Provided photo: Katy Franks holds the plaque she awarded by Brockport State College.
LYNDONVILLE – Katy Franks, a special education teacher for Lyndonville Central School District, was honored with a teacher educator award from Brockport State College.
She received Brockport’s Marguerite Hare Browne/Gerald L. Browne School-Based Teacher Educator Award (grades 7-12) for her outstanding dedication to SUNY students.
“Lyndonville Central School is proud to have Katy Franks as a teacher and a mentor to future educators,” said Lyndonville Superintendent Jason Smith. “She has worked for the district for over 15 years and is a true asset to our team.”
Franks is an exceptional school-based teacher educator who supports 7-12 teacher candidates enrolled in SUNY Brockport’s teacher certification program in the Department of Education and Human Development. To be nominated for this award, Franks demonstrated an exemplary performance as a teacher and has provided numerous opportunities for SUNY Brockport student-teachers to gain valuable experience working with students.
Although Franks is not “technically each (Brockport) student’s teacher of record, she is amazing and invests deeply in ensuring our adolescent level students placed at Lyndonville get rich experiences working with students with disabilities throughout their student-teaching,” stated Allison Wright of Brockport State College.
Franks is “very professional and always willing to go above and beyond,” said her previous direct supervisor, Anne Marie Holland. “She is a great role model for student teachers, field placements and for the new teachers she has mentored over the years.”
LYNDONVILLE – National Grid has a planned outage for about an hour from 11:59 p.m. Friday until about 1 a.m. Saturday, the Orleans County Emergency Management Office announced today.
There are approximately 1,800 customers affected by this event in the village and surrounding towns, the EMO said.
The outage is for required station tests at the station located off of North Main Street and Railroad Avenue in the Village of Lyndonville.
The affected customers are in the entire Village of Lyndonville, the Town of Yates and parts of Ridgeway.
All customers have been forwarded a previously recorded phone message of the planned outage.
This year’s event will be drive-through and carve at your home
Press Release, Lyndonville Lions Club
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School students K-6th grade can look forward to another year of pumpkin carving presented by the Lyndonville Lions Club.
The Lyndonville Lions Club is holding its annual Rick Callard Pumpkin Carving Contest between 10 a.m. and noon this Saturday. The event will be held at the Lyndonville Fire Hall on Main Street.
However this year’s contest will be a little bit different. Due to current Covid-19 restrictions on gathering, this year’s event will be drive-through, touch-free only.
The Lyndonville Lions Club will be handing out free pumpkins plus a complimentary goodie bag to each Lyndonville school child up to age 12 present in your vehicle. A Lions Club member will place each pumpkin and goodie bag in your vehicle for you to ensure a safe touch-free environment for everyone.
While we anticipate having plenty on hand, both pumpkins and goodie bag quantities are limited and will be given out on a first-come-first-served basis until they are gone – so you are encouraged to show up early!
We invite you to bring your child or children to pick up your complimentary pumpkin and decorate it in the safety, convenience and comfort of your home. On the night of Saturday, October 24th, we encourage you to share your child’s pumpkin carving and creations with us on our Lyndonville Lion’s Facebook page.
The Lyndonville Lions Club wishes everyone a fun safe Halloween and we look forward to seeing you this Saturday.
Photos and article courtesy of Lyndonville Central School
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville school district would like to thank our Sports Boosters for donating two 25-foot-high flag poles that have been placed between our athletic fields.
We would also like to thank the Town of Yates and Village of Lyndonville for their assistance with installation and thank graduate Reggie Cichocki for the donation of the concrete bases.
Your generosity is greatly appreciated, and the flags (which are flying at half-mast per NYS) are a beautiful addition to our campus, according to a message from Jason Smith, the district superintendent, and James Zeliff, the district’s athletic director.
Provided photo: Members of the Lyndonville Board of Education include, front row, from left: Susan Hrovat and Kristin Nicholson. Back row: Steven Vann, Vernon Fonda, Jerod Thurber, Harold Suhr and Ted Lewis.
Press Release, Lyndonville Central School
LYNDONVILLE – The New York State School Boards Association recognizes October 19-23, 2020 as School Board Recognition Week.
Lyndonville Central School District will join with all public school districts across the state to celebrate and honor local board members for their commitment and dedication to Lyndonville and its students.
“I would like to thank and recognize our Board of Education for their continued dedication and commitment to our district and our students,” said Superintendent Jason Smith.
The key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:
Creating a shared vision for the future of education
Setting the direction of the school district to achieve the highest student performance
Providing accountability for student achievement results
Developing a budget that aligns district resources to improve achievement
Supporting a healthy school district culture for students and staff
Lyndonville’s Board of Education and their years of service are as follows: Theodore Lewis, President, 11 years; and Susan Hrovat, Vice President, 9 years.
Trustees: Vernon Fonda, 1 year; Kristin Nicolson, 1 year; Harold Suhr, 7 years; Jerod Thurber, 5 months; and Steven Vann, 2 years.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Ruth Hedges is dwarfed among a sea of Christmas decorations which have been donation to the Lyndonville United Methodist Church. They have received so many decorations they have had to partition off part of their Fellowship Hall to display just a portion of them. The community is invited to visit the church’s Hope Resales Thrift Shop and shop for holiday decorations of all kinds.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 October 2020 at 10:41 am
LYNDONVILLE – Christmas may be a couple of months away, but at the United Methodist Church in Lyndonville, it looks like Christmas is already here.
The church has recently received an abundance of Christmas decorations – so many, in fact, they don’t have room to display them.
Ruth Hedges is heading up a sale of Christmas decorations of all kinds at Hope Resales. The merchandise is set up in the church’s fellowship hall and may be purchased during regular hours Hope Resales is open.
Ruth Hedges, who was instrumental in starting the churches thrift shop, Hope Resales, said they are struggling to find room to put all the decorations – all beautiful and some unique.
The donations started coming in right after the thrift shop was allowed to reopen during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I think people must have had time to clean out their houses during the pandemic, because the donations began to pour in,” Hedges said.
While church volunteers don’t know where to display all the items, Hedges said they are also grateful for a community which supports their Hope Resales Thrift Store.
Hope Resales opened March 30, 2019 and the church was planning a big one-year celebration for the end of March this year, when they had to close. Ruth and her husband Doug had come back from Florida on a Thursday to get ready for the celebration, and on Saturday they closed the store.
On a positive note, the church used that time to renovate their space in the church’s basement. They painted the floors and shelving and bought new racks, which gave the store a more organized look, Hedges said.
Support for the thrift shop has been overwhelming, and they have so many donations of merchandise, they could use more room.
Then the problem arose of where to display the tons of Christmas decorations which started coming in.
An end of the fellowship hall upstairs in the church was finally partitioned off and tables set up and filled with candles, figurines, Santas, stockings, dolls, tree toppers, ornaments, china and more. The floor is lined with tubs of Christmas lights, garlands and wreaths. More boxes line the hall, which have not yet been unpacked.
An assortment of angel tree toppers fills a table in the Fellowship Hall of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church. The church has recently received donations of so many Christmas decorations, they don’t have room to display them.
The Christmas decorations are on sale during regular hours of Hope Resales, which are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Hours may change after the end of October, Hedges said.
Customers should enter through the basement entrance of Hope Resales on the north side of the building.
Hedges also wants the public to know they have an assortment of good winter coats in many sizes. They have also acquired nursing scrubs, a selection of XXX men’s clothing, Beanie Babies with tags on, Halloween costumes and a large collection of Barbie dolls.
Hedges would like to expand the thrift shop with more crafting items and yarns.
To entice shoppers, Hedges has begun putting together gift baskets on different themes. One is a scrapbooking basket with more than $100 worth of related merchandise in it.
Profits from the thrift shop are divided half to the church and the other half to local and global missions.
In keeping with Health Department regulations during the pandemic, customers are required to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. A limit of three will be allowed in a room at one time, unless members of the same family.
The Lyndonville United Methodist Church is located at 102 North Main St. More information is available on their Facebook page.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 29 September 2020 at 9:08 am
The outstanding athletic accomplishments of Lyndonville High student athletes will be honored in a very special way in the future as the school is forming an Athletic Hall of Fame.
“We have a pretty rich athletic tradition here and this is a great way to honor the outstanding accomplishments of our former athletes,” said Athletic Director Jim Zeliff. “I’m really excited about it. It will give inspiration and incentive to our current athletes and it will also drum up interest in the community.”
Zeliff noted that the purpose of the Hall of Fame is “to highlight those who have made a positive impact on the Lyndonville Athletic program and maintain relationships, history, and tradition within the school community.”
A committee will be formed to select the inductees and it is planned to have up to 10 inductees the first year, up to five the second and up to three each year after that.
There are four categories for selection including as an athlete, a team, a coach and a special contributor/supporter/fan.
Nominations can be submitted to Zeliff and a nomination form is available on the school’s website. The deadline for nominations this year is March 1, 2021 and the inductees will be announced in May.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2020 at 7:55 am
LYNDONVILLE – The school district won’t be having classes today due to a power outage caused by a transformer fire.
National Grid is reporting 1,790 customers are without electricity in Orleans County. The company estimates power will be restored at about 9:30 a.m.
Lyndonville’s combined team practices hosted by Medina are still on for today. Transportation from Lyndonville will be available. Athletes should be at the school for a 3 p.m. departure time. A return trip will be provided as well, said Jason Smith, Lyndonville district superintendent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 September 2020 at 11:16 am
Provided photo: Jerod Thurber congratulates his wife Bliss Thurber after she was honored last week as Lyndonville’s Educator of the Year for 2019-20. She was announced last June as the district’s top educator but the recognition was delayed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Mr. Thurber in July joined the Lyndonville Board of Education.
LYNDONVILLE – The school district last week gave overdue recognition to the Educator of the Year from 2019-20, and also recognized retiring staff.
The district normally recognizes the top educator and retirees during a Board of Education meeting in June. But the district was meeting remotely back then. It has returned to in-person meetings.
Bliss Thurber, a sixth grade teacher, was honored as Educator of the Year. District officials said she is “creative, talented, dedicated and committed, all while having high expectations for her students.”
She also has been a leader in the district in utilizing technology to connect with students. Thurber also serves as co-leader of the AVID program for grades kindergarten through 6.
She received a plaque and a $1,000 district grant to be used for an educational initiative or project.
RETIREES – The district also recognized four staff members are retiring: Diane Thurber, clerical; Nikki Robison, teacher aid; Kathy Payne, a long-time bus driver; and Dave Balcer, director of Buildings and Grounds.
Balcer was known for his customer service approach to all members of our community, as well as the great pride he had for the school buildings and grounds, said Jason Smith, the district superintendent.
Robison was known for her innate problem solving ability, behind the scenes dedication, and her ability to connect with all students to instill positive and productive relationship.
Thurber held several positions in the district before her clerical assignment. She was known for her quick and out-of-the-box thinking, commitment to students, and overall wonderful efficiency, Smith said.
Payne was dedicated to students for many years as a bus driver.
Photos courtesy of Lyndonville Central School: This group of students settles into a classroom where the desks are spaced at least 6 feet apart.
Press Release, Lyndonville Central School
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School welcomed back a portion of their students to campus today. Students in grades 4, 5, 6, 11 and 12 were greeted with warm welcomes from staff and administration.
Throughout the next two days the remainder of the students who selected in-person learning will return to campus.
Mitzi Fredericks, an aide with the school district, checks the Thermal Scan, which can show students with temperatures at 100 degrees or more. Those students will be then be checked with non-contact thermometers to see if they are at 100 or more degrees. If they are, they will be sent home.
“The district is looking forward to the 2020-21 school year and has worked diligently to ensure the health and well-being of our students,” said Superintendent Jason Smith.
While the school has two body thermal scans stationed at the main entrances and non-contact thermometers to assess student and staff temperature, the district reminds families to check their child’s temperature before coming to school. If a student’s temperature is greater than 100 degrees and/or exhibits Covid-19 symptoms he/she must remain home.
To ensure social distancing, Lyndonville is utilizing the Main Street elementary school for PreK and grades 5 and 6. Classrooms and a lunch area have been set up for these students. To reinforce safety procedures, district administration are hosting classroom meetings to discuss the importance of proper hygiene, masks and social distancing.
“All of us have a role in keeping our schools safe and preventing the spread of Covid-19,” Smith said. “Together we can work to keep our district healthy and open.”
