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Press release:

What: Spring Open House at Genesee Community College

When: 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 14

Where: Genesee Community College -- One College Road, Batavia

Who: Everyone looking for an affordable higher education

Registration is open now for both summer and fall 2018. Have you seen all of the great courses being offered at GCC? Don't miss your chance to get started on your college degree!

The admissions team and student success coaches at Genesee Community College are here to help you pursue your degree or certificate program. Apply today and get registered right away!

Representatives from GCC's student services offices will be on hand to answer questions about admissions, career and transfer services, student activities, athletics and you can attend a financial aid session. Tours of the campus will be available, including the new Student Success Center, Richard C. Call Arena and College Village -- GCC's apartment-style residential housing.

Register today at www.genesee.edu/openhouse or call 1-866-CALL-GCC.

Can't make it to Open House? Join us on a Friday Visit Day. Learn about GCC's application and admissions processes, financial aid opportunities, take a campus tour, and sit in on a college class. Friday Visit Days begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon on the following dates:

• April 20
• May 4

You can also visit www.genesee.edu/VT for a virtual campus tour.

GCC offers a comprehensive selection of over 70 degree and certificate programs. Dedicated to student success and accessibility, GCC offers a totally FREE application process, FREE career counseling, FREE tutoring and FREE parking.

With more than 100 courses available online every semester and 15 degrees that can be earned completely online, GCC is more convenient than ever. GCC's Campus Centers located in Albion, Arcade, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw provide additional options to attend class close to home.

Contact GCC's Admissions Office at 585-345-6800 or email Admissions@genesee.edu today to get started. For online, door-to-door driving directions go to: http://www.genesee.edu/about/visit/maps/

Submitted photos and press release:

In 2014, the owners of the Village Bakery & Café in Downtown Rochester contacted Karen (Todd) Flack to paint a mural to illustrate their fresh food philosophy which boasts local farm products, produce and free-range eggs.

Flack was excited about the project and she developed a farm scene stretching across nearly a full wall in the Café. The 10' x 25' painting features the sun rising behind mountains that edge a farm with chickens, a cow, trees, a wagon, fields and flowers and a banner that reads: "It's not just what we use. It's what we don't." Patrons have been enjoying the mural for nearly four years since her original artwork was developed.

An adjunct Art teacher at Genesee Community College, Flack teaches all of her students to do their homework and use a variety of resources to maximize the impact of a visual assignment. In fact, she collected approximately 150 images for visual reference while doing the Village Bakery & Café painting. In her 10 years of teaching at GCC, Flack has enjoyed teaching students of all ages.

She has also worked various art restoration projects and architectural conservation projects including assignments in the Senator's Mansion in Churchville, The First Universalist Church in Rochester, and privately owned works by artists such as Andy Warhol and Ramon Santiago. She also designed the commemorative button for the Second Annual Orleans County Heritage Festival in 2017.

As both an artist and educator, Flack was recently honored when she discovered the mural in the Village Bakery & Café was being used as a reference by R.I.T. graduate student, Kelly Ryan in a teaching unit for a seventh-grade studio art class at The Harley School in Brighton.

The unit Ryan developed teaches students about effective use of the foreground, middle ground and background to develop great compositions, how to foster creativity and apply acrylic painting techniques. The farm-scape unit included a guest artist session where Ryan's students met Flack to discuss not only the mural, but the students' artwork, as well.

"I was so impressed seeing all of the pieces these young budding artists created using my work as inspiration," Flack said. "Most artists hope their work inspires or educates and it was humbling to see it first-hand in these students." 

Ryan's unit also served to illustrate the various careers available to artists.

"With each unit I teach, I work hard to make sure my students see the opportunities their learning and skills can produce," Ryan said. "Having Karen come into the classroom created a real-world connection for the students that demonstrated how art can be used to communicate messages, in this case the farm to table concept, to the community through a social context.

"The farm-scape unit culminated with a student art exhibit at the Village Bakery & Café. The public display really drove the students to produce their very best work."

Flack's mural, which was one of four nominated for the Best Mural in Rochester in 2014 is visible at the Village Bakery & Café at the Armory, located at 145 Culver Road in the City of Rochester.

To appreciate Flack's additional creativity in arts go to her website here, which features a video of her playing her violin or "fiddle" as a guest appearance with the Marshall Tucker Band at the Rochester Lilac Festival, and also her work at the Perry Chalk Art Festival where she won first place in 2016 and was the featured artist in 2017.

(In addition to the Culver Road location in Rochester, Village Bakery & Cafe has two other sites: in the Eastview Mall in the Town of Victor; and in the Village of Pittsford.)

A Statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia):

“Although the budget process was rife with secrecy and failed to include much-needed ethics reform, we did secure funding for many programs crucial to Western New York.

“I am pleased we were able to restore Gov. Cuomo’s proposed cuts to Library Aid – providing millions in additional funding. We secured hundreds of millions in CHIPS to repair local infrastructure, programs to support up and coming farmers, a record amount of education aid and ensured protections for our valiant veterans.

“I am concerned that we once again increased spending, failed to curb our bloated Medicaid program and must absorb tax increases handed down by New York City politicians.

“Going forward with the rest of session I am confident we can work toward making New York more affordable for all and protecting Upstate values from radical special interests.”

The lineup has just been released for the 2018 Downtown Batavia Concert Series in Jackson Square, according to the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District.

Live music will be featured on Friday evenings from 7 to 9 in the square, located between Center and Jackson streets, bring your own chair. Admission is free thanks to the generosity of sponsors for the concert series.

Here's the lineup:

• June 22 -- Red Creek (Party Rock)
• June 29 -- Don Newcomb Band (Country)
• July 6 -- Old Hippies (Acoustic & Original)
• July 13 -- The Josie Waverly Band (Contemporary Country)
• July 20 -- The Grove Street Band (Classic Rock / R & B)
• July 27 -- The Ohms Band (Classic Rock)
• Aug. 3 -- Mitty & The Followers (Motown)
• Aug. 10 -- Ghost Riders (Hardcore Country)
• Aug. 17 -- Something Else ('80s / '90s Pop Rock)
• Aug. 24 -- Bluesway Band (Blues)

Press release:

The fourth ARTiculations Ability Exhibition® -- a forum for artists with disabilities in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties to display their work publicly -- will open at Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) in Batavia on Tuesday, April 3.

Titled "Life, Lines & Light," it features the work of Beth Allen, DMV, a veterinarian and mental health activist, whose photographs of animals, plants and beautiful landscapes, mostly in Genesee County, depict inspirations from her own life journey.

A product of a partnership between ILGR and the University Heights Arts Association (UHAA), the Exhibit will be on display through June 22^th.

The Opening Reception, is Friday, April 13th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at ILGR’s office, 113 Main St., Suite 5, in Batavia. Allen will be handing out a few of the photo postcards she has created for sharing as Door Prizes at the Reception.

An amateur photographer who picked up the hobby from her mother, Allen found the "mindfulness" she employs when taking pictures to be soothing for her mental health issues, and useful in the support groups she facilitates, so she has dubbed the process "Mindful Moments."

Other artists with disabilities residing in the Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties are encouraged to submit their work to this juried competition, as there will be additional ARTiculations® planned quarterly exhibits in the future.

For more than a year, ILGR has been “art partnering” for people with disabilities with the UHAA, a group of artists in North Buffalo with a commitment to community that places art in businesses and nonprofits through an established ARTpartnering program.

The organizers are pleased to note that the ARTiculations Ability Exhibitions® have “mapped” into UHAA’s system by placing a plaque with a Quick Response (QR) code scatter bar graph that can bring up information about it when scanned by your smart phone.

For questions on the event, please call Bridget Mosman at (585) 815-8501, ext. 400.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Batavia City School District Superintendent Christopher J. Dailey.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Batavia City School District has been awarded a 2018 Top Workplaces honor by the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester.

The award is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage LLC (formerly WorkplaceDynamics), a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools.

The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

“Top Workplaces is more than just recognition,” said Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage. “Our research shows organizations that earn the award attract better talent, experience lower turnover, and are better equipped to deliver bottom-line results. Their leaders prioritize and carefully craft a healthy workplace culture that supports employee engagement.” 

For Superintendent of Schools Christopher J. Dailey, the anonymous survey confirmed what he already believed to be true: “Our administration, faculty, and staff are second to none," he said.

“They are dedicated to improving all students in every aspect of their growth while enrolled at BCSD. In addition, our Board of Education, backed by our community, supports the administration in creating a positive environment for our students and staff to work, learn, and grow.”

The future, he noted, will hold more of the same. 

“This independent survey of all of our employees is an excellent recognition that defines our district as a great place to have a career that makes a difference in our world,” Dailey said. “We offer outstanding benefits to our employees and excellent professional development opportunities for continued improvement in all aspects of our district.

"BCSD also has tremendous facilities for our employees to impact the lives of our students. Our 2020 Vision Capital Project will enhance all aspects of our employee and student lives.” 

Claffey said, “Becoming a Top Workplace isn’t something organizations can buy. It’s an achievement organizations have worked for and a distinction that gives them a competitive advantage. It’s a big deal.”

BATAVIA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 

MISSION:
The Batavia City School District is committed to empowering students to achieve their maximum potential, while becoming socially responsible citizens.

VISION:
The Batavia City School District, in partnership with the Batavia community, will provide a safe and nurturing environment to develop students with high moral character who are able to successfully meet life's challenges.

Press release:

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Alabama is hosting its 34^th annual Spring into Nature celebration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 28.

This year we welcome back spring with the theme "Your Backyard Refuge." Join us for a variety of nature-related exhibits, crafts, fishing demos, and games for the kids.

Bird feeder/nesting platform construction, viewing of live birds of prey, archery games, and face painting are among the returning favorites. Don’t forget to meet "Puddles," the blue goose mascot of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Food will be available for purchase and all activities are free.

Please contact Refuge staff at 585.948.5445, ext. 7037, or visit our website here for further information.

Iroquois NWR is located midway between Buffalo and Rochester, and is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Individuals with disabilities and any other person who may need special assistance to participate in this program should contact the Refuge at (585) 948-5445 or at the Federal Relay No. 1-800-877-8339.

Press release:

Last Thursday, the Genesee Community College Pool was filled with 400 bright yellow rubber ducks each representing a donation to the eighth Annual United Way Campaign.

The Duck Derby is the single biggest initiative GCC developed to solicit donations for the campaign from faculty, staff and students. However events are scheduled throughout the campaign period.

This year the Duck Derby raised more than $400 for the United Way and the following participants won prizes: Katina Maher, John McGowan, Dave Hoover, Marguerite Badami, Kelly Sutcliff and Maureen Goodsell.

To champion the campaign efforts each year GCC establishes a United Way Committee. The 2018 committee includes:

• Courtney Andros, assistant director of HR Compliance
• Bethany Aradine, assistant director of HR
• Justine Briggs, TS Business training specialist
• John McGowan, director of Business and Employee Training Skills (BEST Center)
• Katherine Trombley, director of the Adult Education Opportunity Center (AEOC)
• Gina Weaver, associate vice president of HR
• Dolores Wilkin, HR Department secretary
• GCC's student athletes

The committee has set a donation goal of $16,000 for 2018, a 6-percent increase over 2017. Donations are accepted through payroll deductions, one-time gifts and of course, the purchase of ducks for the Duck Derby.

"The United Way does so much for so many organizations and individuals in our community," Campaign Coordinator Gina Weaver said. "Our campaign is our way of ensuring that good work can continue."

GCC faculty, students and staff are encouraged to make their contributions online at https://secure.uwrochester.org/epledge/crm/Start.jsp?accountNumber=53868.

Submitted photo and press release:

St. Joseph Catholic School is proud to announce that it has inducted 10 new students into its National Junior Honor Society (NJHS).

Parents, family and friends gathered at St. Joe’s earlier this month for this special ceremony to recognize select students for their outstanding efforts.

Matthew Landfried, Todd Bowman, Karen Green and the current NJHS members welcomed these new members with a ceremony sharing what the NJHS is all about. They shared that not only is the society about academics but it also serves to honor students that have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, character and citizenship.

The students in eighth grade that were honored this year were: Jayce Ashton, Michael Cianfrini, Camden King and Amanda Nguyen.

The students in seventh grade that were honored were: Veronica Bochicchio, Maylee Green, Kaylie Kratz, Amelia McCulley, Arabella Rogers and Aaron Treleaven.

Joseph Scanlan, Ph.D., shared some special words of encouragement and congratulations to end out the evening. Congratulations to all these hardworking students!