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NEWS LET TERNEWS LET TERWalton, New YorkApril 2015

Th e Walton Central School District’s newsletter takes on a new look, starting with this edition.

With the exception of the budget newsletter, any newsletters re-leased by the district will now be exclusively online.

With 21st-century technology becoming more and more prevalent in everyday life, we’ve taken the step over the past year to deliver as much news as possible to you via our website and social media. Th is way, we can get things out to you as things happen, as well as deliver photos and videos of students and staff doing many diff erent things.

Taking into consideration that news is out faster, we felt it was time to start mov-ing our newsletter to an electronic version. With only delivering the traditional news-letter a couple of times per year, some of the news was dated or recapped items from months before the actual printing date.

Now, we’re delivering these stories earlier and more oft en. Our website and Facebook page have been great places to deliver the news from our school dis-trict. Numbers, comments, and feedback have shown both are wel-comed additions to our district.

In this newsletter, you’ll fi nd many stories. Some of these are shortened versions of what has appeared on the website. Some stories will contain website addresses you can follow to see full stories, photo galleries, and videos.

We hope you enjoy the new look of our newsletter.

Sincerely,

Roger B. Clough IISuperintendentWalton Central School District

Newsletter takes on new lookTh e Walton Central School District

has created a Capital Project page on the district website. Th e page will have information about the plans to move Townsend Elementary to the main campus, as well as preliminary blueprints and details for the $23.5 million plan.

You can access the webpage at: http://www.waltoncsd.org/CapitalProject.aspx

Capital Project Information

2015-16 Budget infoTh e 2015-16 budget is currently being

worked on. For all updates, please go to the

school website (http://www.waltoncsd.org), as well as the budget page on the school site (http://www.waltoncsd.org/budget.aspx).

Follow us!

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https://twitter.com/WaltonCentral

Walton Central School District NewsletterApril 2015

Twelve fi rst graders were selected by their teachers and Townsend School librarian Barb Geidel to take part in the Researchers Enrichment Program.

Th eir theme is “Reducing our Carbon Footprint,” and they are learning how to use less and waste less energy. Th e students have been doing a lot of reading-based activi-ties, but plan to have exchange days where, instead of throwing things out and buying new, they can trade items such as outgrown toys, sports equipment, etc., and recycle items among their peers.

Th e group has come up with a lot

of ideas. Th ey will also be planting herbs and quick-growing vegetables in the window boxes in the library. Students learn this helps our air, and provides us with a renewable resource of food. Th e students will monitor the project for moisture and growth.

Th is year, the researchers also shared green tips for the holiday season. Th ey spoke on the morning announcements to give tips about re-cycling gift wrap, and how to recycle real Christmas trees. Keep looking for more great ideas from this group of community conscious young students.

First graders take part in enrichment program

Peter DeBrock speaks while fellow researcher John Napoleone waits to share green tips for recycling during the holidays. Th eir tips were read over morning announcements with Jami Aubin in the Townsend School offi ce.

An idea has been proposed to do an all-classes alumni event for next year’s Homecoming Weekend. Ideas are still being gathered, but some suggestions include a golf event on Friday or Saturday morn-ing, tailgating at the game, and

an appetizer buff et on one of the weekend nights.

Th ere is also interest in creating a WCS Alumni Wall of Distinction, which would be voted on and nom-inated by alumni. If you graduated from Walton and would be inter-

ested in discussing some ideas, or if you are willing for join a commit-tee, please contact Suzanne Fisher at 607-432-3350, or Patty Wood at 607-865-5009. You can also fi nd the Walton CS alumni page on Face-book to get updates.

Alumni being sought for ideas and suggestions

Walton’s wrestling program crowned four champions at the annual Cuneen-Doane Tour-nament at the school this past December.

Champions were Logan Rob-inson, Caleb Robinson, Dawson Beers, and Dylan Wood.

Dakota Coff ey, John MacRa-bie, Dakota Allen, and Austin Merwin, Ian Kilmer and Quinn Harby each placed in the top six.

Th e annual Cuneen-Doane Tournament is named aft er two Walton alumni who died serving their country in Vietnam. L

Lance Corporal Michael R. Cuneen was killed near DaNang in 1966. Lieutenant Stephen H. Doane was killed in 1969, near Saigon.

Lieutenant Doane was post-humously awarded the Congres-sional Medal of Honor for his acts of heroism.

Warriors fare well at Cuneen-Doane

Budget Vote!Mark your calendar for the

annual budget vote, which is May 19 this year.

Th e ballot will include the Capital Project, as well as three Board of Education seats.


Rosie Greene, who has worked in many diff erent roles at Walton CSD for nearly 50 years, was honored this past fall with the Distinguished Service Award.

Greene taught at Townsend Elementary School, as well as coached, and is now the part-time secretary to Athletic Director Andy Gates.

Th e award is given to somebody who has gone above and beyond in service to the Walton Central School District. Following that award, many WCS stu-dents were honored for academic achievement for the 2013-14 school year.

For a full story on the night, please visit: http://goo.gl/yX7kUN

For a photo gallery from the night, please visit: http://www.waltoncsd.org/ScholAch2014.aspx

Past winners2013-14: Rosie Greene2012-13: Patrick Covell2011-12: Tina Miner-James2010-11: Dawn Northrup2009-10: Frank Ward2008-09: Jim Hoover2007-08: George Shackelton2006-07: Janet and Carl Gregory2005-06: Andy Jackson2004-05: Raymond Nichols

2003-04: Dr. George F. Mack2002-03: Joanna Meade and Christina Hewitt2001-02: Beverly Wright2000-01: Peggy and George Bolton1999-2000: Ron Galley1998-99: Florence McNeil1997-98: Lovey Kopetz1996-97: Diane Meredith

Longtime WCS employee honored

In late November, fourteen students from Walton Cen-tral School attended the New York State Council on Lead-ership and Student Activity in Albany.

Th e three-day event hosted more than 600 student leaders from across the state. Our stu-dents participated in workshops, seminars, listened to speakers, and shared ideas on how to bring

spirit and energy to their schools.

Th e 14 Walton students who attend-ed were: Dahlia Al-varez, Austin Brook-er, Jordon Condon, Katlyn Escobar, Emmi Freeman, Meredith Hammer-slag, Will Kleisner, Joel Rhinehart, Noah Rhinehart, Melis-sa Soto, Julia Steiz, Emily Sulgar, Eric

Webler, and Ricky Wood.

Students attend state leadership conference in Albany


In late September, the Dr. George F. Mack Middle School was offi cially dedicated to the man who led the Walton Central School District for 21 years.

Dr. Mack was honored in a low-key ceremony. A plaque and por-trait of Dr. Mack were unveiled at the entrance of the middle school.

He offi cially retired in 2004, when the school was renamed in his honor.

“I am a very lucky person,” Dr. Mack said, “I was very lucky to be able to stay in this district for 21 years and be able to see my three children, for the most part, begin and end their public high school education in Walton.”

Dr. Mack and his wife, Gail, still live in Walton, a mere two football fi eld lengths from the school he loves.

Th ough Walton named the mid-dle school aft er Dr. Mack when he retired in 2004, there was never a full and offi cial dedication.

In a small ceremony Tuesday before the Board of Education meeting, a plaque and portrait were offi cially unveiled inside the entrance of the George F. Mack Middle School.

Th e ceremony didn’t feature all the bells and whistles or pomp and circumstance, which is fi tting for Dr. Mack, a man who never chased the spotlight, rather always put the best interests of everyone involved with the school in front of any per-sonal gains.

“I’m very honored and am thankful to the Board, the school community and to the middle school staff and students that they

will allow me to share some space with them,” Dr. Mack said. “I am thankful to live in a wonderful com-munity, and to have worked with a skilled support staff , devoted teachers and hardworking admin-istrators and super-visors.

“Lastly, I am very grateful to my wife, Gail, who was very supportive every step of the way,” he continued. “And I’m excep-tionally thankful of my children – Joseph, James, and David, who are alumni of Walton Central School.”

For the full story on the dedi-cation ceremony and Dr. Mack’s

career, please visit: http://goo.gl/4lG0rU

For a full photo gallery of the ceremony, please visit: http://www.waltoncsd.org/DrMackDedication.aspx

For a video of the ceremony, please visit: http://www.waltoncsd.org/DrMackDedication1.aspx

Middle school offi cially dedicated to Dr. Mack

Dr. George Mack along with students, from left , Hunter McCall, Max Hulbert, Ricky Wood, Ryan Cobane, and Chelsey Kilmer, at the dedication ceremony of the middle school. Th e students were members of the clubs who donated funds for the plaque and portrait of Dr. Mack. Below: Dr. Mack and his wife, Gail.


Coach Hoover wins 300th career game at WaltonLongtime Walton football coach Jim Hoover reached

the 300-win plateau in a victory at Harpursville/Aft on, and was celebrated by the school and the community during a pre-game ceremony during Homecoming Week-end.

Coach Hoover, who also served as middle school prin-cipal and a teacher during his tenure at Walton Central School, completed his 39th year of coaching football this past fall. Over those years, he’s molded hundreds of young men into better players and people.

Many players returned to Walton to see the ceremony and the Homecoming victory over rival Delhi.

“When I fi rst started coaching, I knew I’d think about administration,” said Hoover, who eventually would become a principal at Walton. “I thought if I could get to 100 wins, I’d be happy. I was able to be an administrator and a coach and had the support of the community. Wal-ton has been very supportive of its football program.”

Surrounded by his family, Hoover gave an emotional speech during the ceremony, where he was honored by the school, the Town of Walton, and the Village of Wal-ton. Th e town and village each proclaimed the day “Jim Hoover Day.”

Hoover became the fi rst Section Four coach to reach the 300-win mark, and the fi ft h in New York State history.

His resume includes: • Two state championships (three trips to state fi nals)• Nine Regional championships• 14 Section Four championships• 19 Division championships• Five undefeated seasons• 304-80-1 record“Coach Hoover exemplifi es what a coach should be,”

said Walton Athletic Director Andy Gates, who coached a season of football under Hoover during Gates’ fi rst year at the school. “He teaches, motivates and is a positive role model. He’s a mentor to many and is one of the fi nest people you’ll ever meet. For him to reach this milestone is not only a testament to his coaching ability, but to his role in so many students’ lives and how he’s been a positive infl uence on so many of them.”

To see more about Coach Hoover and his milestone win, please visit the page on the school’s website, which features photos, statistics, and more: http://www.wal-toncsd.org/Hoover.aspx

Coach Hoover speaks during a ceremony honoring his 300th victory. Below Hoover is a painting done by a former player commemorating the victory.

Coach Hoover with family following the ceremony.

Coach Hoover smiles following a victory over Harpursville/Aft on, giving him his 300th career win.


Th e sixth-grade class was excited about participat-ing in its fi rst Advisor Adventure this fall. Classes go to Austin Lincoln Park by grade level to participate in team-building exercises and cooperative games.

Th e activities involve trust, working together, and communication. It’s also a lot of fun for the students to come together to solve problems and tackle obstacles. Th e day is coordinated by Deb Liddle, Walton’s middle school guidance counselor.

Th e seventh and eighth graders also held Advisor Adventure days this past fall, with the seventh graders in Austin Lincoln Park and the eighth graders traveling to Camp Hilltop in Hancock.

You can view full photo galleries at: Sixth grade: http://www.waltoncsd.org/AdvisorAd-

venture6thgrade.aspxSeventh grade: http://www.waltoncsd.org/Advisor-

Adventure7thgrade.aspxEighth grade: http://www.waltoncsd.org/AdvisorAd-

venture.aspxEighth-grade story on school website: http://goo.gl/

grsVrZ

Sixth graders enjoy fi rst Advisor Adventure

Each year, the varsity football team coordinates a community food drive in conjunction with the homecom-ing game. Th e drive is called “Crush Tackles Hunger” and it includes players going to Townsend Elementary to promote the event to the younger children.

During the visit, players hand out fl yers, which tell how to donate, for kids to take home to their parents. Buckets for the food are at various places around the village, as well as at each entrance for the homecoming game. Th e team raised several boxes worth of food to take to the Walton Food Bank.

Crush Tackles Hunger


Two new members joined the Board of Education for the 2014-15 school year.

Frank Ward, a retired science teacher in the district, was elected to the Board of Education in May.

Ward has been active for many years in the dairy industry, and the fi re de-partment. He’s known as the voice of the weather on WDLA each morning.

With his diversifi ed knowledge of the community and school, Ward is a valuable asset to our school board.

Dr. Barrett (Bret) Meckel was selected by the Board of Education in August to take a spot when Melissa Haverly-Grossman accepted a teaching position at the school. Th is is the second time Dr. Meckel has been selected to fi ll a spot on the Board.

Dr. Meckel is a veterinarian and professor at SUNY Delhi. In his profes-sional life, Dr. Meckel has made several trips to Africa to work with exotic animals. His work in the college community gives him a strong perspective of what is expected of our students aft er they graduate.

He has two children at Townsend Elementary.

Board of Education 2014-15

Members of the 2014-15 Walton Central School District Board of Education are, front (from left ) Ronda Williams, Pat Reynolds, and Judy Breese. Back (from left ) are Bret Meckel, Jim Hoyt, Butch Neale, and Frank Ward.

Two new members join BOE

Th e Walton Central School District received certifi cation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENER-GY STAR program for both the high school/middle school and Townsend Elementary.

It’s the fourth straight year each building has been listed on the ENERGY STAR list. Th e certifi cation signifi es the build-ings have performed in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy effi ciency, and meets strict energy effi cien-cy performance levels set by the EPA.

Th e EPA’s ENERGY STAR program is a voluntary program to identify and promote energy – effi cient products and buildings in order to reduce energy con-sumption, improve energy securi-ty, and reduce pollution through voluntary labeling of, or other forms of communication about, products and buildings that meet the highest energy effi ciency standards.

By taking part in this pro-gram, the Walton Central School District gets several benefi ts, including saving money, and be-ing eligible for grants available to only those with STAR ratings.

Th e high school/middle school earned a rating of 84 in 2014. Townsend Elementary earned a rating of 80.

Th e government gives points based on the rating, which helps the district when applying for future grants and projects.

WCS is ENERGY STAR accredited again


Homecoming Weekend 2014


All fi ve of the Walton Central School’s fall sports teams were honored as New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) scholar-ath-lete teams. Th e girls and boys basketball teams were honored for the winter season.

To qualify, the average of the members for each team must be above 90.

Th e volleyball team achieved the highest average for the fall teams at 93.375, followed by girls soccer (93.250), boys soccer (92.167), football (91.833), and fi eld hockey (90.833).

Girls basketball had a 94.571 average, followed by the boys team at 94.

Th e teams and student-athletes are listed below: Volleyball

Stacia Crandall, Alyna Haywood, Jordyn Lee, Chenoa Macken, Taylor MacRabie, Romany Snider, Lacey Spe-idell, Carrie Winfi eld.

Girls SoccerNatali Cobb, Kaitlyn Escobar, Olivia Haven, Kate Maguire, Christina McKee, Kelsey Smith, Julia Steitz, Morgan Taddeo, Janine Velardi, Hannah Wagner, Sara Yambor.

Boys SoccerJared Beach, Kenneth Bozdog, Nick Kilmer, Jeff rey Lam, Austin McClenon, Nathan Pieper, Owen Pieper, Joseph Pomeroy, Joel Rhinehart, Dylan Walley, Eric Webler, Joseph Yambor.

FootballDawson Beers, Tyler Griffi n, Lucas Hammond, Blake Hitt, Kevin Malia, Nick Mathews, Robert Merrill, Jor-dan Somers, Alex Sorchinsky, Tabor VanValkenburg, Dylan Wood, Jacob Wright.

Field HockeyEmily Bartlett, Samantha Bowker, Hannah Charles, Carissa Crandall, Nicole Fisher, Makayla Klinger, Cindy Lam, Kiley Lamoreaux, Kaitlyn McNamara, Ivy Sloven, Willow Underwood, Taylor VerNooy.

Girls BasketballOlivia Harby, Kelsey Smith, Destyni Twyman, Ja-nine Velardi, Taylor VerNooy, Hannah Wagner, Rylee Wood.

Boys BasketballJared Beach, Blake Hitt, Michael Lindsay, Robert Mer-rill, Robert Phraner, Alex Sorochinsky, Alex Tweedie.

Scholar-Athletes recognized

Members of the Walton varsity and modifi ed girls soccer teams helped beautify the village this past fall.

A community group, Pride In Walton, has worked to clean up Walton. Th e guardrail surrounding ACE Hardware was a spot identifi ed as one that needed cleaning. Members of the girls soccer teams, as well as some members of high school government classes, met to scrape and paint the guardrail.

For a photo gallery, please visit: http://www.wal-toncsd.org/GirlsSoccerPainting.aspx

Girls soccer team helps clean up Walton

Honor Society inducts fi veTh e Walton Central School Honor Society inducted fi ve members this year. Pictured, from left , are: Morgan Taddeo, Kylie Lamoreaux, Alyna Haywood, Julia Steitz, and Makayla Klinger.


Th e Townsend Elementary School Select Chorus is made up of second- and third-grade students who give up some of their free time to be in the ensemble, which plays at area events throughout the year.

Th e chorus is directed by Th eresa Bolton, and performs at the senior meal sites, senior centers, nursing homes, and during the community Christmas show at the Walton Th eatre.

Th e combination of slow and upbeat songs, with dance moves with the music, makes the group a hit with all age groups.

Townsend Select Chorus

Every year, the Walton Police Department comes to Townsend Elementary to talk to the UPK classes and kindergarten students about safety and explain that police are their friends.

Th e children get to speak with the police offi cer, and then they get a ride around the parking lot in the police car. During the ride, the car’s lights are fl ashing and the siren is used. Th e visit helps children to not be scared if they encounter police in an emergency situa-tion outside of school.

Offi cers from the Walton Police Department and Delaware County Sheriff ’s offi ce also drop by the school on occasion to walk the halls and let students familiarize themselves with seeing an offi cer.

In January, some of the elementary students made cards for local police departments in support of Na-tional Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. It was

a small token of appreciation to show gratitude for keeping us safe.

Th e cards were given to the Walton Police Depart-ment, the Department of Environmental Protection, the New York State Police, and the Delaware County Sheriff ’s Department.

Students made the cards on their own time, before recess in the cafeteria.

Police makes annual visit to Townsend

Sixth grader Elissa Beach sang the national anthem at Walton’s holiday basketball tournament.

Elissa sang at the varsity games for the four-team tournament. She continued singing at other games throughout the basketball season.

Honoring America


All three schools presented holiday concerts featuring several ensembles.

Townsend’s concert featured the second- and fourth-grade choruses, the orchestra, and band.

Th e middle school featured the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade choruses, and the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade bands, as well as the orchestra.

Th e high school presented the chorus and band, the symphonic orchestra, the brass ensemble, a saxophone ensemble, and a fl ute trio.

Holiday concerts

Molly Gavett, a ninth grader, entered a writing contest she heard about through a local newspaper.

She won second place for high school students, winning a mone-tary award, as well as a certifi cate.

Th e Matilda Friedman Essay Writing Contest was sponsored by Writers in the Mountains, a not-for-profi t organization whose mission is to create a nurturing environment for the practice, ap-preciation, and sharing of creative writing for all age groups.

Th e topic for the contest was “What book, book series, or author has made an impact in your life?”

Molly wrote her essay on “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee.

She was asked to read her essay at the award ceremony in Arkville. She was one of 10 winners from around Delaware County.

WCS freshman places second in writing contest

Greg DaleWe would like to welcome Greg

Dale, Walton’s new business ad-ministrator, to the district. Dale has eight years of experience as a business administrator and came to Walton from Valley Central School District in Orange County.

Dale is originally from Medina, a small town in western New York. He currently lives in Walton.

Pam BrownPam Brown joined the Walton

Central School staff this past Au-gust as the Instructional Technolo-gy Coordinator in a shared position with BOCES.

Brown previously was the computer/repair and networking teacher at the Robert W. Harrold Campus for DCMO BOCES from 2009-14.

Welcome to Walton

Using funds from the New York State technology voucher, the Walton Cen-tral School District pur-chased 50 Google Chrome-books that are being used in classrooms in the middle and high schools.

Walton is a Google Docs school, so the 14-inch HP Chromebooks give students full access to all Google apps for education, as well as Google Drive.

Librarian Barb Geidel worked on a grant to get Chromebooks in the Townsend Library. As part of the School Library Council’s Chrome-

book for Intermediates, Walton was awarded full funding for the mini-grant project.

See a full gallery of students with the Chromebooks at: http://www.waltoncsd.org/GoogleChromebooks.aspx

Walton classrooms using new Chromebooks


Halloween 2014


Th e fi ft h-grade classes take a year-end bus trip to New York City, where they visit the American Museum of Natural History.

It’s a wonderful, educational trip, and for many of our students, their fi rst trip to New York City. To raise money for the trip, the class held a Museum March in November.

Students did laps around Townsend Elementary, raising money from friends and family for their eff orts. Th e classes used physical education class time to circle the block several times. Some students ran and some walked, but all had a good time.

Th e students were successful in their fundraising, and the $2,300 raised, as well as the Box Tops money collected throughout the year by the grade, will pay for the bus transportation.

Museum March

Th e class shows their relief and excitement at the end of the Museum March, where they raised $2,300 toward their end-of-year class trip.

Th is past October, the Middle School Student Council held a costume contest for Halloween.

Th e winners were: • Best overall costume: Sierra Tweedie (6th grade) – Sour cream con-

tainer• Funniest: Dustin Coff ey (8th grade) – Mime • Most creative: Zack Moore (8th grade) – HALO Spartan • Cutest: Katelynn Ostrander (6th grade) – Queen of Hearts• Scariest: Hadassah Staff ord (8th grade) – Zipper Face

Middle School Student Council costume contest

Th roughout the school year, stu-dents in grades 3-5 can work with AIS math specialist Anne Hartman on math skills and take timed tests to achieve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division master status.

Every December, Hartman also organizes a tournament for stu-dents to have a friendly competi-tion, learn math facts and put them to use.

Th e Holiday Fact Fest Tourna-ment was held during the begin-ning of January this year.

During the three-day event, stu-dents take timed math tests to par-ticipate in the competition, which is open to all 3-5 grade students.

Students earned points for a cumulative score by grade. Fourth grade won the competition with 299 points, with the third and fi ft h grades tying for second with 230 points each.

Th e high-scoring classes in each grade level were as follows: Wen-dy LeBarge’s class (third), Nancy Howard’s class (fourth), and Nancy Gavett’s class (fi ft h).

MVP’s for each grade were Colton Lum (third), Caden LeBarge (fourth), and Emma Hall (fi ft h).

Special thanks go out to the teachers and Math Fact Masters, who assisted with the tournament this year.

Congratulations to all the stu-dents for working so hard and doing so well!

Townsend students reach math master status; Holiday Fact Fest held in January


Two Walton students have been selected for the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Conference (HOBY), which is June 12-14 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

Emmaline Freeman and Kaitlyn Escobar will attend the three-day conference, which allows students to explore their personal leadership style and help them make a positive impact in their communities.

Th e Walton Lions Club has do-nated the funds for the conference for one of the delegates.

HOBY students announced

Homecoming festivities this year included a bonfi re at the Dela-ware County Fairgrounds, as well as games where the community participated. Th e parade, which started the evening, went from the bus garage on Delaware Street and ended at the Fairgrounds, where fl oat winners were announced. Th is year’s theme was Disney movies.

Th e winning fl oat went to the fi eld hockey team for their Poca-hontas fl oat. Second place went to the junior class (Snow White and the 7 Warriors), third place went to the sophomore class (Lion King), and fourth place went to the fresh-man class (UP).

Th e Student Council expressed a thank you for their support and enthusiasm. Special thanks went to the Delaware County Fair Board, Walton Police Department, and Walton Fire Department.

Homecoming 2014

Th e NED program is used to promote good characteristics in students in grades 3-5. Like its sister program, “Caught being Good” for younger grades, NED tickets are distributed by teachers when a student shows one of the three qualities of the program. Th ose qualities are (N)ever give up; (E)ncourage others; and (D)o your best.

When students receive fi ve tickets, they staple them together and hand them in at the offi ce. Four students, per grade level, get to pick prizes one per month when tickets are pulled from the container.

Th e NED program is a reminder to exhibit these qualities in their ev-eryday work and play. Parents are encouraged to promote these behaviors at home, as well.

Garret Oliver, Emilie Bregenborg, Seth Hunter and Dominic Armstrong drop their NED tickets in the container in the Townsend offi ce.

NED program at Townsend


Eleven fi ft h graders wrote essays, poems, or drew pictures to enter the New York State Senate Th anksgiv-ing Creative Celebration.

Senator John Bonacic extended an invitation to all students in grades kindergarten-6.

Th e theme this year was “What are you thankful for?”

Participants received a certifi cate of participation and all submissions were published online.

You can see all entries by going to http://www.nysen-ate.gov/thanksgiving-essays-and-contributions-74.

Th e 11 students who participated were: Faith Bak-

ker, Chyler Barnes, Steven Brown, Xander Davies, Gar-rett Day, Madison Greene, Ashlyn Lane, Bryce Lum, Anthonie Mirabal, Sophia Piro, and Julia Sousa.

Anthonie’s submission read: SportsI am thankful for soccerI might not be that good,But, I have fun like I should.I scored a lot of goals,I just hate it when I hit the poles!I have a lot of fun with my friends,Th e fun will never end!”

NYS Senate Th anksgiving Creative Celebration

First graders worked on a project with resource teacher Kate Webb for Veterans Day.

Th e children were asked to think about what they were thankful for, and then draw a picture of one of their freedoms.

Th e students then learned about Veterans and how their service in the armed forces defends freedoms for everybody at home.

• Joey Travis- I am thankful for

my freedom to go to school.• Eli Williams- I am thankful for

my freedom to have a teacher and friends.

• Alyson Siar- I am thankful for my freedom to go to school.

• Layne VanValkenburg- I am thankful for my freedom to play outside.

• Zoe Bartlett- I am thankful for my freedom to play at the beach.

Veterans Day appreciation

From left , Joey Travis, Eli Williams, Alyson Siar, Layne VanValkenburg, and Zoe Bartlett stand with their projects.

Th ird- and fourth-grade classes did a research project in library class, one that combined their ELA, social studies, and math curricu-lum. Th e project is part of the Em-pire State IFC (information fl uency standards for library media), said Barb Geidel, Townsend Elementa-ry’s library media specialist.

Students practice research skills in library class while using topics related to local history and environ-mental science. Th en they commu-nicate what they have learned in a variety of ways. In this case, the stu-dents learned about the New York City Watershed, and the towns that disappeared to build the reservoir system.

Some students acted as tour guides on the bus, relating informa-tion about the lost towns. Others served as photographers and vid-eographers, gathering more infor-mation about the topics. Th e trip was a fun and educational way for the students to learn local history, as well as get a better understand-ing of how important it is to keep the Watershed clean.

Reservoir project


John Kelly, a community edu-cator with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Capital Region offi ce, visited Wal-ton this past fall to talk to diff erent age groups about Internet safety, bullying and being safe with tech-nology. Th e District also hosted a community forum that evening.

In sessions that were infor-mative and educational, Kelly showed the good and bad sides of the Internet to students, as well as explaining ways to stay safe. Each assembly was geared toward spe-cifi c age groups and was interactive and informal.

Th ere was no cost in bringing Kelly to the school as the National

Center for Missing and Exploited Children relies on donations and fundraising.

To read the full story, please visit the Walton CSD website: http://goo.gl/fyxNrP

Internet safety educator visits Walton

John Kelly, of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, speaks at Walton Central School.

For several years, Townsend Elementary has collected change to pro-vide turkeys to the Walton Food Bank during Th anksgiving.

Students bring in loose change, some rolled coins, and baggies fi lled with change to put into a donation bucket in the offi ce. Th e money is collected up until the holiday, and then sent off to the Food Bank to reim-burse them for some of the turkeys bought for eligible families.

Th is year, the students raised $563.74.

Let’s Talk Turkey

Vabina Meyers accepted the money order from students Ava Coons (center) and Madison Reed for money donated by Townsend Elementary students and staff for the Walton Food Bank.

Halloween is a big day at Townsend Elementary, and this year the sun was shining as the students prepared for their annual parade through town.

Th e high school band comes each year to play music for the pa-rade. Th e upperclassmen were also dressed in costumes.

Earlier that day, the winners for the annual window painting event were announced. Art teacher Lori Cucciarre coordinates the event each year for fi ft h graders. Store owners allow the students to come and paint their windows.

Winners were Blaine Klinger, Lucas Robinson, and Ashton Sco-fi eld (fi rst place) at Klinger’s Power Sports; Laci and Savannah Bolster (second place) at McDonald’s; and Faith Bakker and Sophia Piro (third place) for Brandow’s Feed and Seed.

Halloween contest winners


Th ree Walton Central School students and FFA advi-sor Tina Miner-James had the opportunity to travel to the National FFA Convention in Louisville in late Octo-ber.

Seniors Dylan Walley and Taylor MacRabie, and ju-nior Owen Condon made the trip. Condon is the presi-dent of Walton’s chapter and MacRabie is the secretary. Because of grant money, the trip was possible without any expense to the district. Th e students also had the chance to talk with many diff erent FFA members, and sharing information from each person’s experiences.

Th e three students participated in a focus group dis-cussion about Walton’s “Living to Serve” grant projects. Th ey gave a 15-minute presentation in front of a panel of students, discussing Fun and Fitness, Food for All Gardens, and the joint project they participate in with Oxford for chicken processing. Th eir audience included more than 64,000 members and guests attending the na-tional convention, which was a record for attendance.

Full story on the website: http://goo.gl/9LqWXu

Eleven Walton CS students gave up a weekend aft ernoon this past Octo-ber to take part in the Department of Environmental Protection’s Reser-voir Cleanup Day.

Pictured, from left , are Tina Miner-James, Charlie Naden, Taylor Mac-Rabie, Emily Newman, Jacob Wright, Jolene Kemp, Mary Price, Kolt Babcock, Jared Beach, Guy Ragusa and Alana Haywood. David McClenon is not pictured.

For the full story, please visit: http://goo.gl/a7xMbOFor a photo gallery, please visit: http://www.waltoncsd.org/DEPReservoir-

CleanupDay.aspx

Students attend National FFA Convention

From left , Dylan Walley, Owen Condon, and Taylor MacRa-bie at the National FFA Convention in Louisville.

Group participates in Reservoir Cleanup Day Holiday festivities at Townsend

On the day before winter break, Townsend Elementary students in grades UPK-2 gathered in the au-ditorium to sing holiday carols and wait for a visit from Santa Claus.

Th e children sat in a circle with their teachers while Th eresa Bolton played the piano and led the stu-dents in carols they had learned in school.

Santa then arrived and came in to shake hands and tell the kids he would see them soon.

Santa also made a special stop for the morning and aft ernoon UPK classes.

For a gallery of holiday images at Townsend Elementary, please visit: http://goo.gl/EMsTh R.


Students at Townsend Elemen-tary participated in a poster contest for Fire Safety Month. Th e event is sponsored by the Walton Fire De-partment.

Firefi ghter Bob Lang coordinates the program with Townsend art teacher Lori Cucciarre.

Students in grades 1-5 draw posters, which are then turned into the WFD for judging. Th e winners each receive a ribbon and a plaque. Th ere are three winners at each grade level.

Th e winners were:

First grade: Phade Lindsay (fi rst place), Michael Johnson (second place), Lucas Rice (third place).

Second grade: Abigail Wright (fi rst), Olivia Hulse (second), Maya Meeks (third).

Th ird grade: Azellyn Lane (fi rst), Hunter Frechette (second), Faith Lambert (third),

Fourth grade: Savannah Reyn-olds (fi rst), Noah Sovocool (sec-ond), Aubrie Butler (third).

Fift h grade: Madison Greene (fi rst), Emma Hall (second), Ashton Scofi eld (third).

Pictured are winners of the poster contest at Townsend Elementary in conjunction with Fire Safety Month. From left are: Michael Johnson, Lucas Rice, Olivia Hulse, Emma Hall, Abigail Wright, Savannah Reynolds, Azellyn Lane, Faith Lambert, Hunter Frechette and Noah Sovocool. Missing were: Phade Lindsay, Maya Meeks, Aubrie Butler, Madison Greene and Ashton Scofi eld.

Fire safety poster contest winners

Th e Walton Fire Department visits Townsend Elementary during Fire Safety Month to teach kinder-garten and UPK students about safety, as well as let the students see fi re trucks and equipment.

Th e students get to see a fi re-fi ghter in full turnout gear, and hear

the hissing of oxygen. Sometimes, it scares them a little. Th e fi remen then reassure the kids that they are just people there to help, so if they encounter them in real life, they will not need to hide from them.

Children also get to try on the coats and get plastic fi re helmets.

Walton FD visits UPK and kindergarten

Th e Canal Street String Band came to Walton as part of the Music on the Delaware program at the Walton Th eatre. Along with their performance there, they also pro-vided some workshops at Walton Central School.

Th e concert and workshops were funded through a combination of grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, and Walton businesses C&C Feeds, and Com-munity Bank NA.

Some students off ered to stay aft er the free concert at the school to practice with the band. Th ey were then invited to appear on stage at the Th eatre that Saturday night. Th e students had been taught several old songs by old-time Walton stone cutter and songwriter Grant Rogers.

Th e group received a standing ovation for their performance.

Students perform with Canal Street String Band

Townsend Elementary hosted the Arm-of-the-Sea Th eater, which told the story of New York City’s water supply through a puppet the-ater presentation.

Th e City that Drinks the Mountain Sky told the on-going story of the wa-tershed and why it must be protected.

Th e performance and produc-tion of this show was made possible through grants from the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation.

Learning about the watershed


Making fl oral centerpieces

Two classes at Townsend Ele-mentary had the chance to make holiday centerpieces thanks to a classmate’s family members.

Chrissy Condon’s kindergarten class made centerpieces for Th anks-giving and Christmas, and Car-

olyne Dutcher’s second-grade class made centerpieces for Christmas.

Tripp and Taylor Landon’s mother, Molly, along with their aunt Liza, and grandmother Mary Hafele, helped the classes with the project.

Solving fractions isn’t something students usually look forward to doing. Walton middle school math teacher Dustin Purdy put a little fun into it, though.

Titled “Switch Your Britches,” Purdy used a fraction review game that was fast-paced and made the sixth-grade students think and work out their problems quickly.

Once a problem was solved by all members of a team, one mem-ber would head to the front of the class and pick an article of clothing from a pile that included anything from pants, shirts, dresses, scarves, hats, shoes, and other items.

Aft er putting the piece of cloth-ing on, the student went back to his or her group and started the next problem.

Once all solved, they’d give all the clothes they had picked out so far to the next teammate, who put

them all on and then added to it. See a full photo gallery at: http://

www.waltoncsd.org/switch.aspx

Switch your britches!

Sixty sixth-grade math students participated in the Sumdog Holiday Math Contest, placing 840 out of 19,522 classes nationwide.

Th e contest was held by the web-site sumdog.com, a site based on free learning games.

Students answered 1,000 math questions and were competing for the top prize of an iPad.

Th e top three scoring sixth grad-ers were Mallory Sprague, Emma Harby, and Evan Miller.

Mallory had a score of 930, overcoming Emma, who led much of the contest. Emma fi nished with 902. Evan had 897.

Mallory received a gift certifi cate to Gramma D’s. All three received a certifi cate of merit.

Sixth graders perform well in math contest


During this past holiday season, many students, at all age levels, took the time to reach out to the commu-nity and fellow stu-dents to provide big and little moments of cheer to others.

Th e National Honor Society students sent holiday cards to all of the patients at the Fox Nursing Home. In addition to cards, they also sent cookies and a basket full of word searches, cross-word puzzle books, movies, playing cards, sketch pads etc. Th e residents were happy to be remembered and appreciated the gift s.

Th e middle school’s student council obtained addresses of former and current members of the armed forces to send holiday cards. Th e goal was to spread some holiday cheer to those who have sacrifi ced for our country. Students collected more than a dozen ad-dresses and wrote cards with thank you messages to veterans and cur-rent military. Multiple cards were sent to each person.

Nancy Howard’s class collected food for the local food bank. Th ey also made cards for a little girl named Addie as well as her sisters, who live in Utah. Addie is battling cancer and had expressed a wish to break the world record for Christ-

mas cards received. She included her two sisters in the quest.

Th ird grade teachers Wendy LeBarge and Angie Bayne donated to Ryan’s Well, a charity that helps provide fresh, clean water in un-derprivileged countries. Th e stu-dents learn about the problem and organization through their Jour-neys reading lesson. It shows how fortunate we are to be able to turn on a faucet and expect clean water. Th e students bring in money they earn, and the teachers match it.

Jodie Day had her class donate to Operation Smile, which is an organization that collects money to help children get surgery for a cleft lip or cleft palate. Just $240 can get one child the surgery needed. Th ey also learn about this organi-zation through classroom reading. Th is year, the students and parents

raised $240 to donate to the organi-zation. Th e donation was matched by a special promotion by Johnson and Johnson. Th is project helped students understand the needs of children on a global level, not just locally.

In Alice VanBuren’s kindergarten class each, child was asked to bring a donation to the Walton Food Bank instead of exchanging gift s in the classroom. VanBuren then provided each of her students with cars and little ponies, which they enjoyed during their play time.

Jean Meisel’s class put on their own version of the Polar Express for the kindergarten classes. Th ey also added to the collections from other fi ft h grade classes for the Heart of the Catskills Humane So-ciety in Delhi, and the Walton Food Bank.

Showing holiday kindness


Townsend Elementary’s annual Read-A-Rama, sponsored by the PTA, started as soon as students returned from the holiday break.

Th e program, which includes children reading chapters and books to work toward fi ve reading levels, awarding cumulative prizes, is a cooperative eff ort between the parents, children, and classrooms.

Students in grades UPK-2 read books, and then write a sentence on a sheet, which then earns increas-ing incentives for prizes.

Students in grades 3-5 handed in sheets for each fi ve chapters read. Using chapters, instead of whole books, kept them reading age-ap-propriate books and enabled them to still be able to progress through

all the levels.Parent volunteers brought a prize

cart to each classroom on Tuesday mornings throughout the challenge, for children to choose prizes.

Th is year, 93 students returned at least 21 sheets, and were invited to an all-star party,, which included pizza, prizes, and a chance to win a bicycle (one per grade level).

Winners of the bikes this year were: Mayla Evans (UPK), Henry Wilcox (kindergarten), Delana Wood (fi rst grade), Aidan Cham-bers (second grade), Cadence Stanton (third grade), Austin Smith (fourth grade), and Meadow Wood (fi ft h grade).

Ten members of the DCMO BOCES Harrold Campus conserva-tion program, including fi ve from Walton Central School, competed in the 2014 New York State Conser-vation Competitions at Paul Smith’s College.

Equipment contests were held in the morning and woodsmen’s com-petitions were held in the aft ernoon session.

Several area students, including the fi ve Walton students, placed in the top 10.

Dakota Allen placed third in skid steer, and Tom Frear was third in bulldozer trenching. Tanner Go-odrich and Justin McAdams placed third in team fi re building. Dylan Walley placed eighth in skid steer operation. Read-A-Rama once again a success

Pictured are the students who won bikes in the Read-A-Rama program. Standing in back are PTA offi cers Jami Aubin (president), Christine Werner (treasurer), and Al-isa Juhl (secretary). Back row (students) from left are: Austin Smith (fourth grade), Delana Wood (fi rst grade), Aidan Chambers (second grade), Cadence Stanton (third grade), and Meadow Wood (fi ft h grade). Front row (students) from left are Mayla Evans (UPK) and Henry Wilcox (kindergarten).

Students place well at conservation

competition

Dan George, a 1970 Walton Cen-tral School graduate, was inducted into the Grace Bible College Hall of Fame this past October. Th e college is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. George was inducted as a basketball coach.

George excelled in basketball at Walton and played at Hartwick College.

He began his coaching career at Jordan College in Michigan. A former student, Gary Bailey, asked George to join his staff as an as-sistant at Grace Bible College and the two have led the school to fi ve national championships since 2006.

WCS alum inducted into Hall of Fame


Each year, the second grade re-enacts the fi rst Th anksgiving feast, with half the students dressing as Pilgrims, and the other half dressed as Native Americans. Par-ent volunteers help make pies and serve the feast, which was held for the fi rst time this year in the Townsend playroom. It’s a tradition that parents and children both enjoy. Nakiesha Boeke, dressed as a Pilgrim, and Madison Armstrong, dressed as a Native America, sit together and eat a turkey lunch.

Th anksgiving Feast

Walton’s third-grade class had the chance to see Th e Nutcracker at SUNY Oneonta’s Goodrich Th eatre in December.

Th e performance was presented by the Fokine Ballet Company.

Th e trip was made even more ex-citing for the students because two classmates, Eve Foster and Allene Vesterfelt, were cast as soldiers in the opening act.

Sariah Vesterfelt, who is a fi ft h grader, appeared as a polichinelle in the second act.

Following the show, the students had the chance to pose with the cast for a photograph.

Th ird graders see classmates in Th e Nutcracker

Students from Townsend Elementary pose with the cast of Th e Nutcracker.

Middle school celebrates Pi Day

Th e Walton Central School mid-dle school math department held a Pi Day celebration on March 14.

Pi is a mathematical concept that has to do with the ratio of a cir-cle’s circumference to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14.

Th is year, the math department held a “pi” baking contest, as well as a “pi” eating contest. Students were able to enter the “pi” eating contest by bringing in a non-perishable food item, which will be donated as part of a food drive.

Th e winners of the baking con-test were: Kandra McGraw, Olivia Harby, Aron Burr, Kora Young, Riley Gancio, Kierstyn, Jones, and Nia McCormack.

William Buckley won the “pi” eating contest.

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