Announcements

Contestants are wanted for the Genesee County Fair Queen Pageant. She will reign at the fair July 20-24.

Females interested must be ages 15-18, grades 10 through 12, and residents of Genesee County. To enter the pageant, you need to submit an application by June 15.

Contact person is pageant coordinator Victoria Rippel. She can be reached by e-mail at victoriarippel@yahoo.com or by postal mail at 19 Mix Place, Batavia, NY, 14020. Phone is 813-5570.

The pagaent is sponsored by the Genesee County Agricultural Society.

Next spring, Genesee Community College will offer an immersion trip to Costa Rica to study the Central American rain forest. The tour is open to all students as well as community members who are interested in learning and studying the ecology and conservation methods of Costa Rica.

Participants will have the chance to earn college credit while learning about ethnobotany, elementary botany, ecology and earth science during this nine-day ecological tour.

The tour will be led by Genesee biology professor Maureen Leupold, who has studied the rain forests of Costa Rica on two previous college trips. Students who enroll, will earn three college credits while studying the stunning ecological terrain of Costa Rica, including volcanoes, rain forests and beaches.

Participants will travel throughout the country exploring various plant and animal habitats, experiencing the vibrant cultural traditions of the Costa Rican people and discovering how inhabitants of this diverse country are trying to conserve and protect their ecological wonderland.

The study tour starts in San Jose, the capital and cultural center of Costa Rica and continues on to the Arenal Region where students will visit a biologically diverse theme park, an active volcano, natural hot springs, biological research station and waterfalls.

The tour will continue on to Monteverde where students will visit an ecological reserve, explore rain forests, plant trees, view a canopy tour of a rain forest and attend a lecture. Participant will also experience the Central Pacific Coast and the Manual Antonio National Park. The tour closes in the Puntarenas region where students will visit a coffee plantation before returning to San Jose for their departure home.

"This is an incredible opportunity for the students here at Genesee Community College," professor Leupold said. "We strive to offer these types of hands-on learning opportunities for students at the community college level. This ecological and conservation tour is true experiential learning at its finest."

Students enrolling in the tour for college credit will register for BIO114 and be graded on a daily trip journal they are required to keep while on the tour, as well as online exams, a major research paper, oral reports, and discussions both online and in person.

The course and immersion trip is in the distance-learning format in which course material will be available online throughout the spring semester. Participants on the study tour will meet for a pre-departure seminar one month before the tour.

The Costa Rica immersion trip will run March 9-17, 2011 and is open to all. However, seats are limited to the first 24 participants. The cost for this tour is $2,227 plus airfare, with an optional insurance fee of $135. Participants who enroll for college credit in BIO114 Rainforest Biology will also pay the appropriate tuition fees for full- or part-time enrollment.

For further information on cost, registration and details, please contact Maureen Leupold at 343-0055, ext. 6394 or <http://maleupold@genesee.edu>.

 6 Month Celebration

Saturday, May 15

10 - 4p.m.

50% OFF EVERYTHING!

Household, Hardware, Tools, Furniture, Appliances & Much More!

LOCATION:

BASEMENT OF THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

8221 LEWISTON RD., BATAVIA, N.Y.

Genesee Community College and Genesee Center for the Arts in Batavia continue a long-term commitment to the arts with five new theater workshops for people age 15 and up.

These one- and-two day workshops cover a variety of topics and are taught by theater experts who have worked professionally in the theater industry. The workshops take place June 21-28 at the Genesee Center for the Arts at the Batavia Campus.

How to Audition for a Play: 6 to 10 p.m. June 21 & 22  /  $50
Get that role at your next audition! Learn how to pick and perform a monologue. Learn what tools you will need to successfully audition for a play. How your voice and movement make an impression. How to make the best of "cold readings" when you have never read the script before.

Improvisation Workshop: 6 to 10 p.m. June 23  /  $25
Free yourself from the text and learn how to play with a scene. Learn the secrets behind successful improv work. Be as funny as the people on "Who's Line is it Anyway?"

Voice Workshop for the Actor: 6 to 10 p.m. June 24  /  $25
Is your voice holding you back from playing that role you've dreamed of? Learn how to project and articulate.

Musical Theatre Audition Workshop: 10 to 5 p.m. June 26 & 27  /  $75
Learn everything you need to know about auditioning successfully for musical theater. What songs to choose, how to act a song, what general dance steps will help you win the role.

Acting for the Camera: 6 to 10 p.m. June 28  /  $25
Learn the skills necessary to dazzle producers with your "on camera" persona! Learn what to wear, how to interview and what to say through the camera.

Key instructor for the workshops will be Maryanne Arena, director of Fine and Performing Arts at Genesee Community College, and her daughter Jaime Arena. Maryanne was a professional actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and director before turning to a full-time teaching career.

She holds an MFA in acting/theater and has toured the United States with several professional theater companies. Maryanne has created and implemented Theatre Programs for gifted high-school students, as well as college students.

Jaime completed her conservatory training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She has worked professionally as an actor and is now teaching at the Performing Arts Academy in Hartford, Conn. Jaime is a sought-after acting coach and has several students in movies and on television.

"In the past we have offered a two-week theater experience for area youth," Maryanne said. "This year we wanted to reach out to another sector of our community and involve adults in the Center for Arts. There is an abundance of talent in our region and our goal here at the college is to educate and provide creative avenues for individuals of all ages."

For further information and/or to register, please contact Ann Winters at 345-6814, or e-mail <http://boxoffice@genesee.edu>.

Continuing the tradition started by his father (former Assemblyman R. Stephen Hawley), Assemblyman Steve Hawley will again be hosting a Local Government Conference in Albany on Sunday, May 16 through Tuesday, May 18.

The purpose of the three-day conference is to help local government officials and representatives from the 139th Assembly District become more familiar with state government and the state agencies in the Capital.

“It is my pleasure to host the Local Government Conference again this year,” said Hawley in a news release.  “During these difficult fiscal times for our state, it’s never been more important that a stronger relationship is built between local officials and the state Capital. If we can improve communication, and establish better relationships between the two, then
we can streamline the needs of our community in a more efficient and less costly manner.”

Boarding trains from Rochester and arriving in Albany, officials and representatives will be attending three days of seminars, meetings, and lectures presented by a number of state agencies.

For more information regarding Assemblyman Hawley’s Local Government Conference, please contact his district office at (585) 589-5780.

Congressman Chris Lee will hold office hours in Le Roy on Wednesday, May 12 in which a member of his staff will be available for one-on-one meetings with Genesee County residents.

It will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Le Roy Village Hall, located at 3 West Main St.

“These office hours provide Genesee County residents with a unique opportunity to meet with a member of my staff one-on-one, whether it be to troubleshoot interactions with federal agencies or discuss the issues of the day,” Congressman Lee said in a news release.

This is the congressman's fourth session for local residents since taking office.

The Genesee County BEA (Business Education Alliance) will be having its Annual Spring Breakfast Meeting and Awards Program at 7:15 a.m. on Friday, May 21at Bohn's Restaurant in Batavia.

The featured program is "Ag in the Classroom," which is part of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County. Ag in the Classroom is an agricultural-based education outreach program.

Students will be speaking about their experiences in these programs: Ag Literacy Week; Incubation and Embryology; and 1st Grade Dairy Days. These programs are possible due to the support of local businesses, business people and school districts along with the dedicated staff members at Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Businesses, business members, and schools will be honored with annual awards. The awards to be presented include:

• Outstanding New Program Award to the Biotechnology Science Share Program, created by three high school science teachers at Batavia High School
• Outstanding Business Member Award to Syntec Optics in Pavilion
• APPLE Award to Alexander Central School District

The cost of the breakfast is $16 per person. All are invited and encouraged to attend!  If you would like to attend, please contact Melinda Chamberlin at 343-7440 or at
mchamberlin@geneseeny.com.

Here's a notice from the Volunteers for Animals at the Genesee County Animal Shelter:

"We currently have two neutered male cats (tested and up to date on vaccines) needing a home where they can safely roam outside.

"They are nice guys, just not happy with being cooped up indoors. They must be watched over, fed and have a safe place to sleep. If you can help one or both of these guys out, drop us an e-mail."

<http://www.vol4animals.org>
 

The kids and parents in Kelly March's (back, left) "Woolly Book Worms" club got some special treats for their last meeting Saturday: a scrumptious peanut butter pie, a delectable white cake with strawberries (both pictured below), and a visit from nearby children's author Peggy Thomas (second from right in the back).

Also included were some parent-friendly and kid-friendly beverages to wash the sweets down.

Thomas is the author of 14 books for children and young adults, including "Joshua the Giant Frog," which is a folkloric tale of the Erie Canal.

In spite of the fact that her mother, Margery Facklam, is also a children's author (her works include "Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars" and "The Big Bug Book"), writing was not Thomas' childhood ambition. Her father was a high school science teacher, and for a while it looked like she was going to follow in his footsteps and become a scientist. When it came time to go off to college, this became her focus.

Well, "focus" might not be exactly the right word...

"I kind of jumped around a lot in college," Thomas said.

After having explored different science programs, she ended up topping off her academic career with a master's degree in anthropology. But she gained something from her college experience that was arguably more valuable than a degree: her vocation.

"I learned from my mother that writing was a good, valuable thing as a kid," she explained. "And in college I realized that if I became a writer, I wouldn't have to be tied to just one thing. I could explore all these different subjects I was interested in."

Thomas' other works include juvenile nonfiction books on the subjects of forensic anthropology, animals, nature and New York State, as well as a picture book about President George Washington's life as a farmer in Mt. Vernon.

Her visit to the library was very informal. She sat down with the kids, let them ask questions, and talked about the steps involved in the writing process as well as the roles of the people involved -- including the illustrator, the editor and the copy editor.

She also showed everyone the "print run" of one of her mother's books, just to give an idea of the complexities of the book-publishing process.

Thomas lives in Middleport, which is about 2 hours and 45 minutes away from Batavia. For more information on her and the books she has written, vist her website at www.peggythomaswrites.com.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

March would like to start Woolly Book Worms again in September. To learn more about this program, please contact the library at 343-9550, ext. 4.

Here's an announcement from a reader:

"Hello my name is Ronald. I have obtain permission from my city council (Batavia) to hold an event. I am reaching out to surrounding counties to see who would like to be involved. In Erie County, I am working with Aaron Coleman. I am currently working with several organizations in my county (Genesee).

"My goal is to make the Western New York Peace Festival a regional event and bring people of Western New York together in a moment of peace and unity for an acknowledgment of each other. It's a dream of mine to see unity and socialization between urban, suburban, city, county, culture and race.

"The event is planned for Aug. 28 (but the details still need to be worked out). There are meetings for those who want to be involved at 6:30 p.m. every 2nd and 4th Thursday at the Batavia Assembly of God Church, 24 N. Spruce St. The first meeting was on May 6. All interested please feel free to come or call me at 585-490-4002. Come and support your town, county and region."

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, Rt. 63, East Bethany, invites you to join us next Sunday, May 16th for our reknowned Chicken BBQ.  Serving from 11am till sold out (best to come early to avoid missing out).  Adults $8, Children $4, Chicken Only $4.

You will be seeing more and more of that big red bus around town.  Care-A-Van Ministries has added on morning ministry. 

The bus currently is going out Monday and Wednesday mornings. The purpose of the mornings out is to park randomly in neighborhoods and be there for people that need encourgement and prayer.

Pictured above is Paul Ohlson founder of the ministry with a man Herb who stopped by for prayer. Seen inside the bus is  Pastor Jack McMullen of the City Church and Pastor Mark Perkins from Oakfield Alabama Baptist Church. They  are two of the Pastors who volunteer their tme for the mornings out. Other Pastors that are currently volunteering are Pastor Larry Becker of City Church, Pastor Dale Gooch of the Emannual Baptist church, Pastor Charlie Piscitello of Faith Fellowship and Captain Bob Krutz of the Salvation Army.

Other Pastors have shown an interest of becoming involved. It is the vision of Paul Ohlson that enough churches and Pastors will come on board, so the bus could be out every morning and even possibly twice a day ministering to the people of Batavia.

Currently , Care-A-Van Ministries serves 28 different neighborhoods. They are looking to have churches partner and possibly take over a neighborhood, so Care-A-Van could reach out to other areas in the city that are in need.

As we say at Care-Van,   Keep the Light On!

Yesterday's trustee election at the Richmond Memorial Library garnered 167 votes for Rosemary Surowka, who has been re-elected to the Board of Trustees.

Library Director Diana Wyrwa submitted this information to The Batavian.

Attention young readers, here's a fun way to gear up for the Summer Reading Program at Richmond Memorial Library. It is a contest to find "Richmond Reader." Here's the scoop!

Flo the Flamingo is on the loose in the city of Batavia. She is trying to find Richmond Reader and needs your help. Richmond has sent a message in a bottle that he is lost on a deserted island. Flo must find him and return him to the Richmond Memorial Library by June 28 for the beginning of the Summer Reading Program.

Each week starting May 9, Flo will check a different business or agency to see if they know where the deserted island might be located. Weekly clues to the places Flo is checking may be found on the Children’s page of the library’s website <http://www.batavialibrary.org/> or by visiting the Children’s Room. The library is located at 19 Ross St.

When you find Flo, she will have words from the message that Richmond Reader sent. A prize will be given to children each time they find Flo and record these words. A special award will be given to those that follow Flo all the way to the end of her journey.

For questions or more information, contact Kelly March, youth services library assistant, at 343-9550.

So did we come from monkeys? Or did God create us? Or both?

Are evolution and creation compatible? Did humans and dinosaurs coexist?

Is the world billions or thousands of years old?

These are some of the main topics that creation science evangelist Steve Grohman, PhD, is covering in the "Creation Seminar" at United Pentecostal Church, at 180 Oak St. in Batavia.

Grohman visits hundreds of churches and schools -- both public and private -- every year to present scientific evidence for the Creationist theory of the universe. Pastor John Hatch of United Pentecostal invited The Batavian to see him in action, and Grohman was kind enough to answer some questions in a video interview.

Yesterday was the first day of the Creation Seminar. Each session is different, and a variety of topics are covered -- including geology, fossil records, the Great Flood of Genesis, etc. The congregation welcomes anyone who would like to attend, including skeptics.

The remaining times and dates are as follows:

1 to 3 p.m. and 6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Monday, May 3

6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Tuesday, May 4

6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Wednesday, May 5

For those who are interested, here are some links to videos showing some of the various differing perspectives on the evolution/creation, religion/science debate:

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4 (up to 4:40)

Video 5

Video 6

Video 7

The "Have a Heart" Chinese Auction for little Keegan Delcamp will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 1 at Batavia Downs Racetrack and Casino.

He will turn 3 in July and is tiny for his age because he is among the one in 300,000 children in the nation afflicted with Bland-Garland-White Syndrome.

It is a rare heart condition wherein the left coronary artery is not coming from the aorta, but rather from the pulmonary artery, thus mixing oxygenated blood with nonoxygenated blood. This causes his heart to work much harder than it should and subjects him to a heart attack at any time. He needs a heart transplant and is waiting for that chance.

Meanwhile, he is covered with health insurance, but the co-pays and deductibles are way more than his single mother can afford. She has one other son, also under age 5.

Please consider making a donation and/or attending the Chinese Auction for this little guy, who would enjoy going to kindergarten when he's old enough, maybe become a Webelo -- who knows, the whole world could be his Oyster with your help.

"May Day! May Day! Over?"

Genesee Community College Director of Student Activities Clifford Scutella, on left, was recently honored by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) at their International Convention in Orlando, Fla. He was among only 25 administrators, from 400 chapters in the nation honored with the Administrator of Distinction Award.

This is awarded to community college vice presidents, deans or other leaders serving a community college in an administrative capacity. Awardees have served in their position for at least two years and have demonstrated a strong level of support for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Scutella was nominated by Genesee's chapter of PTK for his commitment to the students and PTK initiatives. As a community college graduate, Scutella knows the value of Phi Theta Kappa and the work the students do.

He came to Genesee in 1989 after serving as the assistant director of Student Activities at Monroe Community College from 1978-1989. He has held the position of director of Student Activities for his entire tenure as well as serving as dean of students for a few years. He resides in Brockport.

"The students at Genesee are eager to learn outside of the classroom," Scutella said. "Through clubs, organizations and student government, the students are learning about life and developing practical life lessons.

 "...I'm lucky I get to work with amazing students, but also a very supportive administration. I work with people that understand the importance of co-curricular activities. The staff and administration know that clubs and organizations enhance the quality of life at the college and contribute to student retention."

Established in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership and service programming. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.6 to become a member.

For more information please contact the office of Student Activities at 345-6832.