Leann Balcerzak

Press Release, Lyndonville Central School

LYNDONVILLE – A L.A. Webber Middle-High School senior has been named to Business First’s 2015 All-Western New York Academic Team.

Leann Balcerzak (Special Mention) has qualified for this year’s list of the 100 most outstanding high school seniors in the eight-county region.

Winners were chosen for their records of academic excellence, school leadership and community involvement. The top 25 were named to the First Team, 25 runners-up to the Second Team, and another 50 to the Special Mention list.

“The competition for the Academic Team is intense,” said Jack Connors, president and publisher of Business First. “There are almost 20,000 high school seniors in Western New York, yet only 100 are selected for this honor. Every student named to the Academic Team is truly an outstanding student.”

Schools throughout the eight-county area were asked to nominate their smartest and most accomplished students for consideration by a seven-member committee, which included five admissions directors at area colleges and two Business First editors. A total of 124 schools responded with 426 nominees. (Each school was limited to four candidates.)

The complete list of 100 honorees – along with their photos and profiles – will be published in Business First’s 2015-2016 Guide to Western New York Schools, which will hit newsstands on June 12.

Press Release, Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES

LYNDONVILLE, NY – An L.A. Webber Middle-High School senior has been named to Business First’s 2015 All-Western New York Academic Team.

Leann Balcerzak (Special Mention) has qualified for this year’s list of the 100 most outstanding high school seniors in the eight-county region.

Winners were chosen for their records of academic excellence, school leadership and community involvement. The top 25 were named to the First Team, 25 runners-up to the Second Team, and another 50 to the Special Mention list.

“The competition for the Academic Team is intense,” said Jack Connors, president and publisher of Business First. “There are almost 20,000 high school seniors in Western New York, yet only 100 are selected for this honor. Every student named to the Academic Team is truly an outstanding student.”

Schools throughout the eight-county area were asked to nominate their smartest and most accomplished students for consideration by a seven-member committee, which included five admissions directors at area colleges and two Business First editors. A total of 124 schools responded with 426 nominees. (Each school was limited to four candidates.)

The complete list of 100 honorees — along with their photos and profiles — will be published in Business First’s 2015-2016 Guide to Western New York Schools, which will hit newsstands on June 12.

ALBION – Photo North East has released the results of its annual photo competition and reported that Bruce Landis of Photos by Bruce and Associates is a multiple winner with “Future Farmer” and “Blue Eyed Mikko.”

A high school senior portrait of Albion Senior Class President Aaron Burnside, titled “Future Farmer,” was Landis’s highest scoring image. The setting for the portrait is the Poverty Hill Farm of County House Road in Albion. Operated by the Neal family, the farm milks 490 cows.

Burnside, a four-year member and vice president of the Albion FFA, was photographed in the one of the barns wearing his FFA jacket with several cattle in the background. Burnside aspires to obtain a doctorate in Agriculture Business. He credits his high school teacher Adam Krenning and farm co-owner Jody Neal for the opportunity to work at the dairy farm, putting his FFA education to practical use.

Landis also won first place honors for a portrait of a Siberian Husky owned by Nick Causyn. “Blue Eyed Mikko” is a photograph taken outdoors on a snowy day, with snow covered evergreens as the background at Bruce’s Ridge Road studio.

Photo North East is the annual convention, trade show and photo competition hosted by the Professional Photographers of New York State, the Professional Photographers Association of New Jersey, and the Professional Photographers of America.

Photos by Tom Rivers
David Callard (center), chairman of the Orleans County Legislature, speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 17, 2014, when the bridge on Route 279 was reopened following repairs.

The project was honored by the Genesee Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association during a banquet on Jan. 29. The Orleans County Highway Department was recognized along with the state Department of Transportation, LaBella Associates and Keeler Construction Company for their work on the project.

Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller, right, stands with Jerry Gray, the county highway superintendent, on Wednesday to highlight the bridge’s recognition by the APWA for projects that cost less than $5 million.

The bridge was closed for five months last year while it received $1.5 million in upgrades, including new railings, repairs to concrete piers, a new deck, asphalt top, two new fascia beams and drainage improvements.

The bridge is the longest county-owned span at 700 feet, crossing Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard River.

Kendall star honored with teammate Louis Orr

Photos by Mike Okoniewski, Syracuse University Athletics – Roosevelt Bouie, left, and Louis Orr, his teammate at Syracuse University, were both honored at the Carrier Dome this afternoon when their numbers were retired by the university and hung from the rafters.

SYRACUSE – A former Kendall basketball star was honored in a big way at Syracuse University today.

Roosevelt Bouie had his No. 50 jersey retired by Syracuse today in a ceremony when Syracuse also retired Louis Orr’s No. 55. The two were a dynamic duo for Syracuse, leading the Orange to a 100-18 record from 1977-1980.

Syracuse University retired Roosevelt Bouie’s No. 50 and Louis Orr’s No. 55 during a ceremony today at the Carrier Dome.

Bouie’s freshman season was also the start of Jim Boeheim’s career. The legendary coach has credited Bouie and Orr for getting his coaching career off to a hugely successful start. Boeheim is second on the list of all-time wins for a NCCAA Division I coach with nearly 1,000.

The Orange reached the NCAA Tournament each year of the “Louie and Bouie Show.” Bouie was a four-year starter and still ranks second in program history in blocks (327), seventh in rebounds (987) and 18th in scoring (1,560 points).

“We couldn’t have accomplished it without having each other and the rest of our teammates,” Bouie told Cuse TV after the ceremony. (Click here to see the interview.)

Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr shake hands after being honored at halftime in the Carrier Dome today.

Bouie was a first-team All-BIG EAST Conference selection in 1979-80. He was picked in the second round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Bouie signed to play professionally in Europe and played overseas for 13 seasons.

He has returned to Kendall and he attends many of the Kendall basketball games and is active in other local community events. Kendall retired his jersey in June 2012, the first one picked by the school with the recognition.

Bouie said he was grateful to be honored by Syracuse and to see many of his former teammates as part of the celebration.

“It’s really special we got a chance to see all of our friends last night,” he told Cuse TV.

Bouie is congratulated after having his number retired by Syracuse University.

Orr grew up in Cincinnati and played eight years in the NBA after Syracuse. He said Bouie has been like a brother.

“I’m honored and blessed to have a great teammate and friend to share the moment,” Orr told Cuse TV. “You never accomplish anything by yourself. It’s a team effort.”

Orr said Boeheim was instrumental in Bouie’s and Orr’s success.

“Coach Boeheim believed in us and trusted us a long time ago,” Orr said. “He gave us the opportunity and without the opportunity there is nothing you can accomplish. I thank Coach Boeheim and I thank him for seeing something in Roosevelt in me and for trusting in us.”

Press Release, Rochester Institute of Technology

ROCHESTER, NY – The following local residents made the Dean’s List for fall 2014-2015 semester at Rochester Institute of Technology:

Michael Fischer of Albion, is a second-year student in the chemical engineering program in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

Alyssa Hering of Albion, is a second-year student in the diagnostic medical sonography program in RIT’s College of Health Sciences and Technology.

Rebecca Atwell of Albion, is a fourth-year student in the diagnostic medical sonography program in RIT’s College of Health Sciences and Technology.

James Cooper of Albion, is a third-year student in the mechanical engineering technology program in RIT’s College of Applied Science and Technology.

Kyle Appleman of Albion, is a third-year student in the mechanical engineering program in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

Roland Sanford of Albion, is a third-year student in the physics program in RIT’s College of Science.

Steven Dill of Holley, is a third-year student in the game design and development program in RIT’s B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences.

Michael Pernicano of Holley, is a third-year student in the international hospitality and service management program in RIT’s College of Applied Science and Technology.

Jessica Dill of Holley, is a fifth-year student in the mechanical engineering program in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

Raquel Roberts of Kent, is a fourth-year student in the biomedical sciences program in RIT’s College of Health Sciences and Technology.

Daniel Marek of Lyndonville, is a fourth-year student in the management information systems program in RIT’s Saunders College of Business.

William Barber of Medina, is a fourth-year student in the film and animation program in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.

Jonas Hartway of Medina, is a third-year student in the illustration program in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.

Erika Edwards of Waterport, is a second-year student in the interior design program in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.

Degree-seeking undergraduate students are eligible for Dean’s List if their term GPA is greater than or equal to 3.400; they do not have any grades of “Incomplete”, “D” or “F”; and they have registered for, and completed, at least 12 credit hours.

Press Release, Genesee Community College

The Dean’s List at Genesee Community College recognizes students enrolled either part-time or full-time who have earned a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.74.

GCC proudly announces that the following are among 366 students who were named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2014 semester.

Makaila Albanese, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Arielle Ashton, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Zachary Beecher, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Halie Gray, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Kimberly Haight, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Tricia Holtfoth, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Ashley Johnson, a full-time student and resident of Albion

William Jones, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Alec Pinson, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Kelly Sargent, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Shannan Wells, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Jenna Wildschutz, a full-time student and resident of Albion

Joshua Carpenter, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Alicia Ford, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Gary Heale, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Priscilla Hills, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Annemarie Lang, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Jenna Livezey, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Nicole Mauro, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Dominique Mendes, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Danielle Oliver, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Rebecca Reid, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Jaimie Smith, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Emily Smith, a full-time student and resident of Holley

Jennifer Stenshorn, a full-time student and resident of Kendall

Amy Herman, a full-time student and resident of Knowlesville

Seth Earle, a full-time student and resident of Lyndonville

Katherine Grochowski, a full-time student and resident of Lyndonville

Chelsey Silversmith, a full-time student and resident of Lyndonville

Abigail Andrews, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Rebecca Bashford, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Christine Capstick, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Jenna Carpenter, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Mikaela Cherry, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Christina Greco, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Valeri Kujawa, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Haley Noreck, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Felton Poole, a full-time student and resident of Medina

Mackenzie Lamirand, a full-time student and resident of Waterport

Courtney Traxler, a full-time student and resident of Waterport

Yetunde Awopetu, a part-time student and resident of Albion

Denisolt Beterbiyev, a part-time student and resident of Albion

Katelynne Klossner, a part-time student and resident of Albion

Bambi Heideman, a part-time student and resident of Lyndonville

Kimberly Eick, a part-time student and resident of Medina

Sara Marciniak, a part-time student and resident of Medina

Kevin McMullen, a part-time student and resident of Medina

Melody Parker, a part-time student and resident of Medina

Lucas Silversmith, a part-time student and resident of Medina

Victoria Szott, a part-time student and resident of Medina

Andrea Tombari, a part-time student and resident of Medina

Provided photo – The Iroquois Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America on Saturday recognized three adult volunteers with Silver Beaver awards, the top recognition given by the BSA. The following were recognized, from left: John G. Maier of Lockport, Linda J. Wohlers of Clarendon, Donald H. Morris of Lockport.

BATAVIA – The local council of the Boy Scouts of America honored a Clarendon woman and two other adult volunteers for their efforts on behalf of the Scouting program.

Linda Wohlers of Clarendon, Donald Morris of Batavia and John Maier of Lockport all were presented with Silver Beaver awards on Saturday during a volunteer awards dinner by the Iroquois Trail Council.

The Silver Beaver is a National BSA award that recognizes distinguished service to local youth. Each recipient is a long-tenured volunteer who has also made significant contributions by way of service to his or her local community.

Linda Wohlers has volunteered for 20 years to the Scouting program, serving as a Tiger Leader, Den Leader, Webelos Leader, Cubmaster, Commissioner and Committee Member.

John Maier’s Scouting history includes current roles as a Cubmaster, Troop Committee Member and Merit Badge counselor. A former Webelos leader, he is also an active member of the camp promotions team, district training team, and commissioner staff.

Donald Morris has served the whole family of scouting with exemplary dedication. Over the past 40-plus years, he has been involved in Scouting with 3 different local councils; Finger Lakes, New York; Blue Grass Council, Kentucky; and most recently Iroquois Trail.

The council was itself recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with the 2014 Journey to Excellence Gold Award for program excellence.

Local Cub Scout and Boy Scout leaders were recognized for program excellence in the areas of advancement, camping, membership recruitment and retention, and helping Scouts to meet their funding needs.

Several youth members were also recognized. Cub Scout Tyler Mutka of Corfu topped the list with Popcorn Sales of more than $4,200. The sale raises money for Scout programs, and also qualifies Tyler for a national college scholarship program. This is Tyler’s fourth year as top seller among Scouts in a five-county area. Other Scouts who will be inducted into the scholarship program are Cameron Kreger of Lockport and Ethan Nelson of Avon.

The Iroquois Trail Council provides development, leadership, and life skills to more than 3,000 youths in Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties.

Dr. Clark Godshall named NYS superintendent of the year in 2014; Becky Albright praised as board president

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Legislators from Orleans and Niagara counties presented “Special Recognition Awards” to two leaders of the Orleans-Niagara BOCES.

In the top photo, Dr. Clark Godshall is congratulated for being named the 2014 New York State School Superintendent of the Year by the New York State Council of School Superintendents. He is shaking hands with David Godfrey, a Niagara County legislator.

Godshall has served as the District Superintendent of the Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services for the past 15 years. He started with the local BOCES 25 years ago and served as assistant superintendent for 10 years. He started his career as a science teacher at Hilton.

The Orleans/Niagara BOCES serves 38,000 students. It is consistently ranked as one of the top BOCES in the state.

The two-county Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance praised Godshall on Wednesday for his distinction in winning the award.

“You are a nationally recognized leader, an advocate for all students, and an expert on educational service agencies, school finance, and effective school district governance,” according to the certificate signed by Orleans County legislators David Callard, Lynne Johnson, William Eick and Ken DeRoller, and Niagara County legislators William Ross, David Godfrey, John Syracuse and Michael Hill.

The two counties also recognized Becky Albright, president of the board for the Orleans/Niagara BOCES. Albright, second from left, was recently honored by the Western New York Education Service Council Award winner.

Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller reads the certificate while Godfrey is pictured at far right.

“As the BOCES board president you have shown extraordinary commitment to the district and community, excellent leadership, and many achievements both in and outside of the workplace,” legislators said. “You have inspired others around you and therefore are a role model to our district and community. The positive impact of your efforts is widespread and long-lasting.”

Clarkson University

Ryan P. Golden of Kent, N.Y., a junior majoring in computer science was named a Presidential Scholar for the fall 2014 semester at Clarkson University. Presidential Scholars must achieve a minimum 3.80 grade-point average and carry at least 14 credit hours.

James-Michael Joseph Soha of Medina, N.Y., a freshman majoring in chemical engineering was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2014 semester at Clarkson University. Dean’s List students must achieve a minimum 3.25 grade-point average and also carry at least 14 credit hours.

D’Youville College

Congratulations to the local college students who have been named to the D’Youville College Dean’s List:

Meg Logan, a junior from Albion
James White, sophomore from Albion

To qualify for the honor, they must have maintained a quality point average of 3.40 or above for the previous semester. This indicates superior academic performance and becomes a permanent part of the student’s college record.

Morrisville State College

Morrisville State College recently announced the students who were named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2014 semester. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must achieve an average of 3.0 to 3.99 for the semester and complete 12 credit hours.

Adam Eick of Medina
Brianna Caldwell of Albion

Nazareth College

Nazareth College is proud to announce that Brittney Perrin of Holley, NY (14470), has been named to the dean’s list for the Fall 2014 semester. Perrin is a Senior with a major in Nursing. A student’s grade point average must be at least 3.5 or above, and they must complete 12 credit hours of graded work that semester in order to be included on the dean’s list at Nazareth.

St. Bonaventure University

Congratulations to the following St. Bonaventure University students who were named to the dean’s list for fall 2014:

Jacob Lester. The accounting major is from Albion.
Troy Fidanza. The biology major is from Medina.
Alyssa Scherer. The international studies major with a concentration in the Middle East is from Holley.
Brooke Bensley. The management major is from Albion.

SUNY Oswego

Brandon M. Comden of Holley, a senior majoring in business administration, has been named to the Deans’ List for the fall 2014 semester at SUNY Oswego.

The President’s and Deans’ lists represent the academic top 31 percent of the Oswego student body. To be included on the Deans’ List, students must have a semester grade average of 3.30 to 3.79.

Several area residents have been named to the President’s List for the fall 2014 semester at SUNY Oswego. Students who achieve grade averages of 3.80 and above on the 4.00 scale are named to the President’s List, the top 7.4 percent of students.

Alan J. Barrile of East Park Street in Albion, a senior in finance
Jessica R. Washak of North Gravel Road in Medina, a senior in creative writing

Press release, Buffalo State

BUFFALO, NY – Buffalo State is pleased to recognize the following students who were named to the fall 2014 dean’s list. To qualify, students must complete at least 12 credit hours and earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Brittany Bennett-Allis of Albion, New York majoring in social work

Rael Brown of Holley, New York majoring in dietetics

Tiffany Cree of Medina, New York majoring in childhood education

Trevor Jennings of Albion, New York majoring in earth sciences

Jacob Rosenbeck of Medina, New York majoring in business and marketing ed

Buffalo State offers more than 160 undergraduate programs including applied mathematics, business administration, television and film arts, and music education. Each year, more than 9,000 undergraduate students choose Buffalo State because our faculty, programs, diversity, location, undergraduate research opportunities, and hands-on learning experiences enable them to succeed in the challenging world of the 21st century.

Provided photo by Alana Ross – Salma Huzair is pictured in New York City on Sunday after earning a Red Ticket to advance past the auditions for “The Voice.” She won’t be allowed to discuss the show publicly after Thursday when she returns to NYC.

MEDINA – Salma Huzair will head back to New York City on Wednesday to take the next step in “The Voice,” a singing competition on NBC.

Salma, 15, passed the initial audition on Sunday to advance to the next step. She is due back for the show on Thursday morning. NBC also is requiring confidentiality and issued a gag order for participants beginning on Thursday.

Salma and her parents, Bilal Huzair and his wife Alana Ross, thanked the community for their support for Salma so far. They said that has helped Salma build her confidence in singing publicly and fielding questions from the media and producers from “The Voice.”

“There is no way she would have got this far without their support,” Mr. Huzair said. “It’s just been overwhelming with all the support.”

Salma had a 2 p.m. appointment with “he Voice” on Sunday. There seemed to be thousands of singers there for the weekend, trying to pass the initial audition with producers.

Salma was led into a room, “Number 8,” with nine other singers. They were each given about 90 seconds to impress the producers. Salma was the 10th and final person to sing in her group.

“I wasn’t too nervous,” Salma said. “I was mostly excited.”

She sang, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” by Eva Cassidy. Salma was the only one in her group to get a Red Ticket and advance.

Salma said she has been fortunate to attend Lyndonville with a great team of music teachers. She is grateful for the community for attending two concerts in December where she sang, gaining experience and confidence to perform in front of groups.

She also went to St. John Fisher for pointers in public speaking. Her mother said that session, facilitated by Dr. David Bell (an anthropology professor), “helped get Salma out of her shell.”

Last Thursday at school, Salma was in chorus when she stepped outside of a class for a moment. When she returned, the chorus was holding a big poster, wishing her luck in NYC with her tryout.

“It gave me a lot more confidence,” she said, knowing she had the support of her classmates and community.

On Monday she went to Buffalo to be interviewed by WGRZ (Channel 2). That interview highlighted her volunteer efforts with Project Life through the World Life Institute in Waterport. Her family has long been supporters of the program, which brings war orphans from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Kosovo and Bosnia for a summer of recuperation in rural Orleans County. Salma’s parents have hosted at least a dozen of the children and some of them have been Salma’s roommates.

“She literally grew up with Project Life,” said Chris Wilson, one of the program’s organizers. “She has been a mentor to the children.”

Salma is known to many in the Medina community. Her parents own the Old Mill Run Restaurant, and Salma works in the kitchen and as a waitress. She also enjoys singing on karaoke nights at the restaurant.

She thanked the community, including the restaurant customers, for all of their positive feedback.

She has recorded several songs at Torquil Studios with John Wragg in Middleport. Links to those videos on YouTube can be found at her new website, www.SalmaB.com.