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Award recipients are nominated by their high school guidance counselors, teachers or administrators.
Each exemplifies the colleges' motto "To Be, To Know, To Do."
Award winners are guaranteed a minimum of $40,000 in scholarship during the four years of study at Russell Sage College or The Sage College of Albany in recognition of their academic achievements and community involvement.
From left: Shelby Restivo, Hannah Bowen and Keara Pitts.
Each year, GCASA Foundation awards two $1,000 scholarships; one to a Genesee County student and one to an Orleans County student.
GCASA Foundation Scholarship was established to support the work of GCASA. The foundation board is committed to the scholarship program, created to help students who will study human services, counseling, or health services. This year, the selection committee decided to add a Director’s Choice scholarship award in the amount of $500 due to the exceptional applications received.
The committee selected Hannah Bowen, a senior at Notre Dame High School, as the award recipient for a Genesee County student and Shelby Restivo, a senior at Albion Central School, as the Orleans County recipient. Hannah plans to study Psychology at Clarkson University. Shelby plans to study Psychology at Monroe Community College, with the goal of furthering her education to become a counselor.
The Director’s Choice scholarship was awarded to Medina Central School senior Keara Pitts. Keara plans to study Human Services at Genesee Community College and then further her education to pursue a degree in School Psychology.
Kerri Richardson, Agri-Business Academy Instructor, left, congratulates Melissa Keller, right, Agri-Business Academy student, at a recent Board of Education ceremony.
Submitted photo and press release:
Thirteen Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center students represented the Western Region at the New York State FFA Convention in Leadership Development Events in May at the State University of New York at Morrisville.
Melissa Keller (Pembroke) placed second in the Employment Skills event and will represent New York State at the Big E Fair next fall in Massachusetts. This event is the Eastern States Exposition Fair where students from throughout the Northeastern United States come to compete.
Kerri Richardson is the Agri-Business Academy instructor and FFA co-advisor. She explained how well Melissa fared in this event.
“This is one of the most competitive competitions at the convention. Melissa had to prepare a resume, cover letter and job application along with a phone and in-person interview,” Richardson said.
Melissa earned a $1,500 national FFA scholarship called the America’s Farms Grow Ag Leaders/Monsanto Fund.
The team of Melissa Keller, Cole Hudson (Notre Dame) and Cherie Glosser (Warsaw), placed third in the Marketing Plan event. Four students, Rebecca Semmel (Warsaw), Stella Glosser (Warsaw), Sarah Lippert (Attica), and Elizabeth Jurs (Elba), competed as the Food Science team and placed ninth out of 27 teams.
Allison Pajda (Attica) placed sixth in the People in Agriculture event.
The Batavia CTE Center FFA program focuses on leadership, personal growth and career success. The co-advisors are Richardson and Holly Partridge, Animal Science instructor.
If you know of a current junior or underclassman who is interested in business or agriculture, or is unsure of a career path, applications are now being accepted for the Agri-Business Academy at the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Agri-Business Academy is a one-year partnership program between the Partnership and Genesee Community College. This college prep program is geared toward highly motivated high school seniors interested in investigating careers in the agribusiness field.
Through the Agri-Business Academy, students explore the many career opportunities available to them — locally, internationally or often it is a dynamic blend of both. Students can also earn 15 college credits through the ACE program at Genesee Community College.
Applications are available at http://www.genesee.edu/home/ace/career-pathways/agri-business-academy/. Any questions can be directed to Richardson at (585) 344-7783 or kirchardson3@gvboces.org.
The Batavia Career and Technical Education Center is a program of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York State.
Press release:
Last month, the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) Chapters inducted 58 career and technical education students from Batavia Career and Technical Education Center. Evening candlelight ceremonies took place at Elba High School.
These students met a rigorous criteria set forth by this national organization. The minimum grade-point average for acceptance is a 3.0. Students are also selected based upon credit hours completed, attendance, volunteer service, and membership in other student organizations.
The inductees are noted below.
Agri-Business Academy
Elizabeth Jurs -- Elba CS
Emily Mikel -- Pavilion CS
Melissa Keller -- Pembroke CS
Animal Science
Breanne Duzen -- Pembroke CS
Jazmin Mateos Rendon -- Oakfield-Alabama CS
Peyton Mackey -- Byron-Bergen CS
Shelby Brandes -- Le Roy CS
Auto Technology
Jacob Borkholder -- Oakfield-Alabama CS
Tyler Weaver -- Pavilion CS
Building Trades
Brandon Lewis -- Byron-Bergen CS
Brandon Perry -- Attica CS
Cameron Brumsted -- Byron-Bergen CS
Chandler Bow -- Byron-Bergen CS
Dillon Montgomery -- Byron-Bergen CS
Ethan Conrad -- Notre Dame CS
Gaven Cassidy -- Le Roy CS
Jacob Morgante -- Byron-Bergen CS
Joseph Aguglia -- Attica CS
Kylar Chambry -- Byron-Bergen CS
Computer Information Systems
Daniel Jensen -- Byron-Bergen CS
Cosmetology
Alaila Velez -- Pembroke
Anna Field -- Attica
Rachel Tebor -- Pembroke CS
Tapanga Wheaton -- Batavia CS
Zara Lohman -- Attica CS
Criminal Justice
Brandon Cutter -- Attica CS
Electronics
Jacob Keiper -- Attica CS
Kyle Evans -- Le Roy CS
Nicholas Zenzen -- Caledonia-Mumford CS
Steven Lyness Jr. -- Le Roy CS
Graphic Arts
Haley Wasikowski -- Alexander CS
Isaiah Ciociola -- Batavia CS
Jenica Hickey -- Byron-Bergen CS
Jenna Scott -- Caledonia-Mumford CS
Jeremiah Keaton -- Pavilion CS
Jorgette Mezydlo -- Attica CS
Makayla Carpenter -- Caledonia-Mumford CS
Sarah Howden -- Pavilion CS
Sean Vasko -- Oakfield-Alabama CS
Health Careers Academy
Alyssa Weaver -- Pembroke CS
Amy Chasse -- Pavilion CS
Garrett Downs -- Elba CS
Hailey Stevens -- Elba CS
Mackenzie Good -- Pavilion CS
MiKayla Tillotson -- Pavilion CS
Molly Neidrauer -- Oakfield-Alabama CS
Paige Hameister -- Batavia CS
Rebecca Reamer -- Pavilion CS
Health Dimensions
Casey Shaw -- Pembroke CS
Victoria Welka -- Byron-Bergen CS
IT Academy
Sophia Matla -- Le Roy CS
Metal Trades
Aiden Schadt -- Attica CS
Brent Schum -- Alexander CS
David Paddock -- Pavilion CS
Dillon Stein -- Caledonia-Mumford CS
Garrett Sando -- Byron-Bergen CS
Joel Jackowski -- Attica CS
Zach DiLiberto -- Caledonia-Mumford CS
About the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center
The Batavia Career and Technical Education Center is a program of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, and Steuben counties in New York state.
Cindy Skalny, of Batavia, was named to the Emerson College dean's list for the Fall 2016 semester. Skalny is majoring in Media Studies. The requirement to make Emerson's dean's lst is a grade-point average of 3.7 or higher.
About Emerson College
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city's Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has approximately 3,500 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs at Emerson Los Angeles, located in Hollywood, and at its 14th-century castle in the Netherlands. Additionally, there are opportunities to study in Washington, D.C., London, China, the Czech Republic, Spain, Austria, Greece, France, Ireland, Mexico, Cuba, England, and South Africa. The College has an active network of 37,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit emerson.edu.
Jordyn Vanelli, of Batavia, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Vanelli was initiated at Ithaca College.
Vanelli is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."
More About Phi Kappa Phi
Since its founding, 1.5 million members have been initiated into Phi Kappa Phi. Some of the organization's notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist David Baldacci and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. The Society has awarded approximately $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, $1.4 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives. For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org.
Press release:
When Rochester Institute of Technology's collegiate cyber defense team gets hacked, they call it practice.
Four days a week, the students can be found in the lab learning about the technical aspects of different computer systems and strategizing how to defend against attackers.
April 13-15, the team, including Kyle Carretto, of Corfu, put its skills to the test against the country's top cybersecurity colleges in the 2017 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, held in San Antonio, Texas. The annual championship is part of the nation's largest college-level cyber defense competition, an extracurricular event that helps to train the next generation of cybersecurity experts.
For the competition, students must defend a mock company's network infrastructure from a team of industry professionals who are assigned to break in and exploit the company's information.
To prepare for the event, students spend months getting a baseline of every possible computer system that could be used in the competition, learning about the different networks and protocols. They also practice by simulating the attackers, who are known as the red team. They run scenarios to defend against possible attacks, including an attack on their network and the installation of malware-tools used by the red team to gain unauthorized access to the student's systems.
Throughout the school year, the RIT team developed several plans of action for what to do during the competition. But these plans will often change during the first few hours of competition and the team has to react very quickly to a variety of unpredictable situations.
In addition to fending off attackers, the students need to please the bosses of the mock company. The team must respond to business injects, which represent the typical activities of a system administrator, including running monitoring software and adding and removing services.
For the cybersecurity students, CCDC is a fun space to test the skills they've learned both in and out of the classroom. It also serves as a place to meet employers. Raytheon, Walmart, IBM and the CIA are among the many industry sponsors for the event.
In the past, RIT has been among the top contenders at the national competition in San Antonio, placing third in 2015, second in 2014 and winning the national title in 2013. RIT received an automatic berth to the 2017 nationals after winning the Northeast regional competition in March.
Other regional winners competing for this year's national title include University of South Alabama, Brigham Young University, DePaul University, University of Washington, California State University Northridge, Montana Tech, University of Maryland Baltimore County, University of Tulsa and University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Rochester Institute of Technology is home to leading creators, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers. Founded in 1829, RIT enrolls about 19,000 students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, making it among the largest private universities in the U.S.
The university is internationally recognized and ranked for academic leadership in business, computing, engineering, imaging science, liberal arts, sustainability, and fine and applied arts. RIT also offers unparalleled support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation. Global partnerships include campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai and Kosovo.
For news, photos and videos, go to www.rit.edu/news
Aracely Hernandez, of Elba, has received the SUNY Oneonta 2016-2017 Susan Sutton Smith Award for academic excellence. To be eligible for the award, a student must be a freshman, sophomore or junior with a grade-point average of 3.9 or higher.
Hernandez, who is majoring in Spanish, received a certificate, a gift card to the campus bookstore, and an invitation to attend the annual Susan Sutton Smith Lecture and reception. Florian Reyda, Ph.D., professor of biology, delivered this year's Susan Smith Lecture titled, "Parasites, Evolution and Us," on April 11, in the Otsego Grille of the Morris Conference Center on campus.
Created to recognize faculty achievement outside the classroom, the Susan Sutton Smith Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence is named in memory of the late SUNY Oneonta professor of English. Reyda is the 23rd recipient of this prize. This event and the student awards are made possible by the generous gifts of SUNY Oneonta Alumni to the 2016-2017 Fund for Oneonta. The Susan Sutton Smith Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence is made possible by an endowment created through the generosity of Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Mary Smith in memory of their daughter, Susan, and in honor of her commitment to academic excellence. The lecture is free and open to the public.
A liberal arts institution with a strong focus on undergraduate research and service learning, SUNY Oneonta consistently gains recognition for delivering excellence and value. The college has been named to Kiplinger's list of "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" for 10 years running and sits at No. 12 on the 2017 U.S. News & World Report list of the best public institutions in the region. SUNY Oneonta enrolls 6,000 students in its 70 undergraduate majors and 14 graduate programs.
Genesee County Assistant Manager Matthew Landers was honored last month by the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) for graduating from the NYSAC County Government Institute. The ceremony was held at the NYSAC Legislative Conference in Albany.
The NYSAC County Government Institute is an educational program established in conjunction with Cornell University. The Institute provides an educational program for county elected and appointed officials, to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of county officials. For more information, visit www.nysac.org.
Landers graduated from SUNY Brockport and is currently working on a master’s in Public Administration. He has been with the county since April 2004, and has served in the roles of Deputy County Treasurer, Real Property Tax Services Director, and for the last two and a half years as Assistant County Manager. Matthew and his wife Melissa reside in Batavia with their children Kaitlyn (10) and Benjamin (6).
“The Institute’s vigorous curriculum prepares county leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the increasing demands of local government leadership in now and in the future,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario.
William E. Cherry, NYSAC president and Schoharie County treasurer, agrees.
“The County Government Institute equips county officials with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to address the challenges and opportunities of leadership, and to engage in civil dialogue with constituents as well as fellow leaders,” Cherry said.
The County Government Institute's comprehensive curriculum includes extensive course work on government ethics, building consensus in a political environment, principles of county budget and finance, and public sector labor/management relations. The courses are supplemented with electives, training sessions, and continuing education courses designed to support county leaders in serving their constituents.
“The course offerings through the County Government Institute have helped me become a better public administrator by educating me on emerging issues and expanding my knowledge base on important topics,” Landers said of the program.
Trevor J. Day has accepted an accounting position with The Bonadio Group in Amherst. Trevor is a 2016 graduate of Geneseo State College and a son of Sharon and Jeffrey Day, of Batavia.
Submitted photo and press release:
Batavia resident and International Peace Garden Foundation President Paula Savage, recently returned from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where she participated in the dedication of the 2017 International Peace Garden located at the Vallarta Botanical Garden.
Mexico was nominated for the honor because of its substantial contributions to the UN in areas such as peaceful settlement of disputes, struggle against apartheid, promotion of disarmament and halting of climate change. Puerto Vallarta is known to be a leader in Mexico for respecting diversity of cultures and human rights.
Savage said “It was a unanimous decision to select the Vallarta Botanical Garden to convey the message of world peace believing the Botanical Garden of Vallarta is a place of calm, comfort and healing of body, mind and spirit."
Inclusion and unification was the message of the day. During the dedication ceremonies on Feb. 16th several representatives from the interfaith community addressed the audience with wide praise for the mission of the International Peace Garden Foundation.
The new International Peace Garden adorns the slope that rises toward the entrance of the recently constructed Chapel of multiple doctrines. The Chapel is a replica of the well-known Franciscan mission in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. The plants, together with Mexican wildflowers, represent the Mediterranean region of the Holy Land, a geographical region that gave birth to some of the most prolific religions in the world. Bob Price, curator of the Vallarta Botanical Garden “the intention is to cultivate them harmoniously, to create a sanctuary for prayer and meditation without disturbance.”
The International Peace Garden Foundation is a charitable organization established to advance global friendship through the creation of worldwide Peace Gardens. Since 1990 these Peace Gardens span five continents. Residents and visitors to our community have enjoyed the Batavia Peace Garden since it opened in 2011 to celebrate 200 years of friendship with Canada.
The Batavia Peace Garden flies the flags of all the recipient countries and is registered as an Honorary International Peace Garden. There are nine Honorary International Peace Gardens in New York State along the Bicentennial Peace Garden Trail. More information about the Foundation can be obtained by visiting www.ipgf.org.
Sean Donovan, of Bergen, was among more than 500 students who earned endowed scholarships at Baldwin Wallace University this fall. Donovan, a graduate of Byron-Bergen High School majoring in music composition and music education, earned the William F. Grady Scholarship.
BW has a long history of endowed scholarship support from alumni, faculty, trustees and friends. More than 385 named scholarships provide over $3 million to help students attend, persist and graduate from BW. Endowed scholarships vary in their requirements with many specifying financial need, a course of study, involvement on campus or a commitment to excellence in a particular field. BW grants a wide range of scholarships to current students each year. Including endowed, merit and need-based scholarships, BW students received over $41 million in financial support from the University for the 2016-2017 academic year.
Baldwin Wallace University, founded in 1845, was one of the first colleges to admit students without regard to race or gender. An independent, coeducational university of 4,000 students, BW offers coursework in the liberal arts tradition in 75 academic areas. Located in Berea, 12 miles from downtown Cleveland, BW offers students the cultural, educational and business advantages of a major metropolitan area.
On Oct. 1-2, Barry Flansburg, Albion Future Farmers of America Alumni president, joined others throughout the region to help determine how they could better support agricultural education and their local FFA chapters. Flansburg is an assessor for the communities of Oakfield/Byron/Elba.
The National FFA Alumni Organization recently hosted a regional development conference in Rochester, which delivered professional, personal and alumni program development to local and state members. In addition, the conference was a time for alumni members to network and share local visions of innovation with other alumni chapters and state associations.
"As alumni, it is our responsibility to serve as a source of relief for our agriculture educators as well as attract new volunteers and supporters to help our FFA programs," said National FFA Alumni Executive Director Josh Rusk. "Our hope is that the regional development conferences will give alumni the tools and support they need to be successful in that endeavor."
This conference was one of six to be held this year. The other locations for the conferences include Oklahoma City, Okla., Burbank, Wash., Ankeny, Iowa, Oxford, Ohio, and Atlanta.
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 629,367 student members who belong to one of 7,757 local FFA chapters throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Nearly 700 first-time full-time freshmen began their studies at SUNY Canton for the fall 2016 semester.
"Our newest students are now actively engaged in their classes and everyone is commenting on what a wonderful addition they are to our campus," said SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran. "We are all very glad that they chose SUNY Canton."
The college offers 22 bachelor's degree programs, 21 associate degree programs, and five professional certificate programs. Additionally, nine of the college's bachelor's degrees are fully online.
Among those students who recently began their SUNY Canton education are:
About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.
Lyle Grant, of Corfu, was among more than 400 first-year students welcomed to the Baldwin Wallace University campus this fall who claimed $5.2 million dollars in merit scholarships.
Grant, a graduate of Alden Central School majoring in history, earned an $11,000 Dean's Scholarship based on outstanding academic achievements in high school.
BW's merit scholarships are awarded to full-time students and are renewable up to four years with good academic and social standing. BW grants a wide range of scholarships to current students each year. Including merit and need-based scholarships, BW students received more than $41 million in financial support from the University for the 2016-2017 academic year.
Baldwin Wallace University, founded in 1845, was one of the first colleges to admit students without regard to race or gender. An independent, coeducational university of 4,000 students, BW offers coursework in the liberal arts tradition in 75 academic areas. Located in Berea, 12 miles from downtown Cleveland, BW offers students the cultural, educational and business advantages of a major metropolitan area.
Ashley Jenks, of Pavilion, is a member of the Honors Society at Ashland University.
Jenks is majoring in Forensic Chemistry.
Jenks is a 2015 graduate of Pavilion Central School.
The Honors Society is a student-run organization that plans a variety of social, educational and service events for Honors Program students, thereby strengthening the learning community by building friendships outside the classroom.
Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category for 2016, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.
Michael D. Heisler, of Le Roy, completed his graduate studies in August at SUNY Oswego with a master of business administration degree in Management.
A 155-year-old comprehensive college in the State University of New York system, Oswego enrolls about 8,000 students in its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of Communication, Media and the Arts; and School of Education.
Visit oswego.edu for more information.
Jessica Molins, of Batavia, graduated from Buffalo State with a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Administration.
Buffalo State offers bachelor's and master's degrees in the arts, education, natural sciences, social sciences, and professional studies.
Buffalo State is located in the heart of Buffalo's cultural corridor.
Submitted photo of Franklin Davis, selected as the 2016 LeRoyan of the Year.
Press release:
Botts-Fiorito Post #576, American Legion, Le Roy, takes great pride and pleasure in announcing Franklin Davis as its selection for the 2016 “LeRoyan of the Year Award."
The community has benefitted in countless ways from his 85-year-long residence in Le Roy, and "Frank" has loved and been proud of his hometown always.
Although Frank was not an active serviceman, both of his parents as well as all three brothers were. He did serve in the National Guard prior to college. As a result, Frank has always held our country in highest esteem. Friends point out that he usually has two flags flying in his yard on any given day.
Frank started out after college with a florist business in Le Roy, and then went on to work for Jones Chemicals, eventually as Director of Sales. Frank’s family consists of his wife Martha, and five children Selby, Benson, Hugh, Andrew and Hannah.
He is a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church, having served on numerous committees, currently on the Church Maintenance Committee. He is an "over-50-year" member of the Le Roy Fire Department, as well as the Olive Branch Lodge #39 F&AM. Frank is also a member of the Oatka Hose Company as an active firefighter recently honored for more than 50 years of continuous service.
Frank has served on committees devoted to making Le Roy a better place to live, including the Planning Committee, a life member of the Le Roy Historical Society and the Le Roy Business Council. Frank served as President of the MacPelah Cemetery Board, and also served as the Disaster Chairmen of the Local Chapter of the American Red Cross. He was active in the Republican Committee for years. Frank was a member of the Le Roy Rotary as well.
There are two personal qualities that Frank possesses which stand out and make him a unique and exceptionally qualified person in terms of qualifying for this award. The first is his outstanding ability to be helpful in times of need or difficulty. Whether a friend has a need, or the community, an organization he belongs to or not, a family member, or a dog. In addition, is his best quality is his friendship. Frank makes friends and leaves a good impression wherever he goes. His cheerful demeanor makes others comfortable and he is the first to ask others how THEY are doing. He has many lifelong friends and makes new ones often.
The bottom line is that Frank Davis will be there for you, and he will be the best friend you have ever had (as long as you don’t mind his cigar once in a while).
The 48th annual Award Dinner will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8th. Social hour begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:45 p.m. at the American Legion, 53 W. Main St., Le Roy.
Tickets for this year’s Award Dinner are available at the American Legion. Cost is $20 per person.
(Submitted photo. Jennifer Bertrand, who teaches in Le Roy, with a display about their winning innovative teaching idea.)
Press release:
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), a leading provider of retirement plans for educators, announced today that Jennifer Bertrand, Robert Blake and Julie Coleman, a group of teachers at Le Roy Central School District in Le Roy, have received a $2,000 grant as part of the company’s 2016 Voya Unsung Heroes awards competition.
This group of teachers is one of only two winning teams statewide! The other winning group is in New York, NY.
Through the Voya Unsung Heroes program, Voya Financial awards grants to K-12 educators nationwide to honor their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects, and their ability to positively influence the children they teach. This year marks the program’s 20th anniversary. Since 1996, it has awarded nearly $5 million in grants to more than 2,000 educators across the United States.
Video testimonials sent in by winners from the past two decades underscore how the Voya Unsung Heroes program has made a significant difference in the lives of these amazing teachers and their students. In looking back at the winning projects from the program’s 20-year history, Voya has also been able to track the popular trends and compelling concepts that have shaped our country’s education system. (See infographic: “Voya Highlights 20 Years of Teaching Trends”).
“At Voya, we not only have the privilege of helping teachers plan for their retirement, we also have this unique opportunity to help them dream big in the classroom and inspire their students to do the same,” said Heather Lavallee, president of Tax-Exempt Markets at Voya Financial.
“We are proud to recognize those exceptional teachers who work every day to raise the bar of their profession and find new ways to spark a love of learning. As we help Americans plan, invest and protect their savings to build a secure financial future, we’re honored to help this group of teachers go above and beyond to prepare their students for their own bright future.”
The Le Roy team’s innovative teaching idea, “Knights of the Makerspace,” is focused on providing the opportunity for students to collaborate while boosting their potential for creativity and innovation through the use of technology. Students involved in the program will have access to the use of a makerspace, a creative, "do-it-yourself" space where students can gather to create, invent, and learn.
The goal for “Knights of the Makerspace” is to create a space within the Le Roy Central School District building for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students wherein they can use robots, circuits, computer coding, 3D printing and more and ultimately tap into their problem solving potential. Students will have access to the makerspace during or after the school day. Additionally, the space will be used to assist in the recruiting efforts of the school’s female population, which is a priority to empower and energize students within the computer sciences field.
Selected from a group of more than 1,350 applicants, the group is among only 100 winners across the country who will receive this award to help fund and bring their program to life. In addition they will now compete with other finalists for one of the top three prizes — an additional $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 from Voya Financial.
To learn more about this year’s winning projects, as well as those from previous years, visit the Voya Unsung Heroes website (unsungheroes.com). Applications for the 2017 Voya Unsung Heroes awards are currently being accepted through the website until April 30, 2017.
About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $11 billion in revenue in 2015. For more information, visit voya.com.
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