achievements

Albion graduates get sendoff for ‘incredibly exciting’ future

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Ryan Castrechino heads to the stage to get his diploma with some enthusiastic support from his classmates.

Eboni Taylor accepts her diploma from Margy Brown, the Board of Education president.

Alan Quintana Aragon gives a thumbs up to Principal Leslie Stauss during graduation.

ALBION – The Class of 2013 left a record of accomplishment and service at Albion, Board of Education President Margy Brown told about 2,000 people during commencement this evening in the high school gym.

The 158 graduates earned 800 college credits, passed 156 Advanced Placement courses, completed 29 vocational programs and amassed an impressive record out of the classroom. Students completed 9,000 community service hours, won 16 League titles in sports, 5 Sectional crowns and 27 awards through the musical program.

Brown told them that success is often not clearly defined in life. “Define success for yourself,” she said.

The graduates were addressed by Class President Joyce LaLonde, Salutatorian Alison O’Hearn and Valedictorian Michael Patterson.

Class President Joyce LaLonde addresses a crowd of about 2,000 in the high school gym.

LaLonde urged her classmates to spread their wings and go and do great things in the world. However, they should keep perspective and not rush to judgments about others.

She referred to eight giant crayons that line the entrance of the elementary school. She said her classmates would do well to live by the principles on those crayons: perseverance, optimism, honesty, respect, compassion, integrity, responsibility and loyalty.

Salutatorian Alison O’Hearn urged her classmates to seize opportunities.

O’Hearn told the graduates that every day is full of opportunities to do the right thing and make a difference. Graduation represents a new opportunity “to recreate yourself and to be who you always wanted to be.” She thanked teachers, parents and other student supporters “for helping to create opportunities for the Class of 2013.”

Patterson said the experiences shared by the class will be keep the group bonded forever. Those connections can stay strong in a world of Smart Phones, social media and the Internet.

Valedictorian Michael Patterson urged the class to stay connected and united, while using their freedoms to make a difference in the world.

The graduates share a hometown that gave them a strong foundation for the future, Patterson said.

“The world ahead of us is incredibly exciting,” he said. “When we leave this building we’ll have the freedom and power to determine our future.”

The senior chorus sings the National Anthem at the beginning of the graduation program.

Marquise Riddick walks to the stage to receive his diploma.

Waterport woman is state’s ESL teacher of the year

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Linda Redfield, an English as a Second Language teacher, is pictured with a former student Jose Iniguez, who became an American citizen last October.

WATERPORT Thirty years ago Linda Redfield started going to local migrant labor camps, meeting with farmworkers to teach them English. They would sit at picnic tables after the workers often had long days in the field.

Redfield in three decades has developed a family literacy program for the workers, welcoming women and children to the World Life Institute school on Stillwater Road.

Students learn English while using computers, making pottery and learning the guitar. They study citizenship as well. Some of her students have gone on to college.

One former student, Jose Iniguez, became a citizen last October. He is an orchard manager and part-owner of the 500-acre Lamont Fruit Farm. He first started meeting with Redfield in 1995, when he knew very little English.

“She’s very passionate about it,” Iniguez said about Redfield and her role as teacher. “Working with her was an important first step for me. She does a lot for the community that people don’t know about.”

She is well known by members of the New York State Association of Adult Continuing Education Programs, which named her “Teacher of the Year” during a ceremony in Albany last month.

Redfield was nominated for the award by Sue Diemert, the literacy coordinator for the Orleans-Niagara BOCES. She praised Redfield for developing the program that includes families, and teaches many skills.

“She is the glue that makes this all happen,” Diemert said before a graduation program this evening. “She holds it all together.”

Some of the pottery created by ESL students at the World Life Institute in Waterport.

There were 35 students who received certificates for learning English and other skills during the graduation program. They learned the skills after working at local farms and Intergrow’s hydroponic tomato site in Gaines. The workers were from Mexico, Puerto Rico, China, the Ukraine, Indonesia and Brazil.

They meet for class at the WLI site on Stillwater Road or at Hoag Library in Albion.

Redfield pushed for a broadened family literacy program so more women and children could learn with their husbands and fathers. In 2004, she partnered with BOCES and the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council to offer pottery for women. They would learn English while creating art.

“The whole families come and are served,” Redfield said. “It’s wonderful getting to know the people.”

The program is unusual, especially in a farming community, Redfield said.

“The workers are very happy they can get these services in a rural area,” Redfield said.

Scout project gives musicians a stage

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Allen Sanford has turned an old hay wagon into a mobile performing arts stage as part of his Eagle Scout service project.

ALBION – Allen Sanford and his band, Route 98, have played on lawns and makeshift stages in Albion.

Sanford, 17, is grateful for the gigs, but he wants to give musicians a better showcase for their talents. He has spent the past 18 months researching, designing and building a mobile performing arts stage.

Sanford has transformed a 16-by-8-foot hay wagon into a 28-by-8-foot mobile stage. He’s nearly done and will soon turn it over to the village of Albion, which can use it for concerts downtown, at Bullard Park and other locations in the community.

“It’s to advance music in the community,” Sanford said this evening while overseeing some finishing construction work on the stage.

Sanford chose the stage for his Eagle Scout service project. He designed the plans using a CAD program. He connected with donors for the project, met with village officials, and mobilized teams of Scouts and friends to build the stage.

Allen Sanford recruited his friends Charlene Olick, left, and Amber Smarpat to help build the stage that will be given to the village of Albion.

“I saved and recycled as much as I could without jeopardizing the integrity of the stage,” Sanford said. “Part of being a Boy Scout is being thrifty.”

He found used parts and cleaned them, for some pieces of the project. He negotiated a deal on wood from Stockham Lumber, and then sized and stained the material.

Sanford will graduate next week from Albion High School. He will study physics and engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology. The project let him put his engineering and leadership skills to use.

A member of Troop 60 that meets at the First Presbyterian Church, Sanford said Scouting has been a critical program for him, teaching many life skills. He has spent three years on the National Youth Leadership Training program through Scouts, and has worked on the staff at Camp Dittmer.

“Becoming an Eagle Scout is such an honor,” he said. “I have learned so much through the Scouting program.”

Medina native wins Fulbright

Contributed Story Posted 13 June 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – Eric Mietz, a 2009 graduate of Medina High School, graduated summa cum laude from Canisius College this May as a triple-major in International Relations, German, and European Studies, and was a member of the All-College Honors Program. During his undergraduate career, Mietz was inducted into the National German Honor Society, studied the Arabic language in Fez, Morocco, and spent a semester abroad in Eichstaett, Germany.

Mietz is most notably the recipient of a J. William Fulbright fellowship grant to Austria, which will fund the first year of his graduate studies in International Relations at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. Mietz is also the recipient of a scholarship grant offered by the Chair of Polish Culture at Canisius College, which will partially fund his experience this summer as an intern performing international relations and defense policy research at the Polish Institute of International Affairs. That think-tank in Warsaw, Poland, advises the Polish government on foreign policy issues.

The Fulbright experience and work in Warsaw will be a continuation of Meitz’s Canisius honors thesis research, which focuses on maintaining transatlantic relations, as well as the development of European security and defense policy via the European Union and NATO.

Alfred State Deans List for Spring 2013

Posted 6 June 2013 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Alfred State College

ALFRED, NY, June 2013 – Dr. Stephen J. Havlovic, provost & vice president for academic affairs at Alfred State, has announced the Dean’s List of students for the spring 2013 semester. Students from both the Alfred campus and the School of Applied Technology campus in Wellsville are selected for the Dean’s List if they maintain a 3.50 grade-point average (GPA) out of a possible 4.0. The 4.0 GPA or straight “A” students are indicated with an asterisk (*).

The following Orleans County students were among those recognized:

Kenneth Boyer*, Albion

Bram Davies, Albion

Jason Javier, Albion

Michael Levandowski, Kent

Noah O’Kussick, Kent

Derek Howes, Lyndonville

Andrew Hydock, Lyndonville

Ryan Schepis*, Medina

Alfred State offers associate degrees in 50 programs in the fields of agriculture, health, business, vocational, and engineering technology, as well as liberal arts and sciences. There are also 19 baccalaureate degree offerings.

3 Kendall coaches enshrined in HOF

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2013 at 12:00 am

Reynolds, Gerbig and Brakenbury all honored

Photo by Tom Rivers – Kendall coaches with legendary accomplishments and reputations – Dick Reynolds, Ben Gerbig and Carol Brakenbury – pose for a photograph after being inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

KENDALL – Three Kendall coaches with long careers and numerous league and sectional titles were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame during a banquet tonight attended by about 200 people.

The coaches – Ben Gerbig, Dick Reynolds and Carol Brakenbury – are part of the HOF’s second class. Basketball great Roosevelt Bouie went into the HOF as the inaugural inductee last year.

Gerbig was a math teacher whose career spanned four decades, including eight years at Albion. He oversaw a boys soccer program that earned 18 Genesee Region League Championships, appeared in Sectional finals eight times, and won two sectional championships. He is Kendall’s all-time wins leader in boys soccer (297), and was recognized as Section V Class B Coach of the year four times. Gerbig was inducted into the Section V Hall of Fame in 2000.

Dick Reynolds coached basketball and baseball for about four decades. In his 20 seasons as the KCS varsity baseball coach, the team won 10 Genesee Region championships, made five Sectional finals appearances, and racked up 152 wins.

Reynolds was basketball coach during Kendall’s most glorious run, highlighted by undefeated seasons with Bouie. Reynolds coached the team from 1963 to 1977 and amassed 186 wins and only 72 losses. During his tenure, Kendall won five Section V championships and held the Section V record for consecutive wins with 57. Reynolds also oversaw the KCS athletic program from 1967 to 1992, serving as the longest tenured athletic director in KCS history.

Brakenbury was a pioneer coach at Kendall. Her career began in 1964, and she worked as a physical education teacher at KCS until her retirement in 1998.

Brakenbury guided her soccer teams to three sectional championships, 13 Sectional finals, and 13 Genesee Region League Championships. She earned Section V Class B Girls Soccer coach of the year in 1982. Her team also won 42 straight games in the Genesee Region League. Brakenbury was influential in the development of Kendall’s sports program for girls.

There will be more coverage of the HOF ceremony on Orleans Hub tomorrow, including comments from the coaches.

40-year elementary teacher named Albion’s ‘educator of the year’

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2013 at 12:00 am

Mary Miesner has taught hundreds of second-graders

Photos by Tom Rivers – Mary Miesner reacts after being named Albion’s ‘Educator of the Year’ for the 2012-13 school year. Miesner has been teaching in the district for 40 years. Margy Brown, BOE president, is at right.

ALBION – A teacher with 40 years of service to elementary school students, beginning at the former Waterport Elementary School, was honored tonight as Albion’s 2012-13 “Educator of the Year.”

Mary Miesner was praised for mentoring other teachers and showing so much dedication to her students, about 1,000 different kids over her career. She is retiring later this month.

Elementary School Principal Jim Wood called her “an outstanding team player.” Miesner has been nominated for the award several times over her career.

“She personifies respect, responsibility and optimism,” Margy Brown, the Board of Education president, said about Miesner and the district’s three guiding principles.

Miesner has welcomed firefighters into her classroom and the school to teach students about fire prevention and safety. Her son Lee is active with the Albion Fire Department.

Before she was named ‘Educator of the Year,’ Mary Miesner was recognized for her impending retirement by Elementary School Principal Jim Wood, left, and Michael Bonnewell, the district’s superintendent.

Wood said Miesner has been a quiet leader, and a dependable teacher for her entire career.

“I’m the luckiest person,” Miesner said after receiving the award. “I’ve had a job I love for 40 years. Every year is a new start, a chance to broaden your horizons.”

Miesner considered retiring about three years ago. Her husband Ron was battling cancer. He urged her to keep working. He died in October 2010.

Miesner said she immersed herself in her job after her husband’s death.

“I needed the students,” she said.

She praised her co-workers, who refer to her as the “den mother” of the second grade teachers. Miesner taught second grade her entire career, except for the year she was acting principal at Waterport, a year she also taught fifth grade.

Three other former Waterport staff also are retiring after this school year. Kim Houserman was principal at Waterport, beginning in 1985, before moving to the middle school. Houserman worked 39 years in education, including the past 28 years at Albion in administration. Houserman said he has enjoyed a career mostly in the middle school, which he said “is full of energy and excitement.”

The following retiring teachers and staff were recognized by the Board of Education on Monday for the service to the district. The group includes, from left: Cathy Schwenk, Mary Ellen Gillard, Darlene Devine, Gail Nasca, Dan Shuler, Kim Houserman, Mary Miesner and Bonnie Adduci.

Darlene Devine, a music and art teacher, is retiring after 26 years at Albion. She also started in the Waterport school, which closed in 1989.

Cathy Schwenk, a special education teacher, is retiring after 33 years. She also worked in Waterport.

Miesner, Houserman, Devine and Schwenk are the last links to the school among the current staff.

“We can now say the Waterport school is officially closed,” Houserman said tonight at a reception for retiring teachers and others with milestone service anniversaries.

The district honored other retiring staff, including Dan Shuler who has worked 35 years with Buildings and Grounds, including 31 years as superintendent. He has been influential in a maintaining a beautiful, well-kept campus that is the envy of many other schools, said Michael Bonnewell, the district superintendent.

Gail Nasca is retiring after 18 years as a middle school English teacher. Mary Ellen Gillard is ending her career. She served in several roles in the past 11 years, including Even Start director, a third grade teacher and academic intervention service teacher. Bonnie Adduci also is retiring after six years as a nurse in the elementary school.

Queen, winning poster picked for Albion Strawberry Festival

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Alison O’Hearn, a senior at Albion, will serve as Strawberry Festival queen during the June 7-8 event.

ALBION – The queen for next weekend’s Strawberry Festival is feeling a mix of emotions as she prepares to graduate from high school and begin college.

Alison O’Hearn, 18, was selected as queen after writing an essay about Albion. She has been active in the school as an honors student involved in sports and other activities, including vice president of FFA.

She will study biology at Grove City College beginning in the fall.

“I’m feeling sentimental,” she said about Albion. “For such a small school and small town we have so much to offer and so much going on. We have a lot of people who genuinely care about the community.”

O’Hearn will ride in the 10 a.m. parade on June 8 and will also help with the 2 p.m. turtle race in the canal, as well as performing other ceremonial duties during the festival.

Gabrielle Vagg, a sophomore at Albion, designed the poster that will be used to promote the Strawberry Festival. The festival is in its 27th year and features a canal theme this year.

An Albion student, Gabrielle Vagg, designed the poster that will be used to promote the 27^th annual festival, featuring a canal theme this year. Vagg, a sophomore, highlighted the bridge collapse from Sept. 28, 1859.

That day more than 250 people crowded on the Main Street bridge over the canal to watch a wirewalker. The bridge couldn’t take the weight and collapsed. Fifteen people drowned and the calamity is noted with a historic marker on a patch of grass just west of the Main Street Lift Bridge.

Three generations of Girl Scouts

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – A family with a Girl Scouting tradition was recognized Thursday during the “Court of Awards.” The Sidari and Ricker families have three generations involved in Girl Scouts. They include, from left: Kelly Ricker, Laiken Ricker and Carolyn Sidari.

ALBION – Forty-five years ago Carolyn Sidari joined a Girl Scout troop in Barre Center. Twenty years later, as a young mother, she would lead a Brownie Troop of 25 girls.

Sidari’s daughter Kelly Ricker has followed the Girl Scouting path for 35 years, volunteering as the Cobblestone service unit manager, which includes Scouts in the Albion area. Ricker has been a troop leader and outdoor program specialist.

Her 10-year-old daughter Laiken has been in the program for five years. All three of the Sidari-Ricker ladies were honored Thursday during the “Court of Awards” at the Elks’ Lodge. The Scouting program recognizes Scouts and adult volunteers for every five-year milestone in the program.

Sidari continues to help with the program, especially with the annual cake auction. She said Scouts has been good for her family and the community.

“I love the girls, that’s the main reason,” she said about her involvement.

Albion Rotary awards scholarships

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Pictured, from left: Rotarian Chris Haines, Alessaundra Rivera, Christopher Reed, Brooke Bensley and Rotarian Bonnie Malakie.

The Albion Rotary Club awarded $2,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors this year. The scholarship winners attended today’s Rotary Club meeting at The Village Inn.

Brooke Bensley won the Dick Eddy “Service Above Self” Scholarship, a $1,250 award that is given to a student committed to community service and leadership, and who displays high potential for future accomplishment. Brooke will major in business this fall at St. Bonaventure University.

Christopher Reed won the $500 Edward Archbald Memorial Scholarship, given to a senior who shares Archbald’s love of sports, recreational activities, community service and work experience. Christopher plans to major in engineering and science at Monroe Community College.

Alessaundra Rivera was awarded the $250 Rotary Career Advancement Prize for a senior committed to community service, school activities and work experience. Alessaundra plays to study business administration at MCC.

Father, son shed 150 pounds, run half marathon together

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos courtesy of Thom Jennings – Thom Jennings and his son Thom Jr. both ran the Buffalo Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing the 13.1-mile course in 2 hours, 11 minutes.

ALBION – It started as a bet. Who could lose the most weight?

Thom Jennings and his two brothers-in-law had a friendly competition last year. Jennings won, losing 100 pounds through better nutrition and exercise.

This year he wanted a new goal. He set out to run a marathon. He wanted to train for the 26.2-mile race by running with his 24-year-old son, Thom Jr. The two have run five races together, with Sunday’s half marathon in Buffalo their biggest race so far. They crossed the finish line together in 2 hours, 11 minutes. There were 6,000 runners on the course.

“It was a great experience,” said Jennings, 46, of Albion. “Running has an incredible cross section of people.”

Jennings has used running to stay fit. He said he has far more energy and zest for life as a slimmer person. He works as social worker in Niagara County. He also writes music reviews and features part-time, and is a lead singer for a local band.

His son, 24, has lost more than 50 pounds since getting serious about exercise in November. Thom Jr. works for an advertising company in Buffalo. He is engaged to Erica Graham of Albion.

“I was never into running,” Thom Jr. said “But running on the streets of Buffalo, through the first ward and past the grain mills, was such an adrenaline rush. When you’re running with thousands of other people, you’re high on life.”

The father and son are pictured in May 2011, when Thom Jr. graduated from college.

The two plan to run the June 8 Strawberry Festival race together, choosing the longer 8-kilometer distance, rather than the 5k.

“It’s one thing to have the goal of losing weight, but we’ve tried to make it fun,” Thom Jr. said.

The father and son want to run a fall marathon together. Then they’re thinking about trying an ironman event, which includes running, swimming and biking.

Genesee Community College Albion Campus Center Awards Student and Instructor of the Semester

Posted 29 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Press Release: Genesee Community College

BATAVIA, NY (05/28/2013)(readMedia)– An inspirational instructor and a high-achieving student are being honored for their academic and teaching performances during Spring 2013 at the Albion Campus Center of Genesee Community College. The honorees are selected based on nominations from instructors and students.

Instructor of the Semester at Albion is Mary Vanderzell of Rochester. Mary teaches English Composition courses as well as Children’s Literature and has worked at the Albion campus since 2011. Mary received numerous student nominations. Nominated by one as the “world’s best English teacher”, Mary is passionate about her work and makes every effort to ensure the success of each of her students.

Student of the Semester at Albion is Carmela Allen of Waterport. A non-traditional student in GCC’s Computer Support and Operations AAS degree program, Carmela holds a 4.0 GPA average. Noted for being someone who is “very unassuming in her talents, but is very talented indeed”, Carmela is steadfast and goal-driven and doesn’t let distractions get in her way. Her instructors believe she is completely deserving of this recognition.

Top 10 grads are honored in Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Sarah Handley is congratulated by Kendall Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon for being one of Kendall’s “Top 10” graduates. Julie Christensen, Kendall’s school superintendent, is at right.

Medina student Arden Zavitz and other Top 10 graduates are congratulated Thursday for their academic success.

HOLLEY – The world will soon get bigger for the top 10 graduates at four Orleans County school districts. Most of the group of 40 students will be off to college in the fall.

They will face new challenges, meet new people and be stretched by the experiences, a top 10 graduate from 2003 told the group.

Jenna Gaesser of Kendall has graduated with a medical degree from the Upstate Medical University in Syracuse and is now in a residency program in pediatrics and neurodevelopmental disabilities at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Gaesser told students they don’t have to do everything on their own, to try to control every situation. She encouraged them to ask for help. In medical school, she learned the value of teamwork and to value others’ points of view.

Jenna Gaesser, a 2003 Kendall graduate, has already graduated with a medical degree and is now in a residency program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She was keynote speaker during Thursday’s academic excellence awards dinner.

In college, she spent three years caring for a child with multiple disabilities. That child used a computer to speak.

“Everywhere we went we got strange looks,” Gaesser said.

The child had a delightful spirit, and soon won over everyone. Gaesser told the group of students to remember “the importance of not judging other people.”

Gaesser spoke to about 200 people at Hickory Ridge Country Club. Lyndonville students Amanda Sullivan and Joy Follman said they appreciated that Gaesser acknowledged the pressures that students face in picking a college and pursuing a career.

“We’re all worried about what the future will bring so it’s comforting to know you can get through it,” Follman said. “It was a hopeful speech.”

The students all received certificates, medals and citations, as well as dinner with their parents.

Three Lyndonville students stand after receiving their awards from school officials. The group includes, from left: Thomas Goetze, Dakota Froman and Joy Follman.

“It’s nice to get the recognition because we’ve all worked really hard to get to the top,” Sullivan said.

Orleans County school districts have been honoring the top 10 graduates for 27 years. Albion the past five years has had its own honors convocation because it wanted to honor more than the top 10. Albion expanded it to graduates with grade point averages above 90. The four other districts want to stay in the joint program.

“It’s a good idea for the county schools to get together,” said Jeff Evoy, Medina school superintendent. “It’s nice for the kids to see where the kids are going from the other schools.”

Kendall was the host district this year. School leaders reached out to Gaesser to address the group. She is the daughter of Ed Gaesser, a member of the Board of Education. Carol D’Agostino, Kendall’s high school principal, said Jenna “is a great role model for all of our students.”

Gaesser, Kendall’s salutatorian in 2003, was happy to accept the invitation on Thursday.

“You want to come back and support the community that supports you,” she said.

Heather Fumia accepts an award from Robert D’Angelo, Holley school superintendent, during the 27th annual Orleans County academic excellence awards dinner.

The top 10 recognized from each school include:

Holley: Marissa Callahan, Samuel DeFilipps, Steven Dill, Heather Fumia, Joshua Hatfield, Shannon Kelly, Starlyt Knight, Sonia Mendoza, Alyssa Scherer and Nicholas Winkley.

Kendall: Emily Ackles, Amber Clay, Dakota Clay, Sarah Handley, Jourdan Heller, Kendra Losapio, Bryan Urquhart, Emilee Thomas, Megan Welling and Tory Zinsmeister.

Lyndonville: Molly Breese, Elisabeth Follman, Joy Follman, Dakota Froman, Thomas Goetze, Alexandra Harling, James Luckman Jr., Kyle Sentiff, Edward Silversmith Jr. and Amanda Sullivan.

Medina: Maeve Cooper, Olivia Doberstein, Troy Fidanza, Jonas Hartway, Christopher Horgan, Margaret Laszewski, Joseph Meyer, Zachary Roeseler, Jessica Rosenbeck, Zachary Waild and Arden Zavitz.

Mary Martin has one more chance to shine on stage as high schooler

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Mary Martin was named an outstanding lead by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League for her performance as Belle.

Mary Martin helps “The Beast,” played by William Grimble, during Albion’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

ALBION – Mary Martin will have one last chance on the stage as a high schooler before she heads to Niagara University this fall to join that school’s theater program.

Martin, a senior at Albion, is among 16 female leads from a nine-county area who will perform May 23 at the Auditorium Theatre in Rochester. That 7 to 9:30 p.m. event that also features the top 16 male leads.

The winning female and male will represent the Rochester region in the fifth annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City.

Martin is performing May 23 after being picked a top female lead for her performance as Belle in Albion’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.” She also was a top female lead in the Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s “Stars of Tomorrow” program last year for her performance as Maria Rainer in “The Sound of Music.”

Gary Simboli, Albion’s musical director, said it is very rare for a student to be awarded a top female or male lead two years in a row in the Stars program.

“If you look at a bell curve, she is really on the far end of the bell curve,” Simboli said. “She continues to work on her craft. She has a lot of dedication.”

Martin also is among the “Fan Favorites” listed in the Stars program. That on-line voting contest will award the student with the most votes the title of “Fan Favorite” and also four VIP seats to the opening night of “GHOST The Musical” on Oct. 8.

To vote for Martin, click here.

On the contest’s Web site, Martin thanks Simboli, other musical and band teachers, and her fellow cast members:

“The past four years have gone by so quickly! I can hardly believe that I am about to go on to college to pursue performing arts,” Martin writes. “I was honored to be given the part as Belle and I would like to say that I have never in my whole life worked with such an AMAZING and talented cast. I love you all and I will miss you! Mr. Simboli and Mr. Thaine, what would I do without you?! Mrs. Winans, Mrs. Berg and Mrs. Pettit, thank you for being so patient with me! I wish all of you every happiness.”

Firefighters recognized for training hours

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Shelby tops in Orleans for fire, Ridgeway leads for EMS

Photos by Tom Rivers – Shelby Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jason Watts, left, and Francis Woodward, the second assistant chief for the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company, hold the awards after Shelby was honored for the most fire training hours and Ridgeway for the most EMS training in 2012-13.

EAST SHELBY – John Miller II says knowledge is power, and often can make a life-saving difference.

The Shelby volunteer firefighter for each of the past two years has led Orleans County in fire and EMS training hours. He completed 279 hours in 2012-13, with 199 in EMS and 80 in fire. The previous year, Miller racked up 176 hours of training.

“It pays to train,” he said Friday night after the annual training recognition banquet for firefighters. “It makes sure we’re ready to do the job for the community.”

Miller worked as a truck driver before being hired last year as an EMT for Mercy EMS in Batavia.

“Every bit of knowledge you can gain gives you an upper hand in a critical moment when it’s needed,” Miller said at the recognition dinner at East Shelby Fire Hall.

Four other firefighters topped 200 hours in training: Glen Busch II of Ridgeway, 202; Daniel Gleason of Albion, 204; Nicolas Elliott of Barre, 217; and Jordan Willis of Kendall, 228. The 200-hour-plus firefighters are recognized on a plaque at the Emergency Management Office on County House Road in Albion.

Five Orleans County firefighters were recognized for topping 200 hours of training, including from left: John L. Miller II of Shelby, Dan Gleason of Albion and Nicolas Elliott of Barre. Glen Busch II of Ridgeway and Jordan Willis of Kendall also exceeded 200 hours.

The county also recognized the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company for amassing the most fire training hours with 1,081. Ridgeway led all fire departments with its 994 hours of EMS training. Those departments also will be highlighted on a plaque at the EMO and the County Legislature chambers.

Ridgeway had five firefighters complete the 190-hour EMT course, with two others taking the 72-hour refresher class.

“People want to take training to keep up with their skills,” said Francis Woodward, Ridgeway’s second assistant chief.

Altogether, firefighters in the county completed 4,528 hours of fire training and 4,101 hours of EMS. Firefighters can train to battle fires, do vehicle extrication drills, and provide EMS. But they faced many events last year beyond the norm, including wind storms and a sinkhole in Albion last July caused by a breach in the Erie Canal.

There isn’t a “tree-cutting” course offering or a “dam broke” course, said Paul Wagner, the county’s emergency management director. He praised firefighters for their response to those and other emergencies throughout the year.

“It’s because of your folks’ diversity to be handle these things that we’re able to get through them mostly unscathed,” Wagner said.