The Pavilion Fire Department accepted a donation on Friday made possible through the generosity of the Batavia Middle School’s dress-down days. 

Rebecca Matteson, the mother of a patient treated by the department in May 2021, made the donation to the department. 

Jeffrey DeMare was involved in an automobile accident involving one box truck and two semis at the curve on Route 63 and Peoria Road. Thanks to quick actions taken by a good Samaritan and a State trooper from Wyoming County, who both applied a tourniquet and with the Pavilion Fire Department providing Basic Life Support, Jeffrey was able to make a full recovery after multiple surgeries. 

Ken Weaver, president of the Pavilion Fire Department, accepted the check. Jeffrey is standing to the right of Rebecca. Also in the photo are firefighters who responded to the call.

Submitted photos and information.

Pavilion teen Carson Tyler has been a longtime animal lover. With three dogs at home and a penchant for trail-riding horses with her mom, when she came into a little money, her decision about what to do with it was an easy one.

She opted to donate a check of $1,000, which she won as Gatorade’s Best Player of the Year for her volleyball prowess, to Purple Pony Therapeutic Horsemanship in Le Roy.

One person reportedly unable to get out of a vehicle.

Mercy Flight was on standby but is canceled.

Pavilion Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Stafford Fire quested to shutdown traffic at Route 20 and Route 63 and Le Roy Fire requested to shutdown traffic at Route 19 and Route 63.

Traffic is blocked in both directions on Route 63 by the accident.

UPDATE 5:31 p.m.: One person extricated.

UPDATE 7:17 p.m.: Route 63 reopened.

UPDATE: According to Pavilion Chief Jason Everett, two people were injured. He said it appeared a semi-truck was westbound on Route 63 in the slow lane. When it came time to merge, a pickup truck was in the passing lane, and the semi-driver apparently did not see the pickup truck and moved into the passing lane. The pickup was forced into the lane of oncoming traffic and hit an SUV. The pickup then swerved, bounced off the semi-truck, and punctured a saddle tank. After the collision, the pickup continued down a 20-foot embankment. The SUV driver was extricated and was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy EMS. The two people in the pickup truck declined treatment at the scene and were transported to UMMC by private vehicle.  The saddle tanks leaked approximately 50 liters of diesel fuel. Genesee County's Hazmat team assisted with cleanup.  Route 63 was closed for approximately three hours.

By Darrell Upright and the PCS Introduction Journalism Class

Tuesday night, Pavilion Central School hosted its first-ever full-district community event, “Eclipse Learning Night,” in preparation for the  April 8 total solar eclipse. 

Hosted nearly two weeks before the celestial occurrence, 400 students and their families mobbed the Middle-High school’s gymnasium, auditorium, and library and visited participating classrooms that sponsored eclipse-related activities.  All told, more than 600 people attended the event, held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 

Planned by the science department staff and an ad hoc committee that started preparations in October, the event was a success for the school. 

“This exceeded expectations for attendance and involvement,” said Mr. Brian Mullin, English 12 teacher. 

Among the activities visited by students on Tuesday night were two presentations by Dr. Aaron Steinhauer, professor of Astronomy at SUNY Geneseo; the Star Lab, a portable planetarium in the school’s auditorium; readings by PCS staff of Colleen Onuffer’s “Genny Sees the Eclipse” (illustrated by Andy Reddout); the Middle-High School Book Fair; Trivia Night; concessions from Papa Roni’s and Yummie’s Ice Cream from Warsaw – who sold a special flavor created for the event, Gopher Galaxy;  and teacher-and-student-created presentations and displays to inform the public about the eclipse featuring work from students in grades Kindergarten to 12.

Students and family members also received eclipse glasses at the event. 

“We’re doing this prior to the eclipse for the community,” said Dr. Amanda Cook, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, who planned the event with the Science Department and committee members. “From a safety standpoint, there was a concern that the public may not be familiar with” some of the dangers associated with a full solar eclipse: severe injury to the retina if viewers don’t use filtered glasses. 

“We want to share the significance of a very rare event,” she added. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.” 

Many of the students’ projects capitalized on the eclipse's importance.

According to “GeneSEE the Eclipse,” the Genesee County web page (https://visitgeneseeny.com/2024-eclipse) informing residents about it, the last full solar eclipse visible in our area was in 1925, and the next will take place in 2144.

Attendees were enthused by the event.  “I like science personally, so I like it so far.  It’s great for us (in the PCS district) because we don’t have to go anywhere” to learn about the eclipse, said 10th grader Jackson True while doing the PCS English Department’s “blackout poetry” exercise, one of numerous activities planned by school staff. 

According to the “GeneSEE the Eclipse” web page, the Monday, April 8th event will darken the sky in Genesee County, which is directly in the “path of totality.” People will experience 3 minutes and 42 seconds of full eclipse beginning at 3:19 p.m. and a partial eclipse for nearly two and a half hours. 

Photos by Darrell Upright

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Introduction to Journalism class at Pavilion Central Schools is taught by Michael Iten and is, as far as we know, the only Intro to Journalism class in Genesee County.

Members of the Pavilion Volunteer Fire Department honored their own on Saturday at the fire hall with an awards and installation dinner.

Ken Weaver was named Firefighter of the Year. Dave Clor received the EMS Person of the Year award. Paul Daugherty received the President's Award.

Tom Garlock, Jason Everett, Chris Holley, and Don Roblee Jr. received a special EMS award for their effort to deliver a baby during a snowstorm in January. The baby was named Cinderella.

Matt Jacobs received the Lifetime Member Award.

Jerry Fitzsimmons was honored as a 50-year member for 2022, and Don Roblee and Ken Weaver were honored for 50 years in 2023.

The 2024 officers:

• Jason Everett, chief
• Bryen Murrock, 1st asst. chief
• Codey O'Neill, 2nd asst. chief
• Chris Holley, captain
• Kelly Murrock, captain
• Jason True, lieutenant
• Dewey Murrock, lieutenant
• Ken Weaver, fire police captain
• Dave Clor, safety officer

The Dean's List at the University at Albany recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of full-time undergraduate students.

To qualify for the Dean's List, students must earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher in their first semester of study and a GPA of 3.50 or higher in subsequent semesters.

The following students have been named to the Fall 2023 Dean's List:

• Tania Cortes Gutierrez of Pavilion
• Carlos Melgarejo of Oakfield 
• Danica Porter of Basom 
• Lauren Reimer of Batavia
• Ashley Schiefer of Batavia
• Alexandra Zanghi of East Pembroke 

SUNY Delhi is proud to recognize Rachael Herold of Pavilion, for being named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester. Herold is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Nursing.

The Dean's List is a recognition of academic achievement for students who are enrolled in six or more credits and earn at least a 3.5 grade-point average for the semester.

More than 2,800 students earned recognition for academic excellence on the SUNY Cortland Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester. 

The Dean's List is the highest ranking for undergraduate students in their respective academic areas of the university. Students must earn a minimum 3.3 grade point average for the semester to make the list.

Among those honored were:

• Gaige Armbrewster of Batavia - Physical Education K-12
• Ethan Beswick of Le Roy - Healthcare Management
• Jocelyn Coburn of Batavia - Musical Theatre BFA
• Emma Efing of Le Roy - Adoles Educ-Social Studies
• Olivia Halpin of Batavia - Inclusive Childhood Education
• Kaylie Kratz of Batavia - Inclusive Early Childhood Education
• Allie Schwerthoffer of Batavia - Healthcare Management
• Karlee Zinkievich of Pavilion - Physical Education K-12

198 students from Genesee Community College were named to the President's List. Students honored on the President's List have maintained full-time enrollment and earned a quality point index of 3.75 (roughly equivalent to an A) or better.

• Phyllissa Mitzel of Alexander
• Julia Lennon of Alexander
• Kristian Natalizia of Alexander
• Christian Haller of Alexander
• Brendan Burgess of Batavia 
• Rachel Gelabale of Batavia 
• Alexandra Christopher of Batavia
• Ryan Bowen of Batavia
• Alexander Hunt of Batavia
• Michelle Witherow of Batavia
• Elizabeth Clark of Batavia 
• Danielle Clark of Batavia
• Allison Dent of Batavia
• Christian DeSantis of Batavia 
• Aden Chua of Batavia
• Paul Daniszewski of Batavia
• Duane Kross of Batavia
• Ashley Hightower of Batavia 
• Clara Wood of Batavia
• Amanda Audelo of Batavia
• Stacie Stein of Batavia 
• Joseph Perl of Batavia 
• Hailey Smith of Batavia
• Blake Pahuta of Corfu 
• Alec Skeet of Corfu 
• Isabella Wheeler of Darien Center
• Julia Yax of Darien Center 
• Michael Miller of East Bethany 
• Kyra Rhodes of Oakfield 
• Heidi Burdick of Oakfield
• Tyhler Wood of Oakfield
• Kenneth Kline of Oakfield
• Athena Mitchell of Oakfield 
• Erica Scott of Stafford
• Joan-Marie Gabalski of Byron 
• Sean Whiting of Le Roy 
• Mia Hampton of Le Roy 
• Maverick Blachowicz of Le Roy 
• Makayla Grant of Le Roy 
• Willard Prevost of Le Roy 
• Morgan Beverly of Le Roy 
• Shaun Graham of Le Roy
• Bryn Luckey of Le Roy 
• Matthew Bolton of Le Roy 
• Ian Kepple of Le Roy 
• Colton Dziekan of Pavilion 
• Dylan Wiedrich of Pavilion 
• Lauren Russell of Pavilion
• Alaina Rowe of Pavilion