What a weekend! I really like it when our facilities are used as much as possible because it shows how much care our buildings and grounds crew and custodians put into what they do. It also solidifies the District's spot as the center of the community. This weekend did not disappoint!
On Friday the high school was alive with football, fans, Friday Night Lights, the Marching Band, and the Wildcat Nation. Loud would be an understatement! The boys played a great game against a very tough CNS football team and came up just short. The Marching Band captivated the crowd at halftime with a great performance, and the Wildcat Nation was in full force. Just a fantastic night all around.
Tournament of Bands and Technology: The Marching Band (and their parents and staff) got right back to work on Saturday morning to host the Tournament of Bands. They played host to nine other high-quality Marching Bands and also put on quite an exhibition themselves! What made the evening even cooler were the awards that were handed out by Executive Principal Shannon Coholan and West Genesee graduate and United States Rear Admiral John Okon. The awards were truly one of a kind. They were manufactured by students in our technology club under the direction of teacher Matt Makowiec; and I want one of them! Congratulations to all on a very successful Tournament of Bands.
Sometimes during my building visits, I come across multi-disciplinary projects that are just so cool that they need to be recognized. Steve Ficarra, a technology teacher at our high school, has students working on a mass production project as part of the Design and Manufacturing class. They are mass producing (about 40) skateboard decks. I received a prototype and these decks are as nice as, or better, than what you would buy in a store. But wait, there's more. The decks are going to be decorated by students in art and photography classes. We have a TON of art and photo talent so I can only imagine what these are going to look like when they are done.
Next, the board decks are going to be entered into an art competition in downtown Syracuse at the Gear Factory. Lastly, they are going to try to get donations for the "trucks and wheels" so they become full functioning skateboards. They will then be auctioned and donated to needy children in our area leading up to the holidays. This project certainly makes me proud to be a Wildcat, and I am sure Tony Hawk would be proud also! I will post pictures of these pieces of art as they move through the development process.
Student Academic Achievements: Congratulations goes out to our National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist, Philip Martin, and to National Merit Commended Scholars: Luke Mullane, Rose Hays, Kayla Hoovler, and Benjamin Davis. These students are among 50,000 of more than 1.6 million students who entered the Merit Program by earning high scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) taken in October of their junior year.
Click here to read the full article.
A Bucket List Item: If that wasn't enough, my older son and I got a chance to check off a bucket list item and get to Lambeau Field to watch the Buffalo Bills take on the Green Bay Packers. Now an adult, he and I had been planning this since he was in middle school. I am a Bills fan until they are out for the season and then a Packers fan the rest of the way so I couldn't lose. Although the Bills didn't come out on top, it was still a great experience and one I recommend if you are a football fan. We also made some good memories.
Thanks and have a great week!
Chris
Student Academic Achievements: Congratulations goes out to our National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist, Philip Martin, and to National Merit Commended Scholars: Luke Mullane, Rose Hays, Kayla Hoovler, and Benjamin Davis. These students are among 50,000 of more than 1.6 million students who entered the Merit Program by earning high scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) taken in October of their junior year. Click here to read the full article.
