Courage is On Display When You Least Expect It

I finally had a chance to catch a movie at the new Movie Tavern in Township 5. What a great place! I have never been to a theater where you can recline AND order food to your seat. Pretty cool. The movie, Hidden Figures, was even better and I highly recommend it!

Sports and Art Come Together: On Friday, our girls basketball team played against Baldwinsville at home for first place in the section. Halftime was set to be girls Camillus Youth Basketball Association (CYBA) games. There was a large crowd on hand for both. As the JV game ended (with a convincing win by our girls), I spent some time talking to parents, giving the pep band a pep talk, speaking to the cheerleaders, and preparing to find my seat for the varsity game.

It was then that we were asked to rise for the National Anthem and THIRD GRADER, Taylor MacCaull, grabbed the microphone and stepped out toward mid-court. In front of her classmates, students, parents, and community members she NAILED it. What courage and poise! Everyone was so happy for her. A few moments later, parent Mr. Mercer snapped this picture, which completely sums up why I do my job; and why, after seventeen years this month, being a superintendent is still the best job on earth.

Checking Your Sources: Fake news seems to be the topic of conversation around the country of late, and we have been talking about ways to help students separate fact from fiction when they read something either in print, watch it on television, or see it on the Internet. Our assistant superintendent found a cool link that reveals a one page checklist for fake news detection. If you are looking for some dinnertime conversation, click here for that good resource.

Update from Community Coalition on Substance Abuse: On behalf of our substance abuse coalition, I would like to thank ACR Health and the Camillus Police Department for their help in operating our recent NARCAN training. About 120 people received the training.

We will offer another one at some point in the future. At this point, please place February 27 on your calendar as a night to come to school for a targeted resource night. Channel 9's Christie Casciano is going to be our keynote speaker, and we have some of the top physicians and speakers in the area to spend the night with us. Stay tuned for the full agenda.

Questions for the Superintendent?: This Wednesday from 7:00-9:00 p.m. is our annual Dialogue with the Superintendent, sponsored by the West Genesee PTA/PTO District Council. The event is held at West Genesee High School in the Large Group Instruction Room. The format is fantastic. I give a quick "State of the District" and then attendees can write questions anonymously on index cards. The index cards are shuffled, and then I read and respond to them sight unseen. Looking forward to seeing you this week.

Thanks and enjoy the week!

Chris