Dr. Clark J. Godshall

Press release, New York State Council of School Superintendents

ALBANY – The leader of the Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Dr. Clark Godshall, has been named the 2014 New York State School Superintendent of the Year.

Godshall was honored by the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

“Dr. Godshall is a nationally recognized school leader and an international advocate for students,” said Council President Mary Beth R. Fiore, superintendent of Elmira Heights Central School. “He is an experienced and involved leader on the local, state and national level, always keeping children’s interests at the center of his decision-making while seeking optimum efficiencies for his component school districts.”

She praised Godshall, calling him a recognized expert on educational service agencies, school finance and effective school district governance.

As the NY Superintendent of the Year, Godshall now becomes New York’s candidate for national superintendent of the year, to be awarded at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. in February 2014.

“I am immensely honored and humbled by this award,” Godshall said. “To be named New York Superintendent of the Year is a direct reflection of the dedication and hard work by the local school boards, staff, teachers and support teams across the Orleans/Niagara BOCES service area. The Orleans/Niagara BOCES, our component school districts and the communities we serve strongly support what it takes to make a difference in providing quality public schools. I’m honored to represent all of them and my superintendent colleagues in New York State who have dedicated their lives to this work.”

Dr. Godshall was nominated for the New York Superintendent of the Year by Orleans/Niagara BOCES School Board President Becky Albright.

“Dr. Godshall is a role model for all educational leaders,” Albright said. “His expertise, talent and creativity are examples to other educators, parents, community members and students.”

Godshall has served as the District Superintendent of the Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services for the past 14 years. He started with the local BOCES 24 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.

In honoring Godshall, the Council of Superintendents noted these details about the Orleans/Niagara BOCES:

Operates the third largest career and technical education BOCES and regional summer school in New York State;

Career and technical education graduation rate is consistently more than 93 percent and the BOCES exceeds the state and national average student performance with over 161 students receiving their Technical Endorsement Seal;

Orleans/Niagara BOCES is the only BOCES in New York State to receive frequent national recognition for their fiscal management from ASBO International and Government Finance Officers’ Association;

The current LPN program had a 100 percent passing rate for the Test of Essential Academic Skills;

Their Adult Literacy Program is ranked number one in New York State.It is had grown from 500 to 3,000 and served over 2,000 people this year alone.

While at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES, Godshall has worked with his team to:

Standardize programs against state and national benchmarks to align with state and federal standards while using data to effectively monitor students’ progress and success.

Develop an effective continuum of services for students with special needs focused on main-streaming, integrated classrooms and ensuring that service follows needs.

Expand program offerings to include new programs – Baking, Fashion Design/Interior Design, Certified Personal Trainer and Heavy Equipment/Diesel/Agricultural Mechanical programs.

Offer over 80 collegiate articulation agreements for high school students to gain higher education credit prior to graduation.

Supports a high school alternative education program enabling at-risk students to graduate with a Regents and Advanced Regents diplomas.

Promote the importance of shared services to maximize local school districts capacity to offer shared administrators, employee benefits’ consortiums, energy and purchasing co-ops, shared media and printing services, along with safety services to both schools and other agencies.

Broaden the eco-friendly focus through an increase in energy savings programs; installation of systems to shut down all computers and control building temperatures.

Conducted and facilitated over 50 professional administrator searches on behalf of regional districts.

Broaden communication to reach more people through an enhanced website and the use of Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Facilitate a variety of partnerships with businesses, civic organizations, hospitals, and governmental organizations to collaborate on the provision of services and supports for students.

Develop fiscally responsible budgets, yielding one of the lowest average budget increases over the past four years, while preserving or enhancing programs in the face of spiraling reductions in state aid. Continually recognized as a state model of financial management for a school entity.

Construct and renovate facilities, all on schedule and under budget, including new component district special educational space in centralized locations.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Matthew Prawel stands by the new sign he had erected for Camp Rainbow on Townline Road in Ridgeway. He also sanded and repainted the gates in back.

RIDGEWAY – Matthew Prawel intended to put up a new sign for Camp Rainbow. The project would be the finishing touch for him to attain Eagle Scout.

When Prawel started work on the sign at the camp, which serves children with and without disabilities, he saw a lot of other needs at the grounds. About a dozen picnic tables seemed rundown and in need of repair. The sandbox was well past its prime, and the front gates were worn.

Prawel assembled a team of about eight friends and other Scouts and they took the picnic tables apart, giving them new bolts, nuts and screws, as well as fresh paint.

The front gates were sanded and repainted. They dug out the sand box, removing rotted wood and put in a new one that’s a little bigger.

He teamed with Greg Stanton, a sign-maker from Medina, to install the new sign. On Friday, The Arc of Orleans and other community members praised Prawel for a job well done.

Matthew Prawel stands under the pavilion with his grandfather Russ Martino on Friday, when The Arc of Orleans and several community members joined for a celebration of Prawel’s Eagle Scout project. He rebuilt many of the picnic tables under the pavilion.

“This is like a little piece of Heaven in Orleans County,” State Sen. George Maziarz said about Camp Rainbow.

Maziarz, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and County Legislator Lynne Johnson commended Prawel for the work, and presented him with government citations.

Prawel, 17, said he was grateful for the chance to help The Arc. His grandparents, Russ and Pat Martino, have been agency supporters. Mrs. Martino is a retired special education teacher at Medina.

“This wasn’t just for my Eagle project,” Prawel said. “It was about helping a great organization.”

The camp started in 1970. It is the oldest program for The Arc. The site on Townline (follow Knowlesville Road going north) has become popular not only for its five-week summer camp season, but also for graduation parties, wedding receptions and reunions.

This past summer, the town of Yates had its youth swimming program at Camp Rainbow for the first time. The Lyndonville Area Foundation paid for the program.

State Sen. George Maziarz was among the well-wishers who congratulated Prawel for completing the project.

Vickie Randall, the recreation manager for The Arc, said the camp serves about 100 children over the summer. She and other Arc officials meet with Scouts to help identify projects to improve the camp. Ben Kirby, a Scout from Albion, is also doing his Eagle project at Camp Rainbow, working on the teeter-totters and a storage building.

Prawel spent about $2,000 for the camp project, using community donations and contributions from his family. He has been active in Scouts for about a decade.

“Scouts has been a wonderful experience,” he said. “It’s given me a chance to see things and have so many experiences.”

He is currently senior patrol leader for Troop 35, and works with the younger Scouts to earn merit badges. He plans to attend Syracuse University to major in forensic science. He hopes to play in the university’s marching band.

Provided Photo – Medina resident Shirley Bentley is Orleans/Niagara BOCES Substitute of the Year.

Press release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

Shirley Bentley is no stranger to Orleans/Niagara BOCES; she had worked for them for 38 years. She was a special-education teacher aide at many of the BOCES sites. When she retired in 2011, she found that missed the students a lot.

“I love the kids and that is why I keep coming back here to sub,” she says. “How many jobs can you go to where you look forward to going to them? The staff at BOCES is wonderful and it was a great honor to be recognized by them with this award.

Provided photo – Kevin Doherty (left) is presented with a Paul Harris Fellow by Ed Fancher (right).

Press Release, Albion Rotary Club

ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club presented Kevin Doherty with a Paul Harris Fellow. The presentation of a Paul Harris Fellow recognition is The Rotary Foundation’s way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programs. It is named for our founder, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started Rotary International with three business associates in 1905.

Rotarians often designate a Paul Harris Fellow as a tribute to a person whose life demonstrates a shared purpose with the objectives of The Rotary Foundation. The Albion Rotary Club had the honor and pleasure of recognizing Kevin Doherty as he becomes a Paul Harris Fellow.

Kevin has given back to the community for a number of years and in a number of different ways. He served on the Albion Central School Board, taking leadership on watching building projects at the school through completion. He is active at his church, active with the Boy Scouts and has supported the Albion Strawberry Festival for many years. He has served since 2005 on the Swan Library / Hoag Library board, and served as President of the Board for most of that time. As a board member, he has taken a significant leadership role helping to plan, raise money, work with lawyers and bankers, purchase property and work with the builders to complete the library project. By taking on that leadership role, Kevin encouraged the community to participate in the project in many ways, and helped to keep the project moving. The end result is a beautiful library that the community has embraced.

“It’s never too late to try something.” – Carl Tuohey

Photo by Tom Rivers – Carl “Cal” Tuohey of Medina signed copies of his book, “Black Belt, Gray Hair,” on Saturday at Bindings Bookstore in Albion.

MEDINA – Carl “Cal” Tuohey was 52 when he was looking for a fun and physical activity to do with his son Jackson, 6.

Five years ago a friend suggested they try Tae Kwon-do. Tuohey was willing, and he started at the beginner level with his son and a class that mostly consisted of children.

Tuohey, a systems analysis for a Niagara Falls company, enjoyed the twice-a-week sessions. He even started writing a column in the monthly newsletter for Kwandrans Tae Kwon-do, where he was a student.

Tuohey urged people to be physically active, and to not let age keep them on the sidelines. Over four years he climbed the ranks, earning 12 belt titles, which was culminated when he earned a black belt a year ago at age 56.

“It’s never too late to try something,” Tuohey said Saturday during a book-signing at Bindings Bookstore in Albion.

Tuohey has written a book about his journey to a black belt. In “Gray Hair, Black Belt,” he talks about signing up for Tae Kwon-do at 52, when he weighed nearly 250 pounds.

He praised the supportive atmosphere at Kwandrans, where he said students and instructors are like a second family.

He became a regular contributor to the newsletter, writing about 45 articles. He shared tips about stretching and exercises, while also trying to motivate people to stick with the program and work towards the next belt.

He compiled those articles, plus other thoughts, in his 155-page book that is available at Bindings in Albion and the Book Shoppe in Medina.

These days he still tries to stay active, although he said a bum knee forced him to scale back from Tae Kwon-do. His son went on to earn a yellow belt. These days the father and son spend more time together with Scouting events.

Tuohey remains a big advocate for Tae Kwon-do and physical fitness, especially after age 50.

“I never thought I’d be a black belt,” he said. “But I kept with it.”

Pastor also is working on new ‘Jobs for Life’ ministry for Orleans County

Photo by Tom Rivers – Tim Lindsay has led Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion since the church started in 1987, first meeting in the former Firemen’s Recreation Building on West State Street. In 1991, the church moved to 560 East Ave., where Lindsay is pictured.

ALBION – Tim Lindsay was turning 50 and celebrating 20 years as a pastor in Albion in the fall of 2007. As he reflected on his ministry, he did the math and realized he had preached about 1,000 sermons in Albion.

He thought about enduring principles he learned in those 20 years and preached about them in a sermon series he called “1,000 Sundays.” Members of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion gave Lindsay good feedback about the sermons.

Lindsay’s 20 years have now turned into nearly 26 years of commitment to the Albion community. He often preaches about the importance of “finishing the race,” of staying faithful to God.

Lindsay has had a few years to think about the “1,000 Sundays.” He was encouraged to expand on those principles and write about longevity in Christian life and ministry. He spent a year working on a manuscript.

The result is a 219-page book with 19 chapters. In “1,000 Sundays and Counting ” the pastor writes about his Albion church and some of the life principles he has learned. The book came out last month and is available locally at Bindings Bookstore in Albion.

“It’s not a how-to manual,” Lindsay said. “It’s a book about character.”

Lindsay grew up in Hilton. He and his wife Laurie have five grown children and five grandchildren. They were attending Golden Heights Christian Center in Brockport when that church decided to plant a new church in Albion. Lindsay was asked to lead the effort.

The Christian Center Church of Orleans County held its first service on Oct. 25, 1987 at Albion Firemen’s Recreation Building. The church was there for four years before buying a building a 560 East Ave. The church later changed its name to Harvest Christian Fellowship.

It has been influential in establishing the Orleans County Christian School and the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans, which provides free pregnancy tests and ultra-sounds, as well as support in a crisis pregnancy.

Lindsay also serves as chaplain in the Orleans County Jail and has served as a missionary to Africa. He just returned from Ghana and Togo. He distributed 200 copies of his books to Christian leaders in the countries.

Some of the principles in the book include:

Let God use the difficult circumstances of your life to form the character of Christ in you.

Leave a godly legacy for future generations.

Keep your heart tender and sensitive to Jesus even in the midst of trials.

Live for something bigger than yourself.

Find and maintain healthy relationships in the body of Christ.

Fulfill God’s vision and purpose for your life.

Lindsay is working to launch another ministry in the community, “Hands for Hope.” That initiative will partner with local businesses to connect residents to jobs that match their skill levels. Hands for Hope will run “Jobs for Life,” an eight-week job training program.

Hands for Hope includes representatives from several local churches. They want to connect residents with mentors, “who can help people when there are bumps in the road.”

Hands for Hope is aimed at unemployed and underemployed residents. Lindsay said 400 sites in the country are running the Bible-based program right now.

The churches and mentors will stress soft job skills, such as showing up to work on time, keeping a good attitude and conflict resolution skills.

“It boils down to character,” said Lindsay, who will be site leader for the project.

He believes good jobs can help lift many people out of generational poverty.

“This can help them get out of that cycle,” Lindsay said.

He welcomes businesses, churches, mentors and other participants for the program, which is expected to launch in January.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Patricia Crowley, project director of Orleans United through GCASA, has worked with the agency since 2000 to reduce substance abuse locally. She is pictured outside GCASA’s office in Albion, the former Knights of Columbus hall.

ALBION – She has led a coalition of law enforcement agencies, faith-based groups, health-care providers, parents, youths and businesses, about 100 people working together to reduce tobacco and substance abuse in the community.

“We all help and do our part,” said Pat Crowley, project director for Orleans United, a program run through GCASA, the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

Crowley said the group’s efforts over the past five years have resulted in reduced rates of teen smoking and drug use and experimentation.

Crowley is also a member of the Medina Village Board, and is active with the Medina Area Association of Churches and the First Presbyterian Church in Medina.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored her with a “Community Service Award” for 2013.

“I just love it,” Crowley said about her many roles. “Orleans is a great place to live. No matter where I live, I’ll always be involved in my community.”

Crowley grew up in Hornell. She began her career working with at-risk youth in Elmira. For 10 years she worked with kids in foster care and a group home. She then worked three years with at-risk youth in Orange County near Poughkeepsie.

In 1990, she her husband Tim moved to Medina when Mr. Crowley, a counselor with the state Department of Corrections, was hired to work at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion. Mr. Crowley is a Medina native. He now works at the Albion Correctional Facility, the women’s prison.

It didn’t take his wife long to get to know the community. She worked for the Arc of Orleans and the Head Start before taking a job with GCASA in 2000 as a prevention educator. She went into local schools, sharing an anti-drug and alcohol message, and meeting one-on-one with students who may have been fighting an addiction.

In 2004, she helped start the drug-free coalition. Four years later, the federal government approved a $125,000 annual drug-free communities grant for Orleans. The funding was for five years.

The coalition planned family-friendly activities, including roller skating at the YMCA, miniature golf and other events, including prescription drug take-back days, where the unused prescription medicine could be left at the Holley Police Department, Orleans County Public Safety Building and Medina Fire Department.

The grant also funded a survey of sixth through twelfth-graders in four local school districts about their drug, alcohol and tobacco use. The survey is done every two years.

“You need the data,” Crowley said. “The grant allows us to look at the data and assess where we are.”

The coalition just learned last week the federal government did not renew another five-year grant to fund the prevention effort in Orleans County. Crowley said the coalition will continue, and will find another way to promote its mission.

“We have people that will support us, we’ll just have to do it with less money,” she said.

Kenmore native embraced rural community, running businesses and giving to community causes

Judy Christopher is pictured with her husband Gene and their sons David, left, and Darrick.

ALBION – In 1984, the Christopher family bought a marina at Point Breeze. With her husband often away for a job as an executive for TAD Staffing, Judy Christopher did most of the work at the business, connecting with customers and trouble-shooting when there were problems that needed to be solved.

“There was nothing she wouldn’t do,” said her husband of 47 years, Gene. “She pretty much ran the marina without me.”

Five years after buying Four C’s Marina, the family opened Phoenix Fitness in downtown Albion. Mrs. Christopher started the health club after a cardiac rehab site closed down in Albion. When the center needed a certified trainer, Christopher earned those credentials while she was in her 50s.

When members of the gym needed a fitness goal, she started 5k and 8k races at the Strawberry Festival, wanting to promote wellness in the community.

Christopher organized the races for two decades. One year, the DOT closed the canal bridge on Butts Road, which was part of the race route. Christopher wanted the bridge open for runners. She was told no by the DOT. But she wouldn’t accept that. The bridge was open during the race.

‘She always found time to get things done. I don’t know how she did it.’ – Gene Christopher, speaking about his wife

“She was tenacious, but she was gentle about it. She did it with a smile,” Mr. Christopher said about his wife, who died from cancer at age 70 on Aug. 3.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored Mrs. Christopher with a Lifetime Achievement Award during a banquet on Sept. 14. Wendy Hinkley, branch manager for Five Star in Albion, told the crowd that Christopher was a community cheerleader with lots of “spunk and passion.”

Judy Christopher

Gene met Judy while they were college students at Canton Ag and Technical College in northern New York. Gene was studying machine and tool design. Judy earned a degree in business. Gene was a country boy from Albion. Judy grew up in Kenmore.

“She lived in the city,” Gene said. “She didn’t know a maple tree from a willow tree or a herd of cattle from a flock of cattle.”

They fell in love, married and raised two sons, Darrick and David. When the husband and wife looked for a home, Gene pushed for Albion. Judy was game for the adventure and soon planted a big garden.

When the couple went out to dinner in the early years of their marriage, Gene noticed that his wife knew more Albionites than he did, despite his roots in the community.

“She loved the village of Albion,” Gene said. “She liked Small Town USA.”

Judy was the first woman elected to serve on the Albion Town Board. She was a long-time member of the Albion Rotary Club and served on the Swan Library Board of Trustees.

The Rotary Club runs a fishing derby for about two weeks every August. Christopher was one of the key leaders of the derby, and sold many of the ads in the derby program. Even when she was very sick from cancer this spring and summer, Judy called local businesses, selling ads for the derby.

“She did all of her derby work while she was as a sick as a dog,” Gene said.

When Gene was away on business trips for TAD, he often returned home to an 1835 farmhouse that was undergoing a remodeling effort begun by his wife. Judy had her own tool box and reglazed windows, tackled woodwork, painted walls and took on other projects. She made the drapes in the house. She hung all of the wallpaper. Gene just marveled at her.

“She always found time to get things done,” he said. “I don’t know how she did it.”

Judy often told her husband and family to not feel overwhelmed with daunting challenges, including her bouts with cancer.

“She had a saying, ‘You eat an elephant one bite at a time,’” Gene said. “That is how she got through things.”

The Christopher family will be participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Oct. 20 at Watt Farms in Albion. The event has raised $225,000 the past seven years to fund research and provide services for people with cancer.