byron-bergen

Press release:

On Feb. 15th, Senior Libby Piper and Sophomore Jade Wolff participated in the 2023 Poetry Out Loud Semifinal Competition held at Buffalo State University. The event was co-hosted by the Western New York Writing Project. Piper and Wolff had previously advanced to this round after winning the Byron-Bergen School-Level competition. During the event, they competed against students from around the Western New York area including schools such as Brighton High School, the Westfield Academy, and Jamestown High School.

During the first two rounds of the competition, the students were required to recite two poems: one poem needed to be 25 lines or fewer and the other must have been written before the 20th Century. Piper recited William E. Stafford's Traveling Through the Dark and Ella Wheeler Wilcox's Friendship After Love while Wolff recited Carl Sandburg's I am the People, the Mob and Edgar Allen Poe's To Helen. The students were evaluated on categories such as physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, and accuracy.

After the first two rounds, three students were selected to advance to the third round and recite a final poetry selection. Piper was selected and recited Jeffrey Skinner’s The Bookshelf of the God of Infinite Space. After the final scores were tabulated, Piper was named the Western New York champion.

With this award, Piper has earned the right to move on as one of only 20 students from the state of New York and compete in the Poetry Out Loud New York State Finals held at the Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, NY on March 11, 2023. The winner of this competition will advance to the 2023 Poetry Out Loud National Finals to be held May 8-10th in Washington, DC. 

Press release:

Byron-Bergen’s defending interscholastic mathematics champions have topped their division for the fourth year in a row. Led by veteran coach, and math teacher Jon DiLaura, the Bees finished in first place out of 14 schools, and six members were named all-stars. The six all-stars will compete at the state tournament in April.

“These 20 students genuinely worked as a team,” said DiLaura. “They show up for practice and really help each other.”

The math league members agree that teamwork and friendship play a role in their success.

“The best part is the people who participate in math league,” said senior Frank Hersom. “We have a great team and it is nice to see our hard work pay off.”

“We always find ways to make math league fun,” said senior Zoey Shepard. “I would tell any younger student who is thinking of joining to absolutely do it. I’ve met some wonderful people and learned a lot.”

“I like to challenge myself and extend my knowledge of math,” said 10th grader Connor Moran. “The best part of it, however, is definitely hanging out with the team afterward.”

The math competitions take place over a series of rounds. The competitors solve math questions in advanced topics such as logarithms, trigonometry, systems of equations, and matrices. The test results are tabulated based on a point system.

“I am most proud of our team this year for getting so many individuals to the state competition,” said 10th grader Jackson Lundfelt. Lundfelt was awarded a medal for achieving the highest overall score in this season’s competitions. “The best part about mathletes is the high stakes competition and the lunch with friends afterward.”

“I am very proud of our Math Team,” said Jr./Sr. High School Principal Ashley John Grillo. “It is great to see students take so much pride in excelling in Mathematics. Our students have worked very hard to be the best in this area. Congratulations to this outstanding group of students on their accomplishment.”

For younger students who might be interested in joining the team, Lundfelt offers this advice. “Don’t be intimidated or afraid to join. We have meetings where we are able to learn all the skills we need beforehand.”

“I would tell younger students to 100% join their math league team as it is a wonderful opportunity,” Connor added. “I am proud of everyone on the team for being able to take home the trophy again, for the fourth year in a row.”

Shepard summed it up. “The best thing about math league is the team.” 

Submitted photos.

Press release:

Debbie Slocum was an elementary classroom teacher for over two decades before she learned about instructional coaching. Her interest began in 2013 when she was teaching third grade, and the District introduced an instructional coaching program. “I fell in love with the process immediately,” said Slocum. “I had been teaching for 24 years at that point and had never seen myself teach.”

Slocum has now been an Instructional Coach at Byron-Bergen for seven years. That first interaction led her down a path that included participating as a panelist in a national webinar hosted by Swivl, a company that produces technology for reflective teaching practices. The webinar entitled “Building Trust Through Reflection: A Discussion with Swivl” featured Slocum and two other panelists, Mandi Olsen and Brenda Tonanek, both K-12 Instructional Coaches.

The Instructional Coaching program is a 1-on-1, confidential process where teachers video record classroom lessons. The lessons are then analyzed by an Instructional Coach for certain data. Data could include the number of times students are given an opportunity to respond, the amount of time given to students to respond, and the time the teacher is talking compared with the time students are responding. The analysis will include positive aspects of the lessons as well as areas for improvement.

In the Swivl webinar, Slocum compares instructional coaching to looking in the mirror. “You look in the mirror every single day. You see your reflection, and you fix what you don’t like immediately. And sometimes you will go and get a second opinion. So, when you reflect, you’re looking not at your appearance but your teaching.”

Slocum implements the Elementary School Instructional Coaching program, where she has a 95% voluntary participation rate. Diana Walther, the Jr./Sr. High School's Instructional Coach, also boasts an almost 90% participation rate.

“Obviously, we want to improve student learning,” said Walther. “Instructional coaching helps replace ‘one and done’ professional development. It provides consistency. That reflective practice is so powerful, and it’s all about what the teachers want to get out of it. The data can point to areas for improvement, and then I can present strategies to strengthen those areas, and then we can reflect again and again. It’s pretty cool.”

“Teachers are life-long learners,” said Slocum. “This program gives them the opportunity to reflect and grow year after year. It’s a continuous priority because everything’s changing. Our expectations for the kids keep changing. Technologies keep changing, and the culture is changing. There’s a need for continuous reflection to keep up with the changes.”

February 10, 2023 Contact: Gretchen Spittler Byron-Bergen Communications Specialist (585) 794-6340

In addition to implementing the Instructional Coaching program at Byron-Bergen, Slocum and Walther run the training at Genesee Valley Education Partnership (GVBOCES) for the GLOW region instructional coaches cohort. They were asked to take on this role in 2019. This cohort has about 20 instructional coaches who gather three or four times per year.

“Byron-Bergen made an early commitment to instructional coaching,” said Superintendent Pat McGee. “As such, our team is on the forefront of not only the regional movement but the national movement. I am very proud of Mrs. Slocum and Mrs. Walther and the impressive contributions they make to our District and to the practice of instructional coaching.” 

Press release:

Byron-Bergen Elementary School proudly announces that the Genesee Valley School Board Association awarded Byron-Bergen Central Schools the Excellence in Student Services Award for the 3rd Grade Digital Citizenship Program. This program, which is led by 3rd-grade teacher Colleen Hardenbrook, is a year-long initiative to develop online and computer skills in the areas of digital citizenship, digital literacy, and keyboarding. All 59 3rd-grade students from three classrooms participate in the Digital Citizenship Program.

Before beginning the program, Hardenbrook surveyed elementary school teachers for desired student outcomes. The common themes were computer troubleshooting, appropriate use of technology, critical thinking skills, and independence.

“Our teachers spend a great deal of classroom time instructing students on how to use tablets and laptops,” said Hardenbrook. “This takes time away from time spent on content. I felt that by making specific time to teach these skills, it would benefit both our children and instructors.”

“This is a valuable program for our district,” said Superintendent Pat McGee. “Our 3rd graders are learning life skills that will benefit them through their education and beyond. I am extremely proud that the Genesee Valley School Board Association recognized the crucial importance of digital citizenship.”

Each third-grade class receives 40 to 80 minutes of Digital Citizenship per week. The curriculum is provided by Common Sense Media and focuses on safety, accountability, responsibility, and respectful use of digital media. This is broken down into themes, including media balance, privacy and security, digital footprint, relationships and communication, and media literacy. Students participate in independent work and group projects, including a PSA (public service announcement) about digital literacy. The video was scripted and performed by the students (embedded below)

“The overwhelming power and reach that the internet has in our student's lives, both while in school and not, is a challenge that we are just beginning to understand and it is constantly changing faster than we can keep up with,” said Hardenbrook. “I would like this program to provide young students with tools they will need to be successful digital citizens while at school and in their personal lives.” 

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:

Byron-Bergen Agriculture Teacher Jeffrey Parnapy was awarded a $1,700 grant through New York FFA’s Incentive Grant Funding Program to support agriculture education and the local FFA chapter. The Byron-Bergen agriculture initiative was designated by the Cornell University affiliated program as a “high-quality growing program”. Agricultural education at Byron-Bergen was spear-headed by Parnapy in 2017 after being removed from the curriculum in the 1980s. He is certified in Agriculture Education and received support to launch agriculture classes and the local FFA chapter by then Jr./Sr. High School Principal Pat McGee.

Now as Superintendent, McGee continues to support agriculture education. “Byron-Bergen is a rural community,” said McGee. “It is a testament to Parnapy’s enthusiasm for the subject and the community support that in just six years, Byron-Bergen has developed a thriving agriculture program.”

Since its launch six years ago, Parnapy has been awarded multiple grants totaling over $30k to support agriculture and science education, the Byron-Bergen FFA chapter, and hands-on agricultural learning experiences. The latest grant will be used to pay annual FFA dues, fund Parnapy’s participation in the NYAAE conference at Cornell, and update classroom lab technology such as data loggers. 

Photo by Gretchen Spittler 

Press release:

On Dec. 13, eight Byron-Bergen staff “elves” loaded shopping carts with one goal: Help ease the holiday stress for members of the Byron-Bergen community. These holiday helpers filled over 40 shopping carts with $8,500 worth of merchandise to assist more than 100 kids from 42 local families in need.

For many years, District teachers, staff, and administrators have worked together with local partners to make the season brighter in the Byron-Bergen area. This year’s Holiday Community Service Project collected over $8,500 in donations from faculty, staff, and individual community members.

“As we continue the important tradition of the Holiday Giving Project at Byron-Bergen, I would like to acknowledge that it is a community effort involving faculty, staff, administration, and community groups,” said Byron-Bergen Faculty Association President Ken Gropp. “I hope we are brightening the holidays for many families in our district.”

The holiday items were each wrapped and labeled by Byron-Bergen staff volunteers. It took four days of hard work, but on Saturday, December 17th, staff members delivered black contractor bags filled with brightly wrapped presents to individual cars in the High School bus loop. In addition to the gift items, the High School Student Council collected funds and non-perishable foods so that each family will also receive a holiday meal.

“I am thankful to work in a district that prioritizes supporting students and families,” said Superintendent Pat McGee. “Thank you to everyone who participated in the Holiday Giving Project, and a very happy holidays to our entire community.”

Submitted photos.

Top photo: Byron-Bergen staff shopping for Byron-Bergen community members 

Press release:

The Byron-Bergen Senior High School proudly announces that every fall varsity Byron-Bergen sports team achieved the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Scholar-Athlete Team award. The fall sports teams are boys cross-country, girls cross-country, football, gymnastics, boys soccer, girls soccer, and girls volleyball.

“The District is very proud of these athletes for not only shining on the field or court, but working hard in the classroom,” said Byron-Bergen Athletic Director Rich Hannan. “It is phenomenal to have every sports team achieve a Scholar-Athlete Team award. Keep up the great work, Bees!”

The Scholar-Athlete program recognizes athletes for their academic success. NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team awards go to teams whose average GPA of 75% of the athletic team equals 90 or above.

Scholar-Athlete Team award recipients:

Cross Country – Boys
Cameron Carlson, Frank Henrsom, Samuel Hersom, Jackson Lundfelt, Lincoln McGrath, Bradley Pocock, Travis Shallenberg, Roman Smith, Solomon Smith, Gabriel Vallese

Cross Country – Girls
Cassidy Ball, Katelyn Ball, Dayanara Caballero, Hanna Loewke, Stephanie Onderdonk, Katherine Rogoyski, Zoey Shepard

Football
David Brumsted, Brendin Galves, Connor Moran, Malachi Smith, James Starowitz, Ruger Starowitz

Gymnastics
Samantha Copani Emily Salmonds

Soccer – Boys
Brody Baubie, Noah Clare, Kendan Dressler, Jack Farner, Colin Martin, Nathan Parsons, Haydin Perez, Brendan Pimm, Carter Prinzi, Colin Rea, Travis Shallenberg, Trent Sheard

Soccer – Girls
Grace Capostagno, Grace DiQuattro, Lea Donofrio, Gabrielle Graff, Ava Gray, Mia Gray, Mackenzie Hagen, Megan Jarkiwicz, Tori LaMar, Kendall Phillips, Novalee Pocock, Natalie Prinzi, Victoria Rogoyski, Elizabeth Starowitz, Emma Starowitz, Ashley Schlenker-Stephens Ava Wagoner, Julia Will, Rose Wilson, Megan Zwerka

Volleyball – Girls
Emma Balduf, Carlee Barons, Deborah Catalino, Chloe Gilbert, Makala Hoopengar, Ella Lewis, Lily Stalica, LIllian Walker

The Byron-Bergen Bees went into Saturday's state championship semifinals in girls soccer with a track record of dominating opponents to the point of a more than 125-point differential on the season.

But they ran into a Sauquoit Valley team ready to play defense, rarely giving clear space to Mia Gray and Mackenzie Haegen, who each scored more than 40 points this season.

With 10 minutes left in the game, the Indians' Addison Lazarek scored her team's second goal, which held up to give Sauquoit Valley a 2-1 win in a game played at Cortland High School.

The Indians also struck first in the first half on a goal by Olivia Kalil.

A few minutes later, Emma Starowitz scored Byron-Bergen's only goal.

Sauquoit entered the game with two losses, while the Bees were undefeated.

For more on the game, visit UticaOD.com.

Photos by Kevin Smith/Cortland Voice

Press release:

On Thursday, Nov. 3, Byron-Bergen Elementary students took part in the Turkey Trot.

The annual run through the district’s scenic nature trail is designed to promote physical health, life-long fitness habits, and community service. The run is just under 1 mile and takes place during Physical Education class time. It is the culmination of a unit in which students train on the track and on the trails to prepare for the event.

“I love this event,” said Physical Education Teacher Danielle Carson. “I hope it helps the students realize that, if they work hard, they can do hard things. I also hope they understand that when we work together, we can help our community.”

In addition to taking part in the run, students were invited to donate wrapping paper or ribbon to the Byron-Bergen School District Holiday Gift Drive. The annual community service project provides holiday gift items to local families in need. Students have the rest of November to bring in their donations, but Carson has already collected over 100 items. 

Photos by Gretchen Spittler.

Byron-Bergen remains invincible in girls soccer, winning the Far West Regional Championship over Frewsburg today 6-2.

The win sends the Bees to the state semifinals next week.

Goals:

• Mackenzie Hagen, asisted by Emma Starowitz
• Emma Starowitz, assisted by Mackenzie Hagen
• Mackenzie Hagen, assisted by Kendall Phillips
• Mackenzie Hagen, assisted by Ava Gray
• Emma Starowitz, assisted by Mackenzie Hagen
• Mia Gray, assisted by Grace Diquattro.

The Bees are now 22-0 on the season.  The state semifinal is Saturday at Cortland High School at 12:30 p.m.  The Class C state final is the following day in Cortland (location TBD) at 10 a.m.

Two undefeated teams but only one winner in the Section V Class C crossover game in Webster on Monday with Byron-Bergen beating Gananda in overtime 3-2.

Mia Gray, with an assist from Elizabeth Starowitz, scored with winning goal at minute 25 in overtime.

During regulation time, Mackenzie Hagen and Emma Starowitz, with an assist from Hagen, scored goals.

Goalie Novalee Pocock blocked 10 shots while giving up two goals for the first time this season.

The Bees are now 21-0 and will play in the Far West Regional Championship for Class C at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Niagara Wheatfield.

Press release:

Three Byron-Bergen students have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These National Recognition Programs connect underrepresented students who excelled in College Board assessments and schoolwork with universities across the country, helping them meaningfully connect to colleges and stand out during the admissions process.

Ava Wagoner was awarded the National African American Recognition Award. “I’m really excited about the award because with AP (Advanced Placement classes) you have to work hard,” said Wagoner, who plans to study engineering after graduation. “It feels good to get the recognition.”

“I’m really proud,” said Zoey Shepard who was awarded the National Rural and Small Town Award. She plans to study chemical engineering after graduation.

Dayanara Caballero was awarded the National Hispanic Recognition Award, National Rural and Small Town Award, and the National Indigenous Award. “Receiving these awards was really exciting for me,” said Caballero. “I’m looking to apply to college to study mathematics or government.”

To qualify for recognition, students have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10, or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams; and are African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, and/or attend school in a rural area or small town.

“Congratulations to these students,” said Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School Principal Ashley John Grillo. “They are dedicated to their studies and push themselves to be the best they can be. They should be very proud of this recognition.” 

Press release:

The week of Oct. 17th was Digital Citizenship week. Digital citizenship is defined as using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate. This year, all Byron-Bergen 3rd-grade students participated in a digital citizenship and digital literacy class taught by 3rd Grade Teacher Colleen Hardenbrook. The goal of the lesson was for students to use technology correctly and fluently, and included a group video PSA project.

“The class is based on Common Sense Media's curriculum,” said Hardenbrook. “It introduces fun characters that help teach students the essentials to being a good digital citizen.”

The characters are each named after a part of the human body. For example, “Head” teaches how to consume media in a critical way and “Legs” encourages students to stand up to bullies online. Each character embodies a key idea of digital citizenship.

In addition to the digital citizenship curriculum, students are learning digital fluency by practicing efficient computer use. This includes improving typing skills with a program called Keyboarding without Tears.

The students then created a group project to encompass the first unit on Media Balance. The students wrote the script, directed, and starred in the PSA-style video. “The goal of this program is to help teach young Byron-Bergen students how to participate in a digital world in a way that is safe, secure, and healthy,” said Hardenbrook. “Hopefully this video makes a lasting impression for our students and gets the message out for others.” 

The 20th win of the season for the Byron-Bergen Girls Soccer team may not have been the team's largest margin of victory but it was still their biggest win.

It gave them the Class C2 title on Section V.

They beat Wheatland-Chili 2-0.

"All the girls played great tonight," Head Coach Wayne Hill said. "We've had a great year, but a huge shout out to Wheatland-Chili. They've given us three fantastic games this year. They are a really, really good team. We earned this one. They put us through our tests. So we're happy to come out on top."

Mia Gray scored the Bees' first goal at 27 minutes in the first half, unassisted.  Gray got the assist on the second goal, a shot by Elizabeth Starowitz at four minutes in the second half.

"I think we'll remember this as an intense game and how much of a relief we had after the two goals," Gray said after the game.

Wheatland-Chili managed only five shots on goal, all saves for goalie Novalee Pocock.  Byron-Bergen took 16 shots. 

The undefeated Bees have outscored opponents this year by 128 points and notched 19 shutouts this season.

"It's been really great and the team has great chemistry," Ava Wagner said. "We have a lot of fun at practice and during games, so it's been great."

Now the Bees face what may be their biggest challenge of the season, the Class C crossover game against Gananda.  

Gananda is also 20-0.

The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Webster Schroeder.

Photos by Kristin Smith. To view more photos, click here.

With a 6-0 Section V semi-final win at Cal-Mum on Tuesday over Warsaw, the Byron Bergen Bees continued the team's Class C2 dominance in Girls Soccer.

The 19-0 Bees have outscored opponents this year by 126 points and notched 17 shutouts.

Scoring Summary against Warsaw (14-4):

• Mackenzie Hagen (Emma Starowitz)
• Mia Gray (Elizabeth Starowitz )
• Emma Starowitz (Mackenzie Hagen)
• Mia Gray (Emma Starowitz)
• Grace Capostagno (Ava Gray)
• Mackenzie Hagen (Emma Starowitz)

Warsaw managed only five shots on goal, all blocked by Novalee Pocock.

The Class C2 championship will pit Byron-Bergen against Wheatland (15-2-2) at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Cal-Mum.

Photos by Howard Owens. Top photo: Mia Gray after a kick that hit the back of the net for the team's second goal of the game.

MacKenzie Hagen battles for the ball.

Elizabeth Starowitz

Elizabeth Starowitz

Julia Will

MacKenzie Hagen

MacKenzie Hagen

Mia Gray

Elizabeth Starowitz

MacKenzie Hagen