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.

Provided photos – Regan Stacey of Medina competed in the Distinguished Young Women of New York on Jan. 10 in Albany.

ALBANY – A Medina High School senior competed in the 2015 Distinguished Young Woman of New York and won the award for “Be Your Best Self.”

Regan Stacey, daughter of Trisha and David Stacey, competed in the Distinguished Young Women competition, which was formerly known as Junior Miss.

Heather Dorler of Stockton in Chautauqua County was the overall winner of the state-wide competition on Jan. 10 at Cohoes High School Auditorium in Albany.

Stacey and Dorler were among 11 high school senior girls from New York who competed to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of New York for 2015. Participants were evaluated in the categories of Scholastics (20 percent), Interview (25 percent), Fitness (15 percent), Self-Expression (15 percent) and Talent (25 percent).

The scholarship program awarded $5,000 in scholarships, with Stacey earning $200 for the “Be Your Best Self” award.

Participants in the Distinguished Young Women of New York include, front row, from left: Sarah Pierson – Southampton; Heather Ryan – Crown Point; Sarah Burbank – Moriah; Regan Stacey – Medina; and Heather Dorler – Stockton. Back Row: Christine Schmidt – Elmira; Jonni Mills – Red Hook; Lillith Ida – Ticonderoga; Keneally Phelan – Harriman; Hillit Avnon-Klein – Queens Village; and Rachel Lavin – Whitehall.

The 58th National Finals will take place on June 25-27 in Mobile, Ala. Dorler will travel to Mobile along with 49 other state representatives to participate in personal development activities and community service projects before competing for the opportunity to become the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2015 and for additional cash scholarships.

Abigail Feldman of Lyndonville was the NY state winner in 2014.

The New York State program is now accepting applications for any high school junior girl, with graduation date for 2016. For more information, visit www.distinguishedyw.org.

Press Release, Genesee Community College

BATAVIA, NY – Responding to the concerns of part-time, high achieving students Genesee Community College has created a new Provost’s List recognizing their outstanding academic performance. The first Provost’s List honors 233 students enrolled part-time in Fall Semester 2014 classes. These students have earned a grade point average of 3.75 (roughly equivalent to an A) or better.

Previously the College recognized these students on its Dean’s List, which honors part-time and full-time students with a Grade Point Average of 3.50 to 3.74. Some part-time students who had earned a higher GPA had expressed disappointment that their stellar performance was going unrecognized.

‘Part-time students often are juggling myriad responsibilities and often work that much harder to earn top scores,’ said Dr. Kathleen (Kate) Schiefen, GCC provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. ‘We felt it made sense to recognize their achievements separately and applaud the outstanding contributions they make in our classrooms every day.’

This year’s Genesee Community College Fall 2014 Provost’s List honorees, with their hometowns, include:

Xhezide Bela of Albion (14411)

Chelsey Breuilly of Albion (14411)

Casey Button of Albion (14411)

Amy Lester of Albion (14411)

Ivan Madafferi of Albion (14411)

Ondrea Pate of Albion (14411)

Matthew Quider of Albion (14411)

Erin Sidari of Albion (14411)

Jacob Tynan of Albion (14411)

Cassandra Westphal of Albion (14411)

Amanda Wolford of Albion (14411)

Lindsey Bentley of Holley (14470)

Mary Buggie-Hunt of Holley (14470)

Mariah Elliott of Holley (14470)

Orissa Hill of Holley (14470)

Christine Lutes of Holley (14470)

Crystal Freitag of Kendall (14476)

Jamie Donahue of Kent (14477)

Charlene Kirstein of Kent (14477)

Briana Bellan of Medina (14103)

Deseree Hughes of Medina (14103)

Maureen Moriarty of Medina (14103)

Colleen Pitts of Medina (14103)

Denise Punch of Medina (14103)

April Schultz of Medina (14103)

Luann McMullen of Waterport (14571)

Press Release, Genesee Community College

BATAVIA, NY (readMedia) – Genesee Community College, including all seven campus locations in Batavia, Albion, Arcade, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw, proudly announces 467 students were named to the President’s List for the Fall 2014 semester.

Students honored on the President’s List have maintained full-time enrollment and earned a quality point index of 3.75 roughly equivalent to an A or better.

The College has initiated a Provost’s List to recognize part-time students with a quality point index of 3.75 or better, which will be released in the next several weeks.

This year’s Genesee Community College Fall 2014 President’s List honorees, with their hometowns, are listed below:

Connor Barleben of Albion

Sandra Baxter of Albion

Christine Chennell of Albion

Pamela Cherry of Albion

Stacy Daniels of Albion

Mitchell DeSmit of Albion

Laura Dunham of Albion

Henry Haines of Albion

Audra Heslor of Albion

Angel Javier of Albion

Thomas Leggat of Albion

Dalton Mitchell of Albion

Chelsea Moore of Albion

Sarah Olmstead of Albion

Alise Pangrazio of Albion

David Pieniaszek of Albion

Marquise Riddick of Albion

Garrett Rustay of Albion

Christina Salvatore of Albion

Kelsey Schmitt of Albion

Julia Southcott of Albion

Emily Thering of Albion

Jack Treese of Albion

Pauline Twardowski of Albion

Tina Wilkins of Albion

Irene Youngman of Albion

Jessica Brien of Holley

Tashanna Hards of Holley

Heather Jones of Holley

Felicia Kraatz of Holley

Christopher Mason of Holley

Claudia Passarell of Holley

Michelle Silpoch of Holley

Emily Skehan of Holley

Lindsay Smith of Holley

Dennis Wakula of Holley

Darcey Schulwitz of Kendall

Alexa Wolf of Kendall

Mary Brockway of Kent

Barbara Feathers of Kent

Kalee Galletta of Kent

Kelli Napolitano of Kent

Nicole Boring of Lyndonville

Adrienne Hallows of Lyndonville

Stacy Heideman of Lyndonville

Charles McKinney of Lyndonville

Mandy Moore of Lyndonville

Brandon Pajek of Lyndonville

Regina Simon of Lyndonville

Kellie Wilcox of Lyndonville

Deborah Barnes of Medina

Lynn Bolton of Medina

Kimberly Brueckner of Medina

Amy Jackson of Medina

Daphne Kroll of Medina

Taylor Miller of Medina

Baillie Oberther of Medina

Elizabeth Pickle of Medina

Missy Pries of Medina

Samantha Snyder of Medina

Jacob Werth of Medina

Brad Wilson of Medina

Hannah Wolfe of Medina

Rhonda Wright of Medina

Amanda Campbell of Waterport

With the main campus in Batavia, New York and six campus centers located in Albion, Arcade, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw, Genesee Community College serves more than 7,000 students. As part of the State University of New York SUNY , GCC offers more than 60 academic programs and certificates. The Supply Chain Management concentration under the Business Administration program is one of GCC’s newest academic programs, which is offered entirely online.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Bill Lattin, the recently retired Orleans County historian, was presented with a “Friend of Education” award this evening by Margy Brown, president of the Albion Board of Education.

ALBION – For 20 years Bill Lattin worked with Albion students on service learning projects, first developing a walking guide and kiosk for the Courthouse Square in the mid-1990s.

Lattin and students worked to clean up and rededicate a cemetery for the alms house about four years ago, a site that was the precursor to the county nursing home on West Countyhouse Road. They have researched Albionites buried at Mount Albion Cemetery, with students portraying those residents during an annual Ghost Walk at the cemetery.

He frequently visits classes, and inspires students about the community’s glorious past, said Sue Starkweather Miller, the school’s grants manager who has worked with Lattin on many of the service learning projects.

Lattin retired as county historian on Dec. 31 after 36 years. Today he was honored by the school district as a “Friend of Education.”

“There is so much that Bill has done through the years as a friend of education,” Starkweather Miller told the Board of Education.

Lattin, as former director at the Cobblestone Museum, gave numerous tours of the property to elementary students over the years, especially the one-room schoolhouse. He also worked with high school students to clean up the property and create labels for artifacts in the Farmers’ Hall.

He teamed with students and teachers to develop a monument to pioneer black residents at Mount Albion. He has been a regular during the annual Pioneer Days celebration at the school, and he has led in-service programs with teachers, urging them to incorporate local history and architecture in their lessons.

“Thank you for telling such great stories and for giving our students such pride in their heritage,” Starkweather Miller said.

Lattin was presented with a “Friend of Education” certificate.

“I felt it was part of my job and it has been a pleasure,” he told the Board of Education.