2018 Fall Sports Wrap Up:
With the days getting shorter and the weather changing, the Cortland student-athletes have wrapped up the fall sports season. We sat down with all of our varsity head coaches to discuss the fall season. The following will give you highlights from the completed fall sports season!
Girls Soccer- Ilona Ryon, Head Coach
The girls soccer team earned the second seed in the Class A tournament and won their first sectional game in 10 years! The team outscored its opponents 61-17 and had the best regular season record in Cortland’s history. The team offensive MVP award was given to Tori Cruz and Lillian Quick. Both were the top two leading scorers this season. Coach Ryan said, “Lillian and Tori were able to turn on defenders and score, something we need in offensive players.” ...
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Two Boys from the Cross Country Team Competed at NYSPHSAA:
When Coach Paul Drexler started the cross country season, he was not sure star runner Andy Ryan’s ankle was going to hold out. “I know Andy was struggling through a repetitive ankle injury early on. Last year, he competed in the State meet and I wanted him to qualify again this year.” Andy Ryan’s ankle, not only held out, but he was able to perform exceptionally well at sectionals and qualify for the State meet. Running with him on Long Island was teammate, Tyler Stevens. “As long as I can remember Cortland has never sent two athletes to represent Section III to the State Meet. I am thrilled we were able to send Andy and Tyler.”
Coach Drexler, Andy and Tyler traveled down to Long Island on November 9 to run the Sunken Meadows 5K course. Sunken Meadow's ...
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High School Musical:
Cortland High Theatre will present Once Upon A Mattress as their 2018 fall musical. Performances will begin at 7:30pm in Cortland High School’s auditorium on Thursday, November 15th, Friday, November 16th, and Saturday, November 17th. There will also be a 2pm Matinee on Saturday the 17th. $6 pre-sale tickets can be purchased from any cast member or online at: cortlandhightheatre.yapsody.com . Tickets are also available at the door for $8 each.
A modern twist on the classic tale of the Princess and the Pea, our story begins in a faraway kingdom long ago. Due to an unhappy curse, King Sextimus is unable to speak. Meanwhile, his terror-of-a-wife, Queen Aggravain, has taken over control of the kingdom. Most importantly, in an attempt to keep Prince Dauntless single, she has ...
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Harmony Bridge Performs for Senior Citizens on 11/8/18:
The Cortland Junior High and High School bands embarked this fall on an exciting community outreach program titled Harmony Bridge! The mission of the program is to help bridge the gap between young musicians and the senior community. Harmony Bridge also provides an opportunity for students to showcase their gifts and talents in a way that is meaningful for both the performers and the audience.
Students from the senior high school band who are participating in the Harmony Bridge program gave a performance on November 8th at 9:30 a.m. for senior citizens in residing at Walden Oaks Nursing Home and again at 10:30 at the Cortland Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
The performance was interactive and students introduced each song and share unique information about themselves ...
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High School Students Visit Incodema:
Many people pair the economy of upstate NY with terms such as “economically depressed” and “limited job opportunities.” That however, is the myth that Mr. Herting and Mr. Petit hope to bust. The student-run Technology Club has taken several field trips to local employers this year. As the students visit each company, they are encouraged to ask questions regarding employment opportunities and what skills in applicants that the company is looking for.
On November 7, 2018 the Technology Club visited the largest 3D printing manufacturer that is based solely in the United States. This company lies right across the county line in Freeville, NY and was founded by a local man from Ithaca, Sean Whittaker. Incodema makes metal prototypes using 3D printing for aerospace ...
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Randall Notebusters Prepare Veterans Day Ceremony:
On Friday, November 9th at 8:15 a.m., Randall School will be honoring veterans and members of the military with a special ceremony. The Randall Notebusters group is made up of students in grades 3 and 4. This is a volunteer group. Students that wanted to be in Notebusters had to write a letter to their music teacher, Heidi Shelley, explaining why they wanted to be in the group. The group meets Wednesday mornings and prepares songs for special events around the District and various field trips. For example, last year the group sang at the District Art Show at the High School.
Adriana Walton is a student at Randall and a second-year member of the Notebuster group. Adriana said, “I wanted to join Notebusters because I like singing and making new friends. We go on field trips ...
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Student Art Showcase at NYSSBA:
The New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) is the statewide voice for the interests of public boards of education. One of the exhibits during the NYSSBA statewide convention was the Student Art Showcase which displayed student artwork from grades K-12 from across New York State. The Student Art Showcase was sponsored by the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA). Cortland Enlarged City School District had several students’ artwork featured in the art show.
Art teacher, Nadia Bieber said, “It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to choose 2 student's artwork per art teacher for the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA) to be exhibited at the New York School Boards (NYSSBA) Convention in New York City. These students demonstrated ...
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High School Students Participate in NYSPHSAA Section III Leadership Academy:
On October 31st, high school student athletes from around Section III participated in a Leadership Academy lead by NYSPHSAA Section III and the Vinciguerra Consulting Group. Cortland hosted the southern schools in Section III.
After being welcomed, the student-leaders from around the region broke out into small groups to go through modules on adversity, character, sportsmanship, attitude, courage and being a role model. One task for example, was for students to reflect on ways they can be a better role model and think of role models they have in their own life.
Tim Wagoner, Athletic Director at Cortland Enlarged City School District said, “last year we were involved in this program for the first year and met at Jamesville Dewitt HS. This year there was more interest by ...
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Fifth Grade Chromebook Rollout:
On October 29th, 2018, the Cortland Enlarged City School District started the introduction of the next generation of computers (chromebooks) to the fifth graders at Randall. District personnel in the Information Technology Department and the District Instructional Technology Integration Specialist visited the two fifth grade classrooms at Randall to give a general overview of the devices and to teach a lesson using the ISTE (International Society for Technology Education) student standards.
Fifth grade teacher, Julie Terwilliger said, “I am excited to use these devices with my students. We have been using the G Suite for education apps and are very familiar with using Chrome as our browser. Using the chromebooks will streamline students workflow and will allow students to save ...
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2018 NYS School Board Recognition Week:
Cortland Enlarged City School District is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate School Board
Reco gnition Week to honor local board members for their commitment to the education of our children. The New York State School Boards Association recognizes October 22-26 as School Board Recognition Week. This is a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by school board members.
“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” Michael Hoose said. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind ...
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Students Participate in Disability Mentoring Day:
On October 17, 2018, students from Cortland High School and around the region participated in Disability Mentoring Day (DMD). This program is coordinated by the Cortland Area Taskforce to Increase Disability Employment.
Disability Mentoring Day aims to bring students and job seekers with disabilities into the workplace where they can learn about various career opportunities. Through DMD, students and job seekers pair with career professionals to learn the skills they need to work in that particular field or occupation by observing a typical workday. They see the different positions needed throughout a business to keep it operating smoothly.
Disability Mentoring Day started with orientation and breakfast at the Elks Lodge on Groton Ave in Cortland. After orientation and motivational ...
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High School Students Attend SUNY Cortland Jump Start 10 Conference:
On Tuesday, October 16th, a group of 10th grade students attended the Jump Start 10 Conference at SUNY Cortland. The overall goals of the conference were to introduce sophomores to college and career options, get them thinking about their futures, and help them learn about opportunities and programs available in Cortland.
In the morning, students attended college and career workshops during which they heard from college representatives and career professionals about a number of different topics. Each of the presenters offered a great deal of advice as students begin to think about their futures. Some of the most important advice given has been included below.
Advice from College Representatives:
High school is your last chance at a free education. Take ...
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Smith Elementary Student Council Leads Soctober and Food Drive:
Community service and leadership have long been part of the mission of the F.E. Smith Elementary School’s Student Council. In 1996, amidst the Civil War in Bosnia, the F.E. Smith Student Council decided to take action. Knowing school children in Bosnia only had one pad of paper and pencil each, due to the war, the students gathered school supplies and sent “Love Boxes For Bosnia.” A year prior in 1995, students raised $800 by selling Humanity t-shirts and sending $400 to Cortland Loaves and Fishes and $400 to UNICEF. Throughout the years, Smith School Student Council has provided support to various local agencies including the SPCA, Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. They have shown compassion and support for students in other schools in other communities, ...
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Science Olympiad Team:
Cortland High School Science Olympiad team is set to start another year of competition. The team typically consists of up to 15 students working together on various building events or studying for tests in many different science disciplines. The coaches of the Science Olympiad team are Charles Canestaro and Jim Ulrich. Jim Ulrich said, “I have always enjoyed seeing the students preparing their events. I have been coaching Science Olympiad since the 1980’s and have watched the team grow and develop over the last twenty years. Having Charles Canestero join as a coach five years ago, has breathed new life into the team. We have three competitions planned this year at Fayetteville Manlius, Lemoyne, and Cornell. The team was very successful last year, receiving numerous medals ...
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Three Cortland Teachers Selected as NYS Master Teachers:
Cortland Enlarged City School District is proud to announce that three district teachers have been designated as Master teachers in New York State. These three teachers are: Charles Canestaro, physics teacher, Julie Quinn, first grade teacher, and Amoreena Tellaeche, sixth grade teacher. These teachers join the Cortland team of previously named master teachers: Abbey Albright, Carol Brafman, Karen Kirchbaum, and James Ulrich.
The NYS Master Teacher Program network consists of outstanding teachers recognized for their dedication to providing the most innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education to their students, their commitment to professional growth, and their enthusiasm for sharing their successful practices with colleagues in their schools, districts, ...
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Junior High Students Learn About Standard Response Protocol:
On Tuesday, October 2nd, seventh and eighth grade students at Cortland Junior High School, participated in a presentation by School Resource Officer Robert Reyngoudt on the “Standard Response Protocol.”
The Standard Response Protocol is a series of steps and responses of what schools can do when a crisis happens. In collaboration with the “I Love You Guys” Foundation, the Standard Response Protocol was designed to help school officials and students plan a detailed response to a crisis. Rapidly training students and teachers the common language of the Standard Response Protocol allows for a general understanding of what to do in four different situations: lockout, lockdown, evacuate and shelter.
Officer Robert Reyngoudt takes his position as a School Resource ...
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Instrument Drive:
The value of the arts in education is something Cortland Enlarged City School District takes very seriously. The District believes that every child deserves the opportunity to play a musical instrument. Studies have shown that music makes kids smarter, improves the quality of their education, and helps to teach them the skills necessary for success later in life.
In times when other instrumental music programs are shrinking and being threatened due to budget constraints, the program at Cortland is thriving. Students are enjoying the positive educational benefits of playing in the band and orchestra. Participation is at an all t’ime high and the programs continue to grow exponentially each year.
This unprecedented success also has its challenges. Acquiring instruments ...
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Students Participate in the United Way Day of Caring:
During the month of September, students at Randall and Virgil Elementary Schools brought in non-perishable food items for the annual United Way Day of Caring, which was held on September 26, 2018.
Melissa Holl’s third grade class was the leader of the campaign at Randall Elementary School. Melissa’s students talked to the entire student body in an all school morning meeting and encouraged students to bring food in. With their encouragement, each class at Randall Elementary reached their goal of bringing in 15 food items. Melissa said, “I feel the United Way Day of Caring helps the students become leaders. They have learned how to put others first, speak in front of others, and come together or synergize for a cause that matters. The students are so excited that ...
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High School Student Named Commended Student in 2019 National Merit Scholarship:
Cortland High School is pleased to announce that Ella Wilson, has been named a commended student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Ella is a member of the Cla ss of 2019 and a valuable member of the Cortland community.
About 34,000 commended students throughout the nation are recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
“Ella Wilson has demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” said High School Principal Joe Mack. He added, “I hope this recognition will help broaden Ella’s educational opportunities and encourage ...
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High School Students Attend SUNY Cortland Leadership Summit:
On September 11th, 2018 six students from Cortland High School attended the “Next Generation Leadership Summit” at SUNY Cortland. This event was put on my program coordinator and Cortland native, Dr. Kevin Mack. Auburn, Homer, Whitney Point, Marathon, Marcellus, and Moravia school Districts also sent student representatives.
Three main questions drove the discussions. Those questions were:
As a student leader, how can you help create a positive culture?
What is the difference between being a leader and holding a position of leadership?
What skills do you need to be a successful student leader?
Amy Johnson, Health teacher and Link Crew leader at Cortland High School, accompanied the students to the Summit. Johnson said, “I choose the ...
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