Where has the Time Gone?

On the Run! I am very happy to have made it through the Mountain Goat yesterday and to have seen and run with so many Wildcats! The other runners must have been startled with so many shout-outs of "Go West Genny!" from seemingly everywhere. Those races are not easy undertakings, and I want to be sure to thank all of the volunteers, ambulance workers, and police officers who coordinated the event and kept us safe. Next up for me is the Corporate Challenge in June.

Celebrating Students and Staff: Last week we had the pleasure of celebrating the successes of students and staff. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we hosted the High Honor Roll Breakfast for the freshmen (156 students), sophomores (123 students), and juniors (143 students). I enjoy these events because I get to catch up with parents I might not have seen in a while and the events are for very positive things. Our seniors have an evening honor reception coming up in a few weeks. Congratulations to all!

We were also the hosts of Senator DeFrancisco's "Teachers of Excellence" award program. Special Education teacher Mary Philippone and Art teacher Kelly Moser-Vogler were selected from West Genesee. The senator did a great job in making all of the teachers in attendance feel welcomed, appreciated, and comfortable. We would be more than happy to host the event every year (hint, hint).

Athletes Compete: Rain has really messed with the sports schedule, but last week our Boys and Girls Track teams continued to dominate and our Girls Lacrosse team got a great come from behind win over rival CBA. It is hard to believe, but the end of the regular season is already in sight!


A Big Announcement: On the Boys Lacrosse side, coach Messere announced to the media that he will be retiring at the completion of next season. It will also signify the end of his fiftieth year of coaching. When I ask people to describe coach Messere, I often hear the words visionary, pioneer, and champion to describe his influence on the game. 

As always, when someone of his stature and prowess announces that they will be leaving, the first question is "who will replace him?" Right now coach Messere is still on our sidelines until the end of next year, and we want to keep the coaching staff and players free from distraction. Mr. Burns, our Athletic Director, and I will make sure that his replacement will continue our tradition of high standards and excellence in boys lacrosse. As that replacement process takes place, we will be sure to keep you posted.

Senior Ball, Already? This Friday is the Senior Ball, followed by the All-Night Party at the high school. At 7:30 a.m. on Friday in the circle at the high school, seniors will be experiencing a simulated DWI crash. This is something that we began in conjunction with local fire departments, police, ambulance, county coroner, and District Attorney's office, in 2009. Even though the students "know what is coming" because of what they have heard from older classmates, the impact is great. 

You can help us in two ways next Friday. The first is to make a donation to the all night party. Almost all of our senior class attends the Senior Ball and just about everyone attends the All-Night Party. In fact, there are seniors who do not attend the ball but go to the All-Night Party after. They will take any donation you have in order to make sure that every attendee gets something, is fed, and that the entertainment is top notch. If you would like to donate, you can contact my administrative assistant, Eileen Conboy at 315-487-4562 or econboy@westgenesee.org. She will make sure that your donation is passed along to the correct people.

The second thing you can do is just enjoy and appreciate that this is a "big night" for our seniors. Anything positive you can say or do for them goes a long way. This includes smiling when your neighborhood is full of cars for pictures!

Poster Contest: Lastly, sophomore Tori Rech  is competing to have her poster design to be selected as THE poster for the annual Taste of Syracuse. This is what it looks like; and you can help her to achieve her goal by clicking here to go to Facebook (Taste of Syracuse page) and "like" to vote for her poster!

Thanks for the support and have a great week!

Chris