It was a white world in Batavia this morning, with snow still clinging to tree branches, piled on the ground and nearly white, overcast skies, including along the Tonawanda Creek behind the County Courthouse.
A partition fire was reported at Lapp Insulator on Gilbert Street in Le Roy, and though the fire is believed to be out, firefighters are detecting heat on the roof.
Le Roy Fire on scene.
Byron and Bergen requested to the scene.
UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: Firefighters believe the fire to be out.
Press Release:
The Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will offer a free event Tuesday in Batavia about how healthy habits can improve both the body and the mind.
“Healthy Living for Your Body and Brain” will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Genesee County Office for the Aging at 2 Bank St. in Batavia. The program will cover four areas of lifestyle habits that are associated with healthy aging: cognitive activity, exercise, diet and nutrition, and social engagement.
Participants will learn, based on current research, the steps they can take now to improve or maintain overall health in each area and use hands-on tools to help incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging.
Registration is recommended and can be done online HERE or by calling 800-272-3900.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, call the 24/7 Alzheimer’s Association Helpline at 800.272.3900 or visit alz.org.
Harris Busmire of Bergen picked up another honor score this week when he posted a 300 game at his hometown Rose Garden Bowl.
The 58-year-old right-hander turned an otherwise pedestrian night into one to remember when he finished with the perfect game on lanes 7-8 in the Wednesday Men's Handicap League. His other games were 233 and 166.
On Dec. 15, Busmire posted an 813 series in the Thursday Owls League at Rose Garden Bowl.
At Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion, Curtis Foss of Medina registered his fourth 800 series in the Genesee Region USBC this season -- spinning 268-258-275--801 in the Sneezy's Monday Night League.
At Medina Lanes, Scott Allis of Medina fired a pair of 279 games in a 791 series in the Sunday Rolloffs League -- four days after a 277--772 in the Wednesday Community League.
At Mancuso Bowling Center, Gary MacDonald of Batavia rolled a 297 game in the County Line Stone Friday Trios League.
For a list of high scores for the week, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the home page.
Press release:
The Alexander Fire Department is again hosting its Annual Valentine's Steak Dinner and Dance on Saturday, Feb. 18. at the Alexander Fire Hall, 101505 Main St., Alexander.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with dinner at 7:00 p.m.
Music by our favorite local band Red Creek!
Tickets are $30/single and $50/couple. Each ticket includes two bar drink tickets. A cash bar is available. Advanced tickets only by calling Heidi at 585-813-6598.
File photo by Philip Casper
Ronald M. Washburn is indicted on a count of sexual abuse in the first degree, a Class D violent felony, and one count of course of sexual conduct against a child, a Class D felony. Washburn is accused of sexual contact a child less than 11 years old in the City of Batavia at least two or more with between February 2018 and April 2018.
Donald A. Dylag, Jr. is indicated on one count of assault in the second degree, a Class D violent felony. Dylag is accused of, with intent, causing serious physical injury to a person in Pembroke on Aug. 9.
Cory Bernard Buckenmeyer, 32, of Alexander Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, unreasonable speed, driving left of pavement marks, and driving while using a mobile phone. Buckenmeyer was reportedly involved in a motor vehicle accident on Jan. 20 at 10:01 p.m. on Creek Road, Bethany. The incident was investigated by Deputy Zachary Hoy and Deputy Nicholas Chamoun. Buckenmeyer was released on an appearance ticket.
Michele Louise Difalco, 34, of Maple Street Road, Alabama, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, moving from lane unsafely, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Difalco is accused of being involved in a property damage accident while on drugs on Nov. 11 at 11:08 p.m. on Judge Road in Alabama. The incident was investigated by Deputy James Stack and Deputy Austin Heberlein. Difalco was released on an appearance ticket.
Ronald Charles Inzinna, 54, of East Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Inzinna is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection at 4 p.m. on Jan. 19 in the Town of Le Roy. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Press release:
Local students and students from the region gathered last week at Genesee Valley BOCES Mount Morris for the First LEGO League (FLL) Qualifier Tournament. The competition tested each team’s ability to complete tasks using robots built from Legos. FLL was designed to engage youth through STEM learning and exploration. Students obtained hands-on learning while discovering, exploring, and challenging themselves to apply their skills in an exciting competition.
Students from Dansville, Keshequa, Oakfield-Alabama, Warsaw, and Wayland-Cohocton competed against each other during three rounds that lasted two and a half minutes each. The goal was to complete the most missions and earn the most points.
“The Genesee Valley Robotics program encourages students to practice real life engineering skills including computational thinking and iterative design. The social emotional impact of a program like this is also important as it helps many students find new connections to their school and classmates, explained Steve Nole, Coordinator of Enrichment Services at Genesee Valley BOCES.
Sixty students in grades fourth through eighth participated in this event. The first part of the day was the presentation portion. During the presentation competition teams were judged on three specific areas, one being their innovation project, where they had to identify and research a problem to solve around this year’s theme focused around clean energy solutions. Also teams had to present on their robot design. They had to identify their mission strategy and design their robot and programs to create an effective plan, and the last was on the core values, where they had to apply teamwork and respect each other's ideas and work together as a team on their specific challenge.
Ted Smith was the head judge of the competition and is the Sr. Crisis Intervention Specialist at Genesee Valley BOCES Mount Morris. Smith explained he enjoys looking for a student's level of interest and looks to see if they had fun as part of the project. “Events like this are a wonderful opportunity for the students to express their creativity, learn how to work together on a team, and think critically about a problem. These are all skills which they will need in their life so being able to develop them in an event like this is good,” explained Smith.
Congratulations to the following teams on advancing to the next round:
The overall champion was the Oakfield-Alabama Hi-Tech Hornets. Wayland -Cohocton Golden Eagles 2 was awarded the finalist. Both of these teams will be going to the First Lego League Championship on February 18th in Buffalo. Awards were given to teams for core values, innovation project, robot design, robot performance, and a coach/mentor award.
The top two teams, Oakfield-Alabama and Wayland-Cohocton, will move on to the championship competition. Genesee Valley BOCES is pleased the event was a success and looks forward to hosting more FLL Challenges in the future.
Submitted photos.
Top photo: The two students from Dansville are Haylee Rigdon and Bristol Blair.
Students from Oakfield- Alabama are (yellow hair hats) left to right are: Cameron Emerson, Lucas Bak, Connor Burgio, Carson Shelter. Nate Staebell is sitting behind Carson (no hat).
Wayland-Cohocton 7th Grader Ethan Bauer.
Hannah Sonricker, Levi Bennett, Warren Fox.
Press release:
Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the on-sale dates for 2 upcoming events taking place at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel’s Park Place Room. These 2 events join other, already announced spring events.
The 4th annual Batavia Brew Fest, presented by Young Lion and Genesee Brewery, is back on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 5 til 8 p.m. For $40, attendees receive 3 hours of beer sampling from WNY breweries like Genesee Brewery, Young Lion, Boston Beer, DogFish, Four Mile Brewing, Heineken, Yuengling, K2 Brewing, Clarksburg Cider, Blue Barn Cidery, Three Heads Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewery, Constellation, Diago, Molson/Coors, Blue Toad Cider, Press Seltzer, Hop Water and many more. Light snacks will be served, and attendees will receive a commemorative plastic sampling mug along with $20 in Free Play. Designated Driver tickets will also be available.
KISS THIS returns to Batavia Downs on Friday, March 3rd. Western New York’s Premier Tribute to KISS brings all of the theatrics and bombast of a classic KISS show to their performance. Tickets are $15, and attendees receive $10 in Free Play on the day of the show.
Tickets for these 2 events will be available at www.BataviaConcerts.com beginning on Friday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.
Visitors to the concert ticket website can also purchase tickets for other upcoming events like the BBQ and Bourbon Dinner, the Music of the Stars Tribute Concert and all the recently announced Pepsi’s Rockin’ the Downs Summer Concert Series shows. Announcements for the rescheduled Furball Animal Shelter Fundraiser, Polka Buzz and the Kentucky Derby Gala will be announced in the coming weeks.
“The tribute acts we bring in are a great addition to our event schedule,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO for Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “We look forward to welcoming back KISS THIS as well as our annual large-scale events like the Brew Fest and Derby Gala.”
Video by The Batavian: KISS THIS at Jam at the Ridge in July 2021
Press release
New York State Senator George Borrello was chosen by his Senate and Assembly colleagues to serve as President of the New York Conference of Italian-American State Legislators. The mission of the bipartisan organization is to highlight the significant contributions of Italian-Americans to the state of New York.
“I am grateful to my colleagues for choosing me to serve as President of the New York Conference of Italian-American Legislators. New York State is home to over three million residents of Italian descent whose economic, social and cultural contributions make our state stronger and enrich the diversity of our cities and communities,” said Senator Borrello.
“My great-grandparents came here from Italy and worked hard to provide for their family. They cherished the freedom and opportunities that America gave them, but also kept alive the traditions and culture of their homeland. My heritage is a point of pride for my fellow members and me. Our goals are to celebrate our Italian-American community, foster goodwill among our colleagues and provide educational opportunities to deserving young people through the scholarship program.
The organization meets several times during the legislative session. Its annual activities include a scholarship program to help students with the cost of college or any post-high school education and the popular Festa Italiana, a celebration of Italian culture with live music, vendors and Italian food.
Photo: File photo by Howard Owens
Press release:
Registration is now available for kindergarten and prekindergarten students in the Byron- Bergen School District.
The District plans to once again offer a half-day universal prekindergarten (UPK) program at the Byron- Bergen Elementary School. The UPK program is focused on socialization, learning through play, and self-exploration. Children learn through a hands-on learning environment that includes activities, learning centers, concrete materials, and manipulatives. Students learn through a nurturing environment that is enriching, challenging, and developmentally appropriate.
Students must turn four years of age by Dec.1 to be eligible for the program. If you have a child eligible and are interested in having him/her attend our UPK program, please complete this Google form which is also available on the Student Registration page of the Byron-Bergen website. The form requires the student’s name, parents’ name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth. This electronic Google form is due by Thursday, February 23, 2023. Parents that have already contacted the Elementary School by phone will still need to complete the form. If you are having difficulty completing the form, please call the Elementary School office for support.
Please note that if the District receives more applications than the allowed capacity, a lottery will be held to select students. This year's lottery drawing will be held on Friday, March 3, via Zoom. Student-specific lottery numbers and the Zoom link will be shared with everyone who completes the form before the February 23 deadline. Once the lottery is complete, if your child was selected, you need to complete the full registration packet, which can be found on the Byron-Bergen website and submit it to the Elementary School Office.
Children who will be five years of age, on or before Dec. 1 are eligible for entrance to Kindergarten in September of 2023. New families in the school district should notify the school if they have a child that will enter Kindergarten in September of 2023. Parents may contact the Byron-Bergen Elementary School Office by calling 494-1220, ext. 1301. Information may also be sent to the Byron-Bergen Elementary School, 6971 West Bergen Road, Bergen, New York 14416.
All children registered for kindergarten will be scheduled for a screening appointment this summer. The results of this screening will be used to plan for the 2023-2024 kindergarten program. The following items are necessary to complete the registration process: the child’s birth certificate; certificate of immunization; proof of residency; and completed registration packet.
Additional information and registration packets are available at http://www.bbschools.org/StudentRegistration.aspx.
Press release:
The major fundraiser for the Batavia Rotary Club concluded with the grand prize drawing Saturday night, but the real winners are the many local organizations that receive support from Rotary all year long.
"This is the major fundraiser that allows our club to make so many contributions to the community, such as $18,000 in college scholarships to area students each year," said President John McGowan.
Rotary is also contributing $250,000 toward the Healthy Living Campus under construction on Main Street, a joint project for the YMCA and United Memorial Medical Center.
Most recently, Rotary has offered a $150,000 matching pledge for the renovation of the local hospital's Intensive Care Unit, McGowan said.
Rotary's motto is Service Above Self, he explained. Rotarians actively engage in projects to improve the local community.
"Fundraisers like this Corvette event are critical for helping us help others," said Lisa Ormsbee, who co-chairs the event with Laurie Mastin. Once again a Corvette or $50,000 is the prize. The winning ticket that was drawn Saturday belongs to John Kinsella.
In addition to the grand prize, there are 10 additional prizes of $500 each, Mastin explained.
Those winners are:
- Tom Mazurkiewicz
- Dan Ireland
- Todd Bender
- Vincent Bucciferro
- Paula Wortzman
- Bobbie Griffin
- John Green
- Nicolas Roth
- Daniel D'Amico
- Mine VanDenwere
Submitted photo: Woman on the left, unidentified, with Laurie Mastin, co-chair of the fundraiser, and Rotary Past President Marlin Salmon.
Nathan Fix and Tony Johnston of Genesee SnoPackers were among dozens of people recognized for their efforts to save lives during Winter Storm Elliott today in a ceremony in Buffalo.
Many of those recognized received certificates. Fix and Johnston received from Gov. Kathy Hochul The Governor's Medal of Public Service.
He said he and Johnston have been volunteer firefighters for a long time so going out and helping people is just what they do. Still, he said. "It's a great honor, and it reflects well on Genesee Snopackers."
Fix and Johnston, along with Deputy Kevin McCarthy, who rode with them in the Snopackers groomer and received a certificate of recognition, spent 17 hours in Oakfield and Alabama, making their way through heavy wind and snow on snow-covered roads, rescuing people from stranded vehicles.
Submitted photo. Nate Fix, vice president Genesee SnoPackers, Tony Johnston, SnoPackers, Deputy Kevin McCarthy, Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Yager, Deputy Coordinator Gary Patnode, Oakfield Fire Chief Sean Downing, Chad Williams, assistant fire chief, County Legislator Marianne Clattenburg.
Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C -Batavia) said he is pleased that Assembly committee meetings will finally be live-streamed for public viewing. This idea was originally proposed in 2016 by the Assembly Republican Conference, but only audio was available. Although committee meetings will now be live-streamed, they will not be archived.
“This is a major victory for the people of New York,” said Hawley. “We have fought for committee meetings to be live-streamed for almost a decade. I have always pushed for committee meetings to be open and transparent. It is New Yorkers’ rights we are fighting for; therefore, New Yorkers should be able to watch their representatives in action throughout the entire legislative process. Our next step should be to allow this footage to be archived for increased availability.”
Press release:
The Genesee County Youth Board is looking for nominations for its annual Youth Recognition Banquet. There are three awards presented at the Youth Recognition Banquet:
- Youth Recognition Award—This award recognizes young people who have performed exceptional service to the community and/or have assumed extraordinary roles in their families. Typically, the best candidates for this award are high school students, but we also know there are 12, 13 and 14-year-olds who exemplify distinctive qualities of service. Several youths will be recognized; however, the Youth Boards reserve the right to limit the number of recipients.
- Adult Volunteer—this award recognizes an adult who provides service as a volunteer to youth in Genesee County.
- Adult Youth Worker—this award recognizes a youth service professional whose work surpasses normal expectations.
Recipients will be honored at the Youth Recognition Banquet on April 13, 2023. Nominations are due by Friday, February 10th. For more information or to receive nomination forms, please call the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 344-3960 or youthbureau@co.genesee.ny.us. The forms are also on the Youth Bureau page of the Genesee County website, www.co.genesee.ny.us.
Press release:
Starting on February 1st, children from ages 3 and up can sign up to read at home to win prizes and collect charms at the library, during the month of February.
When the children register for the Haxton Memorial Library Winter Reading Program they will receive a "Readopoly" Board and a wristband. For each task they complete they will earn a charm to put on their wristband. A task is completed when all of the activities on the spaces are filled up in each color group. In addition, there are other activities on the board where they can earn tickets for the Grand Prize basket, including attending a library program on Thursday nights.
The library is also having a "Build Your Own Snowman" contest for children ages 3 and up as part of the Winter Read. Participants will share a photograph of their creation with the library staff and the judges will pick a winner. The winner will receive a Target gift card. Snowman builders are encouraged to be as creative as they want, using any materials or ideas that would make it a special work of snow art.
The program ends on February 28 and everyone is encouraged to pick up their gameboard and contest information and get reading!
To register or for more information about the Winter Reading Program or any of the programs held at the Haxton Memorial Library, please call 585-948-9900 or stop by the library at 3 North Pearl St. in Oakfield.
The Haxton Memorial Library, a member of the Nioga Library System, is located at 3 North Pearl Street in Oakfield and provides residents a variety of programs, events and materials that are listed on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.
Notre Dame improved to 11-1 on the season in Girls Basketball on Saturday with a 58-24 win over Williamson.
Amelia McCulley scored 26 points and had eight rebounds and six steals.
Emma Sisson scored 11 points. Sisson had six assists. Avelin Tomidy scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds. She had four steals.
Also, in Girls Basketball on Friday:
Also, in Boys Basketball on Friday
UPDATE: Batavia beat East Aurora on Saturday, 53-53. Carter McFollins and Rasheed Christie each scored 12 points. Sawyer Siverling scored 10 and Mikey McKenzie scored nine.
Social media companies should be held responsible for poisoning the minds and souls of youth and causing a litany of psychological ills.
That’s a pretty strong statement and is one being made by Seattle City School District, the first in the United States to sue “Big Tech” for causing social media addiction to the point where schools can’t fulfill their educational mission, according to Bloomberg News (“Seattle Schools Sue Big Tech Over Youth Mental Health Crisis”).
There have been many other lawsuits filed by families about the negative impacts of social media on youngsters; however, Seattle is making headlines for being the first school district for taking on the likes of Facebook (Meta), Google, Tik Tok and Snap Chat, the Bloomberg article states.
The Batavian asked school administrators in Genesee County how they felt about this topic: is social media causing irreparable harm to young people’s mental health? Can the use of social media be regulated, and more importantly, should it be?
“While I think social media has advantages for helping students stay connected, it can be problematic for many of our students,” Kesler said. “Posts on social media can often negatively affect our students' self-concept or mental health. Some students have become too attached to social media and would benefit from more time with in-person interactions.”
Also from the city school district, John Kennedy Intermediate School Counselor Michelle Nanni has seen a variety of issues that have stemmed from social media platforms, she said, all of which have age restrictions that are older than JK’s students in grades two to four.
“Even with parental consent or controls, students are often viewing inappropriate and sometimes even sexualized content that is not suitable for children. Even content that would be considered appropriate often curates unattainable lifestyles with an emphasis on perfectionism and materialistic values, which can cause unrealistic ideals resulting in anxiety and depression,” she said. “These platforms also contribute to bullying, as young children are much more likely to send hurtful comments from behind a screen, especially as they will not truly realize the impact left on others without seeing their reactions.”
And reactions, according to the Bloomberg article, have been tragic, citing more than a dozen lawsuits filed by families blaming tech companies for youth suicides. In Nanni’s experience, one of the biggest problems and effects that she encounters is sleep deprivation among students.
“Because they are up all night on social media and don't have the self-control to know when to stop scrolling,” she said. “Social media is certainly having negative effects on the mental health and well-being of the students in our district.”
Lindsey Cummins, the social worker at Pavilion’s Middle-High School, agrees with Nanni. In fact, not only is social media having negative effects, but Cummins believes that it is “exacerbating symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues and concerns.”
“Through my work here at the school and also as a per diem therapist, I can say that social media causes so many difficulties. One of the biggest issues is definitely cyberbullying. Kids are being torn down through a phone, and sometimes do not even know who it is that is speaking to them this way. There are anonymous platforms where cyberbullying is taking place,” Cummins said. “Another issue is the students whose parents have restrictions on phones, and therefore, because they are not on TikTok or Instagram (or whatever the cool app is), they are being shamed and called ‘losers’ and feel disconnected from their peers. I think, in general, social media exposes them to all of the bad things that are going on in the world, which is, in fact, pretty depressing, and causes a lot of anxiety among adults and children.
“Also, the things that are shared on social media can cause a lot of concerns for parents, which then transfer to the kids at home,” she said. “All of this coupled with the lack of mental health support and services, is a really scary reality for our youth.”
“Our children and teens are not wired for the constant barrage of information that comes from being engaged on social media; certainly, there is the aspect of over-stimulation and the lack of creativity that is fostered by the scroll-and-swipe nature activity,” Rosales said. “With this comes the emotional piece of children comparing themselves to others and always being engaged on an emotional level with content that isn't healthy. We have even seen a societal shift in which people will say things or make personal attacks on someone if they do not agree. It is disheartening.”
That being said, she’s not certain that “we can legislate or litigate good behavior.” There needs to be more understanding of why mental health issues are on the rise, and it seems likely there’s a probable connection between social media and those issues, she said.
“We need to get to the root of why certain individuals use social media as a weapon, instead of using it for good,” Rosales said. “Having a productive and honest dialogue about these issues will be what affects positive change. At Elba Central, our students take a course in digital citizenship; these issues are addressed in that class. We encourage students to use social media as their ‘calling card’ by highlighting their achievements and using it as a platform to encourage and motivate others.”
Elba’s district has an Instructional Technology Committee comprised of educators and parents to work on addressing these very issues, she said.
“We are at a critical point in our children's education in which we need to arm them with the skills to be productive and positive members of a digital society,” she said. “This endeavor will only be possible with the support of families who know what their children are engaging in, as well as social media platforms that insist on positive and healthy participation.”
“The analogy I often make is that social media is like a car or a cell phone, or any other new invention: we need to treat it with respect, take advantage of all that it has to offer, yet understand that if we mistreat the technology, there can be serious consequences,” Smith said. “As educators, we need to teach students how to deal with the impact of social media in a proactive way, no different than how we teach 16-year-olds the safe way to drive a car. There is no doubt that social media is causing an added level of stress to our students, as they seek approval, likes, acceptance, etc., via social media outlets, but coupled with strong family support and guidance at school from our counselors and social workers, we need to be able to help our students find balance.”
Having served as an administrator at other school districts beyond Batavia, he confirmed that this has been an issue here and in other districts as well.
“The mental health needs of our students are real, and a broad spectrum of supports from counselors, social workers, and school psychologists are critical in this important work,” he said. “I would argue that if used correctly and with balance, social media can be and is a powerful tool in our students' lives."
“My role as a parent is my starting point because it is my job as a parent to ensure my children are properly using the resources I provide for them. As a parent, if I am concerned that social media is negatively affecting my children, then it is my job to curtail that. It's also my job as a parent to make sure I teach my children how to communicate on social media in respectful ways and not to use social media to tear others down,” he said. “If I find out that my children are using social media to hurt others, then it's my job to reteach, correct and discipline them.”
He’s not certain that any social media platform is responsible for negatively influencing today’s children, though he did watch an interesting Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” that gave him food for thought about the potential of tech companies using psychology to promote addiction of social media.
“If it can be proven that tech companies purposely used psychological strategies to cause students to harm themselves or to purposely cause anxiety or depression, then those companies should certainly be held accountable,” Calderón said. “However, if the argument is that social media causes anxiety and depression because it provides students a platform to be mean and hateful to each other, then it's not the platform that is guilty, it is the students who are being mean and hateful who are guilty.
"Certainly, many of the ideas that people promote on social media can be harmful to our children, similar to harmful ideas that may be promoted on TV, in movies, in friendship groups and anywhere else where ideas or opinions are expressed. I think one of the essential keys is to promote respectful communication at all times and to teach our children how to properly handle situations when others are disrespectful,” he said. “Harming ourselves or harming others is not the best approach when other people hurt us, including when others hurt us using social media. If everyone used social media to encourage and build each other up, then we wouldn't be having this conversation, and the social media we use would be even more addictive.”
To answer The Batavian’s question of whether social media is causing anxiety, depression and other psychological troubles, per the Bloomberg article’s assertion, to the extent that something to be done to stop or lessen it, the obvious answer is yes, Pavilion Assistant Secondary Principal Charles Martelle said.
He believes that something should be done, though he is unsure what that would be and doesn’t think it’s his place to say whether a lawsuit would be necessary to remedy it or not.
“There is some value in social media, and to paint it with one broad brush is unfair. It can inform, link like-minded people, offer opportunities and open a world of creative possibilities. My critique is based on my experiences working with children in middle and high school as an assistant principal,” he said. “I do see a lot of unhealthy behavior related to social media.
"The most frequent and striking problem is that it amplifies, exaggerates, takes out of context and records text and images which kids post in their worst moments. Kids have always said and done things without thinking, only to realize later the consequences of their actions. That is the normal way kids learn; however, now their mistakes last longer and get noticed by more people. Additionally, their worst moments get broadcast to people who should never have seen or known about these things. Social media has an exponential side effect of spreading bad information, and it doesn’t turn off or go away. Kids are subjected to these shameful moments, drama and comments all day and all night.”
Another point that makes social media so damaging, he said, is that kids are ‘on’ 24 hours a day — in school, out of school, during holidays and during their most intimate family moments, Martelle said.
“They are manipulated by advertising, meaningless posts, endless videos with messaging that is mildly entertaining at best and fundamentally horrific at their worst.
"A few years ago, some very young students came to me to show me a post showing a man committing suicide. The video that I saw still haunts me, and I’m 46! These poor kids didn’t even seem phased by it,” he said.
He also pointed out that, while adults are free to make adult decisions of how and when to use social media, kids are just that -- younger minds in need of more guidance.
“We all bear some responsibility, and certainly, we should all be thinking about how to go forward so we can address these problems. Parents buy these phones for their children, handing them over often with little or no oversight. School officials permit students to use them, and go a step further by using social media platforms to promote school events. We all need to reexamine how we contribute to this problem instead of only blaming the social media companies.”
Superintendents from Alexander, Batavia, Byron-Bergen, Elba, Le Roy, Pavilion, Oakfield-Alabama and Pembroke were contacted for this story.
A two-car accident is blocking traffic on West Main Street, Batavia, in front of Olivers.
Unknown injuries.
City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
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