Albion resident helped push through construction of a new site which opened in 2012

Photos by Tom Rivers: Kevin Doherty speaks on Wednesday during the 120th annual meeting of the Swan Library Association. Doherty is speaking in front of a new mural in the Hoag Library painted by Stacey Kirby Steward. The annual meeting is usually the first Monday in May. It was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

ALBION – Kevin Doherty has ended a 12-year tenure as a trustee for Hoag Library, including the past 11 years as the board’s president.

Doherty has reached the time limit for a trustee on the board. He is the last trustee who was on the board when Albion opened the new Hoag Library in July 2012.

Doherty was the president during the construction and the financial planning for the 14,600-square-foot site. The building allowed the library to move out of a former 6,000-square-foot mansion that lacked adequate parking and wasn’t fully handicapped accessible.

Kevin Doherty, president of the Hoag Library board of trustees, speaks during a ribbon-cutting celebration for the new library on July 7, 2012.

Terry Wilbert, a retired school guidance counselor, is the new board president. Wilbert also is an Albion town councilman.

“This is a centerpiece of the community,” Wilbert said about the library. “The meeting rooms are constantly in use. We have the book delivery program and the internet access. This is just a fantastic community asset.”

Voters on Wednesday also elected three trustees on the board. Anitrice Bennett, 77 votes, and Dan Conrad, 62 votes, were each elected to four-year terms. Joyce Riley, 55 votes, was elected to a three-year term. Those three were incumbents on the board.

There were two other candidates: Carol Miller, 43 votes, and Allyson DeBoard, 38 votes.

Doherty thanked all the candidates for their interest in serving on the library’s board of trustees. He said many other libraries struggle to find people willing to serve in the volunteer roles.

Doherty, in a message at the annual meeting, said Hoag Library has strong community support. The library is in demand for its meeting rooms, and special events, as well as access to its collection.

Doherty said generous donors continue to support projects at the library and help Hoag to pay down the debt from the mortgage for the building. The original $1.69 million mortgage from 2012 is now down to $300,000.

The library was completely done in 2012. A new electronic sign was installed last year. Solar panels were added to the roof in 2015.

Hoag also boosted its WiFi signal this year so people can have access to high-speed internet in the parking lot when the library wasn’t open.

“We added the WiFi booster because there are so many dead areas in the community where they’re trying to do distance learning,” said Betty Sue Miller, the library director.

Hoag also expects to have two charging stations installed later this summer for electric vehicles.

Donors continue to step forward for library

Doherty and Betty Sue Miller, the library director, said the community continues to give sizable donations to the library.

The library in 2019-20 received $143,246 in donations, including another $100,000 from Maurice “Mo” Hoag and his wife Courtenay. They have now given $800,000 to the library.

Betty Sue Miller, library director, speaks during the annual meeting on Wednesday.

Bob and Ann Moore also gave $10,000 for a mural of three swans in flight over the Albion countryside. That mural is in the main meeting room of the library. Stacey Kirby Steward finished that project last month. The mural was done in honor of Marion Moore, who served as director of the Swan Library from 1961 to 1973.

An anonymous donor has also given $10,000 towards the restoration of a Civil War flag that is owned by the library.

Xerox gave Hoag a $7,768 grant to purchase a book vending machine.

Another anonymous donor gave $4,000 towards a shut-in program, where library staff takes books and materials to senior citizens once a month.

A $1,000 anonymous donation also is paying for a “Book from Birth” program where children who live in the Albion school district can receive a free book on their birthday, up to age 5.

Miller, the library director, said Hoag isn’t fully open yet. It closed on March 23 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It reopened on June 1 with patrons able to order materials and have them set at the front of the building.

The building has since reopened to the community, initially from 1 to 6 p.m. The hours are now 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

The special events remain cancelled and the meeting rooms aren’t available to the public yet. The Summer Reading Program doesn’t have any in-person events but there is an online program.

Miller said the library looks to add back more services. Next week the interloan library program through Nioga is expected to return. That allows patrons to borrow books and materials from all member libraries in the Nioga system, which includes sites in Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties.

“That’s what a lot of our patrons are waiting for,” Miller said about interloan. “We get a lot and we give a lot.”

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Face-to-face meetings, telehealth appointments available

Press Release, Danielle Figura, interim director of Orleans County Mental Health Department

ALBION – The Orleans County Department of Mental Health continues to be open during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The outpatient clinic continues to offer face-to-face appointments that meet the social distancing requirements. If accordance to the CDC guidelines, we will ask that all individuals who attend face-to-face appointments wear a face mask, and participate in  a health screening protocol prior to your appointment with your provider.

Additionally we are offering both audio and video telehealth appointments for individuals already engaged in treatment or for those who wish to pursue treatment services with us. To schedule an appointment or if you would like to find out more about our available and extended services at this time, please contact the clinic at (585) 589-7066.

Health Home Care Management services continue to operate and are accepting new referrals for both children and adults through Orleans County Department of Mental Health. Please contact the department at (585) 589-7066 and ask to speak with the Coordinator of Care Management Services or the SPOA Coordinator.

Additional information on the mental health resources in Orleans County and in case of a crisis, The Care & Crisis Helpline (585) 283-5200, can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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ALBION – The school district wants to hear from the community about what they want in a school superintendent.

The district is pushing to have a new superintendent in place by Jan. 1.

The district has an on-line survey that lists about 30 qualities and skills for a superintendent. Respondents are asked to rank their five most critical skills for a superintendent to be effective at Albion.

Scott Bischoping is Albion’s interim superintendent.

Ability to create a positive school culture, unquestioned integrity, strong presence in schools and community, strong commitment to student achievements and success, and outstanding written and oral communication skills are among the possible responses.

Survey respondents are asked to pick what they believe is the single, most important quality for the next superintendent.

The survey also asks respondents to consider the top three areas of focus for the superintendent in the next 3-5 years.

Some of those areas listed on the survey include budget and finance, communication with the community, instruction/student performance, contract negotiations/labor relations, building and sustaining strong sports and arts programs, improving technology, and building relationships and trust with stakeholders.

The survey, which takes less than 15 minutes to complete and is anonymous, will be online until July 24. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

The district also is forming focus groups of staff, students, parents and other community members. The groups will be asked to identify the following: desired traits, characteristics and behaviors of the new superintendent as well as challenges and opportunities the new superintendent will face.

Albion has hired the Western New York Educational Service Council, located at the University of Buffalo, to assist in the search. The consultants will meet with stakeholder focus groups on July 20 and 21. There will be an open session on July 21 for the community to hear from the consultants at a location to be determined.

Kathy Harling, the Board of Education president, said the board members take the responsibility of selecting the next superintendent very seriously.

“The Board feels it is critical to obtain community input about the desired characteristics of the next superintendent as well as the challenges and opportunities that they will encounter,” Harling said in a letter to the community.

Albion will be doing a closed search to provide confidentiality for people pursuing the position. Board members will consider the input from the community in hiring the next superintendent.

“The Board wants to ensure that the search draws a very strong field of successful candidates and understands that confidentiality is critically important for highly successful candidates who do not want to jeopardize their current positions,” Harling said.

The board wants to hire the new superintendent in November, with a start date on or before Jan. 1.

Scott Bischoping is serving as Albion’s interim superintendent. He started on Monday.

He takes over as superintendent for Michael Bonnewell, who will serve as evaluator of teachers in the his last year with the district before his retirement.

Bischoping most recently served as interim superintendent at North Rose-Wolcott Central School from Feb. 3 late June. Previously, Bischoping was an interim superintendent at Batavia City School District. He also was the district superintendent for Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES.

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ALBION — Hoag Library will hold an election on Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. for trustees on the board of directors. The library will also have its annual meeting at 7 p.m.

Three trustees will be elected. There are five candidates: Anitrice Bennett, Dan Conrad, Allyson DeBoard, Carol Miller and Joyce Riley. (Bennett, Conrad and Riley are currently on the board.) Click here to see candidate statements on Hoag’s YouTube page.

Voting will be at the library, which this week added extended hours and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hoag is located at 134 South Main St.

Voters must be at least 18 in live in the library’s service area – the central Orleans towns of Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Ed Fancher speaks during the 50th anniversary celebration of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee on Oct. 1, 2015. Fancher the executive director of the agency. He started with Community Action in 1987 as the fiscal director when he was 22.

ALBION – The school district on Monday evening honored the late Ed Fancher as a Friend of Education.

Fancher, an Albion graduate, passed away at age 54 from cancer on May 24. He was the director of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. He was also very active with the Albion Alumni Foundation and the Albion Rotary Club, organizations that have assisted Albion students.

With Community Action, he welcomed a statistics class to pour over local demographic data. He welcomed interns in the district’s school-to-work program and also helped distribute tens of thousands of produce collected by the FFA each year in a food drive.

Fancher typically would help unload a tractor trailer with heavy boxes and bags of produce. This December, he was still there for the unloading, but physically wasn’t able to help move the boxes. He thanked the FFA students for their work in lining up the donations from farmers, and then packaging the food and delivering it to Community Action.

The agency would share the food with other local food pantries and churches. Community Action would store many of the boxes and bags of food.

The FFA food drive started out at 3,000 pounds in 2010 and reached a new high of 40,000 pounds in 2019.

Ed Fancher, Class of 1983, fills a bag of popcorn during the Homecoming football game on Oct. 4, 2013. He works in the booth with Jean Shervin, Class of 1953. Fancher was a proud Albion graduate.

“We were never discouraged by them or turned away even as the numbers increased exponentially,” said Sue Starkweather Miller, the district’s school-to-career coordinator and public information officer. “He always helped unload until couldn’t lift. This December he was there in rain, cheering us on and thanking us.”

Starkweather Miller is on the Alumni Foundation Board of Directors with Fancher, where he was the treasurer. The Foundation in June distributed about $90,000 in scholarships to Albion High School seniors.

With the Rotary Club, Fancher cooked the hams for the annual Rotary St. Patrick’s Ham Dinner, with the proceeds going to the Rotary-sponsored Interact Club at the school. The Rotary Club also gives three scholarships annually to Albion seniors.

“He was a true servant leader, he was a proud Purple Eagle and he is a friend of education always,” she said during the Board of Education meeting.

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File photos by Tom Rivers: Adam and Tina Johnson opened a bar and restaurant on North Main Street in Albion on March 1, 2018.

ALBION – The owner of the 39 Problems bar and restaurant in downtown Albion announced this morning the establishment is closed.

Adam Johnson said in Facebook post the business has always been a challenge to make money. But he and his wife Tina were determined to be a part of the solution to bringing traffic and renewed economic activity to historic downtown Albion. 39 Problems hosted live music and popular trivia nights.

However, the state response to Covid-19 proved too much to withstand. 39 Problems was closed to the public for about three months.

Johnson welcomed musicians and during a recent performance, someone called a state hotline to report the customers weren’t social distancing. Johnson said there were only about 10 people in the business at the time, and many of them came in as a group.

Johnson bristles that someone would report him, when it has been such a struggle to keep the business afloat.

“We are another empty storefront on Main Street,” Johnson posted on Facebook. “What’s next for me? As always, Tina and I will ‘keep going’, just like we always have. In fact, we are going to keep going right across the state border to somewhere that respects and welcomes people with a never-ending desire to accomplish something greater than themselves. NY loses another ambitious family. We are inviting our friends too, come along with us. Leave this state for the rats.”

Downtown Albion had been without a restaurant for several years. On March 1, 2018, Adam and Tina Johnson opened 39 Problems, a bar and restaurant on Main Street. The couple purchased the building, which includes three storefronts, in 2015. They worked diligently to renovate the site, while preserving its historic charm.

Adam and Tina purchased the building in 2015. He called the property an “ugly duckling” that nobody wanted. The building proved to be “a costly mistake” but the Johnsons didn’t give up. They first opened an ice cream business, the Frosty Bucket, in 2016 to generate some money for the property.

They switched to 39 Problems as a takeout/delivery in 2017 restaurant. On March 1, 2018, 39 Problems opened the dine-in restaurant and bar.

They named it 39 Problems because of the many obstacles and challenges they faced in trying to revive 39 North Main St.

“We were building a restaurant/bar where there had never been one before,” Johnson said in his post this morning. “For anyone not familiar with restaurant construction, there are a lot of moving parts to make it hum. It was a daunting task, but we kept going.”

Johnson also served as president of the Albion Merchants Association and was on the board of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

Adam Johnson put this sign at 39 Problems in Albion, saying all businesses should be considered essential.

He organized classic car shows in downtown Albion, including a cruise-in where Main Street was closed to traffic.

The Johnsons also developed the Chuck Wagon food trailer that they took to special events.

“In early 2020, we were ever so slowly clawing our way forward financially,” Johnson said. “We were paying in a tremendous amount of money, week after week, because so many people loved us and were counting on us to make it. Our mission and our passion was larger than us. We wanted to be what saved Main Street, Albion. I don’t know why, I suppose it was that inner fire that drove us forward when we should have just walked away, so even still, we kept going.”

But the virus hit and the Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed many restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19. Bars and restaurants weren’t able to have customers inside after March 16. These restrictions were in place for about three months.

Johnson didn’t think it was fair that the “mom and pop” businesses on Main Street were closed while the state allowed the big box retailers to stay open. He coordinated a May 16 event where about 200 vehicles went on a 50-mile caravan to highlight small businesses in Orleans County. The trek went through four village downtown districts and eight towns. Johnson put a sign in the 39 Problems front window to “Re-Open NY – All Business Is Essential.”

When bars and restaurants could reopen, they were limited to operating at 50 percent capacity. The governor also repeatedly stressed that bars and restaurants who don’t adhere to social distancing or allow too many people inside could lose their liquor license or be forced to temporarily shut down.

The state promoted a hotline for people to call and report violators who aren’t adhering to social distancing, mask wearing and the capacity guidelines.

“Something went wrong this year, though, really wrong,” Johnson said in his post. “It wasn’t the virus, it was the leadership from Albany. I’m not an expert in political science and don’t want to be. I am a Veteran and swore a long time ago to uphold and defend the Constitution. We have freedoms that have been paid for in blood. That is something that I don’t take lightly. Our State Legislature gave essentially unlimited power to someone that has run wild with it. In the beginning, it made sense. It doesn’t anymore.”

Adam Johnson is in the lead car in a caravan on May 16 to highlight small businesses in Orleans County. The group is headed down Main Street in Albion.

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Omar Peterson, Damian Wilson care for their moms and give them lots of emotional support

Photo by Tom Rivers: Omar Peterson and his mother Angela English are pictured last week at their home in Albion. English is fighting stage 4 cervical cancer.

Provided photo: Damian Wilson celebrates his graduation with his parents, Chad and Lisa.

ALBION – Omar Peterson and Damian Wilson, members of Albion’s Class of 2020, say their senior year has been emotional and gut-wrenching.

But not because of the Covid-19 pandemic that has kept students out of local schools since March 13.

Omar and Damian both have mothers in serious health battles. Damian’s mom, Lisa Wilson, suffered a series of strokes. Angela English, Omar’s mom, has stage 4 cervical cancer.

Omar and Damian have both needed to do more around the house to help their families. They have cared for their mothers, maintained jobs and kept up with their school work.

Both are headed to college this fall. Damian will stay home and go to Genesee Community College. Omar will be off to Morrisville State College.

A son’s encouragement

Angela English, 36, was diagnosed with cancer on Dec. 27. She started chemotherapy in January and will finish in August.

Omar, 17, said school has often been a struggle. He wanted to give up this year, especially in the winter when his mother started chemo. But he knew that would just add to her stress.

“I told myself that I had to get through and finish,” he said.

He graduated in a personalized ceremony with his family at the school last month. Albion did individual ceremonies for all 135 members of the class.

Angela is thankful the school did it that way. She wouldn’t have wanted to be in the high school gym with 2,000 other people for graduation, like the school normally does. She worries about her compromised immune system right now. (The state set a 150-person maximum for outdoor graduation ceremonies. Social gatherings inside were limited to 25 people.)

The Covid-19 pandemic has kept Omar and his sister Olivia, 11, home from school since March 13. Olivia has been cooking many of the meals for the family. Omar said his little sister has amazed me with the meals. She recently made shrimp teriyaki that Omar raves about.

Omar and Olivia keep a close eye on their mother, making sure she takes her medications and they give her a steady stream of encouragement.

“You have to keep a positive attitude,” Omar said. “We have to push each other.”

Provided photo: Angela English celebrates with her son Omar after his personalized graduation ceremony. Angela considered wearing a wig or a fancy hat for the ceremony, but Omar told her not to. “Wear your bald head because you’re beautiful,” he told his mother.

Omar said he tries to keep his mother upbeat. When her hair started to fall out and she shaved her head in February, Omar also went bald, getting rid of his beloved dreadlocks.

Angela wept when her son cut off all of his hair.

“That was a sign that we would be going through this journey together,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Omar Peterson played goalie and was a captain on the varsity soccer team.

Omar tells his mother she’s beautiful. He tells her she will get better, and there are only a few more chemo treatments to go. (During her chemo, Omar will often Facetime his mother with a positive message: “You’re almost done. You’re getting better.”)

He has come by his mother’s bedside to pray with her.

Angela has watched a transformation of her son in the past six months.

“When he came by my bedside and prayed, that’s when I realized I have a growing son,” Angela said.

Angela’s parents, Eddie and Rose English, are the leaders of The Lord’s House church in Waterport. Angela is the praise and worship leader at the church. She also works as the staffing and payroll coordinator at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing in Batavia.

“I couldn’t ask for a better support system with the community reaching out,” Angela said. “Their prayers are working.”

Omar was the goalie on the soccer team, a vocal leader with no fear on the field. He also has been on the swimming and track teams, and been involved with school musicals, the marching band and select choirs.

He currently works at Kirby Farms. He called them up asking for a job in March. He previously worked as a dishwasher for Tillman’s Village Inn. Working on a farm has been a great experience, Omar said.

It’s hard work, and it’s technical with operating a tractor and caring for the fruit trees and crops.

“I like being outside and it’s made me appreciate being on this beautiful planet,” Omar said. “But farming is way more work than you think.”

He plans to major in mechanical technology at Morrisville. He wants to run his own business and be a mentor to others when he’s older.

His mother’s illness has forced him to grow up faster.

“I definitely appreciate life more,” he said. “It’s made me open my eyes. I try to be positive and talk about the things in my future.”

Omar also wanted to thank the community for adopting members of the senior class, giving them presents and gifts during the pandemic. He received some of his favorite snacks, gift cards, cookies and a jersey from his favorite soccer team, Manchester City. One of gifts was a graphing calculator that he will need in college.

“Those gifts make me want to come back and give back to the community,” he said.

Mother’s work ethic in recovery inspires son

Chad Wilson adjusts his son Damian’s graduation cap during a ceremony at their home last month. Lisa Wilson was part of the graduation for her son.

Damian Wilson, 18, also has had more on his mind this senior year than his school work and the pandemic.

His mother suffered a serious stroke on Nov. 6. She was in the ICU for a month after that and remained hospitalized and then at a rehab center until June 3.

Because of restrictions on visitors at healthcare facilities, Damian wasn’t able to see his mother in person for nearly three months.

The two would video chat three or four times a day.

Lisa has made progress since her initial stroke. She has physical, occupational and speech therapy as she works to recover and retrain her brain and body.

Lisa, 44, has worked in banking for more than two decades years. She was at ESL in Rochester after working about 20 years in Albion at the site that has been Dime Bank, Washington Mutual, Chase and CRFS.

She was organized and a take-charge leader in the family.

Her husband Chad said Damian and his younger brother Drake have stepped up since their mother was strickened by a series of strokes. Damian makes breakfast for the family and Drake makes lunch. Drake just finished eighth grade.

Chad, who is an IT specialist, makes dinner. He has been able to work from home, turning the basement into his work space.

They all pitch in with Lisa’s care.

Damian said his mother’s courage inspires him. She pushes herself in her therapies. Her right side is the most effected by the strokes.

“She is strong-willed and stubborn,” Chad said about Lisa.

Those characteristics are helping her now, during what can be exhausting physical and speech therapy sessions.

Doctors initially weren’t optimistic she would recover. Lisa didn’t wake up from a coma for 4 ½ weeks.

Her husband brought their puppy, Nico, to the hospital. Nico is white boxer. He gave Lisa a kiss and she moved her head for the first time since her stroke.

Chad put her left hand on the dog and she started petting Nico.

The family brought their two other boxers, Rocky and Kenna, to the hospital in the weeks that followed and Lisa responded to the dogs. Chad would bring one of the three dogs to the hospital and the dog would lay in bed with Lisa.

This photo from Sept. 22, 2018 shows Lisa Wilson, left, with her son Damian. They are joined by Myleigh Miller. They volunteered at the front table of a benefit for kindergarten teacher Angie Wolfe, who was battling cancer. The spaghetti dinner benefit and basket raffle for Wolfe was at the Albion Elks Lodge. Lisa Wilson and Angie Wolfe have been friends since they were kids.

Damian, an honor roll student, has worked the past two years at Walgreens. He pursued the job on his own when he was 16.

Damian said he initially wanted some extra money when he started the position. He enjoys his co-workers at the store.

He excelled in the graphic design program at the Orleans-Niagara BOCES, and was selected for the prestigious National Technical Honor Society.

He said he missed seeing his teachers and classmates every day in person during the pandemic.

“I just like talking to them,” he said.

He will get a degree in general studies from GCC and then transfer to a four-year college.

The Wilsons appreciated the school district coming to their home for Damian’s graduation ceremony. It would have been much harder to get to the school due to Lisa’s current mobility issues. She is working hard to regain her balance and ability to walk.

Lisa said the school coming to their home to present the diploma to Damian, “was very inspirational.”

Damian Wilson accepts his diploma from Albion school officials who came to his home last month. He is pictured with, from left: Kathy Winans, the class advisor; Michael Bonnewell, district superintendent; Kathy Harling, Board of Education president; and Jennifer Ashbery, high school principal.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

POINT BREEZE – Dick Remley holds up a plaque and pin which he received on Thursday in appreciation for his leadership as Albion Rotary Club president in 2019-2020.

Remley, the Albion town supervisor, acknowledged it was a very unusual year for the club, which has been meeting since mid-March through the Zoom video conference.

Thursday was the first time the club had an in-person meeting in more than three months.

Marlee Diehl, in red shirt, is the club’s new president. Thursday’s meeting was held at her home overlooking the Oak Orchard River. (Her husband Bill Diehl has twice served as Albion Rotary Club president.)

The club typically meets Thursday’s for lunch at Tillman’s Village Inn. The club is hoping to return to regular in-person meetings soon.

Most of the club’s fundraisers and events have been cancelled in 2020.  The club looks forward to 2021 and a return of the St. Patrick’s Ham Dinner, Strawberry Festival and a fishing derby. The club will celebrate its 100^thanniversary in 2022.

Diehl, a retired recruiter and past district governor for Rotary, is sworn in as new club president by Frank Adamson. He administered the oath by phone. Adamson is a Canadian and couldn’t be with the Albion Rotarians in person due to the Peace Bridge and other U.S.-Canada crossings closed to nonessential travel.

Frank Adamson administers the oath of office to Albion Rotary Club board members. Adamson leads a district that includes about 70 Rotary clubs in Western New York and Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Rotary Club in Fonthill, Ontario.

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Scott Bischoping

ALBION – The Albion Board of Education appointed an interim superintendent on Tuesday evening. Scott Bischoping starts the job on Monday.

He will take over as superintendent for Michael Bonnewell, who will serve as evaluator of teachers in the his last year with the district before his retirement.

Bischoping most recently served as interim superintendent at North Rose-Wolcott Central School from Feb. 3 until last week.

Previously, Bischoping was an interim superintendent at Batavia City School District. He also was the district superintendent for Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES.

Bischoping began his career in 1988 as a business education teacher at Livonia.

Albion is pushing to have a new superintendent in place by Jan. 1.

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Albion grads accept diplomas in virtual ceremony and then celebrate with parade

Provided photos from Sue Starkweather Miller: Paige and Kendall Derisley, twin sisters, have fun during a parade for graduates on Friday evening. Kendall is going to Fredonia and Paige is headed to GCC.

ALBION – The Class of 2020 held a virtual graduation ceremony with seniors receiving their diplomas in prerecorded personal ceremonies spread over 10 days. A compilation of those ceremonies was presented Friday evening at 20:20 (8:20 p.m.)

Click here to see the 1 hour, 47-minute video on the school district’s YouTube page.

The video includes student speeches by Valedictorian Ashlyn LeBaron, Salutatorian Katelyn Spierdowis and Class President Angel Rosario Soto. High School Principal Jennifer Ashbery, Board of Education President Kathy Harling and Superintendent Michael Bonnewell also addressed the graduates.

Students were also able to celebrate on Friday evening with a parade in vehicles around the campus and community.

Screenshot from YouTube video: Angel Rosario Soto, the class president, will be majoring in nursing at Brockport State College. He plans to finish his studies at the University of Buffalo and become a registered nurse anesthetist.

He played on Albion’s soccer, wrestling, tennis and track teams and was involved in the National Honor Society, Masterminds and other clubs.

Rosario Soto thanked his parents for their sacrifice and hard work. He said teachers really stepped up during the pandemic and “didn’t let us give up.”

He regretted the class hasn’t been together since March 13, the last day of in-school learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rosario Soto said the class has faced other challenges, besides the pandemic. The class members were born right after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They grew up in era of the War of Terror.

The era included frequent school shootings across the country. The Albion students had drill to respond to an active shooter.

Rosario Soto said the class experienced other history, including the election of the first black president – Barack Obama.

The class president also praised the varsity football team for making it to a Sectional game at New Era Field, the home of the Buffalo Bills.

The class is ready for a new chapter.

“If you start to strive for something, don’t give up,” Rosario Soto said. “You pick yourself up and bust your butt off until you get there. Don’t let the negativity override the positivity.”

He urged the class to live their lives with purpose.

“Starting today our job is to show up wide-eyed, willing and ready for what, I don’t know, for anything, for everything,” he said. “To take on life, to take on love, and to take on the responsibility and the possibility. Today my friends our lives begin and I for one can not wait.”

Salutatorian Katelynn Spierdowis is headed to Clarkson University to major in civil engineering. At Albion, she was involved in the drama program, the orchestra and chorus. She played on the volleyball and tennis teams.

Spierdowis thanked the community for supporting the class, especially during the pandemic, when students were adopted by community members and showered with gifts.

“Your love and compassion has made us all feel truly special,” she said.

The graduating during the Black Lives Matter movement, a national push to fight systemic racism. Spierdowis said she is biracial and she shared about the challenges of acceptance.

“My friendships have been diverse,” she said. “I won’t label them as black or white. They were just my friends.”

She urged her classmates to “pursue a cause that is important to you.”

She concluded with a message of gratitude for the school district and community.

“Thank you Albion for giving me such a great start,” Spierdowis said.

Photo courtesy of Randy LeBaron: Ashlyn LeBaron gives the valedictory address. She will be majoring in nursing at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. She was active on volleyball and track teams, as well as band, jazz band, pit orchestra, Bible study club, Rotary interact, history club and the National Honor Society.

LeBaron thanked teachers, coaches, administrators and family “for investing in our lives.”

She said the pandemic disrupted the senior year. The pandemic prevented the seniors from having their own in-person ceremony with all of their classmates.

“These times that we are in have changed our world and they have also changed us,” she said. “I believe each of us will rise out the situation stronger than how we went into it. These trials have shown we have the work ethic and determination to triumph over any situation. And we made it. ”

The class demonstrated perseverance and diligence to overcome obstacles that no other graduating class has faced. She said.

“It’s because of that I believe our class will go on to change the world,” LeBaron said. “The class of 2020 will serve as an example of resilience to all.”

Michael DiCureia gets a ride in the parade from his mother Bridget DiCureia.

District Superintendent Michael Bonnewell said the class has needed to adapt to unforeseen changes. The superintendent said he appreciated the chance to see the students individually during their personal graduation ceremonies spread out over about 40 hours and 10 days. They were spaced out in 15-mnute intervals.

That was the first time the students had been inside the high school in three months.

Bonnewell said he wished there could have been a large ceremony. Commencement usually has about 2,000 people inside the gym. The state capped the ceremonies to no more than 150 people and that was if they were outdoors. Indoor gatherings were limited to 25 people.

“Class of 2020, this is certainly not the graduation and indeed the senior year any of us wanted or had imagined for you,” Bonnewell said.

The class succeeded in the last stretch of their school experience, despite the challenges, he said.

“You persevered, grew and prospered in spite of the pandemic,” he said.

They can go into the next stage of life knowing they have overcome a great challenge.

“I miss you already and always,” Bonnewell told them.

High School Principal Jennifer Ashbery waves to graduating senior Deyonci Farley during the parade. Deyonci and his family are headed down Route 31.

Jennifer Ashbery, the high school principal, praised a class of “accomplishment, resilience and perseverance.”

There were 135 students in the class. Friday’s graduation was the 142^nd commencement for Albion.

Kathy Harling, the board president, said the Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented shutdown of schools.

“No one asked for a global pandemic,” Harling said. “No one asked to be confined to their homes for weeks and months on end.”

She said she hoped the pandemic gave students spend more time with their families and also by themselves – “You can be at peace for yourself and enjoy your own company.”

She urged the graduates to take a cooperate approach in their role as citizens.

“The community functions better when we all work together,” Harling said.

Aggeliki Alexandris, who is headed to GCC, rides in the parade with her mother, Shelcy Plueckhahn.

Kyle Pappalardo gets a ride from his brother Liam Ward at the parade. They are both members of the Class of 2020.

Ryan Krenning is joined in the graduate parade by his mom, Amanda Krenning-Muoio.

Connor Hollenbeck, who is going to Rochester Institute of Technology, is joined by his parents, Dawn and Brian, at Friday’s parade.

Click here to see more photos of the parade on the school district’s website.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This banner of Sidney Eddy hangs on a light pole next to the First Presbyterian Church of Albion. Eddy served in World War I. He returned to Albion and ran a printing company and was a charter member of the Albion Rotary Club.

The Albion Department of Public Works hung up 33 banners this morning.

Provided photo: Albion Mayor Eileen Banker coordinated the effort with the banners. She is shown in a lift next to the banner of her father, the late John Pahura. The banners are 2 ½ feet by 5 feet.

“They look beautiful,” Banker said today.

Families or loved ones of the soldiers paid the cost for the banners. Banker is putting in another order for about 15 more banners.

For more information, send Banker an email at ebanker@villageofalbionny.com.

Thomas Heard Jr. is featured on this banner on Main Street. He served during World War II.

Rick Engle of Albion was 19 when he was killed in Vietnam on Feb. 2, 1968. His sisters, Brenda McQuillan and Lisa Ireland, paid for the banner.

These banners on East Bank Street show Leonard Levandowski, a lieutenant colonel with U.S. Air Force who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

David Scharett, also lieutenant colonel with U.S. Air Force, is in back. He served during the Vietnam War.

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Provided photos

ALBION – The Albion Lions Club on Friday cooked hamburgers and served lunch to local police officers and deputies.

Lions Club member Lloyd Wright is shown at the grill with Albion police officer Chris Glogowski.

The Lions Club wanted to thank the local law enforcement officers for their work in the community.

About a dozen officers stopped by for lunch, which was prepared in Kelly Conrad’s backyard. His son Dan Conrad is a member of the Lions Club.

Lions Club member Mark Johnson greets Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies Brian Marsceill, left, and Jason Barnum.

The officers and deputies signed a poster from the Lions Club.

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