Archive: Around Town

The New York Association of Local Government Record Officers (NYALGRO) has honored Tompkins County with the Robert Arnold Award for Distinguished Service, recognizing the County’s achievements in developing its electronic document management system, and extending the service to other towns in Tompkins County.

NYALGRO is a non-profit organization formed to provide a network to all who are responsible for records upkeep and information for local governments.  The award was presented June 10, at the Association’s awards banquet at the Radisson Hotel in Corning.

On May 31st, four New Roots Charter School students traveled to Washington DC to participate as finalists in the First National International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Symposium. Students were invited to participate in the IHL Action Campaign (IHL).

IHL is a nationwide American Red Cross pilot program that aims to teach youth that 'Even Wars Have Limits' and to support their development as critical thinkers, problem solvers and compassionate global citizens, able to grapple with ethical dilemmas and global issues.

During her visits to South Hill Elementary School as an additional innovative component to the “Trout In the Classroom” program, professional artist Camille Doucet helped 51 fourth graders not just to look, but to really “see”.

Doucet shared her nature illustration techniques with the students as part of their year-long study of brown trout fry that they raised themselves in aquariums in their classrooms.

'Trout In the Classroom,' which is sponsored by the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom and Trout Unlimited and implemented at all eight Ithaca City School District (ICSD) elementary schools, teaches students to maintain and monitor a cold-water aquarium and raise trout fry for release to a local stream.

A team representing the seventh grade at Lansing Middle School earned Highest Honors in the 2012-13 WordMasters Challenge™—a national vocabulary competition involving nearly 150,000 students annually. The students placed sixth in the nation with an impressive 185 points out of a possible 200 in the last of three meets this year.  Additionally, eighth grader Lisa Yoo achieved individual Highest Honors by scoring a cumulative 58 points on  the three Challenges.

Competing in the difficult Blue Division of the WordMasters Challenge™, fifth grader John Hern and seventh graders Lena Gisler and Mikaela Garcia each earned a perfect score of 20 in the third and final meet.  Nationally, only 144 fifth graders and 31 seventh graders achieved a perfect score.  Other students at Lansing Middle School who achieved outstanding results on the final meet include fifth graders Alex Rose and Thor Wierson, sixth graders Emily Phillips and Ellen Howell, and eighth graders Lisa Yoo and Hannah Overstrom.  The students were coached in preparation for the WordMasters Challenge™ by Cathy Moseley.

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Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Four Lansing Faculty members were granted tenure Monday by the Lansing Board of Education.  Elementary School Music Teacher Katie Howell, Elementary Education Teacher Kelly Bosch, Elementary School Teaching Assistant Stacy Stauffenecker were recommended by Acting Elementary School Principal Christine Rebera, and Middle School Science Teacher Ann Bronson was recommended by Middle School Principal Jamie Thomas.

"In the last few years tenure has kind of gotten a bad rap.  It's become more about job security," Said Superintendent Chris Pettograsso.  "But for us in Lansing I don't think it is bad because for us it's really about saying 'You;ve done a fabulous job and we want to continue to invest in you and we feel that you have shown the desire to continue to invest in us.'  So it really is a collaboration and a decision to continue that relationship."

For the third year in a row the Lansing Community Council is sponsoring Independence Day fireworks on July 3rd at Myers Park.  As in past years the Council is providing music and food, as well as fireworks over Cayuga Lake.  Lansing Fireworks Chairman Dennis Griffin says this year's fireworks will not disappoint.

"I always like to see that it makes people happy," Griffin says.  "It brings the community together.  I've been told by several people they get to see someone they haven't seen all year.  All of a sudden they're sitting there enjoying the music and the fireworks. They've had a nice evening.  That's what I want - that everybody has fun and nobody gets hurt, and everybody goes away enjoying the evening."

Each year Ithaca students, teachers, and school programs receive awards and scholarships in June totaling more than $5,000 from special funds managed by the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI). Established to preserve the memory of those honored and to enhance education in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), these IPEI grants are distributed annually based on each funds’ criteria.

The recipient of the Carol J. Buckley Scholarship for Students in the Arts is Sequoya Lee, a senior at the Lehman Alternative Community School. Hayya Mintz, Lee’s guidance counselor, presented the $3,000 award on May 28 at her Senior Meeting. Established by Buckley’s family and friends, the scholarship provides assistance for talented students pursuing advanced study in the arts. The fund also provides support for arts-related educational programs.

On May 17th, the Way2Go program from Cornell Cooperative Extension held Bike to Work/School Day. Over 400 county residents participated, far surpassing numbers from last year. Children as young as 2 and senior citizens rolled to their respective destinations, stopping along the way at 10 breakfast stations throughout the City, and at Cornell and Ithaca College.

While the majority of participants commuted locally from within Ithaca, several bikers came from as far as Danby, Lansing, and Caroline. Biking wasn’t the only method of transportation used; several people traveled by foot, with one participant even completing part of his journey by canoe! The event, which was part of a larger effort to encourage people to bike more often, promotes healthier and more sustainable lifestyles.

The DeWitt Middle School Orchestra seventh and eighth graders travelled to the Heritage National Orchestra Competition and Festival in Boston, MA in April and learned about musicianship and team building.  As part of the trip that included performance for judges and master classes, DeWitt students learned the benefit of long term planning and practice.

DeWitt Orchestra Director and music teacher Aaron Buck stated, “Going to festivals and competitions is a great way for  seventh and eighth grade students to see what other orchestras are doing and helps them as a team to achieve something great. It gave our students a goal.”

Middle School Art Teacher Lee Iannone presented a plan to the Lansing Board of Education Monday to build a raised patio near the school auditorium.  The community-supported project is designed by students.  The  'Blooming Brick by Brick' project was first conceived by Iannone and the late Lansing Middle School teacher Lisa Topoleski.

"Our inspiration started in the 2010 when we were invited to see a visiting artist, Lilly Yeh," Iannone said.  "She is an international artist who works with communities to create community spaces.  Through creating the art and working together she creates a sense of community.  Lisa and I brought the middle school art club and Lisa brought the student council.  A couple of local artists and teachers came.  Lily challenged us to come back to our own communities and see where we could do a project to bring about change and a sense of belonging."

There will be no Lansing Farmer's Market this summer.  After four years of operation the market has petered out.  Linda VanApeldoorn, owner of Take Your Pick Flower Farm, says there are no plans to hold the market on a limited basis, but notes that some of the vendors will participate at a farmer's market at the Triphammer Marketplace Friday mornings in the Village of Lansing.

"We did not have enough vendors willing to attend on a weekly basis to continue," says VanApeldoorn.  She has been a regular vendor since the market was established four years ago.  "We had a commitment from only 5 vendors who were willing to attend the market on a weekly basis for the entire season."