Special Message

By now you have probably heard or read that we had a fight outside of the high school yesterday at dismissal time. As the situation was unfolding, members of the media were calling me because they were receiving calls from parents and community members about a large police presence at the high school. This is totally understandable considering the twenty-four hour news cycle we live in. I asked all of the media outlets to hold on until I could get the situation sorted out. All but one outlet agreed. That happens; we deal with it and move on.

Anyone who has followed my communications over the years knows that I give as many details as I can, when I can. Yesterday, I sent out a brief overview of what happened. Absent from the communication were details that we did not know until we completed our investigation at approximately 12:30 a.m. this morning.

I will try to make a long story short, but will include all of the facts that I think you need to know as parents, community members, and students, and how we are moving forward.

First, the incident was not random, and the incident involved two students, in total, fighting. There were a few other individuals who were present and who watched the fight, but were not involved in the actual fighting. Some of those individuals are current students, and the others are not.

Second, the actual fight lasted approximately forty seconds, however, the stir it caused, as well as the quick police presence (I will get to that), made it feel like twenty minutes.

Third, one of the students fighting did, for a short time, possess a small pocket knife that he had taken from and returned to a vehicle he had been in. The knife did not make contact with anyone, but it is clear that he was in possession of it for a brief time.

One of the individuals was in possession of a broomstick handle for a brief period. That was taken from the trunk of his vehicle, was in his possession for a brief period, and was returned to his vehicle.

As you might imagine, if you were an administrator or School Resource Officer running to a "possible fight" in the parking lot, and you see the fight, plus a couple hundred students trying to get into their own cars and leave for the day, you would call for backup. The building principal called for backup. This created the large police presence that some of you saw or heard about. The positive take away from this is knowing that should we ever have a large emergency, we can bank on a large police presence quickly. They are to be commended for their professionalism and attention to detail, as are our administrators, who made all of the right decisions quickly and kept the situation from escalating.

So where do we go from here? First, we apply the Code of Conduct to any student participants, and then we work with the Camillus Police on the criminal charges that may apply to those involved.

I was very disappointed with the incident; but for reasons you might not think. We are a very large District but have great connections with students. I was very proud of our students who did all of the right things in terms of telling us about the fight and then getting out of the way. I was also very proud of our administrators and staff for quickly doing the right thing, as well as our School Resource Officer and the Camillus Police.

We work very hard to avoid incidents like the one that occurred yesterday. In fact, the last even remotely similar case we had to this one was eight years ago, and I am disappointed that the clock has to start ticking again.

As far as your children being safe? Absolutely. I do appreciate your trust and also appreciate your patience while we got everything sorted out. I will certainly keep you posted should we learn anything else.

On another note, tomorrow night is the Senior Ball. Tomorrow morning is the simulated DWI crash that we hold for the seniors at 7:30 a.m. in the front circle. You will see police cars again, but in a positive way; to help our students to make good decisions on one of the most important nights of their high school careers.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of the week.

Chris

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

In the Books...

A Great Night to be a Wildcat: Another successful Junior Prom is in the books! My wife and I had a blast watching the students exit limos and fancy cars and head into the event. We have attended twenty-four junior proms together, and we agreed that over the years the only real changes for the boys have been shoes, ties, and vests and color and length of dresses for the girls. At the end of the day, they have been and still are, excited young adults on prom night. You should be proud as community members and parents at all of the compliments I received from limo services, restaurant managers and owners, about how polite and friendly our students were.

At the prom itself, prom goers had a great time taking pictures with their phones in front of back drops that were created by students and staff. The photo booth was also a hit! Around 10:45 p.m., and just after the prom king and queen were announced, graduate and successful singer Nick Sgroi (Sig Roy) surprised the kids with a two-song set. They loved it. After, he was gracious with his time and stayed for pictures and handed out free shirts.

Not sure how many other junior proms have had a top music act perform at their prom! By midnight, the crowd had thinned out and my phone stayed very quiet overnight; which was a good thing. All in all, another great day (and night) to be a Wildcat!

Showing Appreciation: Earlier in the week we celebrated Staff Appreciation Day. While there are individual days throughout the year to celebrate individual job titles, we feel that everyone in our organization has equal value so we should all be celebrated at the same time. Our Board of Education members take time out of their schedules (many take personal time and vacation days) to visit with all of our employees (even second shift) and thank them for their service. I think they enjoy doing this as much as our employees enjoy hearing from them!

We were all surprised by a Staff Appreciation Day video put together by senior Eden Strachan where several students from all grade levels were interviewed and asked questions about their time at West Genesee. I rarely show emotion, so I just tell people that I was chopping onions while watching it. When I thanked Eden for creating the video she said that she, "was really happy to do it because West Genesee is truly a great district". In my line of work, there is no greater compliment than one that comes from a student!

Time Goes Quickly: Advanced Placement exams began today and NYS Grades 3-8 Mathematics Assessments start tomorrow; which means that May is upon us. Next thing you know I will be writing about graduation. Thanks and enjoy the week!

Chris

Race to the Finish!

Vacation Update - At Home and Away: Welcome back! I hope you had a chance to rest and recharge last week. I had an opportunity to go to Puerto Rico for a few days at the very beginning of break. It is an interesting place. A United States territory, Puerto Rico has great culture, and the people are very friendly.

Their economy is very poor, so poor in fact, that the state colleges and universities are closed right now, and we saw college students protesting in the streets to be able to go BACK to school. I found that to be a sharp contrast to New York State, where free tuition for state colleges and universities was just legislated!

Back at work, it was awesome to read how well our sports teams have been doing, and I can't wait to get to some games this week. The mud is finally starting to subside in the back of the high school and work crews were able to get a great jump on a new roadway from our parking areas to our baseball and softball fields, as well as the tennis courts. Our crews were also able to get the first mow in of all of our properties and everything looks great for students and staff as they return for what will be a race to the finish.

Upcoming Dances: We are heading into the Junior Prom (this Saturday) and Senior Ball season (May 12), so now is a great time to remind all of you that is DOES take all of us to help our children to be safe. Anything you can do from words of encouragement and making good choices to helping with the after the Senior Ball All-Night Party can save a life. Thank you.

13 Reasons Why: If you are a parent of a middle or high school student and you have a Netflix subscription, chances are your child is watching, has watched, or has been told by you that they cannot watch the series 13 Reasons Why. The book was written in 2007 by Jay Asher (who we have had speak at school in the past), and depicts a high school student who commits suicide and leaves behind thirteen cassette tapes for the people who caused her to make that ultimate choice.

The series is very realistic from my perspective and the scene where the main character actually kills herself is very drawn out and very graphic. It has caused mental health professionals from all over the country to release coping guides, suicide hotline numbers, and opinions that the series may cause more harm than good to students who may be struggling with their own mental health issues, bullying, shaming, and just plain old being a teenager in today's world.

Please take a moment at dinner to ask your kids if they are watching the series and if they want to talk about it further. All of our counselors and social workers are very aware of the series and can help. I am bringing this to your attention now because the series is getting a lot of attention on social media and national news programs, and I want you to be as up to speed as possible.

Budget Information: If you aren't busy on Tuesday night, I will be presenting the budget at 7:00 p.m. in the West Genesee High School Large Group Instruction Room. Nothing has changed from what was originally presented to our Board of Education over a month ago, but I will be available to answer any questions you might have about the spending plan for next year.

Thanks and have a great week!

Chris

Sign of the Times

It is amazing what a little sunshine will do for our spirits. I got a couple of good runs in over the weekend, and my wife and I got to enjoy the Syracuse Chiefs game yesterday and really enjoyed the warmth (finally). We need more sun and some wind to try the paths leading up to our baseball and softball fields; but beggars can't be choosers!

Robots Roar to Life: I felt pretty old last week. No, it wasn't because of my eye exam that produced a "blended lens" prescription. It was watching students from East Hill Elementary School program an iPad with computer code to make a robot roar to life and navigate across the cafeteria floor and to me. 

It reminded me of 8th grade at St. Ann's Elementary School when I helped to set up a computer lab full of Apple IIe computers and then taught my fellow students a programming language called "Turtle Basic". At the end of that programming class, a small turtle moved four or five inches on a computer screen. We all thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Times sure have changed!

State Budget Passes: With the passage of the state budget, many things have become much more clear. First, and in terms of the school budget, we hit the mark in terms of what we thought we were going to receive from the state, so we do not need to make any changes to the budget before the voters consider it in May.

What was an interesting add to the budget was the inclusion of free college tuition to state schools for families making $125,000 or less per year. This will make things interesting. I have a graduating senior from a state school and that total bill was approximately $69,000, and another at a private school (more than a state school); so you can see how big of a deal this legislation will be for some families.

Many of our students attend Onondaga Community College (OCC) for two reasons: first because OCC is a very good school, and second, the cost fits into more family budgets. The majority of students who attend OCC from West Genesee are also accepted to other colleges but finances make the decision for them. By my estimations, about sixty percent of our families and students will now be able to choose between OCC and a state school for a free college education. This will certainly change the conversation at the dinner table for these families and will probably cause conversations to happen at the community college and state college level. If I was the president of a private school, I would be pretty nervous!

What if you are like me and have children who won't qualify for free tuition and who will be paying in some way for other students to go to college for free through my taxes? I am always an optimist and look for the best in everything. Think about what happens when we are given the choice of multiple free things. We look for what else those free things might offer. That instills competition to offer the best "free" things, and everyone benefits. Should be fun watching all of this develop over the coming months, and I will make sure that our school counselors are up-to-date as they guide students toward college, career, and military goals.

One of the Best Music Communities, Again: Congratulations to our Fine Arts staff and out students for helping us to achieve the Best Communities for Music Education in America for the ninth consecutive year; and thirteenth time overall. If you have ever attended a fine arts performance, you know what it sounds and looks like to continue receiving this very high honor. (Click here to read more about this honor.)

Go Blue 4 Kids: Today you will see pinwheels in front of all of our buildings in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention month. We have partnered with the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Centers "Go Blue 4 Kids" campaign. Students raised money for the pinwheels and the money they have donated to the advocacy center will be used right here in central New York for victims of child sexual and physical abuse. I applaud and appreciate the efforts of our Parent Teacher Associations/Organizations, as well as our students and staff.

I am going to take a week off from writing until the Monday we return from spring break; unless there is a reason to write before that. Enjoy the week and have a wonderful spring break!

Chris

If You See Something, Say Something-Important Note

I apologize for the late post, but I wanted to share an important story with you; and on behalf of the Camillus Police Department, ask for your help. Earlier today a parent told one of our building administrators that she saw a suspicious vehicle in the Orchard Village area of our school District. The administrator immediately contacted our School Resource Officer, who is also a Camillus Police officer, and he began an investigation with the help of his fellow officers.

At approximately 7:30 p.m. this evening I was notified that the driver of the suspicious vehicle was apprehended and is being investigated. The investigation is ongoing, so I am not at liberty to give any further details at this time and questions should be directed to the Camillus Police Department.

Please ask your children if they were approached by any strangers recently, and if they were, please contact the Camillus Police immediately to help them with their investigation.

Thank you to the parent who saw something and said something, as well as our administrators and the Camillus Police for quickly working together for the safety of our children.

Thank you for reading.

Chris

Respect the Past, Represent the Future

I hope that everyone enjoyed the weekend. The weather is finally starting to turn for the better, and I got to run in shorts for the first time in a LONG time. Girls and Boys Lacrosse are both off to solid starts (keep an eye on both teams this season), and we hope to get baseball (looking forward to throwing batting practice to them), softball (going to try to hit a fast pitch softball), girls golf (going to try to beat them at a practice this spring), and track (going to try to run a 200m with the kids) off the ground shortly.

West Genesee Musicians Invited to Eastern Regional Concert: Last week we learned that two fine arts students, Julia Musengo and Kevin Buff were selected to perform at the 2017 Biennial Eastern Division Concert. That is a "big deal" as they say. It is rare for a school to have one student selected, let alone two. We are proud of these two students and their accomplishments will add to the storied history of our Fine Arts department overall.

Honoring the Past: When I teach courses about leadership, I tell people that it is important to respect the past but represent the future. Someone that deserves to be respected in our history is Bruce Burritt. Fifty years ago, Bruce led the first Wildcat Band into competition. Through his time as Director, the band won multiple NYS and National championships. 
Mr. Burritt also led the West Genesee Wind Ensemble to state and national acclaim. His legacy has endured as his students, Andy Perry (Nationally published and accredited) and Bill Davern (Director of Fine Arts and recent winner of the 2017 Outstanding Educator of the Year Award through SAANYS), have continued to maintain a tradition of excellence with the Wildcat Band and Wind Ensemble. Bruce was recently inducted into the Bands of America Hall of Fame, an incredible honor.

Community Band: Mr. Perry has been working on a special project that I am certain both Julia and Kevin could be a part of once they graduate called the "Community Band". With over seventy members from many graduating classes, they played their first performance last month to over six hundred people. They are awesome, so keep an eye out for word of their next performance which should be some time in May.

Reminder to Make Good Choices: With the weather finally changing to spring, students (and us for that matter) turn from being stir crazy to being a little wild and crazy sometimes. If you are a parent of a teenager, this is the PERFECT time to have a conversation with your kids (and yes, they may think you are nagging them but that is okay; it is worth it) about making good choices, being careful about driving and about being passengers with friends they may be driving with. What I have found with this generation of students, is that threatening them and using negativity does not work; talking about shared responsibility does. We are all in this together, so let's work together to keep them safe!

Thanks and have a great week!
Chris