Photo from Albion Central School: Mickey Edwards is pictured in the district office with a painting of the high school. Edwards starts today as Albion school superintendent.
ALBION – Today is the first day for Mickey Edwards as Albion’s new district superintendent. Edwards, an Albion graduate, rejoins the district after serving as superintendent at Byron-Bergen Central School.
Edwards said he plans to be very busy the next 90 days, getting reconnected to district stakeholders.
“I want to connect with community members and organizations to hear what people are proud of and listen to any concerns,” Edwards said.
While he never really left Albion – all three of his children graduated from the district and he lives in Kent – Edwards emphasized the importance of communication, not just with the school, but with the community at large.
“I want Albion to know I am available to them,” Edwards said. “I want to be out and involved and part of the team.”
After graduating from Albion, Edwards spent four years active duty in the United States Marine Corps before beginning his career as an art teacher at Albion. He then served as dean of students in the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, assistant principal at Carl I. Bergerson Middle School, and a principal at Charles D’Amico High School.
“This is where it all started,” Edwards said. “I have so many great memories of my childhood and of Albion, which is one of the reasons I am so excited and wanted to come home.”
After working at Albion, he was the Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction at Orleans-Niagara BOCES before gaining six years of experience as a superintendent. In 2014 he was appointed as the superintendent at Wyoming Central School District. He was there two years before being hired in 2016 as superintendent at Byron-Bergen Central School.
“My hope is to bring my experiences, skills and network of contacts to the district and help build upon our mission of Achievement, Character and Success for Life,” Edwards said. “I look forward to being a part of the team and serving our community together.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 January 2021 at 7:15 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: The flag is lowered in this photo from May at The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion, out of respect for the victims of Covid-19.
ALBION – A nursing home in Albion where 30 residents have passed away due to Covid-19 has been hit with a $66,632 fine for Covid violations.
The fine is the largest penalty for a nursing home in New York State for Covid violations, according to an article in The Buffalo News.
The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center was fined $20,000 in September by the state Department of Health for violations cited in a May 9 state inspection of the facility.
The new fine from the federal government is based on that earlier state inspection. DOH inspectors on May 9 said facility staff weren’t following proper infection prevention and control measures. One example included certified nursing aides and licensed practical nurses entering and exiting a room of a person with Covid, and then entering rooms of other residents without Covid.
The staff “passed breakfast trays, assisted with the residents’ meals and provided hands on care without wearing PPE and completing proper hand hygiene,” according to the DOH report.
The DOH said personal protective equipment wasn’t readily available to staff. Several employees told DOH there wasn’t adequate PPE for workers.
The Department of Health also reported that many nursing home employees, including agency staff, did not seem educated on infection control policies, standard/droplet precautions and Covid-19.
The Villages has had 93 of its residents in the 120-bed facility test positive for Covid. The Villages hasn’t experienced any deaths among residents since May due to Covid.
The nursing home is one of 20 in the state under investigation by the Attorney General Tish James. She released a report last week about nursing homes and their response during the pandemic. The AG said many nursing homes weren’t prepared to protect residents from Covid-19.
The AG also faulted the state for underreporting the deaths of nursing homes residents from Covid by as much as 50 percent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 January 2021 at 10:09 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Cole Glover carries a box of food to a vehicle in line this morning at a food distribution in Albion. About 300 boxes of food were given out from the parking lot at the Main Street Store, a thrift store at 113 South Main St.
Volunteers put boxes of food in cars and trucks on a cold morning with temperatures in the low teens.
The food distributions will continue in February.
Greg Gilman, maintenance supervisor at Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, assisted with the food distribution this morning. For the first time, the food included eggs and bags of brown rice.
About 300 boxes of food were given away this morning in the “Families Food Box Program” which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Susie Miller, assistant director of the Office for the Aging, grabs three dozen of eggs for one of the vehicles in line.
The schedule for February includes:
February 5th – Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 NYS Route 31, Albion, NY 14411-entrance is on Taylor Hill Road. The line of cars needs to form south on Taylor Hill Road. There will be no entrance on Route 31.
February 12th – Community Action Store, 113 South Main Street, Albion 14411
February 19th – Medina Central School District, 1 Mustang Drive, Medina- Line will start off Oak Orchard Road, no entrance off of Route 31.
February 26th – Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 NYS Route 31, Albion, NY 14411-entrance is on Taylor Hill Road. The line of cars needs to form south on Taylor Hill Road. There will be no entrance on Route 31.
All start times are approximately 8:30 a.m. If the Foodlink truck is there and unloaded it may start at 8 a.m.
Organizers ask that people not line up before 8 a.m. due to possible winter weather conditions. “We remind people not to block driveways,” said Melissa Blanar, director of the Office for the Aging, which helps organize the events. “We want to thank all the volunteers. Without them there would be no events. Please be patient and kind.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2021 at 8:45 pm
Joe Martillotta and Zack Burgess will be on ballot in March 16 election
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Republican Party backed Joe Martillotta, left, and Democrats picked Zack Burgess as their candidate in the March 16 election.
ALBION – The Democrats and Republicans each picked their candidate this evening for the March 16 village election.
Both parties held a caucus at 7 p.m. to select a candidate to fill the remaining three years of a trustee position on the Village Board. The position $6,370 a year.
The trustee position became vacant when Kevin Sheehan resigned to take the job as Albion’s code enforcement officer.
Both parties had a low turnout this evening with less than 10 people. Democrats picked Zack Burgess and Republicans nominated Joe Martillotta.
Burgess, 31, works for Bentley Brothers at inside sales. He also has been very active in the Rock the Park music festival at Bullard Park. He serves as co-chairman of the event which has been renamed as the Albion Summer Festival. Last year’s event was cancelled due to Covid-19. Burgess and the organizers are hoping this year’s festival with many bands can happen the first Saturday in August.
Through that event, Burgess said he has worked with many village officials and community members. He also is a member of the Albion Lions Club.
“I want to do anything I can to improve the quality of life in the village,” Burgess said.
He was backed by Democrats at the caucus which was held at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church.
His father, Phil Burgess, made a motion to support Zack, which was seconded by his mother, Lynn. Phil works for Kodak and Lynn has a hair salon at her home on West Park Street.
Zack lives on Hamilton Street.
Joe Martillotta, 69, was backed by the Republicans at a caucus on the second floor of the Albion Visitors Center. Martillotta retired in 2009 after 36 years as a high school social studies and economics teacher.
He and his wife Debbie did extensive renovations of 469 East State St. and opened the Crooked Door Tavern on Jan. 31, 2011. It was his dream of owning a restaurant and bar. They operated the business for more than three years, selling it in April 2014.
Martillotta lives on North Main Street and owns other properties in the village.
“I’ve been paying taxes for years in the village – lots of them,” he said.
He has long advocated for shrinking the size of local government through consolidation. That is an issues he wants to explore.
“We should do it,” he said about dissolutions or consolidations. “Do we really need 15 highway superintendents in Orleans County?”
Each of the 10 towns, four villages and the county all have an elected or appointed superintendent of highways or the DPW.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 January 2021 at 6:44 pm
ALBION – There will be Republican and Democratic caucuses on Tuesday to pick a candidate for trustee in a March 16 special election.
The two political parties will meet to pick a candidate for trustee to fill three years of vacated term by Kevin Sheehan, who resigned to take the job as Albion’s code enforcement officer.
The Democrats will meet at 7 p.m. at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, 10 East Park St.
The Republicans will meet at 7 p.m. at the Albion Visitors Center, 121 North Main St.
The parties will take nominations from the floor during the caucuses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2021 at 8:09 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Logan Kast, 12, of Albion gets sprayed with snow as he heads down the sledding hill at Bullard Park on Saturday. There hasn’t been much snow this year, but several inches fell on Friday and Saturday and many people dusted off their sleds, inner tubes and saucers.
Frankie DiCureia, 11, of Medina had a ball zooming down the hill.
Sophia Albanese, left, and her friend Mickey Stowell, 14, of Albion descend down the hill. There were kids of all ages having fun sledding on Saturday. The temperature was in the 20s, but there wasn’t much wind.
Traivon Eibl of Albion tried snowboarding and had a wipeout.
Lincoln Eibl, 4, is all smiles heading down the hill after a gentle push from his father, Traivon.
Finley Draper, 7, of Lyndonville grabs a string from his dad Tim Draper to climb the last slippery spot on the hill.
This photo is from the very top of the hill, where there is a staircase. Sledding can down the hill from a few different directions.
Rose Collins, 9, of Medina and Lucy DiCureia, 10, of Medina get sprayed with snow as the take off down the hill on the west side.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 January 2021 at 1:13 pm
Matt Grammatico had surgery last week at Cleveland Clinic
Photo courtesy of Grammatico family: Matt Grammatico gives thumbs up while he recovers after getting a heart and liver transplant on Jan. 12. Grammatico has been at the Cleveland Clinic for more than three months.
CLEVELAND – An Albion man is recovering so well after getting a heart and liver transplant last week that he has been moved out of the intensive care unit at the Cleveland Clinic – a week ahead of schedule .
Matt Grammatico, 47, has been at the hospital in Cleveland since Oct. 16. He had the transplant surgery on Jan. 12.
“I’m hopeful for the future,” Grammatico said by phone on Wednesday. “The doctors are all happy where I’m at. Honestly, they are stunned with how fast I’m coming out of it.”
Grammatico was born with a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. He had major heart surgery as a baby followed by an open-heart reconstructive surgery when he was 11. He has needed multiple procedures and surgeries throughout the next 30-plus years of his life.
During one of the surgeries as a child, he was unknowingly given a Hepatitis C tainted blood transfusion. The virus attacked his liver, undiscovered, for more than 20 years, further complicating his health. He has endured end-stage liver disease.
Grammatico’s health deteriorated in the past year, and Cleveland Clinic kept him in good enough condition for the surgery. He was in the operating room for about 19 hours.
Normally patients are in the ICU for two weeks after the surgery. Grammatico was able to move out of ICU after one week and is now in a transplant step down unit. He said he is in a lot of pain and feels a little groggy.
But he is very thankful for the medical team, the organ donor and for a supportive community. He praises God for the surgery’s success so far.
It was almost three years ago when the Albion community put on a spaghetti dinner and basket raffle for Grammatico on Jan. 27, 2018 at the Carlton Rec Hall.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Matt Grammatico is pictured in January 2018 at his former auto repair shop, MPG Automotive in Hamlin.
Grammatico’s wife Rhonda has been in Cleveland since Oct. 16, but hasn’t been able to see her husband, face to face, due to Covid restrictions. She has been staying in a hotel room and having frequent phone and video conversations with her husband.
Grammatico said the separation from his family, including son Nate, has been very difficult. If he continues to progress, he could be released from the hospital possibly next week. Usually patients are in the transplant step down unit for a week to three weeks before being released. He then has to stay in Cleveland and check in for daily tests at the hospital for at least a month.
His wife has been providing updates on her husband’s journey at the Cleveland Clinic on Facebook through the “Feel The Love With Matt” page.
Matt Grammatico chats with friends on Jan. 27, 2018 during a fundraiser on his behalf at the Carlton Rec Hall.
Grammatico worked as a truck driver for 17 years and then owned his auto repair business in Hamlin. His father, Mike Grammatico, was a long-time music teacher at Albion.
Matt was informed there were organs for him and he was prepped for the transplant surgery on Dec. 30. But the doctors determined the liver had “declined” and it would be better to wait. Mrs. Grammatico shared that patients and their loved ones need to be prepared for “dry runs” where the surgery gets cancelled.
“We love you so much, thank you for rallying and praying and cheerleading alongside of us,” Mrs. Grammatico wrote on Facebook on Dec. 30. “We know the next call is coming in God’s good time. Praise God, Matt is in great spirits and he is in the wonderful hands of the doctors and our Lord! We will continue to be patient and wait for the next call.”
The call came in the morning on Jan. 12. Grammatico was prepared for surgery and his donor heart was in place inside his chest just after noon. The liver proved to be more time consuming. He was out of surgery at about 2:30 a.m.
“Transplant surgeries are done, Matt is doing well!” Mrs. Grammatico posted at 2:31 a.m. on Jan. 13. “He is closed and is heading down to Cardio/Vascular ICU now.
“While we are full of joy for this opportunity for a new and healthy life for Matt we are closing out tonight in a moment of silence in honor of the angel donor who saved the lives of multiple people today~ Beautiful Soul, may God bless you and keep you in perfect joy and peace with Him, all the days of eternity~”
Grammatico was able to call his wife later that day and came through with a strong voice – “I AM HERE, THANK YOU GOD, I AM HERE, PRAISE YOU LORD, I AM HERE,” he proclaimed on the call to his wife.
Mrs. Grammatico, an aide at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School in Albion, said the family is very thankful to be at this stage. She said the nurses, physician assistants, doctors, surgeons and medical staff are “God-appointed miracle workers.”
“We can never say thank you enough to these absolutely outstanding folks, and we will never stop saying it – God bless you all, we are forever thankful for each one of you!” Mrs. Grammatico wrote.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 January 2021 at 9:48 am
Provided photos
ALBION – Members of the Rotary Interact Club at Albion High School delivered 10 dozen donut boxes to different groups of essential workers in community. Rotary Interact wanted to show their appreciation to the groups for their extra hard work during the pandemic.
The top photo shows the group delivering two boxes of donuts to staff at Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.
Pictured form left include Sarah Mathes, Kiarra Shuler, advisor Tim Archer, Leah Kania, Bonnie Malakie (director of children and youth service for Community Action), Renee Hungerford (director of Community Action), Annette Finch (director of community services for the agency) and Alison Mathes.
Leah Kania of the Rotary Interact presents a box of donuts to Vicki Havholm, Nutrition Program Coordinator for Meals on Wheels.
Sarah Mathes hands off a box of donuts to Melissa Blanar, director of the Orleans County Office for the Aging.
The Rotary Interact members delivered a box of donuts Supportive Care of Orleans (Hospice). Kathy Strong, an RN for Supportive Care, accepted the donuts on behalf of her coworkers.
Rotary Interact also brought donuts to The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, the Public Health Department in Orleans County and the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2021 at 7:13 pm
Albion man worked as a mechanic for 70 years, served in Lions Club for more than 50 years
Photos by Tom Rivers: John Keding is shown outside Keding Automotive in Albion when he celebrated his 80th birthday on Sept. 2, 2015.
ALBION – The community is mourning John Keding, a long-time mechanic and active member of the Albion Lions Club for more than a half century.
Besides fixing automobiles for decades, Keding served with the Lions since 1968. If people had the sausage and peppers at the Lions Club booth at the Strawberry Festival or at other community events, there’s a good chance that Keding was working the grill.
He was “the keeper of the roses” for the Lions Club, using space at his shop to store about 350 dozen roses that the Lions Club sold as a fundraiser near Mother’s Day. He also had a collection box at Keding Automotive for people to donate used glasses to Lions, which would give them to people in need.
Keding also cooked pancakes at the fly-in breakfasts at the Pine Hill Airport in Barre.
“He was the backbone of the Albion Lions Club,” said longtime member Dennis Smith. “He really helped to establish the Lions Club in Albion.”
For 25 years he did the thankless job of being club secretary, keeping track of reports and other paperwork and sending monthly reports to Lions International. The other club members often referred to him as “Mr. Lion.”
“I enjoy the camaraderie with the guys,” Keding told the Orleans Hub in February 2014, when he was recognized for 45 years in the Lions Club. “We do things for the community without getting paid for it.”
John Keding works the grill during the Rock the Park Festival at Bullard Park in July 2015.
Keding retired as a mechanic in August, a month before his 85thbirthday. He intended to retire at 65 but enjoyed interacting with customers and getting their vehicles back on the road, said his daughter Christine Buorgiorne.
His last three years he continued to run Keding Automotive on East Avenue, despite needing dialysis three times a week due to failed kidneys. Often he would take a short nap after dialysis and show up at the shop, grabbing a wrench.
Kevin Howard, a retire state trooper and senior investigator, met Keding in the late ’70s when Keding worked on the patrol cars for the State Police.
“He was always so accommodating to us,” Howard said today.
Howard joined the Lions Club about 15 years ago and also served as a local town justice. Keding, even while battling health issues, kept showing up at work and for the Lions, Howard said.
“He was always willing to help the community,” Howard said. “He never seemed to want to quit.”
Keding started as a mechanic at age 14, first fixing lawn mowers and installing turning signals. He learned the auto mechanic trade at the General Motors Institute in Flint, Mich., beginning the two-year program in 1953. He worked for General Motors for three years before a two-year stint in Army at Fort Dix from 1958 to 1960.
He returned to Albion in 1960 and worked as a mechanic for a car dealership for 13 years before a brief stint as an electrician.
John Keding of Albion cooks sausage at the fly-in breakfast at Pine Hill Airport in September 2013.
He opened his own business at the East Avenue location in January 1974. During an interview in August, Keding said the work has become more high-tech with problems in cars more difficult to diagnose due to computers and electronics in vehicles.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said about his career. “It’s something I always wanted to do.”
Keding also taught mechanics at BOCES and led an evening class that he called W.O.W. (Women on Wheels), giving women the basics in keeping a car running.
Keding and his wife of 63 years, Pat, raised three children in Albion. Their daughter Christine Buongiorne said her dad made family time a priority and enjoyed Sunday drives with his wife, including trips to Letchworth State Park.
Keding was a good teacher, and encouraged his kids, including two daughters, to know how to use tools.
“Dad was from a different era and time,” Buongiorne said today. “Being in a service club was a way for him to give back. With his career as a mechanic, he loved what he did. He was not a quitter in any way, shape or form.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2021 at 12:13 pm
Organization donates $5,000 for walking/running trail at Bullard Park
Photos by Tom Rivers: Brian Krieger, executive director of the Albion Running Club, addresses about 120 participants during the Run for Wayne on March 23, 2019. That race and the Strawberry Festival 5K and 8K will now be managed by Wolfpack Multisport.
ALBION – A club that helped motivate people to take up running and also managed local races has dissolved after about a decade.
The Albion Running Club has handed off management of two local races – the Run for Wayne in March and Strawberry Festival 5K and 8K – to Wolfpack Multisport, led by Bert Gallmon. He is planning for the races to continue in-person this year. If that isn’t possible due to Covid, Gallmon said they could be held virtually, with people running the distances on their own and not in a group race.
“We felt it was a good time for new blood to take over the events and grow them,” said Brian Krieger, the Running Club president and chief executive officer.
Before the Running Club closed out its financial books, it wrote a check for $5,000 to the Village of Albion towards a walking/running trail along the perimeter of the park near Sandy Creek.
Brian Krieger and Lindon Morici (center), members of the Albion Running Club, last week presented the $5,000 check to Albion Mayor Eileen Banker for the running and walking trail at Bullard.
Krieger said the Running Club donated about $52,000 the past decade with donations to the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans, Community Kitchen, Albion Free Methodist Church Missions trip, Hospice, Holley Youth Center, Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, Re-Build Bullard Park, Wayne Burlison Scholarship and several fundraisers for community members.
He thanked many local businesses and sponsors for supporting the events, and the many volunteers who stepped up to on race days or in other ways.
File photos – Sheila Lemcke of Albion was The Strawberry in the 2014 race.
The Running Club also secured grants to buy sneakers for about 100 people and run a “Fit in 50” program with weekly gatherings to exercise and promote healthy living.
The club organized Run for God, a 12-week program that was like a Couch to 5K training plan, taking people who haven’t been running to completing a 5K. About 400 people did the Run for God in seven years. The program includes a spiritual aspect with lessons from the Bible.
“We sparked a bit of a running revolution in Albion from people of all walks of life,” Krieger said. “It’s been an incredible experience.”
The Club formed initially to manage the Strawberry Festival race after Judy Christopher stepped down after leading that event for 19 years. He pushed to make the race a fun event. Krieger would find someone each year to wear a Strawberry costume. Runners get a special prize if they beat “The Strawberry.”
That 5K/8K was one of the biggest road races in the rural GLOW counties, attracting 200 to 300 runners.
Krieger urged people to take the first step in getting active and healthy. He is hopeful some of the Run for God participants will help keep that program going, or set up weekly times for people to run together.
Krieger led the initial Run for God groups with his friend, Wayne Burlison, an Albion elementary music teacher. They organized the Run for God with it usually starting in early March and culminating with people completing the 5K course at the Strawberry Fest the second Saturday in June.
Burlison was also friends with Gallmon, the new race organizer, through their participation together with The Patriots, a drum corps band.
Burlison was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2013 and he passed away at age 36 on was 36 on March 26, 2014.
The “Run for Wayne” honors his memory. The race has been modified to be the Wayne Burlison Colon Cancer Awareness 5K. This year race is planned for March 27. Gallmon would like to do the in-person race as a group. It had 120 participants in March 2019. Last year’s race was cancelled due to Covid.
These Run for God participants pose for a group picture before the 2013 Strawberry Festival race.
The race could also be virtual only or perhaps be limited to 50 people with others going virtual. Gallmon also said race organizers this year may be looking to have runners go in waves on race day, to spread them out.
“It is a little stressful not knowing,” he said. “I still want to do a live event.”
The Burlison race starts on Clarendon Road near the elementary school and goes to Mount Albion Cemetery and back.
Gallmon runs other events through Wolfpack Multisport, including a triathlon at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. He would like to bring a triathlon to Orleans County in the future.
He praised Krieger and the Running Club for putting on two popular races with the Wayne Burlison Colon Cancer Awareness 5K and the Strawberry Festival 5K/8K.
“With the Wayne race we are honoring his memory and highlighting colon cancer, which is a real problem,” Gallmon said.
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
Gallmon will be looking to have race committees help with the events in Albion and Orleans County.
For more information on Wolfpack Multisports, click here.
Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers was a member of the Running Club’s board of directors.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 January 2021 at 6:28 pm
Leah Kania, Hannah Brewer qualify for international competition
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Leah Kania, a junior at Albion, is recorded on Saturday singing “Ständchen” in German by Schubert.
Leah and her classmate Hannah Brewer both qualified to perform at Carnegie Hall for the Crescendo International Competition. Leah also qualified a year ago and was able to sing at Carnegie in New York City.
An in-person event isn’t allowed right now, but the Crescendo International Competition will be doing a virtual concert featuring the singers with the hope they can come to Carnegie for an in-person concert later this year.
Hannah Brewer, a senior at Albion, sings “Nymphs and Shepherds” by Henry Purcell. Hannah and Leah did their recordings at the First Baptist Church in Albion on Saturday, a sanctuary with ideal acoustics.
They are both voice students of Wendy Williams, who runs the Sound Foundations Voice Studio in Batavia.
Hannah plans to be a music education major this fall when she starts college.
Leah Kania sings for her video of top performers in the Crescendo International Competition. Leah and Hannah submitted online auditions last month. There was more pressure for the audition, Leah said.
“This is just for fun,” she said about Saturday’s recording, which she did in one take.
The competition is for rising stars in classical music. Williams said about 5,000 singers auditioned with instrumentalists (piano, strings and winds), vocalists, duets and ensembles – with division from ages 5-22. Kania and Brewer are in the intermediate category, ages 15 to 18.
“It’s an enormous deal,” said Wendy Williams, their voice teacher. “I’m insanely proud of them.”
Kania and Brewer are both mezzo-sopranos.
Williams has three other students who also qualified for the competition: Erin Hess, a mezzo-soprano from Alexander; Murphy McDermott, a soprano from Appleton; and Liam Crawford, a baritone from Alexander.
Williams praised the students for their hard work and discipline in preparing for the competition.
“These kids have an internal drive,” she said. “I want them to discover how far they can take it.”
Hannah Brewer performs in the sanctuary at the First Baptist Church. Hannah sang a Baroque style song in English. She has sung songs in German and Italian in preparing for the competition.
“There are so many different languages,” she said.
She said she is grateful to have the event, which motivated her with her singing, especially after last year’s spring musical was cancelled.
Photo courtesy of Meghan Kania: Leah Kania is pictured outside Carnegie Hall in NYC last year for the Crescendo International Competition. She hopes the venue reopens for the event later this year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 January 2021 at 6:19 pm
With gyms closed, Dominic DiGiulio trained by carrying heavy boulders in his backyard
Photo from Albion Central School: Dominic DiGiulio lifts 605 pounds on Thursday, to break the school record in the dead lift of 585 pounds, which was set by his cousin Jonathan Trembley in 2013.
ALBION – Dominic DiGiulio has had his eyes on breaking a school record in the dead lift for several years. His cousin, Jonathan Trembley, set the record with 585 pounds in 2013.
Dominic, 17, is a senior. It’s been a challenging and somewhat disappointing school year so far for him. No football, no wrestling, no homecoming – yet. The football season might start in March if the state gives it the OK. Dominic is a 230-pound lineman for the Purple Eagles. (Maybe homecoming could happen in the spring. The state hasn’t approved “high risk” winter sports including wrestling and basketball.)
Photos courtesy of Stephanie DiGiulio: Dominic DiGiulio built his strength carrying heavy boulders in his backyard.
Covid-19 has been disruptive for students and the community since last March. Students weren’t allowed in the school after March 13. That included the weight room. Even the local gyms were all closed by the state until late August.
For Dominic, that made it difficult to chase his cousin’s record in the dead lift. Last year, Dominic reached 505 pounds in a lift. At his home, he has about 200 pounds of weights to work with.
He found other ways to stay in shape and build strength. He picked up boulders in his backyard. He did pushups with heavy flat rocks on his back.
When gyms were able to reopen, he joined Studio Fit in Medina. The school district also launched an intramural program in early January with weight lifting an option. Dominic joined the program and last Thursday he set the school’s record in the deadlift at 605 pounds.
His cousin, the previous record holder, called to offer his congratulations.
“That wasn’t just me lifting that weight,” Dominic posted on the school’s Facebook page, when Albion shared a post about him setting the record. “It was my teammates, coaches, teachers, peers, the class of 2021. This school year has been tough on everyone, but covid picked the wrong class to mess with. #Albionstrong”
Dominic is hopeful there can be a return to normalcy at some point this school year, when all of his classmates are in the school building the same time. Right now they are split with a group Monday and Thursday, and another group Tuesday and Friday, with some also fully remote.
Dominic, plans to major in exercise science in college, started getting serious about weightlifting as a freshman. He topped 300 pounds in a lift that year, and has added about 100 pounds each year, passing 400 as a sophomore, 500 as a junior and now 605.
His next goal is 300 kilograms before he turns 18. That would be 661.387 pounds.
“I’m not done,” he said. “I’m just getting started.”
Dominic DiGiulio does a pushup with a rock on his back. He had to improvise when the local gyms were closed from mid-March through late August due to Covid-19 restrictions from the state.
Photo and information from Albion Central School: Albion High School Principal Jenn Ashbery, second from left, accepts $1,000 for the high school from representatives of Crosby’s in Albion.
ALBION – The high school today received a grant of $500 from the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Program. Reid Petroleum and Crosby’s matched this with an additional $500 for a total of $1,000 to be used to support math and science education.
As noted on their website, “Exxon and Mobil are fueling young minds and helping create aha moments through the Educational Alliance. Since its inception, we’ve committed over $34 million to this national program, which funds math and science programs at schools in need. It’s part of our ongoing effort to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education within the communities we serve.”
The Albion funds will be put to use in support of STEM instruction at the high school.
“We are appreciative of the additional opportunities this presents for our students,” High School Principal Jennifer Ashbery said.
Last year, the funds were used to purchase MakerBots, which introduces students to the technology involved in 3D printing and helps encourage students to develop innovative solutions and designs.
In the coming weeks, Ashbery plans to meet with teachers in order to decide how these new funds will be used to support math, science and engineering for our students.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 January 2021 at 9:55 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Volunteers, nearly all for the first time this morning, help distribute food in Albion from the parking lot at the Main Street Thrift Store.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture funds the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program nation-wide. It is expected to continue locally through February.
The schedule for the rets of January includes:
January 22nd, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 NYS Route 31, Knowlesville, entrance is on Taylor Hill Road and not on Route 31. The line on Taylor Hill will need to go south away from Route 31.
January 29th, Community Action Store, 113 South Main Street, Albion
John Kurtz of Albion, left, carries a box of food with produce, meat and dairy this morning. Jesse Underwood of Clarendon is at right. He volunteered as a member of ABATE, a local group of motorcyclists.
Cars started to line up around 6, about two hours before the event started.
Kurtz and Underwood were among a new group of volunteers at the event coordinated by the Orleans County Office for the Aging and Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.
“There are a lot more people in need right now,” Underwood said.
Leslie Spofford of Clarendon also volunteered for the first time this morning at a food distribution, which has been happening most weeks locally since April. Spofford had the day off from her job as Runnings in Brockport and wanted to help.
By 7:30 this morning the line of cars was down three streets in Albion. This shows vehicles on East Park Street. They were also waiting on McKinstry and Chamberlain streets.
About 300 boxes of food are given away at the events. The start times are approximately 8:30 a.m. (If the Foodlink truck is there and unloaded, the event may start sooner.) Organizers are ask people not to line up before 8 a.m. due to possible winter weather conditions.
Photos and information courtesy of Tim Archer, Albion Central School teacher
ALBION – Renzo Tomasi, a seventh grade Service Learning student in Albion, is shown with Melissa Ierlan, Clarendon town historian, today after a historical marker was reinstalled at Union Cemetery on Route 98. This sign is by the Watt Farms Country Market.
This was one of three historic markers that were reinstalled today, with assistance from Mark Radzinski, the Gaines town highway superintendent.
Ierlan worked with students to repaint the markers. She has given a facelift to many of the markers in Orleans County in recent years.
Service Learning teacher Tim Archer said the project has allowed the students to connect with the community during a school year when there hasn’t been any field trips.
“These are civic-minded projects that help students appreciate their community’s past history and to participate in maintaining our heritage,” Archer said. “The students enjoy the hands-on aspect of learning.”
The other two historical markers are on Ridge Road, including one for the First Academy.
The marker for the First Church also was reset after getting a fresh coat of paint.
Nick Prest works on repainting a cast iron road sign from Gillette Road in Barre. Isaiah Riley also is working to restore the sign with assistance from Mrs. Kami Feder’s eighth grade art class.
Here is how the road sign looked before students started working on it.
Archer works with town officials to get approval and then has the highway superintendent take down the sign for restoration. Once completed, the sign will go back up on West Barre Road near the West Barre United Methodist Church.
“Periodically my 7th grade Service Learning classes restore local historic markers or historic road signs,” Archer said. “This is the second ‘West Barre’ area sign we’ve done.”
Archer asked Middle School Art Teacher Kamie Feder to include her eighth-grade art class, which includes Prest and Riley, to help with this second West Barre sign as part of an “interdisciplinary partnership.”
“Since it involved painting, and her room was more conducive to doing it, I asked Kamie if she would take some of her regular art class time to paint the sign,” Archer said. “She was kind enough to accept. Nick and Isaiah are in a small class with her and I had both Nick and Isaiah in class last year. This is an extension of the service-learning instruction that they were part of previously.”
Additionally, the three signs from the Town of Gaines that seventh-graders Brynn Dugan and Renzo Tomasi were working to restore this past September are finished and reinstalled roadside.
Since September, Town of Clarendon Historian Melissa Ierlan has been working on the fine lettering work on the signs.
As for the West Barre sign, it should be back up later this year.
