Medina High School students Jordan Moden, Allison Donley, Allysen Snook and Principal Michael Cavanagh are helping to raise funds for the “Boxes of Love” campaign.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Medina Central School staff and students have generously donated to their “Boxes of Love” campaign. The campaign was started 10 years ago when a Medina resident, Cindy Curtain, was volunteering her time at Towne Primary.
“Cindy turned to one of the students and asked him how his Thanksgiving was,” explained Oak Orchard Principal Dan Doctor, who was the principal at Towne before that school closed. “The student responded with a blank stare and told her he did not know what she was talking about when she mentioned turkey and stuffing. That is when we started the program and the district embraced it.”
Clifford Wise Middle School teacher Len Petix and Principal Elaine Wendt are also supporting the effort.
Every year, food items such as turkeys, stuffing, canned goods and desserts, along with cash donations are given to John and Cindy Curtain, who along with volunteers, pack the boxes that are given to feed families in the community for Thanksgiving. Last year the donations were enough to feed 34 families.
Oak Orchard Elementary School staff members Eileen Regan, Anne Downey, Sue Anderson, Elaine Ryan and Christine DuMoulin promote the fund-raising effort.
“This effort is a really special way for us to care for our community,” says Mr. Doctor. “It’s an opportunity for us to come together, touch lives and share hope.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 November 2015 at 7:17 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A tractor trailer hauling milk and an SUV were in a violent collision on Route 98 near the Allen Road intersection at about 6 p.m. today.
The milk truck’s tanker detached from the truck and hit the former Five Star Fabrication company, just south of Allen Road. The milk truck is owned by Stahl Brothers in Lockport. The driver of the truck wasn’t injured.
Many gallons of milk spilled on the road and in front of the former Five Star, which is now used by a car dealership.
The driver of this vehicle, a woman, needed to be freed by firefighters. She was taken by Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance to a nearby Mercy Flight landing area. Firefighters said the woman was conscious and talking.
It was a big effort by Albion firefighters who used extrication tools to get the woman out of her vehicle.
The tanker ended up on its side after hitting the building on Route 98. Onlookers at the scene said there was a loud boom with the accident.
Firefighters worked to clean up the scene, and all of the milk and debris in the road.
No additional information was available, including the cause of the accident.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Randy Bower, right, and Chris Bourke celebrate late on Tuesday night after Bower won the sheriff’s election. Bourke, a lieutenant in the Sheriff’s Department, is Bower’s choice to serve as undersheriff.
HOLLEY – Randy Bower celebrated a stunning victory for Orleans County sheriff on Tuesday night with many of his co-workers who are dispatchers, deputies, and corrections officers at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
Bower, 50, has been a public safety dispatcher for 29 years. On Jan. 1, he will be the new Orleans County sheriff, succeeding Scott Hess who is retiring.
Bower topped Tom Drennan, 3,951 votes to 3,507, with Don Organisciak getting 847.
Drennan has been chief deputy for nine years and a 23-year member of the Sheriff’s Department. He ran a campaign on “Experience Matters.” He had support from past sheriffs and key leaders in the law enforcement community and Republican Party.
Bower had the backing from most of the deputies and the unions in the department. They wore red shirts, “Bower for Sheriff,” and they were highly visible at community parades and events in support of Bower.
“I think the people are ready for a change,” Bower said after the results came in Tuesday night. “Now we have to go to work for the people of Orleans County.”
Bower gained more momentum after forcing a Republican Primary and winning by 21 votes over Drennan on Sept. 10. Bower also had the Conservative Party line.
Randy Bower and his supporters had a big presence in Lyndonville during the Fourth of the July parade.
Drennan stayed in the race on the Independence and Reform lines, while the Democrats backed Organisciak.
Bower said he will be the “People’s Sheriff.” He said he reached across party lines, including to Democrats, and attended numerous community events the past 10 months. He intends to keep up that pace in the community.
He recently met with church leaders at predominantly black congregations, including the Royal Church of God in Christ in Carlton, Glad Tidings Baptist Church in Medina, and The Lord’s House in Waterport.
Bower was joined by Lt. Chris Bourke, Bower’s choice for undersheriff, at many of the community events and church visits.
“We felt these are people who feel ignored and we want to reach out to all people,” Bourke said at the Bower election headquarters at Hickory Ridge Golf Course. “All people in the county should be involved in the process.”
Bower and Bourke have worked together for nearly 30 years. When Bower decided to run for sheriff, courting town and county Republican Committee members in the spring, he reached out to Bourke for undersheriff.
They ran as a team. Bourke said he was confident Bower could be an effective sheriff back in the spring when they began the campaign. Bower’s work ethic and optimism over a grueling campaign has Bourke even more confident the new sheriff will be a a strong leader.
Bower named team leaders for the campaign, and challenged them to get 21 people out to vote on Tuesday. The goal was originally 20, but Bower raised it to 21. That was his margin of victory in the Republican Primary.
Randy Bower leads a meeting of supporters in August at the St. Mary’s Athletic Club in Albion.
Bower led frequent campaign rallies, but they were also work meetings, where he gave tasks to his campaign volunteers and discussed his strategy for sharing the campaign message and getting out the vote.
Dennis Piedimonte, an election commissioner, has known Bower since he was a kid. Piedimonte was impressed with Bower’s skills during the campaign.
“He is organized,” Piedimonte said. “He knows how to motivate people.”
Bower has been paralyzed from the waist down since he was in a car accident at age 18. He hasn’t let the accident keep him from an active life.
He said he lives a blessed life with his wife Robin and their two grown children, Jessica and Jacob.
Bower said during the campaign he loved his job as a dispatcher. But he felt compelled to lead the department. His plan includes more community policing, particularly for the rural schools in Kendall and Lyndonville.
Bower also said he will push for drug treatment programs in the county jail. That message connected with many residents, Bower said, because so many families have felt the pain of a loved one battling drug addictions.
“We got to help them,” Bower said Tuesday night. “They are our people.”
Bower is a high-energy person, who led a turnaround as Holley’s girls basketball coach a few years when his daughter played. The team went from winless to the playoffs.
Bower said he has support from the employees for his vision for the department. Many of the deputies, corrections officers and dispatchers actively campaigned for him.
“We’ll set a pace,” Bower said. “They know my philosophy and they’ll work for me.”
Bower had a busy Tuesday, driving to all 10 towns. When he got out of his vehicle, he said many passing motorists waved and gave him honks of support. He was warmly greeted with handshakes while making stops throughout the county.
Jim Halstead, a retired deputy, worked with Bower for 20 years. Halstead said the department will rally behind Bower.
“He’s going to be an outstanding leader,” Halstead said. “He’s not going to be distracted by the pride thing.”
Halstead also worked with Bourke, who was Halstead’s shift supervisor. Bourke is a respected manager in the department, Halstead said.
“He makes you feel like you’re working with him,” Halstead said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Tom Drennan is pictured directing traffic on Route 98 in Albion in August during the Metro 10, a 10-mile race. After a 23-year career with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Drennan said he will retire.
ALBION – After a close election defeat on Tuesday, Tom Drennan said he will retire “with my head held high.”
Drennan posted a statement on Facebook, thanking his supporters and saying he looks forward to the future.
“We will take a few days to regroup and then move on,” he wrote on Facebook this morning. “As I look out the window I see a beautiful sunrise. Just like we knew there would be.”
Drennan, the chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Office the past nine years, lost to Randy Bower in the race for sheriff, 3,951 to 3,507. Bower received 47.6 percent of the vote on the Republican and Conservative lines.
Drennan ran under the Independence and Reform party lines and received 3,507 votes or 42.2 percent of the total.
Don Organisciak, a retired Medina police officer and investigator, was backed by the Democratic Party and received 847 votes or 10.2 percent.
Drennan said he ran on his qualification in an “Experience Matters” campaign. He was challenged within the Sheriff’s Office by Bower, a public safety dispatcher the past 29 years.
“#1 I am a cop and not a politician,” Drennan said in a Facebook post last night. “Tonight the people of Orleans County spoke and they want to be led by a politician. I wish them the best.”
Many of the deputies, corrections officers and staff in the Sheriff’s Office openly campaigned for Bower, although Drennan also had many supporters in the department.
“To the satisfaction of some at the OCSO I will be retiring soon,” Drennan said. “I have had a great career and will be walking out with my head held high and it will be someone else problem to figure out.”
He thanked the community for a rewarding career.
“To the residents of Orleans County it has been an honor and privilege to serve and protect the past 23+ years,” he wrote. “As one door closes another door opens. I wish all of you safety and happiness in the future.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Here are the unofficial results for the town elections, with 40 of the 40 polling places in Orleans County reporting. Some of the races are too close to call until the absentee ballots are opened next Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Orleans County
Sheriff – Randy Bower: 3,951
Sheriff – Tom Drennan: 3,507
Sheriff – Don Organisciak: 847
County Coroner – Rocky Sidari: 5,983
Orleans County Legislature
At-Large (west) – David Callard: 5,413
At-Large (central) – Don Allport: 4,543
At-Large (central) – James White: 2,244
At-Large (east) – John DeFilipps: 5,285
District 1 – Bill Eick: 1,457
District 2 – Lynne Johnson: 1,147
District 2 – Paul Lauricella: 552
District 3 – Fred Miller: 1,123
District 4 – Ken DeRoller: 1,566
Town of Albion
Town Supervisor – Matt Passarell: 844
Town Councilman – Anthony Jake Olles: 803 Town Councilman – Darlene Benton: 526
Town Councilman – Paul Fulcomer: 520
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 4 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – The music room at Holley Elementary School was bustling with activity late Tuesday afternoon as members of the school’s Student Council gathered to make collection boxes for this year’s community project, which will raise funds for the restoration of the historic chapel in Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon.
HOLLEY – Members of the Holley Elementary School Student Council got busy Tuesday afternoon making containers for this year’s community project: raising money for the Hillside Cemetery Chapel Restoration Fund.
The containers – black boxes with a photo of the chapel and a “stained-glass window” decorated by the students – will be placed at local businesses allowing community members to make monetary donations.
Decorated collection boxes line up in preparation for being distributed around the Holley community.
Last year the community project raised more than $1,000 for the Holley Community Free Library roof project. Student Council Advisor Sally Martin says students will be able to place containers themselves again this year.
“Last year we went out and went business to business,” she says, and explains that the students approached business owners themselves regarding to place the containers.
Emma Brady, a 4th-grader at Holley Elementary, holds the collection box she decorated on Tuesday.
Retired Holley art teacher Larry Dabney as well as members of the Clarendon Historical Society attended the workshop to assist students with the project.
“This is great,” Clarendon Historical Society member Erin Anheier said. “It’s really wonderful that the students have gotten involved and that they are thinking about the community.”
Fifth-graders Makayla Evans (left) and Tia Hoffarth (right), members of the Holley Elementary School Student Council, work to decorate collection boxes that will be placed around the Holley community.
Melissa Ierlan is the Clarendon town historian and a member of the Holley Board of Education. She called the project is “cool” and “the kids can see what they are supporting. They can see that they are doing some good.”
The containers are one part of a fund-raising effort by students for the chapel. Additional events may include a read-a-thon or a scavenger hunt. The fundraising effort will continue through the end of the school year.
Members of the Student Council decorate collection boxes for this year’s community project, which will raise funds for the Hillside Cemetery Chapel Restoration Fund.
Holley 6th-grader Thomas Dobri holds the collection box he decorated. The boxes each feature a photo of the Hillside Cemetery Chapel and a stained-glass window decorated by the students. Each stained-glass window has a slightly different pattern.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 November 2015 at 12:00 am
CLARENDON – The election today includes a three-way race for highway superintendent in the Town of Clarendon.
Larry Swanger, the incumbent, won a Republican Primary on Sept. 10 with four candidates. Swanger is on the ballot today with the Republican, Independence and Reform lines.
He is challenged by Tracy Bruce Chalker (Conservative, Labor Force) and Frederick K. Seeman III (A & K Party).
The other Republican candidates are all unopposed, including Richard Moy for town supervisor, Thomas M. DiFante and Kevin Rombaut for town justices, William Campbell and Allen Robinson for town councilman, and Susan Colby for town clerk.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – With the sun shining and temperatures at about 70 degrees, many folks were out not only voting today, but enjoying the Great Outdoors.
The top photo shows a flock of geese in flight in Lyndonville during a sunset.
Pete Ricci of Waterport fishes near the dam in Lyndonville. He could see a lot of big fish close to the dam.
John Paul Simon, 12, (left) and his brother Sharbel, 13, fish in Johnson Creek behind the Yates Community Free Library. They spent much of the day in Lyndonville, fishing and reading at the library while their father, Jim Simon, campaigned for Yates town supervisor.
The Simon brothers, John Paul with net and Sharbel with fishing pole, caught this catfish. The brothers said they caught several catfish while enjoying the warm day.
There are hundreds of geese camped out in water in Lyndonville.
A fisherman in waders gets close to the dam, trying to catch some of the big fish in Johnson Creek.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Randy Bower was elected the new Orleans County sheriff today, over Tom Drennan and Don Organisciak, ending a hard-fought race that saw Bower come back to win after missing out on the Republican Party endorsement in May.
Bower had the Conservative line and then won the Republican primary over Drennan in September. The primary was close and went to the absentees. Bower would win by 21 votes.
But today, Bower had more distance between Drennan, 3,951 to 3,507. Retired Medina police officer and investigator Don Organisciak was backed by the Democrats and received 847 votes or 10.2 percent of the total.
There are about 450 absentee ballots. Bower has a 444-vote lead.
Orleans Hub will have more on the race later.
Here are other unofficial results of key local races:
Orleans County Legislature: Lynne Johnson: 1,147
Paul Lauricella: 552
Don Allport: 4,543
James White: 2,244
Town of Albion Highway Michael Neidert: 845
Jed Standish: 340
Albion Town Board (elect 2) Jake Olles: 803 Darlene Benton: 526
Paul Fulcomer: 520
Barre town supervisor Mark Chamberlain: 322
Cyndy Van Lieshout: 229
Barre Town Board (elect 2) Larry Gaylard: 298 Richard Bennett: 285
Sean Pogue: 268
Joe Grabowski: 201
Clarendon highway superintendent Larry Swanger: 453
Tracy Bruce Chalker: 232
Frederick Seeman: 58
Gaines town supervisor Carol Culhane: 432
Patrick Swiercznski: 252
Gaines Town Board (elect 2) Mary Neilans: 445 Richard DeCarlo: 361
Bill Lattin: 347
Pete Toenniessen: 209
Ridgeway Town Board (elect 2) Mary Woodruff: 706 Sarah Fisher: 656
Paul Blajszczak: 208
Shelby highway superintendent Michael Fuller: 601
Ed Houseknecht: 361
Yates town supervisor John Belson: 352
Jim Simon: 338
Yates Town Board (elect 2) John Riggi: 457 Wes Bradley: 412
Glenn Maid: 310
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 3 November 2015 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – Parents in the Holley Central School District had the opportunity Monday evening to learn more about standards and assessments in New York State during an informational forum at the Middle School/High School auditorium.
Holley School district administrators and Board of Education members attended the forum that was presented by Monroe 2 – Orleans BOCES administrators Dr. Marijo Pearson and Dr. Michelle Ryan.
“There has been confusion around Common Core standards and assessment tests, we want to make sure you understand why they are different,” Dr. Pearson said.
Parents attending received an information packet with Common Core resources for parents, “A Parent’s Guide to Student Success,” and examples of state assessment testing report data for teachers and parents.
Standards and assessments were addressed separately with administrators explaining that current standards help ready students for both college and careers after high school.
Benefits of Common Core learning as well as shifts in standards for English/Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics were explained.
“Standards are not curriculum,” Dr. Pearson noted. “Here in Holley you have the initiative to write curriculum according to Common Core standards. Teachers have autonomy on how it is taught.”
Parents were given specific ways they can help their children meet ELA and Mathematics standards and questions were taken from the audience.
The parent of a sixth-grader asked about a quiz her son had taken on a computer which included a question he got wrong. The question asked the student, “What do you think might happen?”
“How do you get that wrong?” the parent questioned. “My son thinks outside the box.”
Dr. Pearson responded that the student likely needed to make an inference based on the text in the test.
The same parent also expressed dismay that there are fewer textbooks now to reference when helping students at home, and that it can be difficult to see first-hand what they are learning via computer in school.
Another parent noted online resources, such as YouTube searches, have helped him understand how subjects are being taught.
“I ask my kids for key words that the teacher said,” he explained. He then uses those words to search for information and it has proven to be successful.
Holley Elementary Principal Karri Schiavone said parents do have access to materials and tests students are given on computers.
BOCES 2 administrators also alerted parents to a survey being conducted by the State Education Department seeking feedback from parents regarding state standards. The survey can be accessed by clicking here.
“You are encouraged to fill that out,” Dr. Pearson said.
Dr. Ryan observed that the way New York State education reforms came out all at one time with new standards, new assessments and new teacher evaluation was “probably not the smartest way to do it.”
Parents were also provided with information on various assessment tests including formative, summative, benchmark and state assessments as well as data reports regarding state assessments.
“Data can create conversation, that’s what’s important about data,” Dr. Ryan said. “If we don’t assess, we’re not going to know if they learned it. Assessment has become a bad word. It really isn’t a bad word. We have to assess to know how we are doing.”
