Press release
LeRoy, New York, February 17, 2021 – The Genesee Valley Schools Boards Association recently hosted its Legislative Leadership Day. At this annual event, school district officials and board of education members, as well as, local elected state legislators were present in-person and virtually to recognize various district achievements and to advocate for regional school districts.
At the event, the prestigious Al Hawk Award was presented to Jennifer Mehlenbacher, Board of Education President for the Geneseo Central School District. Mehlenbacher has served on the Geneseo Central School (GCS) District’s Board of Education for nearly a decade, five of those years presiding as Board President.
The Al Hawk Award is an annual award presented by the Genesee Valley School Board Association (GVSBA) for distinguished school board service. The award is given to a current or former school board member for outstanding contributions to public education and children in his or her community. The award is named for Albert W. Hawk, a longtime advocate for rural schools and member of both the Dansville Board of Education and the Genesee Valley BOCES Board of Education. Sadly, Hawk passed away in 2018.
The GVSBA Excellence in Student Services Awards were presented to eight area school districts. These awards honored school district staff and or programs that demonstrate how schools support, and serve students, and also show how schools are a vital connection in communities. Patrick Burk is the Executive Director of the Genesee Valley School Boards Association. He noted why events like these are important.
“So often our legislators are called upon to assist schools with funding gaps. Events like these give our legislators a first-hand look at some of the important work happening in our schools,” Burk said.
Immediately after the awards presentations, area representatives spoke to the group about legislation related to rural school districts. The main topics discussed were finance and budget, the impact of the tax cap and the lack of high-speed internet accessibility.
Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes addressed the group and shared some thoughts on concerns and how legislators can assist.
“The pandemic has put a spotlight on these already existing issues. While the Governor asserts that 98 percent of New Yorkers have access to broadband, that figure is highly inflated. The education of our students is harmed by inadequate computers, weak or no broadband access and the difficulties of learning through a remote environment,” Assemblywoman Byrnes said. “These issues have compounded the stress in many students leading to more (and more serious) mental health conditions. The broadband issue, while of utmost importance, will involve long term solutions and commitments from state and federal sources. We, as legislators, can help assist our schools now by ensuring proper funding of programs like BOCES and preventing the manipulation of aid categories.”
Other legislators in attendance and also addressed the group were Assemblyman Stephen M. Hawley via Zoom, Christopher Zeltmann via Zoom whom represented Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Edward Rath via Zoom, Jarred Jones via Zoom whom represented Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator George Borrello attended in-person and Phyllis Wickerham whom represented Senator Patrick Gallivan.
Patrick Burk is the Executive Director of the Genesee Valley Schools Boards Association. He shared the main theme discussed with legislators.
“The main topic discussed was finance and budget, the impact of the tax cap, and where we are at with finance and budgeting as it relates to the Governor’s budget and the Senate and Assembly budget,” Burk said. “The lack of broadband internet accessibility is of a grave concern to all the districts in our region, and across the country, with the hybrid learning model adopted by many schools during the pandemic.”
“When we come together, we can advocate collectively for our concerns and issues. When you gather people, either in-person or via Zoom, voices and concerns are heard,” Burk added.
The GVSBA Excellence in Student Services Awards presented are as follows.
Avon Drama Club – Avon Central School
“The show must go on” is a venerable theater adage. Despite a pandemic shutdown and lack of an auditorium, the dedicated members and advisors of the Avon Drama Club ingeniously persevered and found unique ways to carry on and present two shows. “Guys and Dolls” was the big spring musical that, after weeks of preparation and rehearsals, had the misfortune of having its March performance dates falling on the weekend prior to the school’s COVID-19 closing. Devasted by the prospect of no one seeing their production, the Drama Club worked with school administration and the IT department to rally and live stream an eleventh-hour performance that was made available for public view. In the fall, it looked like the 25th annual performance of the musical “Scrooge” would be canceled due to COVID-19 and the fact that the auditorium was undergoing renovations. The challenge was again met, this time by filming “Scrooge” on location throughout the village and screening the completed results at the Vintage Drive-In, thus preserving a community tradition.
GV BOCES Regional Food Service Program – Genesee Valley BOCES
In the Justice League, superheroes wear capes as they perform their super feats. At the Genesee Valley BOCES the superheroes of the food service program wear gloves and masks while they prepare almost 12,000 meals each day for the students of 21 school districts. The powers and abilities of the dedicated food service teams were put to the test during the pandemic shutdown of school buildings and they met the challenge heroically as they continued to prepare breakfast and lunches. Working out the complicated logistics early on, the food service staff carried on by preparing and packaging grab-and-go meals that were made available to students via remote delivery or by in-school pickup. As the shutdown stretched from a few weeks to several months, districts utilized the program as an effective way to deliver schoolwork and keep in touch with students and parents.
Julie Wasilewski – Batavia City Schools
At the beginning of the current school year, the Batavia City School District opened a community resource center for district residents with children in the school. Its subsequent success in providing meaningful support—be it social, emotional, medical, or outreach to community resources—is due in no small part to district social worker.
Julie Wasilewski, who was appointed to run the resource center. Her diligence in connecting with and assisting families as needed has helped position students so that they are ready to learn and achieve their maximum potential.
Leadership In Action – Letchworth Central School
Fostering a passion for service is the goal of Leadership In Action. It is a course that teaches students how to develop and institute programs and projects that will meet the needs of students, the school, and/or the community. The students have 100 percent ownership; by executing all aspects of the projects, they are given the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills and make a positive impact. New projects are instituted each quarter. Among the many projects carried out by Leadership In Action are an elementary school family fun night, a community garden, a high school honor roll breakfast, fundraisers for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and donating the tuition for a child’s education in a third world country.
Shooting For A Cure! – Pembroke Central School
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Pembroke Central School girls’ basketball team’s Shooting For A Cure!, a program that has raised more than $152,000 for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Weeks of planning are required for this event, during which the team collaborates with school and community leaders, culminating with a charity basketball game accompanied by various raffles, activities and recognition of cancer patients and survivors. Afterwards, the team travels to Buffalo for an in-person presentation to Roswell Park. Though the traditional charity game has been postponed this year, the team is determined to execute this fundraiser.
Sound Village – Perry Central School
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Perry Central School educators to innovate in order to maintain connections with students and create interest in the music program hobbled by social distancing restrictions. PCS viewed this as a challenge to be met, and did so by creating the Sound Village, a state-of-the-art audio and video on campus production facility. Sound Village is a model for both in-person and remote performing arts instruction, providing students the opportunity to think, problem solve, and create. It is also a resource for other subject areas and extra-curricular activities.
SU At MM – Mount Morris Central School
This academic partnership with Syracuse University—to offer credit bearing college classes at Mount Morris Central School—has, since 2018, earned students 255 fully transferable college credits. It’s part of the nationally renowned Syracuse University Project Advance program, in which MMCS faculty serve as adjunct instructors teaching classes identical to those offered to matriculated SU students. Courses include subjects ranging from English Language Arts, public policy, sports management, and forensic science, and use the same text books, assignments, and assessments.
Virtual Dawg Days 2020 – Livonia Central School
Dawg Days are a series of track and field events inaugurated as an alternative to the Special Olympics, for students in the Livonia 12:1:1 program who would be overwhelmed by the crowds. A campus tradition, Dawg Days 2020 was maintained, despite the pandemic social distancing, thanks to creative thinking. Since the students couldn’t be brought together for Dawg Days, Dawg Days was taken to the individual homes of the students. It was a memorable first week in June when the 12:1:1 team of teachers, service providers, and paraprofessionals cheered on the students in their backyards as they participated in events using common household items. Captured on video and posted on the school website, the effort provided a meaningful way for the entire school community to stay connected and be physically active.