LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School has been awarded a $100,000 New York State Performance Improvement Grant.
The district was a recipient last year, and in order to qualify for funding this year, Lyndonville had to demonstrate significant academic gains and growth, as well as meeting the goals of the grant.
The Performance Improvement Grant is used to support Lyndonville’s mission of ensuring that its students are college and career ready. Specifically, the grant will be used to support the AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) Program. AVID is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education that is designed to increase school-wide learning and performance.
The AVID College Readiness System (ACRS) accelerates student learning, uses research based methods of effective instruction, provides meaningful and motivational professional learning, and acts as a catalyst for systemic reform and change.
“This second year of grant funding will allow our district to continue to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our students as well as meaningful professional development for our teachers,” said Jason Smith, superintendent of schools.
Anne Marie Holland, director of Special Programs for the district, said the grant gives teachers additional staff development in AVID strategies, and will increase college opportunities for students.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – Rachael Kiefer is pictured with Gemma, a purebred Blue Merle Sheltie. They won grand champion at the State Fair for dog agility.
LYNDONVILLE – A 16-year-old from Lyndonville and her dog Gemma, a purebred Blue Merle Sheltie, were named Grand Champion at the State Fair in the dog agility competition.
Rachael Kiefer has been training with Gemma for nearly two years. Last year she was named the novice grand champion at the State Fair.
Dog agility is a timed obstacle course for dogs with colorful tunnels, jumps, teeters and walks. Rachael and Gemma started in the Orleans County 4-H program under the direction of Ron and Pat Leight.
Gemma was purchased at a breeder and has a champion show dog bloodline, but is too small for show dog requirements.
“Gemma was the puppy hiding in the back of the litter, very timid and unsure,” said Rachael’s father George Kiefer. “Rachael took a liking to her and took the challenge to work with a timid puppy.”
Rachael met her trainer, Jim Sliker of Agility Dream Dogs, during an agility demonstration during the Lyndonville July 4 celebration. Sliker helped Rachael and Gemma become Orleans County and State Fair champions.
Rachael and Gemma also competed at Nationals in Springfield, Ohio, in June, winning several first and second place finishes for trials in the junior dog ability handler division.
“Rachael and Gemma have formed a bond that goes beyond agility and is rooted in friendship,” Rachael’s father said. “Gemma waits patiently at the door every day for Rachael to come home from school. Rachael lights up at the sight of Gemma.”
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Central School District will be hosting two information meetings for parents and community members on Sept. 16, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Stroyan Auditorium.
Representatives from the Niagara Region PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) will present information at on the re-launching the local Lyndonville PTA.
“Not all decisions affecting a child’s school happen at the local level. It has been a mission of National PTA to address the needs of all children,” according to a statement from the Niagara Region PTA.
“PTA has been a driving force in establishing school lunch programs, after-school care, school bus safety, and TV rating standards before they became law. With several million members, its voice is heard. The PTA shares our commitment to strengthening the bridge between home and school.”
Following the PTA presentation, members of the district’s Strategic Planning Committee will present the 2013-2016 Strategic Plan. This plan is the culmination of efforts by many district stakeholdersincluding parents and community membersand provides direction and organization in ensuring that students are college and career ready.
“I hope many of our parents and community members will join us to learn more about the renewed direction of our district,” Lyndonville Superintendent Jason Smith said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Robin Hill Nature Preserve features sandstone home, 250 varieties of trees
Photo by Tom Rivers
Photo by Tom Rivers – Doug Pratt has returned to the nature preserve and sandstone home built by his grandparents from 1948 to 1952 on Platten Road in Lyndonville. Pratt has created a foundation for the nature preserve.
Photo by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – When he was a kid, Jerome Pawlak remembers William Smith leading Boy Scouts through a 45-acre nature preserve in Lyndonville.
Smith would stop and take photographs along the way. He was particularly enamored with mushrooms. But he also loved birds, swans, trees and Medina sandstone.
Smith, owner of a canning factory in Lyndonville, built a nature preserve with 450 varieties of trees at his property on Platten Road. In 1948, he and his wife Mary began work on a Medina sandstone home, doing much of the work themselves with some help from family and employees at the canning factory. It took several years to build the house. It remains a cherished site in the community.
But until recently, few people set foot on the grounds. That is changing now that the Smiths’ grandson, Doug Pratt, has returned to the community. He continues to spend time in Virginia, but Pratt wants to live full-time in the house where he spent his childhood.
“I love it,” Pratt said. “I feel we have something special here and we need to share it.”
Photo courtesy of Doug Pratt – William Smith, right, was beloved in Lyndonville for his enthusiasm in showing off a 45-acre nature preserve. This photo shows him giving one of the tours. William and his wife Mary kept swans. Many Lyndonville youths from two generations ago grew up feeding the swans.
On Thursday, Pratt opened the property to the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce for a “Mix and Mingle.” Pawlak, owner of the Save-A-Lot stores in Albion and Holley, was eager to have a chance to see the property.
He remembers the Smiths as very gracious hosts, eager to show the property to people who often showed up unannounced at the door.
“They were wonderful people,” Pawlak recalled. “They were very hospitable people.”
Pawlak hadn’t been inside the house in about 40 years until Thursday. It is largely unchanged, he said.
Pawlak was a Boy Scout growing up in Lyndonville and the Smiths welcomed Scouts to use their pond for fishing derbies. Scouts helped clear walking trails. Many Lyndonville residents have fond memories of feeding the swans at Smith’s Pond.
Pratt, a 1974 graduate of Lyndonville, lived in the Midwest for six years and then the past 20 years in northern Virginia. He is planning to move back full-time to Lyndonville. In his travels he said he has never encountered a place like his grandparents’ home. William and Mary Smith created the site after their daughter Lucille died from Scarlet Fever at age 19. They named it Robin Hill.
Photo by Tom Rivers – William and Mary Smith created a nature preserve on their property with 250 varieties of trees that still survive at the site. William Smith planted a variety of trees to attract birds to the property.
Pratt worked with family to establish the Robin Hill Foundation with an educational mission. He is reaching out to colleges, offering the site for research and observation. Many of the trees and plants are rare and exotic, and they attract numerous varieties of birds.
“I’m looking for ideas,” Pratt said about uses for the property. “I want to develop more educational things here. Granddad created something unique here.”
The site has already been used for weddings. Pratt said the property may need a visitor center to help explain all the natural resources.
While Pratt spoke from his office on Thursday evening, two humming birds were a couple feet away, outside at a bird feeder. Pratt marveled at the natural wonders that are so accessible at the site.
He has worked in the hobbying industry, writing books and creating kits about model rockets and other hobbies. He was an editor for the Model Retailer magazine. Lately, he has been in demand as a narrator for audio books. He will soon narrate a lengthy book on the War of 1812 – “The Forgotten Conflict.”
Robin Hill is a perfect work area for Pratt. The building with thick stone walls and the nature preserve provide a quiet work space for audio recording. And Pratt said if he needs to feel inspired, he only has to look out the window or take a short walk through the woods.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Julie Zimmerman opened Sixes and Sevens Spirits at 2 North Main St. in Lyndonville.
LYNDONVILLE – After working two decades as an office administrator, first for an insurance company in Virginia and then for a fertilizer business in Knowlesville, Julie Zimmerman decided to follow a life-long dream of opening her own business.
The Medina native lives in Lyndonville. She thought there was a need for a liquor store in the community that would also draw customers from along the lake, especially for nearby customers from Barker to Kendall.
She opened Sixes and Sevens Spirits on June 28, offering wines from the Niagara and Finger Lakes wine trails, as well as a selection of rum, whiskey, vodka and other liquor products.
“It’s gone well so far,” she said during an interview at the 2 North Main St. “I thank the community for their support.”
The name “Sixes and Sevens” is an old English expression for being “crazy.” Zimmerman admits some of her friends doubted the wisdom of opening a liquor store in Lyndonville.
“I wanted to own my own business and I think there is a need for it in the community,” Zimmerman said.
She has been drawing customers from the many campgrounds near the lake, as well as local clientele who previously were driving to Medina, Albion or sites in Niagara County.
Zimmerman, 43, moved back to area in 2005 after 16 years in Virginia.
“I missed the small town atmosphere and I missed the snow,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Heck family in Lyndonville hosted Swantje Lagediek, 17, of Germany since Thanksgiving eve. “Swan” returned home on Monday. Pictured with Swan, middle, include: T.J., Bonnie, Lindsay and Tom.
LYNDONVILLE – A Lyndonville family said an emotional good-bye on Monday to a foreign exchange student, who was accepted into the family as a sibling and daughter the past eight months.
The Heck family didn’t expect they would ever host a foreign exchange student. But in November, a day before Thanksgiving, they welcomed Swantje Lagediek into their home.
“Swan” is from a small city, Bremen, in Germany. She immediately connected with Lindsay Heck, 17, and received lots of friendly teasing from Lindsay’s brother T.J., 22.
“This was one of the best things we have ever done,” Bonnie Heck said at the family’s home on Platten Road. “She fit right in with us.”
When Swan envisioned spending time in the United States, she immediately thought of New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“But a small town is better,” she said. “A huge city is too busy.”
Swantje Lagediek, left, is pictured with her “sister,” Lindsay Heck.
She experienced famed tourism sites at Niagara Falls, Boston and Fort Worth, Texas. Locally she laughed about the Shoe Tree in Lyndonville, a row of four trees that have hundreds of shoes nailed to the bark or hanging from branches. Swan tossed her own pair of shoes into one of the trees.
She took a year of classes at Lyndonville, and enjoyed photography, digital literacy, art and a forensics class. She ran track and worked the spotlight in the school musical.
“I was open to new things,” she said.
Swan is used to public transportation in Germany, taking a bus or train to most destinations. Some days, she preferred to just walk to the Hecks’ home after school.
The annual Fourth of July parade passed by the Hecks’ and Swan joined then in their front lawn, watching the candy-throwing spectacle.
Lindsay and Swan were born two weeks apart, and they have connected like sisters. The two often joined in pranking Lindsay’s older brother. T.J. returned the banter. He also taught Swan the mechanical workings of cars and lawn mowers.
Swan’s parents visited Lyndonville about three weeks ago and the families felt a sense of camaraderie.
“We highly recommend it,” Mr. Heck, a state Department of Transportation employee, said about hosting an exchange student. “It has broadened our horizons. It made us realize there is a whole big dynamic world out there.”
Photo courtesy of Lyndonville Central School – Lyndonville Central School Superintendent Jason Smith, left, meets with students and staff of the Brockport Migrant Education Program, which is using Lyndonville’s elementary school for a summer program serving 120 students.
Press release
Lyndonville Central School
LYNDONVILLE – When the doors shut on Lyndonville Elementary School about a year ago due to decreased enrollment, it seemed unlikely that the building would hear again hear the sounds of children learning, playing and expressing their artistic abilities.
But for six weeks over the course of the summer, the school will come to life again as migrant children from kindergarten to grade eight have found a place to continue their education.
A teacher from the Brockport Migrant Education Program approached Lyndonville about leasing the site for six weeks this summer. Lyndonville agreed, and will be paid $10,000 for use of the space. That will cover the district’s utilities and other costs in maintaining the site for the whole school year.
“After talking with them we thought it would be a good fit for the property,” said Jason Smith, the district superintendent. “We had been researching options for the use of the building, since we prefer it is not vacant.”
The school is run by Principal Darlene Senco and has 120 students for the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program that includes academics, art and gym.
“They chose us because we are a central location for Niagara, Orleans, Genesee and Monroe counties,” Smith said. “We have agreed to a one year lease to see how it goes for both of us.”
The program is operated with a grant through Brockport College and run by Program Director Donna Spencer. It has been in operation for nine years.
“It is a very big program and it usually works as a tutoring program throughout the school year and then we have our summer program where we focus on math and literature,” Spencer said. “Our goal is to help every student get a high school diploma and possibly go on to higher learning.”
She likes the site in Lyndonville and said school staff have been accommodating to the program.
“We are really hoping to continue building a partnership with Lyndonville,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 July 2013 at 12:02 am
Big crowd watches fireworks show in Lyndonville
Photos by Tom Rivers – Young Explosives put on a show for a big crowd at Lyndonville.
The baseball field was full of people watching the fireworks. Lyndonville was packed with cars on Main Street and many of the side streets.
The Lyndonville Lions Club organizes the Fourth of July celebration each year in the community.
Maria Ball, 6, of Medina has fun with sparklers before the fireworks show in Lyndonville.
Tom Schicker of Albion helps send off a Chinese Lantern before the fireworks.
The Happy Ending band played for three hours before the fireworks. Tom Zangerle, left, is lead guitar and vocals for the band. Larry Loke of Lyndonville, right, plays bass and provides vocals.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – About a dozen fire companies in Orleans and Niagara counties were part of today’s parade.
Some of the classic cars and vehicles were filled with happy flag wavers.
Lyndonville is once again hosting the biggest Independence Day party in Orleans County. The festivities began with a parade down Platten Road before reaching the biggest crowds on Main Street.
The schedule is packed with other events leading up to a fireworks show at 10 p.m.
A group of veterans led the parade down Platten Road, Maple Avenue and then Main Street.
Several local politicians were in the parade, including County Legislator Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville and Legislature Chairman David Callard of Medina.
Adolf Genter, a member of Concerned Citizens of Orleans County, plays his accordion from the back of a truck during the parade.
New York Revolution’s chapter in Orleans County had a float proclaiming the organization’s support for Second Amendment rights.
A group of alumni from Lyndonville joined for a marching band for today’s parade.
These photos were taken from near the village line, close to where Platten Road becomes Maple Avenue. Most of the action at today’s festival is on the school grounds.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Jenn Suhr will vault at White Birch for fourth time
Photo by Tom Rivers – Jenn Suhr clears the bar in this pole vault at the White Birch Golf Course on May 31. Suhr has the highest outdoor mark in the world this year, which she established at the White Birch.
LYNDONVILLE – Fireworks won’t be the only thing taking to the Lyndonville sky on the Fourth of July.
A group of pole vaulters, including reigning national champ and Gold Medalist Jenn Suhr, are coming back to Lyndonville, this time for the community’s biggest celebration.
Suhr and many of the top male and female vaulters in the region will compete at the White Birch Golf Course beginning at 4 p.m. This will be Suhr’s fourth competition at the White Birch since May 31. The White Birch is owned by her brother-in-law Harold Suhr.
Jenn won the national title last month, clearing 15 feet, 5 inches in Des Moines. She went over 16 feet, 1 inches at one of the sanctioned events at the White Birch – the year’s highest outdoor mark in the world.
She is gearing up for the world championships next month. She will compete in Moscow on the home turf of two-time Olympic gold medalist Yelena Isinbayeva.
The vaulting competition at the White Birch is part of packed day of events in Lyndonville for the Fourth of July. The patriotic celebration includes a parade on Main Street at noon and fireworks at 10 p.m.
Other events include an arts and crafts show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the school front lawn; chicken barbecue from 1 to 5 p.m. in school cafeteria; bounce house for kids from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; WNY Garden Tractor Pull from 1 to 4 p.m. on Housel Avenue; Lions vision screening for children 6 and younger from 1 to 3 p.m.; ice cream eating contest at 2 p.m.; Orleans Hospice Duck Race at 3 p.m.; and the “Happy Endings” Band from 7 to 10 p.m. in the high school parking lot.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Lyndonville Elementary School is again a center for learning. The building was closed by the district after the 2011-12 school year. It is being used this summer for a migrant education program.
Photo by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE A year after Lyndonville closed its elementary school due to a falling enrollment, the building is again alive with the sounds of children and teachers.
This summer there will be 120 students from grades K to 8 learning to read, write and do arithmetic – as well as participating in art and physical education. The students are in the migrant education project through Brockport State College. The college is sending students from Orleans, Genesee, Niagara and Monroe counties for the six-week program that started yesterday and runs until Aug. 9.
“This is beneficial to everybody,” said Jason Smith, the Lyndonville district superintendent. “It’s great to see the school used again. The last thing the Board (of Education) wanted to see was the building sit underutilized.”
Brockport is paying Lyndonville $10,000 to use the building for the program. Brockport is also is working out transportation for the students and is paying a food service provider. There are 10 teachers and 10 teachers aides working in the program.
The money for leasing the building should cover the utilities for the school year at the site that was closed after the 2011-12 school year.
The school was down to 100 students in grades three and four, and a special education class during its last year. Those classes and grades were shifted to the main campus where all grade levels are now in one building.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Locals make row of trees a Lyndonville landmark
Photos by Tom Rivers – There are hundreds of shoes either nailed into the bark or dangling from the branches of four ash trees at the corner of Foss and Lakeshore roads in the town of Yates.
YATES I had to drop by the Shoe Tree last night. I think it’s one of the most charming attractions in Orleans County.
A row of four ash trees at the corner of Foss and Lakeshore roads is full of hundreds of shoes. Locals have been keeping the trees stocked for years. The footwear is nailed to the bark on the trunks of the trees. Sneakers hang from branches, some on the ends of limbs high in the air. (The shoe donors have great arms to reach these spots.)
The Shoe Tree is one of the county’s most talked about attractions. It is featured on Web sites and was included in a 2008 book called “New York Curiosities.”
For nearly three decades folks have been flinging loafers, cleats, high heels, slippers, running shoes and boots into the trees. There were five of the trees, but one toppled over in a wind storm in 2009.
The Shoe Tree craze started in 1986 when the late Earl Baun helped a girlfriend get rid of about eight to 10 pairs of shoes. He threw them into the trees. When he was done, Baun and his then-girlfriend, Diane Bane, coaxed other friends to add to the collection. The Shoe Tree was thus born. (I did an article about this for The Daily News of Batavia in 2009.)
A local conservation officer wasn’t happy to see the tree become a depository for so many shoes back then. But Baun’s exploits became contagious.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2013 at 12:00 am
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville captured the title for best-tasting water in Orleans County during the Strawberry Festival this past weekend in Albion.
The Orleans County Health Department had people try Sample “A” for Lyndonville and Sample “B” for Albion. Lyndonville was picked as best-tasting by 57 percent of the participants.
Both municipal water systems use water from Lake Ontario.
“This is a fun way to share with Orleans County residents the importance of safe water and the hard work all of the municipalities do to provide healthy, clear drinking water,” said Nola Goodrich-Kresse, public health educator for the county.
Lyndonville will now go to the regional water contest in Rochester and will be eligible to participate in New York State’s Best Tasting Water Contest at the New York State Fair.
Press release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department
CARLTON – A 25-year-old Lyndonville woman died today in an accident at the routes 98 and 18 Y intersection.
Jessica Artica was traveling north when she stopped at the Y intersection in a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban. She then proceeded to cross into the path of an eastbound 1985 Peterbuilt dump truck operated by John Bush, 56, of Waterport. The truck is owned by Lynn-Ette and Son Farms of Kent.
Artica was pronounced dead at the scene by Orleans County Coroner Joe Fuller. Bush was not injured in the accident.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred at 10:49 a.m. It appears that speed and alcohol were not a factor in the accident, Chief Deputy Thomas Drennan said. There were no tickets issued to Bush.
The Sheriff’s Department was assisted at the scene by Carlton FD, Albion FD, Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance and New York State Police DOT Inspectors.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Organizers postpone Jenn Suhr event due to rain
Photos by Tom Rivers – Jenn Suhr charges down the runway and gets ready to vault last Friday during a competition at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville. Suhr will be back in action at the White Birch at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
LYNDONVILLE – The community will have to wait another day to see Jenn Suhr and other leading pole vaulters compete at the White Birch Golf Course.
Suhr and five other vaulters competed at the White Birch last Friday. They were scheduled to be in action again today at 5:30 p.m. The threat of rain prompted organizers to push the event to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Suhr cleared 15 feet, 7 inches last Friday, the same height she topped to win a gold medal last year in London.
Janice Keppler of Medina also is competing in the event. She is currently the fourth-ranked pole vaulter in the country.
The second fairway at the golf course is being used for the event. Other competitors include: Heather Hamilton, the top-ranked vaulter in Canada; Claire Dishong of Brockport and Cornell University; Linda Hadfield of Utica and Tennessee University; and Erin Champion of Tennessee University.
The White Birch is located at 1515 North Lyndonville Rd.
Jenn Suhr clears the bar during a pole vaulting event last Friday at the White Birch. She cleared 15 feet, 7 inches, the height she passed to win a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
