Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent
Volume 2, Issue 27 (March 11, 2022)
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Video Update: https://youtu.be/SaXcDSCYt4w
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Helping Students Make Smart Decisions Online
Yesterday, I was joined by District Attorney John Flynn at Kenmore East High School to celebrate a new partnership with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office which is facilitating presentations in each of our middle and high schools. These presentations focus on preventing cyberbullying and being careful about what students post online. One of these presentations was held at Kenmore East earlier that day and within the next few weeks this same presentation will be conducted at Kenmore West and the Big Picture Program as well as Hoover and Franklin Middle.
We know that we are in a very unique time in our history. More than ever before, our students are exposed to tremendous opportunities and learning through the use of technology. But with this opportunity comes many challenges that we must continue to be ahead of the curve and address before they happen.
The lessons our students learned - being careful about what they post online and anti-bullying - is extremely important. There were times in the fall and winter in which concerning screenshots or rumors circulated online which impacted many local school districts. These incidents create a great deal of alarm for our students, families, and staff. It is more important than ever before to remind our students to be careful of what they share online because of the potential consequences they face for using technology inappropriately. It is wonderful that our students have technology at their fingertips but we must continue to educate on how to use that technology wisely. In fact, during this morning’s presentation it was emphasized how colleges and employers do deep internet searches on potential candidates.
It is essential for students to learn about cyberbullying and being safe online. This aligns with our strategic plan, the Ken-Ton Forward, which is our long term blueprint to achieve continuous improvement. Our focus areas of this plan are:
- Instruction for All Students
- Technology
- Community Engagement
- Finance, Safety & Operations
- Social Emotional Health & Wellness
You can see how the focus of the presentations can fit into each of these five areas. Preventive mental health, restorative and trauma-informed practices, behavior and social skills programming, a focus on safety and security, and anti-bullying initiatives are all essential components of this plan. We have high expectations for our students and we will work with our students to meet these expectations.
Ken-Ton was ahead of the curve and at the forefront of this work even before the pandemic. We were building an extensive framework for social-emotional support and we became one of the first school districts in Western New York to implement trauma-informed practices districtwide. This work has been enhanced over the past two years because the pandemic has created new social-emotional challenges, making this work more important than ever.
Earlier this school year, we made a strategic investment with the creation of our new Office of School Culture. I would like to thank Assistant Superintendent Tracy Spagnolo and Ms. Dina Ferraraccio, Director of School Culture, who first began working in partnership with the District Attorney’s Office to bring these presentations to our schools. We have prioritized this work in Ken-Ton and numerous initiatives to improve social-emotional outcomes and keep students and staff safe.
This is an unprecedented time and we must have our eyes wide open to the challenges that our young people will continue to face. Through initiatives like this, and deep partnerships, I am confident that we will remain proactive in addressing our students’ needs.
Thank you to District Attorney Flynn for his leadership and initiative in partnering with us to bring these presentations to our schools. The safety of our students and staff is paramount and we are very fortunate to have such strong partnerships with local law enforcement such as the District Attorney's Office.
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Each week, we will highlight some of the exciting things taking place in our schools. Be sure to follow the Ken-Ton School District on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ktufsd) for more school highlights! |
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KENMORE EAST: After the cancellation of the 2020 production of "Lucky Stiff" due to the pandemic, the Kenmore East musical is back celebrating the iconic music of ABBA with the smash hit "Mamma Mia!" The production will take place Thursday, March 17; Friday, March 18; and Saturday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 presale and $12 at the door. For ticket information, call 716-874-8402. The cast and crew is now in full swing singing the great ABBA music and building a runway extension to the stage for more of a rock concert experience. The 35-person cast is headed up by Samantha Tocke, Neshiah Alston, and Emily Gardner as Donna and the Dynamos, Allison Iacuzzo as Sophie, Troy Lovria as Sky, Reece Stanko, Cole Robbins, and Jacob Walter as Sophie’s possible Dads, along with pit band backup singers and a full ensemble. The cast, crew, and orchestra students have been hard at work on the production under the direction of John Vogt, Mary Jo Leslie, Bryan Sibbitts, Laura Eisenhauer, Karah Krajewski, Janine Tocke, and Alyssa Germano.
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EDISON ELEMENTARY: Madison McCombs, a third-grade student at Edison Elementary, worked with her vision teacher Mrs. Alicia Schwock to compete in the Braille Readers are Leaders Contest. The contest, which ran from December 1st to January 21st, was created to encourage and promote braille literacy. Throughout the contest, Madison read more than 1,200 minutes, earned 18 badges, and eight prizes. This included the grand prize, a 40-cell refreshable braille device valued at more than $2,500! Mrs. Schwock and Madison also decided to utilize this contest to help build a braille community for her at Edison. Madison went into several classrooms teaching her classmates, teachers, and staff all about braille, her white cane, and what it means to be visually impaired. She also read a braille book to the students, adding to her reading total and demonstrating her amazing skills. Way to go Madison! She showed us all that Braille Readers truly are Leaders!
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HOOVER MIDDLE: Students in Wendy Cummins’ fifth-grade class at Hoover Middle School recently read the book “I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic," a young adult novel by Lauren Tarshis which tells the story from the perspective of a 10-year-old on board the Titanic. As a final project, students were challenged to make a poster or model of the ship. They also researched and gathered facts about the Titanic by reading books and watching videos and included these facts with their project. All the students did a phenomenal job with their projects and sharing their creations and knowledge with the class.
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FRANKLIN MIDDLE: On Friday, February 18th, the last day of school before Mid-Winter Recess, Franklin Middle School held a "Fun Fest" which gave students the opportunity to participate in a day-long celebration throughout the building. All students rotated through activity stations in the gym, various pop-up activities in the hallways, games in the library, and the auditorium for a movie. In one activity, students made cards and posters for patients at Oshei Children's Hospital. In another, they made St. Patrick's Day cards for residents of senior living facilities. It was a great way to celebrate the students' hard work throughout the year and bring them together as a community.
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This week, we recognize a Kenmore West High School student, Mary Henkel, who went out of her way to help a member of our community.
Mary works as a customer service leader at Tops on Sheridan Drive. While working on Sunday, Mary found a wallet that a customer had left behind. Recognizing how inconvenient and distressing that could be for someone, Mary was determined to track down the owner as quickly as possible. Without a phone number to call, she enlisted the help of her mother, Joanna, to track him down online. Joanna was able to connect with him on the social network platform LinkedIn and he returned to Tops and retrieved his wallet less than an hour after he had lost it.
The wallet’s owner, Dan Tirone, was grateful for Mary and Joanna’s assistance. He wasn’t able to thank Mary in person since she was on break when he arrived at Tops and he reached out to the district to see if there was some way to recognize Mary for her efforts.
It is always rewarding to learn about times our students go out of their way to help a fellow member of the community. We can all appreciate what an inconvenience it is to lose a wallet but it is more important to recognize that Mary made the decision to do something that would benefit others. Mary’s unselfish act and purposely going above and beyond is what we should be teaching all of our children to strive for. Thank you Mary for being a shining example and reminding all of us the importance of looking out for each other.
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RECOGNITION: NYS GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIP |
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I also wish to recognize all those who were involved in organizing the NYS Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Gymnastics Championships at Kenmore West High School this past weekend. It is a major honor for a school district to host one of the statewide championship competitions, giving us a chance to showcase our district and facilities for athletes and visitors from across the state.
The event took place Saturday in the Kenmore West gymnasium and went flawlessly. It was a major undertaking to set up the gym and all the equipment after school on Friday and then to clear the space and have it ready for school again by Monday morning. There were many staff involved in this endeavor including Brett Banker, Director of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics and Assistant Director Lindsay Bergman as well as members of our Buildings & Grounds team led by Director of Facilities Tim Ames and Assistant Director John Wille. Great job to everyone involved. Events like these and dedication like this is what continues to launch Ken-Ton into being viewed as a premier school district. Thank you team!
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CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH |
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This week, we highlight Mary Burnett Talbert, a pioneer of the early civil rights movement who lived in Buffalo for most of her life and was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Mrs. Talbert was born in Ohio in 1866. She was the only African American woman in her graduating class at Oberlin College, as it was controversial for women to attend college at the time (especially African American women). She began her career as a school teacher in Little Rock, AR and became assistant principal at Little Rock's Union High School. As assistant principal, Mrs. Talbert had the highest leadership position held by an African-American woman in the state at the time.
A few years later, she married and moved to Buffalo, joining the congregation of Buffalo's historic Michigan Avenue Baptist Church, which played an extremely important role in the early civil rights movement. Mrs. Talbert is credited with helping to launch civil rights activism in America. Through her extensive connections and tireless advocacy, Mrs. Talbert became a founder of the Niagara Movement, a precursor to the NAACP that was organized right here in Western New York. She was also instrumental in the women's suffrage and women’s rights movement. She served as the sixth president of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs in the critical years leading up to passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
According to the National Women’s Hall of Fame, “Talbert was a pioneer in international organizing efforts, gaining a voice for black women and developing black female leadership. With conscious intent, she bridged the generation of 19th century abolitionists and freedom seekers: Tubman, Douglass, Truth, and others, and the developing civil rights leadership of the 20th century.”
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Thank you for reviewing this information. As always, we remain Ken-Ton Proud, Ken-Ton Strong, and Ken-Ton Moving Forward!
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