Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent
Volume 2, Issue 11(October 15, 2021)
Harnessing the
Full Potential of the Waterfront

On Thursday, I was honored to participate in the first meeting of the Tonawanda Waterfront Industrial Alliance. I was joined by Board of Education President Matthew Chimera, Director of Secondary Education Lisa Cross, Instructional Support Specialist for Science Lisa Davidson, and Kenmore West High School Environmental Club Advisor Denise Amato.

The Alliance represents a partnership between the Town of Tonawanda, Erie County, the Niagara River Greenway, local industry and other organizations. They are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the Ken-Ton community by working to provide safe, clean and enjoyable waterfront recreation space. The Ken-Ton School District is proud to take part in this initiative.

A major area of focus is the Niagara River Greenway Shoreline Trail. This amazing resource stretches from Buffalo to Niagara Falls and connects to the new Empire State Trail which crosses New York State. The work is proceeding in three phases. Phase 1 involves improving the aesthetics of properties along the Shoreline Trail. Phase 2 will provide opportunities for businesses and organizations to adopt a section of the trail to care for and maintain. Lastly, Phase 3 involves comprehensive long-term planning for the future of the entire waterfront area.

There are opportunities for students to play an integral role in each of these phases. Students in environmental and community service clubs, National Honor Society, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, and government classes with a community service component can assist the community in implementing Phase 1 and then adopting their own section of the Shoreline Trail in Phase 2. We are working toward implementing the NYS Seal of Civic Readiness which will further increase opportunities for community service and involvement.

Phase 3, which encompasses a broader vision for the waterfront, coincides with our continued focus on promoting environmental awareness and inspiring students to be good stewards of their community. We are investigating the capacity to create a high school science pathway which will include coursework in areas related to the environment, ecology, and the green economy. Such a program would be in alignment with these broader efforts to improve the waterfront environment. We are also in the process of establishing a Youth Stewardship Program in partnership with the Niagara River Greenway and Rotary. There is enormous potential for our students to play an integral role in achieving the vision of the Tonawanda Waterfront Industrial Alliance.

P-EBT Benefits Reminder

We wish to remind families of the importance of completing your free/reduced-price lunch meal applications. These have been sent home with students and can be found online at www.ktufsd.org/foodservice. Completing this form ensures that eligible children will receive free/reduced-price meals should they no longer be free for all students. Also, the number of students eligible for free/reduced-price meals impacts funding the school district receives which has a significant impact on student programming. Additionally, federal P-EBT benefits have been based on free/reduced-price meal eligibility.

These forms will not impact eligibility for the current round of P-EBT benefits, which are based on last year’s forms. However, this would impact eligibility for any future benefits that are based on this current school year. Please remember that the District is not involved in any way in the distribution of this benefit and cannot assist families in receiving this benefit if they have not received it. More information can be found on the NYS website at otda.ny.gov.
NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Today is the final day of National Hispanic Heritage Month, as the month runs September 15th to October 15th. We have selected an inspiring role model to highlight: Ellen Ochoa, who became the first Hispanic woman to go to space and the first person of Hispanic heritage to serve as Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.

Ms. Ochoa’s grandparents emigrated from Mexico and she grew up in a small city outside San Diego. She lived with her mother and brothers. Initially, she did not know what career to pursue. She grew up playing the flute and considered pursuing a career in music. Inspired by her classmates, she decided to major in physics and attended San Diego State University. She found her calling. She earned her Master of Science and Doctoral degrees at Stanford where she made a name for herself as a researcher and inventor in the field of optics, the study of light. She graduated in 1985 and applied to become an astronaut. Initially unsuccessful, her confidence and persistence paid off when she was selected for the Astronaut Corps in 1990.

Ms. Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1993. As an astronaut, she logged nearly 1,000 hours in space during four separate missions. After retiring from spacecraft operations, she became the first Hispanic director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, which is home to the Astronaut Corps and NASA Mission Control.

Looking back, Ms. Ochoa credits her mother for encouraging her and her brothers to work hard in school. She was able to accomplish all that she achieved by always pushing herself, which is her advice to students.
RECOGNITION: LARRY SCOTT
We often see Ken-Ton School District staff earn professional distinctions and recognition at the regional level and beyond. The most recent example is Larry Scott, who has been named the 2021 Frank Plumeau School Psychologist of the Year by the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP). Mr. Scott serves as Alternative to Suspension Specialist and coordinator of the Project SAVE Code of Conduct. Mr. Scott was initially recognized by the Western New York NYASP chapter and was then selected by the statewide organization for the Frank Plumeau Award.

NYASP is a statewide organization representing school psychologists. Its mission is to serve children, their families and the school community by promoting psychological well-being, excellence in education, and sensitivity to diversity through best practices in school psychology. Since 1990, the organization has honored outstanding school psychologists who “exemplify professional excellence in school psychology and support the mission of the profession in a significant way.”

Please join me in congratulating Mr. Scott for earning this distinction.
Thank you for reviewing this information. As always, we remain Ken-Ton Proud, Ken-Ton Strong, and Ken-Ton Moving Forward!

For previous editions of the Ken-Ton Weekly Connection, visit www.ktufsd.org/connection