tables and sweep up wrappers. The mother of four, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of 10 acts as a beloved mediator, confidant and even surrogate grandmother to some.

She has a soft spot for the loners and children with special needs, staff say. Hernandez is known to buy – out of her own pocket – ice cream for students on their birthdays, Christmas presents anonymously for students who have little and bouquets of roses for graduating girls.

Students persuaded her to attend a dance last month and formed a circle around her while she slow-danced with a teacher.

“She is probably the one monitor that year after year, the kids just love,” said assistant principal Michael Haggerty. “They adore her.”

The admiration students have for her was evident in their outburst of cheers and chants of “Shirley!” when she approached the stage during an award ceremony in the school auditorium.

“I don’t know why they chose me for this, but I’m just so honored and so thrilled,” Hernandez said. “I think about it and I start crying and I think ‘What did I do? I do everything everybody else does.’ ”

The first annual “Shirley Hernandez Kindness Award” was given to 13-year-olds Joseph D’Ingillo and Sabrina Katus.

A plaque with their names will be placed in the school’s front lobby.

“She’s, like, funny and, like, she’s an awesome lunch lady,” said Joseph. “You can talk to her about anything.”

“She was always really nice and if you ever had a problem you could always talk to her about it,” added Sabrina.

Her longevity is even more remarkable given the scary setback she experienced two years ago.

She didn’t report to work on Jan. 28, 2011, which was highly unusual. Haggerty and Schwob went to her home and found blood in the snow on the driveway and on the door.

They found her in bed with a head injury suffered after slipping on ice while taking out garbage. They called an ambulance, and she was rushed to Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

Students and staff were devastated. They signed giant heart-shaped cards, which were delivered to her hospital room. She returned to work months later on May 3.

“It’s very touching to see how much the school appreciates and loves my mother,” said her son, Dennis, who attended the ceremony.

On Thursday – the last day of classes for this semester – she hugged students, posed for photos and signed yearbooks with a simple inscription, “I love you, Ms. Shirley.”

She said she “mopes” in the summer when school’s not in session and has no plans to quit.

“I came here so many years ago,” she said, “and I just don’t ever want to lose it.”

email: jpopiolkowski@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:37:42 -0400 Joseph Popiolkowski
]]> <![CDATA[ Enlarging opportunities, UB unveils new career center at edge of Medical Campus ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/BUSINESS/130619579/1020
The Buffalo resident can’t say enough about the value of the center’s career-boosting programs, but she readily admits that its longtime home in downtown Buffalo is showing its age.

That’s why Lias is thrilled that the EOC is moving this summer to brand-new digs on the edge of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

“The new building is awesome. It’s state of the art. It’s airy. It’s wonderful,” said Lias, 48, of Buffalo.

UB this morning is unveiling the new $26 million, 68,000-square-foot EOC facility at Ellicott and Goodell streets.

Officials say the new structure will better serve the 1,900 low-income students who receive vocational training and exam-preparation courses through the EOC each year, with enhanced technology and a foothold on the Medical Campus to boost the center’s allied health programs.

“To see it come to fruition is really nice,” said Debra E.J. Thompson, the EOC’s director of instructional services, a 25-year employee who helped in the building’s planning.

UB’s EOC – one of a network of centers across the state – has been operated out of 465 Washington St. since it opened 40 years ago.

Its 80 or 90 faculty and staff members serve nearly 2,000 students annually who don’t pay tuition but must meet income, academic and state residency requirements to be eligible.

The EOC prepares students for college and civil service exams and offers certification courses for dental assistants, medical technicians and a variety of other jobs.

Lias entered the medical assistant program at the urging of her daughter, Tierra Jones, who went through it a year earlier, and she hopes to get a job in a doctor’s office or at a hospital.

Lias has been out of work since she was overwhelmed by the violent deaths of two of her sons – Antonio Jones, who was shot, and Ernest Jones II, who was stabbed – just months apart in 2008 and 2009. Returning to the EOC, she said, “was my way of getting my life back together.”

She gave an address at her graduation ceremony last month, and she will speak at today’s news conference.

The cutting-edge technology built into the new facility, including improved wireless and broadband Internet, is the biggest change from Washington Street, said Julius Gregg Adams, the EOC’s executive director.

Each classroom will have an interactive whiteboard, connected to a computer, and the library will be more digitally focused. Adams said the enhanced technology will let the EOC explore offering online courses. “The goal is to move in that direction,” he said.

The location of the new building should boost the center’s allied health programs, which are meant to position students to find work at the Medical Campus.

As an example of the links between the center and the campus, EOC faculty members teach a class at Roswell Park Cancer Institute on introductory Spanish for health care workers that serves EOC students and institute employees. “Part of my job is reaching out to Kaleida, Catholic Health, Roswell Park, to see if there are ways we can partner,” Adams said. Beyond geography, just being in a new building will mean a lot to EOC students, said Thompson, who worked as an part-time instructor and a full-time faculty member before taking her administrative position with the center. “It’s such an attitude change,” she said.

The new building at 555 Ellicott St. is linked through a glass atrium to the UB Downtown Gateway Building, 77 Goodell St., which opened in 2009 in the former M. Wile building and houses programs including the school’s Office of Government and Community Relations.

UB announced plans for the new EOC facility in 2007, touting it as a major investment in downtown Buffalo, and construction began in 2010. The university has since opened a Clinical and Translational Research Center on the Medical Campus and announced plans to move its Medical School there.

The EOC will move its staff and programs to the energy-efficient building designed by Holt Architects in stages, starting later this month and wrapping up in August.

“As we move forward in building a strong, knowledge-based economy in our region,” UB President Satish K. Tripathi said in a statement, “this state-of-the-art collaborative learning environment will play a key role in expanding the educational and vocational opportunities that will come with this innovation economy.”

email: swatson@buffnews.com ]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:34:45 -0400 Stephen T. Watson
]]> <![CDATA[ Progress on renovation of schools in Lockport will be updated online ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/CITYANDREGION/130619566/1020 www.lockportschools.org.

Voters have approved three major projects over the last five years that are in various stages of construction. Deborah A. Coder, superintendent for finance and management services, and Thomas W. Fiegl, chairman of the facilities committee, provided updates on the work at Wednesday’s meeting of the School Board that also served as a preview of what will be presented online each month.

The $23.5 million high school reconstruction project voters approved in 2008 is near completion. The main work, which included additions of a fitness center and classrooms and renovation of the auditorium, has been finished, but $400,000 remains, which the state mandates must be spent on improvements at the high school. The district will use the money to refinish the floor, install new bleachers, and enhance the sound system in the high school’s west gymnasium and add handrails to the upper level of the auditorium. The remaining items still need to be approved by the state Education Department. Construction is expected to begin in March and be completed in time for the 2014-15 school year.

An $18.9 million infrastructure project voters approved in 2011 has resulted in roof replacements at George Southard and Roy B. Kelley elementary schools, along with further renovations at Kelley and a new parking lot at Southard that are scheduled to be completed by the end of summer. The last phase of the project, which includes work at North Park, Emmet Belknap, Anna Merritt and Charles Upson, is being submitted for state approval in August and should be finished by the end of the year.

A $22.2 million project voters approved last month focusing on security and technology upgrades and renovation of the elementary school kitchens is in the beginning stages of the design phase. A $100,000 capital project funded by the district’s general budget has been submitted for state approval. The project, which did not require voter approval, will install energy-efficient lighting at the high school, emergency power in the high school’s walk-in freezer, and complete the reconstruction of the exterior pool wall at the high school.

The district also announced that an emergency training drill involving the city police and fire departments will be conducted at the high school during the morning of June 24. The drill will close the streets surrounding the high school. There will be a staging area and a triage area at the Kenan Center. Students will be out of session during the drill, but faculty and staff will be working.

“We did a similar drill maybe five years ago,” Superintendent Michelle T. Bradley said. “With the events in December at Newtown, Conn., we have spent a lot of time reviewing our security plans and thought we should have another drill.” ]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:52:33 -0400 By Jonah Bronstein

Niagara correspondent

]]> <![CDATA[ Williamsville School Board appoints 2 to key posts ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/CITYANDREGION/130619645/1020
Jeffrey Jachlewski was appointed the new principal of Heim Middle School, and Christopher Mucica was appointed instructional specialist for health, physical education and athletics.

Jachlewski has been the assistant principal at Heim Middle for five years, and Mucica has served as the faculty manager of athletics at Williamsville East High School since 2007.

Jachlewski replaces Valerie Keipper, who is retiring, and Mucica replaces James Rusin, who died in January. ]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:03:50 -0400 <![CDATA[ Sentient Science to add 86 jobs with $10.5 million investment here ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/BUSINESS/130619694/1020
Sentient has moved its headquarters from Idaho to space in the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs Executive Development Center in Buffalo, where it has 10 employees, and the company is looking at locations in Niagara Falls as part of its planned expansion here.

Sentient’s move to this area, part of a broader effort to grow a materials sciences industry here, will be celebrated by lawmakers and members of the business community at a news conference this morning in the UB center.

Sentient has maintained its research and development facility in Idaho Falls but late last year moved into the former Butler mansion on Delaware Avenue at North Street. The move came after business groups and elected officials worked to connect Sentient with computer scientists and engineers at the university.

The company in 2000 began developing its testing technology, marketed under the DigitalClone brand, to take the place of the manual testing of materials and components used in the manufacture of helicopters, bridges, medical devices, wind turbines and other products.

The items are tested with simulators and sensors to determine how the materials used in their manufacture will behave under various scenarios, how they stand up to the stresses of use and how long before they have to be replaced.

Sentient’s sensors and software can perform these tests in the virtual realm, saving its clients time and money.

Sentient has received $23 million in federal and state grants, including $982,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to develop and put in place a system to test gear boxes in wind turbines.

The company also has received $811,534 in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits through the state Regional Economic Development Council here, with the promise of employing 86 workers locally by summer 2016.

Sentient is considering several options for its expansion into Niagara County, and the $10.5 million represents the value of its local investment once the company meets its employment target, company officials said.

Ward Thomas, Sentient’s president and CEO, will be joined by Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul A. Dyster and numerous state representatives and economic development officials for this morning’s news conference, tour and scientific demonstration.

email: swatson@buffnews.com ]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:38:53 -0400 Stephen T. Watson
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