Archive: Around Town

Each year Ithaca City School District (ICSD) students, staff, and school programs receive awards and scholarships totaling more than $7,000 from funds managed by the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI). Grants and awards are distributed annually based on each fund's criteria and to enhance educational opportunities, announced Ann Caren, chair of the IPEI Awards Committee.

Awards from the Ithaca High School (I.H.S.) Senior Class Fund recognize a new teacher who exemplifies enthusiasm and creativity, a school club that makes a positive impact on student life, and a staff member.  The recipients were selected by ballot by the seniors. I.H.S. Class of 2016 officers Benjamin Monaghan, Jake Barnett-Hill, Jessika Patel, and John Yoon presented these awards at the Senior Awards Convocation on June 9. This year's New Teacher Award of $200 went to Paul Heiland, Social Studies teacher, along with a gift of $150 to the high school library in his honor. Joaquin Lira, Library Aide, received the Staff Member Award of $200, and a gift of $150 went to the high school library in his honor.

The Student Organization Award of $300 recognizes SWIS (Strong Women Impacting Society). SWIS is dedicated to raising awareness, promoting change, and celebrating the accomplishments of women as they overcome issues prominent in society.  "We strive to promote equal rights and justice on a local to global scale in all aspects of culture, from politics, economics, health and education. We believe this allows all girls and women to recognize and achieve their potential in life," expressed their faculty adviser Carlan Gray.


Senior Lisa Podulka is this year's recipient of the Carol Jean Buckley Scholarship for Students in the Arts. Carol Spence presented the $3,000 award. Established by Carol's family and friends, the fund provides a scholarship to talented students pursuing advanced study in the arts.



The Noreen Moore Memorial Award was also awarded at the I.H.S. Convocation to senior Pawlerpaw Ler. The scholarship is presented to a senior who has the potential and desire to make the world a better place. Barbara Bergman, the I.H.S. Family Liaison, presented the $400 award in memory of Noreen Moore, who was an active member of the school district staff and community and advocated throughout her life for families in need.


Carmen Bezner Kerr, a junior, received the Raymond C. Loehr Environmental Science Scholarship Award on June 7 at the Awards Ceremony for Underclassmen at Ithaca High. Presented by Jamie Loehr, the $150 award recognizes an underclass student who shows promise in environmental science. The family of Raymond C. Loehr created the Loehr Scholarship for Environmental Science to honor his 70th birthday and to recognize his lifetime of commitment to education.


The Raymond C. Loehr Innovative Science Teaching Award recognizes innovative science teaching, with an award of $300. It will be presented by Cheryl Mitchell and a member of the Loehr family at the district's opening day meeting for all staff in September.

The Ian Alberta Memorial Award of $500 supports Kids Discover the Trail! Ithaca for the purchase of books for fifth grade students related to the content of the trip to Cayuga Nature Center.

The ICSD Teacher-Librarians have chosen to use the Phyllis B. Brodhead Library Media Technology Award to purchase licenses to Pixton. At $1.75 per student, the $1,000 grant will buy 571 licenses. According to their request letter, "Pixton empowers the world to communicate graphically with comics… [through] a revolutionary new patented technology that gives anyone the power to create amazing comics on the web. From fully posable characters to dynamic panels, props, and speech bubbles, every aspect of a comic can be controlled in an intuitive click-n-drag motion."

The Josh Endo Memorial for Continuing Support of Music Education (JEMM) Fund annually supports music education needs with priority for elementary student instrument rental scholarships and secondary student music group trip scholarships.

The Rella and Barney Cohn Music Scholarship Fund of $400 will provide seven or more students with music scholarships for summer study through the Ithaca Youth Bureau Summer Band and Orchestra Program. Scholarships are provided to ICSD middle school students to pursue summer music activities at a pivotal time in their musical development. It costs $53.00 per student scholarship. The program takes place at Lincoln Hall at Cornell from June 28-July 28, 2016.

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