schools

Andrea Bennion is a fourth grader at Jackson Elementary with a passion to get involved, and it influences her actions in and outside of school.

Her talents range from playing the flute in band, piano at home, earning awards in Girl Scouts, entering book competitions, swimming at GCC and soccer in the summer.

Bennion's mother Brenda was thrilled to find out her daughter was selected as a top scholar for The Batavian. You could see how proud she was by watching her expression as her daughter talked about all the activities she is involved in.

"She is an all around good girl," said Bennion's mother. "She is my energizer bunny, she keeps me going."

Bennion is a go-getter and is very humble in all she does. Piano is her favorite instrument to play and she hopes to one day learn to play the guitar like her father, Mike.

She loves all the projects assigned in fourth grade and is excited to attend middle school because her sister has told her many great things about it.

When Bennion isn't playing an instrument or competing in the Page Turners Competition, she can be found in the kitchen cooking omelets and pancakes, or if she isn't cooking  she munches her favorite foods: bacon or Chinese.

She loves reading The Tinkerbell series books because she enjoys getting to know all the different fairy characters.

In the summer she will be out on the soccer field hoping she doesn't see any snakes. Snakes are her greatest fear, and she would definitely scream if she saw one.

One day we could see Bennion being a kindergarten teacher or an artist. Which ever she picks she will go on to do great things, and will always be reminded of her mother's strengths, because her mother is her hero.

Be sure to check out the video of Bennion playing her piano.

Our ND "seniors in the spotlight" - Jill Marshall, daughter of Paul Marshall and Maureen Torrey Marshall of Elba and Kevin Francis, son of Mark and Cindy Francis of Batavia - both recently received the prestigious Ronald McDonald Game Sportsmanship Award for their respective teams during the Saturday, March 28, 2009 Ronald McDonald High School Basketball All Star games held at R.I.T. It is a rarity that two student athletes from the same school are selected to represent their [Genesee Region] league and school in this annual showcase of local basketball talent, much less receive the same prestigious award as a result of their performance in this contest! Congratulation on jobs well done!

Kevin Francis is a very talented student-athlete and has been a stalwart member of our Fighting Irish Football, Basketball and Baseball programs throughout his high school career. He has been a member of our Section V Class D Varsity Football Championship team as a Sophomore and Section V Class D Varsity Baseball Championship team as a Junior earning Sectional [Section V – Rochester Region] patches during both of these seasons. He played a key role in the success of our Fighting Irish Baseball team last year which captured the NYS Far West Regional championship and advanced to the NYSPHSAA “Final 4” at SUNY Binghamton last June. Kevin earned a spot on this year's 2009 Section V Class D- All Star team for his exemplary play during our recently concluded season. Regardless of the sport, Kevin can always be counted on to play hard and give it his all. He consistently plays within the parameters of the rules and lets his performance on the field or court “speak for itself.” Kevin has been a very unselfish team member throughout high school and makes everyone else that much better by his presence in a line up. He was selected to receive the "Birdseye Player of the Year" in the Genesee Region by a vote of league coaches in addition to being selected to play in this year's Ronald McDonald High School Boys All Star Basketball contest!

Kevin is also the type of student who is capable of “stepping up” and taking on leadership roles. A two time Genesee Region All-Star in both football and basketball, Kevin is a leader by example both on and off the field of play. He has captained each varsity sport that he has competed in during his Junior and Senior years at Notre Dame. He is a role model for all of the younger student-athletes in our athletic programs. 

An individual who enjoys spending time helping others, Kevin has volunteered to assist others through his involvement with Salvation Army bell ringing at Christmas time, reffing grade school basketball games and assisting veterans at the Batavia Veterans Administration Hospital and Home.

Kevin is considering attending St. John Fisher College in Rochester, SUNY Fredonia and D’Youville College in Buffalo and is interested in pursuing a degree in business administration. He also has aspirations of continuing his football and/or basketball career at the collegiate level.

Jill Marshall has a never-ending thirst for knowledge and exhibits an outstanding work ethic on a daily basis at Notre Dame. She is the type of student that any instructor would love to have based on her appreciation for education and willingness to work hard to achieve her goals. She is the type of individual who is not afraid to challenge herself academically having spent the second semester of her Junior year as a Page for United States Representative Louise Slaughter in Washington, DC, as well as having taken summer courses at Cornell and Georgetown Universities.

A very well rounded individual and member in good standing of the National Honor Society, Jill served as her Class President during her 9th, 10th and 11th grade years at Elba. She is currently a contributing member of our Notre Dame Environmental Club, as well as our ND Mission Club and SADD organization during her senior year, as well as a member of the Genesee County Youth Court, a position to which she was appointed in December 2008.

A very talented student-athlete, Jill has been an integral part of our highly touted Fighting Irish Varsity Girls Cross Country and Basketball teams during the 2008-2009 school year. She has received numerous individual Genesee Region honors in Basketball and Soccer, as well as Section V NYSPHSAA All Star recognition in both Cross Country this past fall and in Basketball twice - once at Elba and this season at ND. She [like Kevin Francis] is the consummate team member, sacrificing individual recognition for the success of a team victory and was a fitting representative to this year's Ronald McDonald High School Girls All Star game from the GR league. She makes everyone better just by being in the lineup. She is a leader by example and has achieved prestigious NYSPHSAA student athlete status (minimum 90% team average) during each varsity sports season she has played during her combined high school career at Elba and Notre Dame.

Jill plans to continue her education at Cornell University while pursuing a degree in the area of nutritional science next fall.

The Notre Dame Family is proud to salute Kevin Francis and Jill Marshall as our spotlighted seniors for the month of April 2009 and wish them the best of luck next year at the collegiate level!!!

Pictured: Jill Marshall ‘09 and Kevin Francis ‘09

www.ndhsbatavia.com

Michael DiBacco is a 14-year- old who speaks with an honest heart. He knows it takes a lot of responsibility to manage his homework, sports, band, and still make time to play Star Wars Lego video games. 

His parents Mike and Mary Beth welcomed me with warm smiles and grateful hearts.

Mary Beth said they were very excited when they heard their son was selected as an excellent student. She said it is nice to be recognized when you are working very hard.

Michael is a student at Batavia Middle School who strives for good grades and feels angry if he isn’t successful. He loves Social Studies and is excited to learn about the Revolutionary War in class.  After school he is busy playing his saxophone in band, cross-country, track, and loves swimming and hanging out with the boys for the Norte Dame swim team.

Although he is nervous about the workload for his AP classes in eighth grade, he is excited for high school and being able to be involved in even more.

Michael has a difficult choice in choosing either Notre Dame or Batavia High, and is disappointed in the fact that Batavia High does not have a formal swim team. His father, who just bought a tripod to film his son’s swim meets, wishes there was an actual swim team at Batavia High.

Down the road from now we might see Michael as a forensic scientist or an architect.

The cause of death of 9-year-old Michaela L. Fidanza is still unknown, but school officials have notified parents of children attending John Kennedy Elementary School that New York health officials have not ruled out Meningitis.

Yesterday, the school had told parents that the Genesee County Health Department had determined it wasn't Meningitis.

Now the school is telling parents that "persons who may have exchanged saliva" with Fidanza in the past seven days should contact a physician.

WBTA obtained the letter to parents this afternoon and posted a copy on its Web site. The full text reads:

This is a message from the Batavia City School District for families whose children attend John Kennedy Elementary. You received a letter yesterday about the deal of a student at JK. In the letter, we indicated that the Genesee County Health Department had ruled out Meningitis as the cause of death. The NYS Health Department, because of the seriousness of the situation, feels that meningitis cannot be ruled out even though the tests are negative, because all symptoms support the meningitis diagnosis. The New York State health Department advises that persons who may have exchanged saliva with the patient during the last seven days should contact their physician. Any child who becomes ill with fever, rash or stiff neck, should be seen by a doctor immediately.

In today's edition of the Daily News, Scott DeSmit reports:

The ME's office looked immediately for signs of meningitis, a contagious viral disease.

"They were thinking that it was possibly meningitis but so far, the cultures have been negative for that," he said. "But they told us it takes four days to be sure. They don't think that's a cause but we don't know."

Last night citizens of LeRoy and surrounding towns flooded the Gymnasium at LeRoy Village Fitness to listen and voice their concerns on teenage alcohol abuse.

The community forum was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., but started ten minutes late because people continued to pile into the gym.

Pastor Jack Hempfling was the moderator and gave a big thank you to everyone for coming out.

In her introductory remarks, LeRoy Central Schools Superintendent Cindy Herzog, said it is all about perspective. We all come with many perspectives, we all wear different hats. She connected with the audience by sharing her own experiences.

She is a mother of five, ages 22, 20,16,14, and 13. She talked about a time when her teenage daughter was out one night and she received a phone call in the early morning hours from the police.

“When you get that phone call you can hardly breathe,” she said.

She talked about her husband always putting on the news in the morning, and the fear she feels every time they mention the teenage arrests.

“I fear every time on R News, it’s going to be one of our kids.”

David Markham, Executive Director of GCASA, tugged at the hearts of the listeners when he answered the question of “Why do I care?” He cares because he lost his 5- and 8-year-old, because of someone making a wrong choice. A drunken driver killed his children.

As he spoke he took the time to pause and let the audience reflect when he said today they would be 22 and 25.

He said we must focus on changing the community norms and attitudes, and decrease access.

Markham brought up a great point about the media reacting to the incident with Janet Jackson, at the Super Bowl. Everyone made a big deal about part of her breast being exposed, but there wasn’t anything wrong with the 22 beer commercials that were shown during the Super bowl.

Today teenagers have access at their fingertips; it is up to parents to decrease access.

Chris Hayward, LeRoy chief of police presented a slide show full of statistics showing the kids who are drinking the most are the age group 13-15.

The Village Police have seen a 131 percent increase in drug and alcohol related arrests since 2003. This is not including DWI arrests.

In 2008 the 13-21 year-old populations represented 53.5 percent of those arrests. Of those arrests the 13-18 year old population represented 73 percent.

On a national level 22.4 percent of eighth graders and fifty percent of seniors consumed alcohol in the last month from data from 2007.

There were 23 underage drinking incidents in LeRoy since May of 2008. One of the incidents in November was a 15-year-old was so drunk she couldn’t walk or stand up, so her friends just left her. Hayward gave praise for the parent who was out looking for their daughter, if they didn’t, who knows what might have happened.

Part of the message was parents must be responsible and get involved. They asked for places for teenagers to go. Seventy one percent of American youth say their parents are their leading influence.

Sixty percent of LeRoy students have used alcohol in their lifetime.

‘We have great kids,” said Hayward, “Some of our kids are making bad choices, choices that could result in death."

It is not about their character, he said, it’s about their choices.

Jackie Whiting, of LeRoy said she is all about the good choices but really pressed the panel with this question, “What are we going to do to offer better choices?” Now that the community is all here showing their concern what are the next steps to take was her main point.

Herzog responded by saying we are a big community that wants to do a lot of things, but the resources are not there. People in the audience were shaking their heads as soon as Herzog said we accept all ideas.

Ed Bishop, a parent who has spent 40 years in public education agreed there needs to be activities for the kids. He asked a powerful question about parenting.

“Most parents do not know,” he said referring to their child’s activities and whereabouts.
“Do you know?” he said.

One parent asked about the emphasis of arresting teenagers for marijuana. She works at Bryon-Bergen and said she knows kids are getting high before class in their cars.

“Pot is extremely accessible,” she said.

Hayward responded saying three weeks ago there was an arrest for possession of marijuana. He said it is a little bit tricky when it comes to making arrests with marijuana but there are arrests being made for it.

It takes a community to raise a child, one woman said and it took a community forum to realize the seriousness of preventing underage drinking in LeRoy.

The organizers gave everyone two folders full of statistics and pamphlets with advice and articles on underage drinking.

Also on the panel: Dana Berg, student, Ed Bishop, parent, Joe Englebert, Jr/Sr High Principal, Lisa Heywood, Parent, Father Michael Rock, St. Peter’s Church.

A note of interest, as I was walking to my car a couple were talking about the pool located in the Village Fitness, talking about how small it is. Then they went on to talk about how the community pool is getting taken away, and said, "Well now the kids won’t even have that."

Pamela Schunk couldn’t have stood up faster when she started talking about learning strategies and plans for students.

She grabbed Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for teaching book. She lit up as she talked about the education consultant and talked about how powerful the book is.

“There’s no more taking a test and you’re done,” said Schunk.

Schunk is the director of learning for pre K-12 grade. She is responsible for keeping up to date on all new research and strategies. Communicating she said, is a big piece of her job. She addresses state standards and is responsible for the professional development for teachers, training and implementing quality instruction.

The district uses assessments to drive what they teach. Although the district is required to follow New York's Comphrehensive District Education Plan (CDEP), Schunk said they stive to go above and beyond.

Today teachers and administrators listen further and involve each student.

“When you do poorly on a test you are less motivated,” saying how important it is to help students do well on assessment tests.

Some assessments include a study group to involve students. This will allow the teacher to communicate to the student explaining where he or she struggled on a test and why. Then the pair will decide a learning goal, and the teacher will commit to helping the student succeed in meeting his goal.

She agreed that motivation is key.

Schunk, who has been director since July, is excited to be able to break information down for the student. She got her motivation from Rick Stiggins who founded the Assessment Training Institution.

She  said you have to try every option with every child.

“It’s motivating,” she said.

Teachers and administrators have a pretty good idea  from the time they are hired their potential salaries. Schunk broke down the APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review) and said teachers are observed at least once every three years. Non tenure is three times the first year.

“If you enjoy education there isn’t a better place to be, preparing kids for the future,” said Schunk, “It is a huge responsibility but so rewarding.” 

Students with an interest in the outdoors and the environment can win a week at an environmental education camp if they can compose the best essay in an environmental writing contest sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

The contest is open to students 12 to 17 years old.

The winner will be able to choose a week at one of four camps run by Department of Environmental Conservation.

Essays must be between 300 and 500 words long and submitted to Hawley's office by May 1.

Download a contest poster here (PDF).

Full press release after the jump.

Press Release:

As part of his ongoing constituent outreach program, Assemblyman Steve
Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) is holding an essay contest to honor Earth Day
and to promote environmental stewardship.  The winner of the contest will
receive one free week at one of the Department of Environmental Conservation's
Summer Environmental Education Camps.

"As a child, I learned the importance of protecting our environment because
I was fortunate to grow up in Western New York where there are so many
beautiful places to enjoy the outdoors.  To continue that tradition, I am
proud to offer one student a free week at one of our state's fine
environmental education camps, where they can not only learn about
protecting our environment, but can develop a passion for the outdoors,"
said Hawley.

Students between the ages of 12 and 17 are eligible to enter the essay
contest.  Essays should be between 300 and 500 words and explain why the
environment is important to the student.  Last year's winner, Albion High
School student Rebecca Weller, used her essay to describe her passion for
spending time outdoors with her family and her efforts to protect the
environment, such as her innovative t-shirts promoting green living tips,
facts on global warming and Earth Day, in order to ensure the natural
environment is sustained for generations to come.

Assemblyman Hawley encourages educators to include the essay program as part
of their curriculum in order to highlight Earth Day on April 22.  Essays are
due to the Assemblyman's office by May 1, 2009.  The winner may choose from
the following four DEC summer camps:

a.. Camp Colby (near the Village of Saranac Lake in Franklin County)
b.. Camp DeBruce (in the southern Catskills near the Village of Livingston
Manor in Sullivan County)
c.. Camp Rushford (in the Genesee River Valley in Allegany County)
d.. Camp Pack Forest (north of Warrensburg in the southern Adirondacks)

For more information, visit the DEC Web site at www.dec.state.ny.us
(keyword: summer camps), call Assemblyman Hawley's district office at (585)
589-5780, or e-mail him at hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us.

Note, yesterday we picked up an item from WBTA about Wanda Frank being inducted into the GCC Alumni Hall of Fame.  Here's the full press release from GCC:

Genesee Community College is inducting four new members to its Alumni Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm in the Conable Technology Building, North Lobby at the Batavia Campus.

"The Alumni Hall of Fame serves two important purposes," said Patti Pacino, Alumni Affairs Coordinator. "It recognizes the accomplishments of former students and their exceptional business and civic contributions. And it serves as an example for current students to see these highly successful alumni and know that their remarkable careers began right here at Genesee."

The 2009 Genesee Community College Alumni Hall of Fame inductees are:

Wanda Frank (Class of 1997) - Wanda is currently a radio personality on WBTA 1490 AM radio in Batavia, NY and hosts her own show on Wednesday mornings. Wanda went back to school as an adult student to complete a degree in Theatre Arts from Genesee. She served for 10 years as the executive director of the Genesee Arts Council. She is very active in local community theatre, including Batavia Players, Rotary and Genesee Community College's theatre programs.

Ellen (McCarthy) Ryan (Class of 1976) - Ellen was one of the first supporters of Genesee when it was established in 1965. She completed a Registered Nursing degree and worked for many years at Saint Jerome's Hospital. She was vital to the creation of Hospice Care in the local community and continues to support its efforts. She is active with the Genesee Community College Foundation by attending varying events, as well as supporting two endowed scholarships, the Michael T. Ryan Fund for the Future and the Michael T. and Ellen M. Ryan Scholarship for Excellence.

George E. Schaefer (Class of 1976) - George is currently the clerk of the Norfolk Circuit Court Clerk's Office in Norfolk, Virginia. After obtaining his Bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport in 1978, he earned his J.D. from Ohio Northern University of Law in 1984, and launched his career in education as a social studies teacher. In the early 1990's, he shifted his profession and began his distinguished tenure within the Virginia legal system. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar Association and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association. He is very active in his local community, including sitting on various school boards, local churches, and the Knights of Columbus.

Paula (Miller) Schaefer (Class of 1979) - Paula is presently a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 87th District - Norfolk since January 2005. She serves on many committees including the Science and Technology Committee, Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and the Joint Subcommittee Studying Land Use Development. For several years, Paula was a news reporter and substitute anchor for WTKR-TV 3 in Norfolk, Virginia. She is an active member in the Norfolk community and is a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Past inductees into the Genesee Community College Alumni Hall of Fame include: Joseph H. Bell '79, Monica Dawson '72, Jerry Reinhart '71, Lori Stupp '89, Paula Savage '76, Margaret Weissend '99, Ann M. Bell '88, Steven G. Hyde '82 and Gary Maha '76.

Although there has been a decrease in teenage pregnancy rates from 1991-2004 new data shows teenage pregnancy is now rising.

Each year almost 750,000 teenage women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Fifty percent or more of teenage pregnancies end in abortion in New York State, according to the National and Statewide statistics.

Stephanie Loranty, nurse at Batavia High School, said last year there were ten students who were pregnant. Four dropped out, one graduated, and five are still continuing on. Currently, two students are pregnant at the high school and one at the middle school.

27 percent of ninth graders in New York are sexually experienced and 17.4 percent are sexually active.  As seniors 62.6 percent are sexually experienced and 49.1 percent are sexually active.

“It’s scary,” said Loranty on the statistics of sexually active teens, “It’s hard because you are around the kids every day and you know their emotional and insecure at times and you know the choices they make can have consequences on their whole life.”

7.1 percent of ninth graders had four or more partners in New York and 20.1 percent of seniors had four or more partners.

Loranty said she feels students do not understand the seriousness of STDs and there are not many educational opportunities for students besides what they learn in their health class.

When asked about how safe sex is promoted or talked about she said it really isn’t, mostly abstinence is.

 Loranty said she wants to see more programs informing students of the risks of unprotected sex, and the importance of abstinence and safe sex, but it is a sensitive topic. She said this is where it gets hard because the line can easily be crossed with parents.

Loranty thinks a way to help teenagers make the right choice would be to start the health class at the freshman level.

She hopes one day the school budget will be able to afford electronic computer babies (mimics all the behaviors of a real life baby), instead of using flour babies.

Loranty nodded her head and sighed as she said, “It is not effective for them at all, and it just teaches them to be responsible for carrying an extra item around.”
Although these electronic babies would be much more effective, they are too costly.

“They are somewhere around $10, 000,” said Loranty.

Teenage pregnancy is also costly, from a press release teen childbearing in
New York cost taxpayers (federal, state, and local) at least $421 million in 2004.

Loranty’s advice for students who are pressured to be sexually active is, “Talk to someone and really think about your decisions.”

Her advice for parents, “Be involved, there are so many kids out there who don’t have any support.” She said even the little things matter. Just talking to them can create change. She hopes to see more programs implemented into the curriculum that are self-sufficient and involve parents. 

Press Release:

BATAVIA, N.Y. -- Genesee Community College could see new programs in health care, multimedia, agribusiness, public safety, and green technologies over the next several years, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Eunice Bellinger reported to the Board of Trustees Monday evening. The Board met at the Batavia Campus for its regular meeting on March 9, 2009.

Dr. Bellinger said that she, and faculty and staff members, have been studying employment trends in Western New York over the last year. As a result of the study, she has identified 20 possible academic programs that may prepare students for fast-growing careers.

Possible programs include Agriculture Distribution, Agriculture Systems, Agriculture Inspector, Veterinary Technician, Dental Hygienist, Home Health Aide, Medical Coding, Medical Technologist, Sleep Disorders Technologist, Medical Transcription, New Media, Electronic Gaming, Homeland Security, Police Science, Forensics, Corrections, Environmental Technician, Golf Course Management, Landscape Design, and Renewable Energy Technology.

Some of these programs could be based on highly successful Genesee degree programs already in existence, Dr. Bellinger said. For example, Genesee's Criminal Justice program already prepares students for a variety of law enforcement positions in Western New York.

New programs in Homeland Security, Police Science, Forensics, and Corrections could be offshoots of the current Criminal Justice program.New programs will be geared toward career interests of students just out of high school, as well as older students wishing to prepare for second or third careers. "We all know that traditional manufacturing jobs are declining," Dr. Bellinger said. "What many students and community residents do not realize is that a number of exciting new career paths are emerging, and business leaders are already looking for trained employees in these growing fields."

Faculty and staff members will continue their review of new programs in the months ahead - and at least several new high-priority programs will be proposed within the next year, Dr. Bellinger said. The reviews consist of an analysis curriculum, job opportunities, and costs. "We have to be especially conscious of costs in these challenging times," she noted. "So, for example, programs requiring a high investment like dental hygiene, may take a back seat to programs that we can implement with existing resources."

Dr. Bellinger also told trustees that she hopes to introduce new courses for adults over the age of 50, such as genealogy and antiquing. "Courses such as these can bring new personal skills and income-producing opportunities to older adults, while not requiring full degrees."

In other business this evening, the Board of Trustees:

    * Approved a recommendation from the Board's Personnel Committee that Associate Professor of Computer Systems and Network Technology Marina Cappellino be granted a sabbatical leave during the 2009-2010 academic year. During that time, Professor Cappellino plans to fully revise Genesee's Computer Systems and Networking program, as well as update four technology courses to better equip students to prepare for Cisco Networking Associates certification. Professor Cappellino will also participate in a variety of educational programs, including Cisco and Nortel router and switch programming and security, information security training necessary to meet U.S. Department of Defense requirements, data loss prevention, local area network standards, and voice-over-internet protocol telephony systems.
    * Heard President Stuart Steiner report that the official Fall 2008 enrollment numbers for Genesee are in: 6,672 students attended Genesee in the fall, up 3.1% from the 6,472 who were enrolled a year ago. "Today, more than ever, students appreciate the affordability and excellence that Genesee and other community colleges offer," Dr. Steiner told trustees. "Just as important, most students now understand that they can easily transfer from a community college to baccalaureate colleges across the United States." Dr. Steiner noted that leading educators, as well as civic and business leaders across the U.S., are now promoting the value of community colleges. "President Obama has mentioned community colleges as an excellent higher education alternative several times during his first six weeks in office," he said.
    * Heard President Steiner report that the College currently enrolls 5,645 students during the Spring 2009 semester - the highest spring enrollment in the College's history. Enrollment was up 7.9% from the 5,231 students enrolled a year ago and up 5.7% from the previous high record of 5,342 students in Spring 2006. Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Virginia Taylor reported that 787 students applied for Spring 2009 admission as full-time students, up 47% from the 535 students who had applied for the Spring 2008 semester. Nine hundred ninety students applied for admission on a part-time basis up 18% from the 842 students who applied last year.
    * Heard Board Chair Laurie Miller and Student Trustee Steven Schutt congratulate second-year student Moses Nhial of Sudan for attaining U.S. citizenship. Mr. Nhial was a sworn in as a U.S. citizen in early February, and was honored late last month at a College reception. Mr. Schutt and Mr. Nhial are roommates at College Village. Mr. Schutt briefly described Mr. Nhial's life, and his mother's 1,000-mile trek in the Sudan, carrying him to safety. "You cannot know what he (Moses) has been through in his life," Mr. Schutt said. "Yet he is such a gracious and humble person." Genesee County Legislator and Board of Trustees liaison Charles Zambito said that the Legislature will also honor Mr. Nhial with a proclamation March 24.
    * Heard President Stuart Steiner report that Kathleen L. Guyett and Frances E. Hoeft, professors of nursing, will retire at the end of the current academic year. "We are deeply grateful for their years of dedicated service," Dr. Steiner said. "Kathy and Fran are highly respected nursing educators, and their efforts over the years have helped ensure that our local residents receive exceptional care in our area hospitals and health care facilities." Professors Guyett and Hoeft began teaching at Genesee in 1978.
    * Heard Vice President for Finance and Operations Kevin Hamilton report that the Lima Planning Board granted "concept" approval for the new Lima Campus Center March 4. The Planning Board will again review plans in mid-month. Mr. Hamilton said he hopes that final approval will be granted April 1. The new center will be located on Route 15A north of the village, and the College hopes the new building will be ready by the start of the fall semester.
    * Congratulated members of the Women's Basketball Team, which won the Region III championship. The Lady Cougars, with a season record of 18-7, now moves on to the national championships next week in East Peoria, Illinois.
    * Heard Professor of Criminal Justice Barry Garigen describe the Criminal Justice Club's new Student Safety Patrol. Ten students are currently active in the patrol, Professor Garigen told trustees. Wearing black and gold uniforms, they patrol the Batavia Campus and assist at student events, helping to serve as the "eyes and ears" of the College's public safety officers. They also provide assistance to faculty, staff, and students, such as escort services to vehicles during evening hours. Students Phyllis Washburn of LeRoy and Jake Hammersly an international student from Great Britain, both patrol members, said that they have been "well received" by the College community. "We have received many compliments about the new safety patrol," Mr. Hammersly said. "And for us, it's a great real-world learning experience." Students who need field studies experience can receive academic credit for participating in the safety patrol, and other students participate on a volunteer basis as members of the Criminal Justice Club, Professor Garigen said.
    * Heard Edward Levinstein, Associate Dean of Accelerated College Enrollment Programs, report that this fall the ACE office will facilitate the first-ever Theatre Arts Academy for area high school students. Participating students will complete two courses at the Batavia Campus - Fundamentals of Acting and Stagecraft - Monday through Thursday, afternoons. Theatre Arts Academy classes will culminate in a live performance. Students will earn six college credits.