Heritage Hero: William Menz

Photos by Tom Rivers – William Menz stands next to a monument that was dedicated in October 2008 to soldiers in Company F that trained at the Medina Armory. There are 550 names included on the monument for local soldiers who fought in wars on behalf of the United States. Menz is trying to raise funds for a bronze statue of a soldier to be on top of the monument.

MEDINA – In 1977, the National Guard left the Medina Armory, a site on Pearl Street in Medina that had been used to train soldiers since the building opened in 1901.

(Company F, which formed in 1891, trained at a different location prior to the Armory.)

Bill Menz was one of the soldiers to train in the Armory. That was for 18 months when he was in the National Guard in the 1950s. He served on active duty in Greenland. He attained the rank of a corporal E-4.

Courtesy of Bill Menz – Bill Menz is pictured with his wife Elizabeth in the mid-1950s. The couple, now married for 62 years, raised four children in Medina.

Menz loved the 90,000-square-foot Armory building, a striking location built of local Medina sandstone. Menz used to work in the plaster business and some of his work had him inside YMCAs.

When the Guard left the building, Menz was on the Armory Action Committee looking for a new use for the site. Menz pitched the plan to have a YMCA go in there. The organization has used the Armory since the early 1980s, and just spent about $600,000 in a capital improvement project.

Menz is grateful the Y has proven a good fit for the building.

“In 1977, the town was wondering what to do with the building,” Menz said. “Bringing in the Y was a no-brainer. Everything you did to train guys for war you could train them for peace.”

Courtesy Medina Sandstone Society – Company F prepares to leave Medina Oct. 24, 1940 for training at Fort McClellan and active duty in WWII.

While Menz is pleased the Y has put the building to good use, he started to worry about a decade ago that the community was forgetting the original purpose of the Armory and the many local men who trained there, who fought for the country – with many losing their lives in war.

In 2006, he launched a push for a monument in front of the building. The five-sided monument would take two years to get built, raising money, lining up in-kind donations, and researching the names of those who served in five wars.

Provided photo – Bill Menz, left, and John Fuller work on the monument’s construction. They cut and grinded the stone for the project, using a shop owned by John’s son Dave at Gulf Street and Ryan Road for most of the work.

Menz would serve as chairman of the effort, and teamed with his friend John Fuller to cut the stone for the monument. It lists the names of the 550 soldiers who fought in five wars – the Spanish-American War in 1898, the Mexican Border Incursion of 1916, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War period from 1947 to 1977.

The monument notes if soldiers were killed in action, missing in action, and if they received Purple Heart, Medal of Honor and other recognition.

“Over the past 37 years he has worked harder than most any other Medinan to preserve the history of our community in helping fight the nation’s wars,” Robert Waters, president of the Medina Sandstone Society, said in a letter nominating Menz for a “Heritage Hero.”

Menz and three others were presented with their Heritage Hero awards last Friday during a reception at GCC in Medina during the first day of the Civil War Encampment.

Photos by Tom Rivers – John Butts is among the names of local soldiers on the monument at the Armory. Butts was killed in Normany during World War II. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and the American Legion post in Medina is named in his memory.

Waters said Menz was tenacious in seeing the monument through to completion, including taking on the task of grinding and milling stone segments for the project.

“He was, in fact, like a bulldog and never once considered giving up his dream,” Waters said. “There seemed to be no end to the effort. The days were busy.”

When the monument was dedicated on Oct. 14, 2008, some of the widows and family members of World War II soldiers and other veterans in Company F attended and expressed their appreciation.

Bill Menz looks over some of the names of local soldiers listed on the monument outside the Medina Armory.

Menz said many community members contributed to the effort and continue to help in maintaining the grounds, especially a local garden club.

The community gave $18,000 in money towards the project, and others donated materials and labor to get the monument built. Menz estimates the combined value of all those donations at about $80,000.

The monument isn’t quite done.

Menz has wanted a bronze statue of a soldier, someone who looks between 18 and 21, to be on top of the monument.

He is leading the effort to solicit bids for the bronze statue. It will be 5 foot, 9 inches from head to toe.

“The life-sized statue will provide a meaningful depiction of those deployed men whose names are engraved on the monument plaques,” Menz said.

He thinks about the 120 men who left Medina in 1940, boarding a train down the street. They were gone for five years during World War II, with some not returning home alive.

He wants that sacrifice to be recognized by the community.

This depiction shows how a bronze statue of a soldier would look on top of the monument by the Medina Armory. The soldier would be holding a rifle, campaign hat, World War I-era backpack and mess kit.

Menz said the bronze statue can be a reality “for the price of a new pickup truck.”

The Company F Memorial Committee is working with the Orleans County Joint Veterans Council and Lincoln Post No. 1483 VFW on the project. For more information about the statue and monument, click here.

Any donations for the statue can be mailed to Company F Monument, P.O. Box 522, Medina NY, 14103.

Bill Menz said the statue of the soldier would be a perfect compliment to the monument by the Armory.

HOLLEY – The Orleans County Youth Board will honor 20 youths for their community service and three adults for their work on behalf of children in Orleans County.

The Youth Board will sponsor its 33rd annual Youth Recognition Dinner on May 14 at Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club.

The following young people will be recognized for their outstanding service in the community and/or family: Kevin Alvarado-Rosario, Tania Arellano, Samantha Barniak, Cameron Bennage, Trevor Bentley, Adryan Cheeseboro, Jordan Deskins, Claudia Drechsel, Zachary Farruggia, Marisa Hanlon, Aracely Hernandez, Rachael Kiefer, Taylor Kingsbury, Abigail Maines, Kellie Moore, Keighlin O’Connor, Morgan Seielstad, Lucas Silvis, Jonathon Thomas and Emma Wilson.

In addition to the youth awards, Dr. Clark J. Godshall is receiving the Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award for his service as the Superintendent of the Orleans/Niagara BOCES.

Jeannine Larkin is receiving the Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award for her position at the Orleans County Department of Social Services for going above and beyond her job requirements.

Kathie Valley is receiving the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Award for all the work she continues to do in her community even in her retirement.

Registration and refreshments will begin at 6 p.m. The program and dinner will commence at 6:30 p.m. Seating is limited. If you are interested in attending the banquet, contact the Orleans County Youth Bureau at (585) 344-3960 no later than Friday.

Photos by Tom Rivers  – Genesee Community College and Orleans Hub honored four “Heritage Heroes” on Friday during the Civil War Encampment at GCC’s Medina campus center. The following were recognized, from right to left: Doug Miller (accepting for his wife Susan Starkweather Miller), Andrew Meier, Holly Ricci-Canham, and William Menz.

MEDINA – Four Orleans County residents were honored with the second annual Heritage Heroes awards on Friday for their efforts to preserve local history and promote community pride by celebrating the county’s past.

The honorees have varied interests and passions, from genealogy, building a monument to veterans, redeveloping historic buildings and working with students on service projects.

All have exhibited fortitude and a love of community in seeing their projects to fruition.

The group was called “really remarkable” for their dedication to many efforts in the county, said Derek Maxfield of GCC, a history professor and coordinator of the Civil War Initiative and Encampment. Friday was the first day of the Encampment in Medina, which continues until Sunday.

The honorees include:

Holly Ricci-Canham is a founder of Orleans County Genealogical Society, and has a passion for educating the public about the Orphan Train Movement. That included a re-enactment at the Medina Railroad Museum.

Ricci-Canham has spent may hours recording and transcribing oral histories of veterans for permanent preservation by the Library of Congress, and she has written two books about local history with another in the works about “mom and pop” farms in Orleans County.

Ricci-Canham is leading genealogy workshops at the Civil War Encampment. She urged people to look into their family’s past.

“Genealogy is a lot of fun,” she said. “There is no history that is more interesting or more fun than your own.”

Orleans County Historian Matt Ballard said Ricci-Canham’s efforts, helping people with genealogy, has eased that workload for local historians, allowing them to spend more time on other projects.

Susan Starkweather Miller has worked with Albion Central School students on many service learning projects in the past 20 years, from erecting memorials for veterans and pioneer black residents of Orleans County. She was part of a team from the school district, mostly the seventh grade class, that helped reclaim a cemetery for the County Alms House on Countyhouse Road in Albion.

Students helped research who was buried at the cemetery, reset stones and put up a historic marker about the site.

Starkweather Miller also is a coordinator of the annual Ghost Walk at Mount Albion Cemetery, where students portray residents from the past who are buried in the historic cemetery.

Starkweather Miller was in New York City on Friday as a chaperone with the high school chorus. Her husband Doug Miller accepted the award.

“She does anything and everything for any group,” her husband said.

His wife wanted to say she is blessed to work at a school district and in a community “that wants students so civically engaged.”

Students are currently trying to help develop a history trail the former Civilian Conservation Corps/WWII POW Camp at Hamlin Beach State Park.

Medina Mayor Andrew Meier has been a key part of downtown Medina’s renaissance, renovating the R.H. Newell Building, pushing to save the Bent’s Opera Hall, and proving to be a strong partner as mayor for the downtown businesses.

Meier was in his late 20s when he bought the Newell building six years ago. He has steadily worked to improve the building and find tenants for the historic three-story building that is home to the Shirt Factory Café, 810 Meadworks, a law office and a boutique hotel.

Andrew Meier sees the county’s many historical assets as a key building block for the future, including a more vibrant local economy.

Meier is a church organist and he was instrumental in bringing a rescued Holtcamp organ from Cincinnati to Trinity Lutheran Church in Medina.

Meier said the county is fortunate to have several historic downtown business districts. Residents from more than a century ago committed to building the commercial structures and generations of stewardship have followed.

“We have a great legacy to build on in our county,” he said. “We are uniquely positioned to capitalize on our historic assets.”

William Menz has been instrumental in projects at the former Medina Armory, beginning with the Armory Action Committee which formed in 1977 after the National Guard left the site. The committee helped bring the YMCA to the historic site.

Many of the Armory Action Committee members would help form the Medina Sandstone Society. Menz was a founding member of that group, which has published several local history books and promoted preservation projects.

Menz has been fascinated with the Armory’s history, its role in training local soldiers to serve in wars from the Spanish-American War to the Cold War. While grateful to have the Y using the building, Menz didn’t want the Armory’s role in shaping soldiers to be lost to the community.

He set about having a monument made, listing names and detailing the service from Company F.

“Why not have a memorial for the men that trained in this facility and went to war,” he said on Friday.

He recalled when 120 men who trained at the Armory boarded a train in 1940. They were gone for five years during World War II.

Menz did much of the stone work himself for the monument, and is now determined to have a bronze statue of a soldier on top. Menz said bids will be opened next week for the statue.

“We’re going to get that money and it’s going to get done,” he said.

Another person critical to the success of the Civil War Encampment was honored on Friday. Tom Bowers coordinates the Civil War re-enactors. The Albion native has been successful in drawing about 100 to 120 re-enactors for the Encampment.

Maxfield presented Bowers with a “special recognition” award and a bust of Abraham Lincoln.

Bowers, who now lives in Chili, has been with GCC since the first Encampment at the Lima campus in 2012 and the past three at GCC in Medina.

Bowers said he became interested in the Civil War 35 years ago when he got his first job working for The Journal-Register in Medina. Robert Waters was the publisher and he urged Bowers to take a bike ride down south and send back dispatches for the local paper.

Bowers visited many Civil War battlefields.

“It touched me to see what this country is really about,” he said.

The GCC Encampment tends to be one of the first of the year for re-enactors. They use the Medina weekend to train new re-enactors, while veteran re-enactors brush up on their skills. Bowers said re-enactors are very busy with events in the summer.

He is pleased to see how Medina has embraced the Encampment, which has included parades in the downtown. Today there will be a skirmish and then a surrender ceremony at about 10:30 a.m. in the downtown.

“People in Medina are more than my friends,” Bowers said. “They are my family.”

Heritage Hero: Sue Starkweather Miller

Provided photo – Sue Starkweather Miller is pictured at Mount Albion Cemetery with Mike Thaine, left, and Gary Simboli. The trio coordinate the annual Ghost Walk at the cemetery, which typically includes about 60 student participants. About 500 community members come out for the Ghost Walk.

ALBION – Sue Starkweather Miller remembers the project in 1995 that would kick off a new culture of community service by students and staff at Albion Central School.

Jeff Evoy, now Medina Central School superintendent, was a social studies teacher for Albion in 1995. He and his students were studying the Vietnam War.

Evoy wanted students to talk with local Vietnam veterans, and get their stories. The students learned that many of those veterans felt forgotten. Evoy and the students decided there should be a memorial for the Vietnam veterans, and it would be dedicated in front of the Middle School.

File photo by Tom Rivers – The monument for Orleans County residents who served in the Vietnam War was dedicated in 1995 in front of the Albion Middle School.

The monument was dedicated in memory of Vietnam War veterans from Orleans County who served in the war, and lists the names of local soldiers who died in the war. The oral histories recorded by students were also compiled into a book.

That project energized the district and community. A memorial for veterans from World War II would be relocated from behind the Middle School to the front of the building by the Vietnam memorial.

Deacon Ben Jones, a prominent leader in the black community, shared with some school leaders that Albion has many historical markers and monuments, but none for black residents.

Provided photo – Deacon Ben Jones speaks at a dedication ceremony for a monument to pioneer black residents in Orleans County.

Students and Albion teachers connected with local historians and then went researching into Census records from the 1800s, which detailed if residents were black and listed their occupations and family members.

Those pioneer black residents of Orleans County were honored with a large stone monument, listing their names, in Mount Albion Cemetery. The monument was dedicated on June 17, 2000.

Sue Starkweather Miller has been in the background for many of the district’s service learning projects, connecting students to historians, and other resources in the community.

She is co-leader of the annual Ghost Walk at Mount Albion Cemetery, where about 60 students portray residents in the cemetery or serve as tour guides or with lighting and setup.

She is being honored at 7 p.m. today as a Heritage Hero along with three others in Orleans County. The event is part of the Civil War Encampment in Medina at the GCC campus center.

“This is really a district award,” said Starkweather Miller, who works as the district’s grants manager.

Starkweather Miller is an Albion graduate who was hired to work for Albion 24 years ago to coordinate a Community Schools grant that paid for before and after-school programming for at-risk students. The grant included summer school and parenting programs.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Alyssa Lawrence speaks during a recent Ghost Walk at Mount Albion and tells the story of Jane Lavery, who was 16 when she died in a bridge collapse in Albion on Sept. 28, 1859.

Ron Sodoma, the former district superintendent, wanted to open the schools to the community and see students commit to service projects. He asked Starkweather Miller to push along some of those efforts, in addition to Community Schools program.

“It’s always been about opening the school up to the community with the school being the hub of the community,” she said.

The district has a walking trail inside the elementary school that is busy from 4 to 8 p.m. on many weekdays. There is also an outdoor walking trail.

Starkweather Miller also coordinates an internship program where high schoolers work with local businesses and agencies.

She has managed the grants since 2000, and also has worked as the district’s public information officer. Unofficially, she is often the face of the district in the community, said Mary Leto, the assistant superintendent of instruction. Leto also has worked with the district for 24 years and watched Starkweather Miller take an idea and build support for it in the district and community.

“She is the facilitator,” Leto said. “Susie is the coach and the conductor, who orchestrates all of the parts.”

Photo by Lisa Mannella – Students are pictured in June 2011 with the rededicated cemetery for residents of the Alms House on Countyhouse Road.

Starkweather Miller is active with the Albion Alumni Association and also Holy Family Parish. She also can seem ubiquitous at community events.

She is trusted by the community, and the district’s partners in many of the projects know if Starkweather Miller is involved, the district will be committed.

“Susie is a natural leader,” Leto said. “What she brings to the table is her commitment to Albion.”

Starkweather Miller said she is most proud of the project to clean up and rededicate a cemetery for residents of the County Alms House. This was the precursor to the Orleans County Nursing Home. Many poor residents stayed at the Alms House on West Countyhouse Road before the nursing home opened in the early 1960s.

When residents from the Alms House died, they were often buried in a cemetery on the property with numbered tombstones, but no names.

Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin visited a seventh grade classroom in the fall of 2010 to talk about local history. He made a passing comment about the Alms House, how the road, Countyhouse, was named for the county-owned home.

Lattin told the students the cemetery was overgrown and many of the gravestones had fallen over.

His comments piqued students interest, and a group of them joined their teacher Tim Archer and Starkweather Miller on a site visit. They were shocked to see the cemetery so neglected.

They would clean it up and reset the stones with help from the County Highway Department. Students researched who was buried there. That was difficult because many of the records were destroyed in a fire but Albion Town Clerk Sarah Basinait helped track down some information.

Starkweather Miller secured a large piece of sandstone from Keeler Construction for the cemetery sign and a historical marker went up by the side of the road, noting the history of the sight.

The rededicated cemetery was celebrated in June 2011.

Photo by Lisa Mannella – A historical marker notes the Alms House on West Countyhouse Road.

“I remember when we first went there and we walked through the mud and the stones were knocked over,” Starkweather Miller said. “To see what it is now is just amazing.”

The district has won a national award for its service learning projects, and Starkweather Miller presents at many conferences about the Albion projects and the importance of community partnerships.

The greatest reward is seeing the students take more pride in Albion.

“It’s about remembering, sharing and educating others,” Starkweather Miller said. “It’s important to know a sense of place and to be proud of your community.”

The district motto is “Achievement, Character, Success for Life.” Leto said Starkweather Miller has been an important leader in promoting that message, and living it.

“Susie gets that we’re trying to get the kids to be the people they were created to be,” Leto said.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Ken McPherson walks across the stage in the Albion Middle School Auditorium on Friday night to receive the Charles W. Howard Award for his efforts to keep Howard’s legacy alive in Albion and Orleans County. Howard, founder of a Santa Claus School, is pictured in lower left.

ALBION – In Orleans County, Ken McPherson is the go-to person for information and artifacts about the late Charles W. Howard, who founded and ran a Santa Claus School in Albion.

McPherson gives many talks a year to service clubs and other organizations about Howard, discussing how the Santa School founded developed standards for Santa’s dress and his interactions with children. Howard even wanted Santa to be light on his feet. That’s why he made them take dancing lessons at the school.

McPherson also has become a collector of memorabilia from Christmas Park, which Howard ran with the Santa School.

Ken McPherson of Shelby, right, is presented with the Charles W. Howard Award by Phil Wenz, founder of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation and coordinator of the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference.

“No one has done more to has keep Charlie Howard’s legacy alive in his hometown,” said Phil Wenz, founder of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation.

He presented McPherson with the Charles W. Howard Award on Friday night at the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference.

Howard remains a revered figure among the Santa community. In addition to establishing the Santa School, Howard served as the Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, sitting atop a float and waving to more than a million people on the parade route.

That parade was also on national television and catapulted Howard into fame. Howard was the parade Santa from 1948 to 1965.

A Santa resembling Ken McPherson visits with children in Albion last December.

After Howard’s death in 1966, the Santa Claus School moved to Midland, Michigan. It continues today and bears Howard’s name.

McPherson has attended the school several times and has portrayed Santa for three decades locally, getting his first start at the Millville United Methodist Church.

McPherson works as a press operator for the Lake Country Pennysaver in Albion.

He told a crowd of about 200 Santas on Friday night it is his honor to portray Santa “in Charlie’s backyard.”

Provided photos
ROCHESTER – Cub Scouts from Pack 164 of Albion, Pack 175 of Barre, and Pack 59 of Clarendon served as color guard for the National Anthem at Friday night’s Rochester Amerks’ hockey game. It was the final regular season home game of the season.

Albion has made this an annual tradition and this year joined forces with the packs from Barre and Clarendon after Cub Masters Mike Beach (Pack 164) and Steve Hickman (Pack 175) first discussed the idea in September during the elementary school open house recruitment.

Hickman then also reached out to Sarah MacCallum who is Cub Master of Pack 59. All three are Albion graduates and friends who now volunteer their time as leaders for the boys of their packs (their own sons included).

The Albion and Barre packs will again join forces in early May for their yearly trip to Mt. Albion Cemetery and St. Joseph’s Cemetery. They assist the American Legion each year in placing the small American flags at the graves of all those who served in the military.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Rob and Debbie Monnier are pictured on Friday night at the Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club, where they were honored as The Arc of Orleans County’s ‘Best Friends” for 2014. The couple is active in the Meals on Wheels program.

ALBION – An Albion couple who recently retired was looking for a way to give back to the community. Rob and Debbie Monnier heard The Arc of Orleans County could use volunteers for the Meals of Wheels program.

They figured they would help once a week, delivering meals to home-bound senior citizens. The Arc runs the program from the former grammar school on East Academy Street.

The Monniers have gone far above their initial commitment. They typically volunteer five days a week. They have befriended many of the seniors, who wouldn’t otherwise have a visitor on many of those days.

The Monniers will make return visits or call the seniors to check on their well-being. Often they will get their mail or newspapers for them.

“Sometimes, we’re the only ones they will see all day,” said Mrs. Monnier, a retired home health aide. Her husband is retired from Kodak and as a school bus driver.

She and her husband were honored as the “Best Friends” for The Arc of Orleans County on Friday night, when the agency recognized other volunteers and supporters.

The Albion couple started volunteering in October 2013 with The Arc. The agency has long been close to their hearts.

Their son Matthew had epilepsy and The Arc was helpful in providing him services with physical and occupational therapy at Rainbow Preschool.

Matthew was born in 1997 and had his first seizure at 6 months. The Arc bought the family a generator, which provided backup power for a machine to suction when Matthew was having a seizure and foaming at the mouth.

Matthew lived until he was 8 ½ years old. The family remains grateful for the services from The Arc.

“We’re just trying to give back because they did so much for us,” Mrs. Monnier said.

The agency praised the Monniers for their willingness to reach out to so many senior citizens and fill in on routes throughout the county.

“You meet a lot of interesting people and they look forward to seeing us,” Mrs. Monnier said.

The agency also presented the following awards on Friday:

Heritage Award – Keding Automotive in Albion for being a long-time supporter of the agency, sponsoring many Arc events.

Business Partnership Award – Tillman’s Village Inn, which hired a person with developmental disabilities in 1986. That person worked there until retiring in 2012. The Village Inn continues to hire some staff who are served by The Arc through the agency’s Supported Employment Program.

Self-Advocate of the Year – Shelley Hilbrand, who encourages her friends, works hard at her job and pushes to fulfill her dreams.

Community Worker of the Year – Jessa Pollock, who works as a teacher aide at Rainbow Preschool.

Enclave Worker of the Year – Brittany Marciszewski, who worked at Associated Brands in Medina before taking a job with the Ford Gum Enclave. She is a highly productive worker, Arc officials said.

Mobile Crew Worker of the Year – Donna Biaselli, who has worked full-time with the Medina mobile crew since 2007. “She is always ready to help wherever she is needed.”

Orleans Enterprises Worker of the Year – Benjamin Litchfield, who is dedicated to his work, performing it with a positive attitude.

Community Service Award – Emily Sorta, who volunteers in an Albion classroom, helping with crafts and other projects.

Provided photos
BATAVIA – U.S. Rep. Chris Collins is pictured with Jacob Bensley of Medina at Saturday’s reception for the Congressional Art Competition at the Roz Steiner Gallery at Genesee Community College. Bensely and Paige Wagner of Medina both were featured in the art competition.

The competition was open to high school students to enter visual art. Oil paintings, photographs, works in pencil, paints, pastels and mixed media where hung in the gallery.

Mallory Showalter of Clarence High School was the top overall winner.

The exhibit runs through May 18.

Paige Wagner of Medina High School is pictured with Chris Collins at Saturday’s art show reception.

Photo by Debbie Patt – Jonathan Jaeger, Music Instructor at Roxy’s Music in Batavia, practices with students Lucia Sprague, John Patt and Kirk Ellison.

HOLLEY – John Patt, a fifth grade student at Holley Central School will play with the Genesee Symphony Orchestra this weekend.

Students are participating in the 2015 Genesee Symphony Orchestra String Workshop. They will be performing “1812 Overture” and “Concerto Grosso” with the orchestra on Sun., April 12, at 4 p.m., at the Batavia High School.

Provided photos – Junior Greg Husung is corded by Senior Krista Nellist.

Press Release
Medina Central School

MEDINA – Medina inducted 35 students into High School’s Arista Chapter of the National Honor Society on March 26.

The students, a combination of juniors and seniors, were selected by a faculty advisory council, and were picked based upon their fulfillment of the four requirements of the National Honor Society: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character.

In Medina, students must first meet a rigorous scholarship requirement with a cumulative high school average of 90.0 or higher. Then, they submit a 25-page Student Activity Information Form and personal statement, which helps the Faculty Council verify that students have met the requirements for service, leadership, and character.

Officer Aaron Feltz lights a candle while officers Austin Brown, Alexandra Markle and Brian Bogan look on.

The 2015 Induction Ceremony was kicked off by a slide show highlighting the current NHS members’ activities completed throughout the year, most notably the chapter’s annual Veterans’ Dinner, after which students were offered advice from the ceremony’s guest speaker, Marsha Rivers, executive director of the Orleans County United Way.

Her keynote address was titled, “Mistakes: The Compost of Character.” In the speech, which was alternatively funny and moving, she encouraged the students to see that character was the most important tenet of all, and suggested that scholarship, leadership, and service all grew naturally from one’s ability to grow as a person.

Rivers ended her remarks by saying, “You, my young friends, have grown so much already. You’ve accomplished a great deal, and we are here tonight to celebrate your achievements, as well as your potential. My best wisdom, my most sage advice to you tonight is this: Live. Do the best you can. A year ago today my friend Wayne Burlison died at the age of 36. Mr. Burlison was a music teacher at the Albion Elementary School, but he was also so many other things – including a Star Wars fan. In the band room he had a Yoda poster that said: “Do… or do not. There is no try.” So in honor and memory of my friend, I will not say, “Try your best.” I will say, “Do your best.” Or better yet: Be your best. Be and become the best possible version of yourself you can figure out how to be. And at the times when you fail to measure up to this best possible version and you will seek and find forgiveness, including from yourself.”

Newly inducted members recite the National Honor Society Pledge.

At the conclusion of Rivers’ address, Principals Mark Kruzynski and Michael Cavanagh shared excerpts from the new members’ personal statements, in which the students discussed the people who had impacted them, the characteristics that best described them, and the goals that they had for the future.

Following the introduction of new members, the 2014-15 OfficersJason Hellwig, Co-President; Regan Stacey, Co-President; Samuel Simms, Co-Vice President; Addison Zavitz, Co-Vice President; Brianna Bellan, Co-Treasurer; Aaron Feltz, Co-Treasurer; Brian Bogan, Co-Secretary; Christopher Keller, Co-Secretary; Austin Brown, Co-Social Chair; and Alexandra Markle, Co-Social Chairperformed the traditional candle-lighting ceremony.

New and Existing Members of the Arista Chapter are pictured at the March 26 ceremony.

At the conclusion of the candle lighting, existing members corded the new members, who signed the official Arista Pledge Book. Finally, together on stage, all members raised their hands and recited along with their superintendent Jeffrey Evoy to abide by the principles of the organization.

The Medina Central School District proudly congratulates the newly inducted members of the Arista Chapter of the National Honor Society. They are: Meghan Allen, Courtney Bailey, Alexis Barcena, Allison Bensley, Davina Birch, Michaela Cardone, Haylee Cogovan, Colm Cooper, Caitlyn Davies, John Derting, Zachary Harris, Aracely Hernandez, Aubrey Hoffmeister, Dominique Hughes, Gregory Husung, Emma Gardner, Alexis Koch, Zachary Laird, Ryan Leffler, Hannah Lonnen, Amanda Lunden, Joseph Mangiola, Bradley McPherson, Elizabeth Newman, Justin Morgan, Stella Russo, Carlin Sanders, Tristan Sanders, Cassandra Sargent, Alyssa Shortridge, Abigail Smith, Tyler Waldriff, Emma Wilson, Carson Zgoda, and Brennan Zinkievich.

Provided photo – Octaviano Gomez, third from left, was recognized as one of 20 “students of the year” last week by New York Association of Continuing/Community Education. He went to Albany and was recognized by state legislators, including Sen. Robert Ortt, right. Gomez is pictured with his daughter Bella and wife Carmen.

MEDINA – Octaviano Gomez only attended school for a few months in the first grade. That was it for his schooling, until 2012 when he started English as a Second Language classes, an effort that culminated with him earning U.S. citizenship in May.

Last week he was also named one of 20 “students of the year” by the New York Association of Continuing/Community Education. He went to the state capital in Albany for the awards program and was recognized by state legislators.

The Mexican native started working for U.S. farms when he was 13, picking grapes in California. He picked strawberries in Oregon, apples in Washington and parsley in Florida. For years he would work during the winters in Florida before coming to New York State to pick apples.

In 2001, he hurt his back pushing a crate of tomatoes in Florida. He was reinjured in 2012, straining his back while stacking boxes of oranges. Gomez needed surgery to help ease the pain in his leg. He remains disabled.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Octaviano Gomez is pictured with other students at the World Life Institute, watching a slide show from an awards program in Albany, where he was celebrated for his success learning English.

Gomez, now 42, was nominated by his teacher, Linda Redfield, for the state award. He is the fifth student to receive the honor at the World Life Institute, which provides ESL and citizenship education in a partnership with the Orleans-Niagara BOCES.

“It’s very unusual for an agricultural worker, with all the obstacles in life, to attain citizenship and literacy,” Redfield said. “He is a very quick learner. It’s amazing to me in two years he could prepare for the citizenship test and pass in English.”

Gomez, now 42, says he continues to suffer pain in his back and legs. But he wants to keep learning, to be an example for his children and increase his options locally.

Three of his children – Beatrice, Cody and Octavio – have graduated from Medina. Beatrice is in college in Texas. Gomez and his wife Carmen have a daughter, Bella, in first grade.

Gomez said he likes to help her with her homework.

“I want to keep learning more,” he said on Wednesday at the World Life Institute.

Gomez was recognized with a party at the school by his teachers and other students, who work at Intergrow Greenhouses and other local farms.

Gomez holds an American flag last June during an awards program for students in the BOCES program at the World Life Institute.

“I want to say this is possible for all of you,” Redfield told other students in the ESL program. “All of you are students of the year. You work on farms and then come to school at night to try to improve yourselves.”

Redfield praised Gomez for attending nearly every class on Mondays and Wednesdays for the past two-plus years. He has been faithful and determined, practicing his spelling and grammar, and using the Rosetta Stone software to practice listening and speaking skills.

“He has been a serious student,” said another teacher, Cheryl Lieberman. “He had his goals. He did the work. He always showed up to class, no matter the weather.”

Gomez has spread the word about the classes at World Life Institute and BOCES. His wife is a new student in the program.

Gomez grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico. His native language is Mixtec, a rare Indian language used in Oaxaca language. He may continue his education through community college.

“He wants to learn more and advance his skills,” Redfield said.

Provided Photo – From left, Lisa Osur, Robert D’Angelo and Julie Bader in the Holley Middle School / High School Library.

HOLLEY – Holley Superintendent Robert D’Angelo was recently honored with the New York Library Association – Section of School Librarians (NYLA/SSL) Secondary Administrator Award for the improvements he has made in the Holley Central School District libraries. Holley MS/HS Librarian Lisa Osur nominated him for the award. She credits him with the construction of the new library at the MS/HS, hiring a professional librarian, Julie Bader, for the Elementary School, and adding support staff to both libraries in the form of an aide at the MS/HS and a teaching assistant at the Elementary School. Osur feels that D’Angelo is deserving of this award because by putting these elements in place, Holley Central Schools are in a better position to affect student learning from kindergarten through 12th grade and prepare students to be college and career ready.

More importantly, according to D’Angelo, the libraries act as extensions of the classroom, where students can receive instruction in a comfortable and positive environment and are encouraged to read. D’Angelo views the library staff as “imparters of knowledge, who support the total curriculum at Holley, not just the English Language Arts component.” His goal was to provide the MS/HS with a state-of-the-art facility, in an aesthetically-pleasing environment, with comfortable chairs, room for students to work in small groups, and a bank of computers to use for research.

Osur said the students take pride in their surroundings and keep the MS/HS Library furniture and equipment clean and brand-new looking. At Back to School Nights, parents make a point of stopping in to see the library and what’s been added to the space. The collections are growing and circulation has increased. The MS/HS Library and the Holley Community Free Library continuously share resources and support each other so both students and the community benefit from the relationship. Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES helps the libraries add to their collections, organize the Elementary Library book room, and use one automated circulation system for both libraries. The MS/HS Library now receives over 250 visits from students each day.

The librarians have worked hard to attract students to the libraries, too. Audio books have been added to the MS/HS Library, along with graphic novels, digital resources, games and cards. In the fall, Bader started a pumpkin decorating contest in the Elementary Library that elicited over 100 entries that were proudly displayed on the bookshelves. She also started a Dewey the Elf scavenger hunt, where the students are encouraged to visit the library daily to find the hidden elf and discover new reading material for themselves. She is in the process of creating a book room at the Elementary Library, where teachers can access sets of books to use for guided reading or to have their entire class read the same book. Students in both schools use the libraries after school for Homework Lab. Osur also credits the Board of Education with bringing back the 5 p.m. bus run that enables students to spend supervised time in the library instead of going home to an empty house.

D’Angelo will travel to Tarrytown, NY on May 1 to receive the award at the NYLA/SSL annual conference.