The American Legion Auxiliary Unit #576 of Le Roy has selected two students to attend this year's Empire Girls State the week of June 30 at SUNY Brockport.
Teagan Falk Submitted photo.
Teagan Falk and Elise Fisher have been selected to attend. As part of the premier ALA program, “citizens” of the New York Girls State will study local, county, and state government processes during this five-day nonpartisan political learning experience.
Teagan is a high school junior from Oakfield-Alabama High School. She participates in many extracurriculars, including Chorus, Band, Varsity Football and Basketball Cheer, Mock Trial, NHS, and is the president of her class. She takes multiple AP classes and has a 4.0 GPA. She also participates in activities outside of her school, including as lead singer of a band, and modeling in the GCC fashion show.
Elise Fisher Submitted photo.
Elise Fisher is a high school junior from Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School. She is well-known for her passion for social justice and conservation, participating in various clubs such as Mosaic, Ecology, Feminist Club, and the National Honor Society.
ALA Girls State attendees, known as “citizens,” receive special instruction in parliamentary procedure and organize themselves into two mock political parties. The young women then campaign, hold rallies, debate, and vote to elect city, county, and state officials. Once elected to office, delegates are sworn in and perform their prescribed duties. Attendees not elected to office are given appointments and visit the offices of those elected to share their viewpoints as citizens.
Every spring, approximately 25,000 young women across the country are selected to attend ALA Girls State programs in their respective states. Two outstanding citizens from each of the 50 ALA Girls State programs are then chosen to represent their state as “senators” at ALA Girls Nation held in Washington, D.C. in July.
Jamie Clark, assistant principal and athletic director at Le Roy Jr/Sr High School, has been named the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) Region 12 Secondary School Assistant Principal of the Year.
"What a great honor for all the work that Jamie does for our students each and every day," said Superintendent Merritt Holly. "Mr. Clark is student-centered and always prioritizes the success and well-being of every learner."
"Mr. Clark continually demonstrates a positive attitude and team-oriented approach, and his ability to connect with stakeholders and willingness to approach any challenging situation have helped contribute to the success of the Le Roy Central School District," said Dr. David Russell, principal at the high school.
Each year, SAANYS honors exceptional New York State administrators with a state awards program in their honor. This program was established to recognize educators who demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and have contributed exceptionally to the educational process.
Clark will be honored on Monday, May 5 at a SAANYS event in Cheektowaga.
David Russell, principal, Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School Photo by Howard Owens.
The key takeaway from Le Roy High School Regents Exams results is that the pass rate is pretty consistent, Principal David Russell reported to the Board of Education on Tuesday.
Recent pass rate:
23-24, 88%
22-23, 82%
21-23, 88%
20-21, 79%
19-20, no test due to pandemic
18-19, 93%
Naturally, Russell said he would like to see better results.
"As a building principal, you're always going to want to strive for 100 over 100," Russell said. "I think if any principal would come in here and say otherwise, you've questioned their motivation, right? I think what I would say is, looking at this, I think it's encouraging to see passing grades staying consistent. I think one thing that we can focus on with this data is working with our department chairs next year to say, 'All right, what can we do? We have some students who scored 63 and 64. How can we support those students getting to passing?"
Russell, of course, would also like to improve the percentage of students achieving mastery grades.
"I would say that the overall goal would be to try and focus on mastery, right?" Russell said. "We can keep pushing our students to get better, and not just being complacent, looking at passing. There's always going to be room that we're striving for the highest bar that we can attain."
23-24, 26%
22-23, 28%
21-23, 32%
20-21, 31%
19-20, no test due to pandemic
18-19, 39%
Not all districts in the county have posted the Regent results yet so Russell said he can't yet offer comparables with other districts.
On Tuesday, July 12, 2022, the Le Roy Board of Education unanimously approved Matt Davis as the new Jr/Sr High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. Mr. Davis will start officially on Monday, August 1, 2022.
Mr. Davis is currently a physical education teacher at Brockport Central School District, a position he has held since 2007. During the 2021 summer, Mr. Davis also gained valuable experience at Monroe 2 BOCES as a Regional Summer School Vice Principal. Since 2018 at Brockport Middle and High School, Mr. Davis has served as a substitute assistant principal and completed his internship with the Director of Physical Education, Health, and Athletics in 2021.
“Throughout the search process, it was evident that Mr. Davis had a bold vision for both our academic and athletic programs. He values teamwork, and cares above all about the success and development of his students, teachers, and staff,” said Merritt Holly, Superintendent of Schools. “Mr. Davis’ coaching experience in both boys and girls varsity sports (soccer and baseball) at Brockport Central Schools was viewed as a huge plus by our committee. We look forward to Mr. Davis leading our Knights as we continue to provide high-level extra-curricular offerings for all students.”
Mr. Davis earned both a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and a Master of Science in Athletic Administration from SUNY Brockport. Along with his physical education certification, Mr. Davis also holds New York State certifications as a School Building and School District Leader.
The district posted the position on May 11, 2022, and 17 candidates applied.
First-round interviews with six applicants were held on Tuesday, June 21, 2022.
An 11-member committee consisting of teachers, parents, administration, and board members
narrowed the field to two finalists.
Second-round interviews took place on Tuesday, June 28, and Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
A final interview with the superintendent was conducted on Thursday, July 7, 2022.
Mr. Davis will have the opportunity to transition into his new role with Dr. David Russell and Mrs. Lynda Lowe (who will be retiring in November 2022). The district would also like to thank Mrs. Beth Luckey, who has been interim athletic director since October 2022.
Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School will present the Stephen Sondheim musical "Into the Woods" at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12, and POSTPONED -- Friday and Saturday -- March 13 and 14 -- in the auditorium.
Tickets are $10 presale; $12 at the door. The school is located at 9300 South Street Road in Le Roy.
Based on the book by James Lapine, "Into the Woods" at first appears to be a familar story based on Grimm’s fairy tales that most of us grew up with. But there's frustration afoot as the audience delves into questioning what brings true happiness.
The story is a metaphor for life's journeys. What directions we choose to take in life and the discoveries we make along the way in regards to love, loss, values, choices, and responsibilities. The story also shows the lightness and darkness which we all encounter in life and focuses on how the choices we make in our lives truly do affect those who are around us and the journeys they take, says the production's Artistic Director Jacqueline McLean.
While this show poses a lot of serious questions and thoughts, it also has a delightful score full of beautiful and entertaining music, as well as several comedic characters and moments, and characters we all know who take us through the ups and downs of the journey called life.
Le Roy students have proven up to the extreme challenge of the difficult score as well as developing the deep characters.
"We spent an extensive amount of time developing our characters this year so that we would find ease forming the correct relationships on stage, thus hoping to make it believable," McLean says. "Through the process, students asked themselves questions and did a bit of self discovery as well.
"There is not a person in the world that can’t relate to or see someone they know in the characters of 'Into the Woods'. While the students portray these characters, it is an exaggerated version of real-life stereotypes and personalities."
The cast includes:
Erik Schwab (Narrator)
Hailey Grasso -- Cinderella
Brady Fix -- Cinderella's Prince
Wade Dzedzic -- Rapunzel's Prince
Sean Czyrca -- Wolf
Evan Williams -- The Baker
Alexis Pfendler -- The Baker's Wife
Marlena Pencille -- The Witch
Emily Overacker -- Jack's Mother
Ashlyn Puccio -- Little Red Ridinghood
Nathan Yauchzee -- Jack
Jackson Cain -- Mysterious Man
Maureen Klaiber -- Rapunzel
Allison Primatera -- Cinderella's Stepmother
Jillian Curtis -- Florinda
Kylee Wright -- Lucinda
Amalia Morris -- Cinderella's Mother
Catie Long -- Giant
Jonathan Napper -- Cinderella's Father
Cooper Terry -- Granny
Ethan Riggs -- Steward
Allyson Austin -- Snow White
Anna Long --Sleeping Beauty
Maria Calhoun -- Milky White
In addition to Artistic Director Jacqueline McLean, the production crew includes:
Assistant Director -- Joseph Kusmierczak
Vocal Director -- Jeffrey Fischer
Choreographer -- Jessica Pcionek
Pit Orchestra Director -- Nastassia Dotts
Costumes -- Mary Platek, Heidi Austin
Dance Captain -- Allison Primatera
Assistant Dance Captian -- Aubrey Puccio
"Into the Woods" is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.
