By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 May 2022 at 10:59 am
Photos courtesy of Lyndonville Lions
MEDINA – The Lyndonville Lions Club this weekend delivered dozens of long-stemmed roses to the residents and staff of Orchard Manor nursing home and the North Wing extended care in Medina. The roses were given to residents and staff on the Mother’s Day weekend.
The top photo shows Lyndonville Lions Club members Harold Suhr, left, and Russ Martino gathering and preparing roses for delivery.
Some of the nursing staff at Orchard Manor include Jenna Doberstein, Tabitha Andrews and Amy Cheatham, who are shown here with Lyndonville Lion Russ Martino.
A representative of the Orleans Community Health system accepted roses on behalf of its North Wing residents.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 May 2022 at 7:21 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Mary Lewis, owner of Creekside Floral, shows Rob Klino some geraniums, a typical plant that would be suitable for planting in a cemetery. The Friends of Boxwood, of which Klino is a member, is hosting a workshop by Lewis on May 21, during which she will talk about the best plants to use in a cemetery or an alternate to flowers.
MEDINA – The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery is embarking on an ambitious venture this year to raise money for much needed improvements.
The Friends of Boxwood is a recently formed organization that has a mission to promote and conserve Boxwood Cemetery and honor past generations for future generations, said Rob Klino, a member of Friends of Boxwood.
Friends of Boxwood is also looking for a board of directors, committee members and volunteers to assist with fundraising, gardening and general maintenance, such as headstone cleaning.
Recently, they began brainstorming about things they could do to raise money and improve the cemetery.
One of the most urgent projects is restoring the stained glass window in the chapel. One estimate says it will cost $6,500 to preserve the window, which pre-dates Tiffany.
Other projects are cutting down dead trees and planting new ones and cleaning and resetting headstones.
Their first event is scheduled for May 21 and will feature Mary Lewis, owner of Creekside Floral, who will conduct a workshop on plants from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. People are invited to gather at the back of the cemetery by the banks of Glenwood Lake and hear Lewis talk about plants which are suitable for a cemetery or an alternate to flowers. Those attending should bring a lawn chair and pre-register at FriendsofBoxwoodCemetery@gmail.com. Plants will also be available for purchase.
Other events planned are a Day of Walking and headstone cleaning day, both in June; a field trip to Forest Lawn Cemetery in September; and on Oct. 1, Boxwood at night, when the cemetery will be all lit up, a story teller will be on hand and food trucks will be on site.
Special activities are planned in October for Halloween. The year will close out in December when Wreaths Across America honors all the veterans buried there with placement of wreaths on their graves.
One day a month from March to November is designated as miscellaneous clean-up day at the cemetery and volunteers are always in need.
The public is encouraged to visit the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery page on Facebook for other upcoming events and to stay current on the cemetery.
Anyone interested in serving on the board of directors, volunteering in any capacity, becoming a member or just making a tax-deductible donation can contact Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, P.O. Box 543, Medina, 14103.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Danielle Schmidt (left) is the Fairy Godmother and Elizabeth Whipple is Cinderella in the production of Cinderella by Lyndonville and Medina schools. It received one of 10 awards for excellence in overall musical production at the Rochester Broadway Theatre League's 24th annual recognition ceremony, the Stars of Tomorrow, on Thursday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2022 at 10:29 am
ROCHESTER – The musical production of Cinderella by Lyndonville and Medina students brought home many awards on Thursday night at the Stars of Tomorrow competition in Rochester, which recognizes the top school musicals in the Rochester area.
Students from 25 local schools come together at Stars of Tomorrow for an awards show that includes performances from the schools on the Rochester stage.
Lyndonville and Medina’s musical won several awards. The schools in the competition used to be separated by size in different divisions. But now they all are in the same division. The Lyndonville and Medina as well as Albion were up against Greece Athena, Greece Odyssey, Pittsford Mendon, Victor, Brighton and other much larger districts.
• Lyndonville and Medina won one of the 10 awards for excellence in overall musical production.
• Lyndonville and Medina also was recognized for excellence in student orchestra and excellence in vocal ensemble.
• Lyndonville and Medina performers also were honored for overall excellence in performance in a leading role: Elizabeth Whipple as Cinderella and Danielle Schmidt as the Fairy Godmother.
Beginning at noon today, there will be online voting for the top high school performers in Rochester to have a chance to go to New York City in a national competition – the National High School Musical Theatre Awards or Jimmy Awards.
Schmidt and Whipple both were nominated to be considered for the NYC event. Click here for more information, beginning at noon today.
Greyson Romano is Lionel in the musical Cinderella. He was recognized as a “Future Star.” Here he is shown announcing there will be a ball for the prince.
Lyndonville and Medina performers also received these awards:
• Future Stars – Emani Fuentes and Greyson Romano
• Special Recognition – Rory Smith and Seagan Majchrzak
• A Round of Applause – Andrew Austin, Auston Bentley and Tessa Zeitz
• A Tip of the Hat – Annabelle Follman and Emani Fuentes
Elaina Huntington, center, plays the Stepmother who is shown with her two daughters. Emani Fuentes is Joy, left, who snorts when she laughs and Annabelle Follman is Grace, who is often itching her arms. All three are mean to Cinderella and don’t want her going to the ball. Funetes and Follman received “A Tip of the Hat” for their acting in the show.
Seagan Majchrzak is Queen Constantina and Henry Rigerman is King Maximillan. They are the prince’s parents and they conspire to throw him a ball where he must dance with every woman. Majchrzak received a special recognition award from the Stars of Tomorrow.
Photo courtesy of Medina Teachers’ Association: Todd Eick, a Medina agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, reads to Medina pre-kindergartners. He brought along Chanel, a rabbit from the FFA.
Press Release, Medina Teachers’ Association
MEDINA – At the end of April, students in Medina’s UPK classes received special guests and a special gift.
Members of the Medina Teachers’ Association participated in the annual “Make Time to Read” initiative. The MTA is partnering with Author’s Note, Medina’s independent bookstore, to select and purchase books for the event.
MTA members visited each UPK classroom and read aloud from this year’s text, “Home for a Bunny.” To make the event even more exciting, Chanel, a six-week-old rabbit from Medina FFA’s Model Farm, came with Mr. Todd Eick who was a guest reader. Then, every student was given their own copy of the book to take home, courtesy of the MTA. There are almost 70 UPK students enrolled in this year’s program.
“We are very excited about our students receiving new books,” said Sandi Southworth and Bethany Livergood, two Medina UPK teachers. “The exposure to reading and books is fundamental for school success.”
A big thank you goes out to Author’s Note, MTA members, UPK teachers and staff, and of course, UPK students for making time to read!
The Medina CSD is still accepting applications for students to attend their UPK program for the 2022-23 school year. Students must be 4 years of age by Dec. 1, 2022. Please call the Oak Orchard Main Office at 585-798-2700, option 3 then 0.
Photo courtesy of Medina Central School: These students take the oath and are inducted in the National Honor Society on April 27.
Posted 2 May 2022 at 12:20 pm
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – There were 32 Medina students inducted into the Arista Chapter of the National Honor Society last week.
The Arista Chapter of the National Honor Society was formed in the 1920s as an exclusive club at the high school where members were selected based upon grade point average and formal recommendations.
In 1964 Medina decided to charter their own National Honor Society and the district’s administration decided to honor the spirit of the existing club and named it the Arista Chapter of the National Honor Society.
The keynote speaker during the ceremony was 2014 Medina graduate Ben McPherson, who is the President of the Medina Rotary Club, sits on the Finance Committee for MAP (Medina Area Partnership) and is a financial advisor for Edward Jones.
After a candle-lighting ceremony with the current National Honor Society officers, new members were inducted including: Tatyanna Baity, Marissa Brigham, Bailey Clare, Bryson Costitch, Ella Dahlhaus, Dana Faith DeVera, Paige Dix, Kennedy Eick, Gabriella Flores-Medina, Lydia Fox, Brooklyn Garrow, Abigail Goodrich, Rachel Hill, Seagan Majchrzak, Haley Marciniak, Gabriel Mark, Brooke Moden, Jackson Moreland, Mason Moreland, Elizabeth Parker, Aidan Paul, Henry Rigerman, William Roush, Hilda Santiago Bautista, Lydia Sharlau, Sara Swart, David Vanderwalker, Jeremy Waters, Hailey Wilkins, Lillian Wilson, Kayleigh Wright and Tyrell Wright.
National Honor Society advisors Samantha Rennie and Alissa Dunham say it was a wonderful ceremony and they are very proud of all the new members.
Provided photo: Pictured from left include Julie Berry, Bree Barton and Medina High School librarian Jennifer O’Toole.
Posted 2 May 2022 at 12:11 pm
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Medina Junior-Senior High School recently played host to author Bree Barton. She has penned four books: Heart of Thorns, Tears of Frost, Soul of Cinder and her latest Zia Erases the World.
High School librarian Jennifer O’Toole invited Barton and Julie Berry, from the Author’s Note bookstore, to talk to 7th graders in the library on April 28th. Ms. Barton talked with the students about her experiences with depression and how she started experiencing those feelings in the 6th grade.
“It came on very suddenly and in the ’90s nobody was really talking about mental health,” she said. “It is a very confusing situation for kids and I am hoping by sharing my story, it may be helpful to students here.”
Her experience with depression inspired her book Zia Erases the World. The story centers on Zia and her challenge of finding the right words for the fear that is growing inside of her. She settles on a word of her own making: Shadoom.
When she stumbles upon a family heirloom: the C. Scuro Dictionary, 13th edition, she realizes in its magical pages she has the ability to erase words that remind her of Shadoom. The consequences of her actions has some funny and heartbreaking moments, but ultimately allows her to get help and overcome her dark moments and reach for the light.
She shared with the students what her life was like in the sixth grade and the challenges she faced as a child of a single mom who moved almost every year.
“I was not cool,” Barton told the students. “We were poor and I wore hand-me-down clothing. I was depressed and very sad. I spent a lot of time in the library because books are a great way to escape. I started writing fantasy when I was 10 years old and submitting my stories to editors when I was 11. I got a lot of rejection notices. When some mean girls at school made fun of me, I quit writing for quite a while because their comments really hurt me.”
She eventually began writing again in high school.
“I had a tough time, but eventually I found a way back to myself and I had my mom and other adults that I could talk to about what I was feeling and they helped me,” she said. “I took up dancing and getting healthier physically helped me to get healthier mentally.”
She read a chapter from Zia and also discussed with the students what it is like to be an author and her journey as a writer. She also answered questions from the students.
“It was a pleasure to host Bree and to learn more about her background and the inspiration for her work,” O’Toole said. “I think her honesty and life story was relatable and truly resonated with our students. I am thrilled to be working with Julie Berry and the Author’s Note bookstore to bring authors in-person to speak with Medina students. It’s such a valuable, worthwhile and fun learning experience for students to take part in.”
MEDINA – The annual meeting of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library will be held at the library on Monday, May 9, at 7 p.m.
Agenda items include voting on a trustee position, the presentation of the annual report and the presentation of the proposed budget. Trustee David Schwert is seeking re-election to the board for a five-year term.
The library’s board of trustees has prepared a conservative budget for 2022-2023. The library is asking for an increase in the tax of 1.02 percent. The property tax levy will increase to $565,028.
“The board is sensitive to the pressures felt by taxpayers,” said Schwert, the board president. “As fiscal stewards, we constantly strive to balance increased operation costs with a conservative revenue request. We are proud of our staff and our high standards of service.”
Residents of the Medina Central School District are invited to attend this public meeting. The budget vote will take place at the library on Tuesday, May 10, from noon to 8 p.m. The library is located at 620 West Ave.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2022 at 9:56 am
Disc golf gets OK for Gulf Street Park
MEDINA – The Village Board has agreed to spend $2,600 for a community mass alert system where residents would be notified of watermain breaks, road closures and other urgent situations or critical events.
The Town of Shelby also will contribute $1,300 towards the total $3,900 cost.
Village officials asked Ridgeway town leaders to be part of the system but they opted against it. The notification system will include Ridgeway residents who live in the village of Medinas.
Medina will pay for the cost with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The village will be working with Hyper-Reach, a company based in Rochester. Residents will be able to select their preferred option to be notified: by text, phone call or email.
More information will be posted about signing up when it becomes available.
In other action at last week’s Village Board meeting:
• The board approved a 9-hole disc golf course at the Gulf Street Park. The project is funded through a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and will be overseen by the Orleans County YMCA.
The village Department of Public Works will clear some trees from the park and may put in the concrete bases for the holes that hold baskets.
The board approved use of the park for the course, and will get input on the design once its prepared by the WNY Disc Golf Association.
The YMCA also is looking to do a 9-hole disc golf course at Bullard Park and a smaller site in Holley. The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation gave the YMCA $20,000 to $24,000 to develop the projects with tee boxes, signs and baskets that are mounted in small concrete foundations – 8 inches wide by 20 inches deep.
• The board also agreed to let the Y have bikes for rent at Rotary Park in the downtown. Y employees will need to unlock and lock the bikes up at the beginning and end of the day, and be responsible for any bike helmets.
The board also gave the Y approval to bring a trailer to the Canal Basin for kayak rentals.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2022 at 9:34 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: The wooden gazebo in Medina’s Canal Basin has been declared surplus and will removed due to its unsafe condition.
MEDINA – The Village Board has opted against trying to sell a deteriorated gazebo at the Canal Basin, fearing if someone tried to move it the structure would crumble into pieces with the village having to clean it up.
The board in March voted to declare the gazebo surplus with the plan to have the Department of Public Works take down the structure.
Since then the village has been told some people would be interested in the gazebo and relocating it.
But board members last week said it doesn’t want to take a chance on having the gazebo moved by someone else. They worry the building would fall apart if someone tried to move it and the village would have to pick up the mess.
Jason Watts, the DPW superintendent, said the DPW would dismantle the gazebo and take it away from its spot by the Erie Canal.
“It’s not worth the time,” he said about trying to relocate the structure. “Let’s build back something nice.”
