Archive: Around Town

Senior Agnes Csaki (Lansing High School) and Junior Desiree Muldoon (Dryden High School) have been chosen to represent Tompkins County at the 2013 Students Inside Albany program, sponsored annually by the League of Women Voters of New York State Education Foundation, Inc.  SIA alternates are Amanda Breese (Groton High School) and Rosie Attucher (Lehman Alternative Community School).

Students Inside Albany will be held from April 14-17th and will bring approximately sixty high school students from across the state together to learn more about how state government works.

The Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau (FIYB) elected two new members, Jenny Bisha and Will Glennon, to the board of the not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support the services and programs of the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB).

"The FIYB board is growing and we are pleased that we are attracting a diverse, energetic group of leaders who are all united in their dedication to supporting youth in our community," said Jeff Love, FIYB board chair.

Thirty-six Lansing High School students participated in the 64th annual American Mathematics Contest 12, and/or the 14th annual American Mathematics Contest 10 on February 5th. The students competed for local, regional and national student and school awards. The contest, which covers high school mathematics, is given in participating schools. Its purpose is to spur interest in mathematics and develop talent through the excitement of friendly competition at problem solving in a timed format without the use of a calculator.

Top scorers at Lansing in 2013 included a tie for school winner at the AMC 12 level;  Luke Mehringer and Agi Csaki tied for first place. In addition to the tie for first place in the school, Agi will be awarded a Bronze medal because she placed first at Lansing High for two consecutive years.  Claiming the other spot on the Lansing AMC 12 team is senior Timothy Arleo.

Coffee shops have come and gone in Lansing.  The Town of Lansing plans a new one, at least for the summer months.  Well, more of a coffee tent than a shop.  Town Supervisor Kathy Miller says the Town will sell coffee at the Lansing Farmer's Market this year.  This will be coffee with a municipal twist.  Miller says people will be able to get their questions answered while downing an inexpensive cup of joe.

"Fifty cents," Miller says.  "It will be good coffee, though.  We'll sit and answer questions about anything, whether it's the sewer or any other committees.  We'll put a round table there because people will sit down with a cup of coffee and ask questions in an informal atmosphere."

Last week the first Kids Discover the Trail! activities of 2013 brought PreK and Kindergarten students to the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell and to the Tompkins County Public Library.  These three visits to Discovery Trail sites were the first of over 150 scheduled for this ninth year of the collaboration between the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), the Discovery Trail and the Ithaca City School District (IPEI).

The second half of the school year signals the start of the KDT! season for all elementary students and teachers of the ICSD. Although the program began as a once-a-year field trip by Ithaca elementary classrooms to their assigned Discovery Trail museums and the public library (see list below), KDT! has grown into an enriching learning experience for teachers, students, and Discovery Trail educators alike.

"Is volunteerism dying in Lansing?  Is it something that has run its course?" asks Lansing Community Council President and Town Councilman Ed LaVigne. 

Clearly that is not the case.  But LaVigne says that if everyone volunteered for two hours a month or even two hours a year a lot more could be accomplished in a community that depends on volunteers for everything from crucial emergency services to municipal participation to sports, arts and recreational programs and events.

Anne FrankWhat do the White House, Central High School in Little Rock, the Boston Commons, and the World Trade Center Site have in common with the Southern Cayuga School District?  How do Anne Frank, Harriet Tubman, Emily Howland, and William Seward fit into this equation?  The answer lives in a small group of tree saplings cultivated from one of the most famous horse chestnut trees in history.

During World War II, Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam, kept a diary for two years before being exposed.  This diary was published by her father, the only family survivor, after Anne's death at the age of 15 from Typhus in a concentration camp.  During those years of concealment, one of the few things that Anne could see from the window was a large horse chestnut tree.  The tree survived until 2010 when fungus and a wind storm brought it down.

The Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau, announced Tuesday the details for the 7th annual Winter Recess “Teachers Week,” a festival that will take place from February 15-24, 2013 at various locations across Ithaca and Tompkins County. The festival, anticipated to draw over 5,000 attendees, includes several free or deeply discounted offers for participants, plus social events, contests, family fun, and county-wide recognition for teachers and school district employees. A wide range of activities feature highlights like guided frozen waterfall tours, the 2nd annual Fiber Arts Festival, and an opportunity to view the original manuscript of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by other Civil War items.

The Lansing Recreation Program is offering programs for kids over the Presidents Day school break.  This year's offerings will include archery, karate, rock climbing and basketball.  The slate for March will be filled out with swimming and girls lacrosse programs.

Rock climbing camp will be run at the Lindseth Rock Climbing Wall, the largest indoor rock climbing wall in North America.  The archery camp will be offered in the indoor facility at Klein's Archery in Dryden.  Both camps are scheduled for February 18 through the 22nd.

New Roots Charter School senior Megan Hall-Ruquet was named a finalist for the 2012 Cortland County Youth of the Year Award and honored at a ceremony and dinner on 1/29/13 at the Homer Center for the Arts in Homer, NY.

At the ceremony, Hall-Ruquet received a certificate of merit from Senator James L. Seward, a letter from the NY state Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, and a gift card. She was nominated by New Roots staff for her outspoken advocacy against bullying and her actions to promote acceptance, inclusion and compassion for all students.

My name is Felix and I'm an absolute lovebug! However, this side of my personality is only shown when I'm comfortable in my new environment, so a home without young children would be best for me. I'm fine around other calm cats, and my previous owner reports that I also do well with chickens and dogs. I'm a total couch potato, and enjoy watching mice rather than chasing them. Sadly, there is no couch for me at the shelter, so I'm looking to go home ASAP where I can resume my laziness. Take me with you today!

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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This will be the fourth and, I think last, column I write about organic food for at least the foreseeable future.  I think this topic is important to discuss because not everyone has the money or opportunity to buy exclusively organic food.

In my last column I listed about 15 foods that were relatively pesticide free. This week I’m going to suggest that if your funds and buying opportunities are limited you should be aware that there is a group of foods that carry a relatively large amount of pesticides.  In other words, these are the foods, often referred to as “the dirty dozen”, worth making the effort to buy organic.