Spring Edition 2012 - B - Final Draft 8 by 11 - Indian River CSD

INSIDE THIS 

ISSUE: 

Academic 

Leaders 

Pre-K and 

Kindergarten Registration 

1 

2 

Primary Schools 3 –7 

Intermediate 

School & M.S. Pi 

8 

Health 9-11 

Middle School & 

Calcium Library 

College Acceptances 

Honor Society/High 

School 

Superintendent 

Letter 

12 

13 

14-16 

17 

Resolutions 18 

Budget Voting/ 

Absentee Ballots 

19 

2012-2013 Budget 20-29 

Failed Budget 30 

Impact Aid 31 

Congressman 

Owens 

32 

Sports 33-36 

Music, Art and 

Theatre 

Science Club 45 

Business/Language 

Dept 

Building and 

Grounds 

37-44 

46 

47 

We’re on the 

web!! 

www.ircsd.org 

Indian River Central School 

District District Newsletter 

32735B County Route 29, Philadelphia, New York 13673 

L E A R N I N G T O G E T H E R , 

T O G E T H E R T O L E A R N 

S P R I N G 2 0 1 2 

V O L U M E 5 7 : I S S U E 3 

Indian River High School is proud to announce the academic leaders of the Class of 

2012. They are: Valedictorian Karisa Widrick daughter 

of Loren & Dixie Widrick, Philadelphia, and Salutatorian 

Elena Shepherd, daughter of 

Lee & Anita Shepherd, Calcium. 

Karisa Widrick has been named 

Valedictorian with a cumulative 

average of 97.84. She is a member 

of the National Honor Society, 

and has served as a leader in Bible 

Club. Karisa’s music participation 

includes Band, Chorus, Jazz Rock, Area All-State Band, Bi- 

County Band, Bi-County Chorus, NYSSMA Solo Festival Competition, 

musical productions, and she takes private music lessons. 

She will perform her flute solo at the Spring Bi-County 

Festival. She is very active in her church, serving as a Children’s Church teacher, 

youth group helper and worship leader, worship team member as a song set leader 

and musician, and has participated in mission trips to Brazil. Karisa will be graduating 

with over 10 college credits earned while at Indian River through Syracuse University 

and Jefferson Community College. She received the Augsbury North Country 

Scholar Award from St. Lawrence University in her junior year. Karisa plans to 

attend St. Lawrence University, Potsdam Crane School of Music, Ithaca College or 

Syracuse University to further her education in music and Christian ministry. Karisa 

has been selected as the Jeff/Lewis Music Association’s winner of the Senior Soloist 

Competition. 

Elena Shepherd has been named Salutatorian with a cumulative 

average of 96.68. Elena has been a member of the National 

Honor Society and Ski Club and serves as Secretary of her senior 

class. She participates in lacrosse, track, and soccer, serving as 

captain of her soccer team her senior year. She will be graduating 

with over 30 college credits earned while at Indian River 

through Syracuse University and Jefferson Community College. 

She received the Rensselaer Medalist Scholarship from RPI her 

Junior year. 

Elena has applied to Boston College, Princeton, Cornell, University 

of Southern California, RPI, and University of Albany, majoring 

in Biology. 

Indian River Central School District Newsletter * Spring Edition * Page 1

PRE-KINDERGARTEN/KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION 

Registration for incoming pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students is scheduled during May and June throughout the Indian River 

Central School District Primary Schools. This registration allows us to get to know our entering children. Please complete the materials 

which you will receive in the mail and bring them to your child’s scheduled appointment. 

It is recommended that every child have a physical examination by a physician prior to entering school. We will provide you with the 

necessary form on registration day. Information is required for proof of age such as a birth certificate, passport or baptismal record. Children 

must be four years of age on or before December 1, 2012, to be eligible for pre-kindergarten and five years of age, on or before December 

1, 2012, to be eligible for kindergarten. Proof of residence is also required, such as a utility bill or assignment to quarters, and if 

applicable, evidence of custody through a court order. 

New York State law requires all children attending school to have proof of immunizations. 

Vaccines Pre-kindergarten 

(Day Care, Nursery, Head Start, or Pre-K) 

Diphtheria Toxoid-Containing Vaccine 

Tetanus Toxoid-Containing/Vaccine and Pertussis 

Vaccine (DTaP, DPT) 

3 doses (NYC Schools 4 doses) 3 doses if 

born on or after 1/1/2005 

Polio (IPV or OPV) 3 doses 3 doses 

Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis Booster(Tdap) Not applicable 

During registration, we will have a variety of screening activities in the areas of speech, language and auditory/visual skills. There will also 

be coordination exercises. Please have your son/daughter dress casually with sneakers or soft-soled shoes. It will take approximately 1 1/2 

hours to complete the various screening stations. During this time your child will have a chance to become acquainted with his/her classmates. 

Calcium, Evans Mills and Theresa Primary will also be conducting pre-kindergarten registration along with kindergarten registration. 

Community Action Planning Council (CAPC) staff, who provide our pre-kindergarten program, will be working cooperatively with our 

staff in registering your child. Pre-kindergarten applications for 2012-13 may be obtained by telephoning 642-3441 or 642-3471 or stopping 

in to one of the school buildings listed below or by going to our website www.ircsd.org. The schedule for registration is also listed below. 

Please contact the school, should you not receive information regarding a registration appointment. 

Your participation in this registration will enable us to provide a pre-kindergarten or kindergarten program suited to your child’s individual 

needs. 

Indian River Central School District Newsletter * Spring Edition * Page 2 

School 

(k-12) 

3 doses (NYC Schools 4 doses for kindergarten 

only 3 doses if born on or 

after 1/1/2005 

Born on or after 1/1/1994 and enrolling 

in grades 6 through 11 for the 2012- 

2013 school year 1 dose 

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) 1 dose 

2 doses of measles-containing vaccine 

and 1 dose each mumps and rubella. 

(preferably as MMR) 

Hepatitis B 3 doses 

3 doses if less than 15 months or 1 dose 

3 doses 

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) 

administered on or after 15 months of age. 

Born on or after 1/1/2008 4 doses by 15 

Not applicable 

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PVC) months of age given at age-appropriate 

times and intervals 

Not applicable 

Born on or after 1/1/1998 one dose or 

Varicella (Chickenpox) Born on or after 1/01/2000 1dose 

born on or after 1/1/1994 and entering 

into grades 6 through 12 for the 2012- 

2013 school year 1 dose 

Evans Mills Primary May 15, 16 & 17 629-4331 

Calcium Primary May 21, 22 & 23 629-1100 

Philadelphia Primary June 4 642-3432 

Theresa Primary June 5 & 6 628-4432 

Antwerp Primary June 7 & 8 659-8386

Antwerp Primary to Welcome Omega-Man 

For years, schools have been challenged by the 

social problem of bullying. Parents, teachers 

and students are all encouraged by the focus 

that has been placed on this problem, and are 

determined to do something about it. Omega- 

Man is a motivational program for school-age 

children that helps students better understand 

the negative effects of bullying and reinforces 

the importance of building personal character. 

This program will be held at Antwerp Primary 

school on May 1 st at 10:15 a.m. Parents are 

welcome to attend. 

Antwerp Primary Students 

head to the WATER! 

Again this spring, Physical Education teacher 

Mr. Moffett has made special arrangements to 

offer a swimming program for all students. 

With summer fast approaching, it is important 

to provide students with basic skills that could 

save lives in a water emergency. Students who 

have a fear of water will be very skillfully assisted 

to overcome their fears. All students will 

gain a healthy appreciation for water, and will 

learn basic swimming and safety skills. 

Antwerp Students Breathe a Sigh of Relief… 

Students in third grade worked feverishly to 

polish their skills for the New York State 

tests in English Language Arts and Mathematics. 

Both tests were administered in 

mid-April, and involved six days of testing. 

Along with Reading teachers and Academic 

Intervention teachers, Mr. Davidson 

and Mrs. Bridge led students 

through targeted review and preparation 

for the tests. The review activities not only 

helped prepare students for a test, but 

served as a powerful learning experience 

for all. Congratulations is due to all third 

graders for being scholarly role models for 

all students in our school. 


Evans Mills Primary School First 

Grade performance is going to be on 

Wednesday May 9, 2012 at 7:00 PM in 

the Indian River HS Theatre. The students 

are proud to be presenting a wiggly, 

giggly, squiggly musical 

called Squirm. 

The performance 

will feature a variety 

of creepy crawly 

creatures, including 

worms, bats, spiders, 

and snakes. 

The story centers 

on the adventures 

of the Itsy Bitsy Spider 

and his determination to finally make 

it up the water spout. Will he be victorious 

and finally reach his goal? Come watch 

and find out. 

Evans Mills Primary School Kindergarten 

performance is going to be on 

Wednesday June 6, 2012 at 7:00 PM in 

the Indian River HS Theatre. As this is 

the first year of school for many of our 

kindergarteners, they will be performing a 

musical called “Goin’ to School”. This fun 

musical is all about the various things 

they learn the first year of their academic 

career. 

Look for practice sheets and information 

about these performances to be coming 

home soon. 

A big congratulations to our 2 nd -3 rd grade 

students, their performance video of 

“Funny Feet” was a big success. The 

video was selected by Hal Leonard Publishing 

as part of a national competition to 

be in the “Funny Feet Mash-Up Video”. 

This video can be seen online through the 

Music Express Magazine page, or by going 

to John Jacobson’s video page. Congratulations 

on a terrific job by all! 

Kids helping Kids 

At Evans Mills Primary, students are taking a moment 

to bring joy to sick children at the Golisano Children’s 

Hospital in Syracuse. During Art class, Mrs. Blanchard 

is helping the students to create “thinking of you” 

cards that will be delivered to patients on their meal 

trays. This little act of kindness means a great deal to 

the children who receive the cards, and the students 

are enjoying knowing that they can make a difference! 

Mrs. Ambrose’s class invited parents for a Flat 

Stanley Pancake Party. After reading the book Flat 

Stanley by Jeff Brown, students in Mrs. Ambrose’s 

class created their own Flat Stanley and sent their 

creations to visit friends and family around the world. 

At the party, Mrs. Ambrose shared where each child’s 

Flat Stanley went to visit and the students were able to 

share letters and pictures from their Flat Stanley’s adventures. 

Everyone had a great time and enjoyed pancakes 

with yummy toppings afterwards! 


Giving is Better than Receiving 

Instead of the normal gift exchange, Mrs. Leddy’s 

third grade class decided to give this Christmas season 

rather than receive. In the weeks leading up to 

Christmas, the students collected items to be donated 

to the Watertown SPCA. Some students even volunteered 

to do extra 

chores at home to 

raise money to purchase 

items. Grateful 

representatives 

from the SPCA visited 

the class to 

pick up the items 

and further educate 

the students on what services the shelter offered. 

They also explained to the students why they are 

such an important part of the community. The generous 

students and their parents donated items that 

ranged from food and cat litter to paper towels and 

sponges. In the end, over 70 items were collected! 

The students were able to see how their items were 

going to be put to good use when two adoptable cats 

were brought in to visit. 

Philadelphia Primary students spread 

some Christmas cheer 

Mrs. Leddy’s and Ms. Gibbs’ 3 rd grade classes were 

able to spread 

some Christmas 

cheer by 

caroling at the 

Chase Harrington 

senior 

home in Philadelphia. 

In 

their recent 

studies of 

Christmas, 

Celebrations Around the World, they were able to 

learn about the countries of Ireland 

and England. The classes 

learned that singing Christmas 

carols was a tradition in both 

countries. Each class was able 

to share some information they 

learned and they performed 

songs from their country with the residents. 

I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Philadelphia 

Primary School Librarian as of October, 2011. My name 

is Jessica Sines, but many of you may know me by my 

maiden name of Jessica LaClair. 

I lived in the Evans Mills area for 23 years, but 

recently moved to Plattsburgh, NY to live with my husband, 

until I was hired here. I graduated from Indian 

River in 2004, and was excited to start my college experience. 

In 2008 I graduated from Le Moyne College in 

Syracuse, NY with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a 

minor in education. 


I love every day I walk into Philly Primary because the kids are so enthusiastic to learn. It’s enjoyable to learn about the 

students as well as the many thoughts and ideas they have as I’m teaching them throughout the day. It’s such a pleasurable 

experience to see children at a young age so excited about reading and coming to the library! I’m driven to continue 

their love of books in addition to teaching them valuable skills they will need growing up, as well as in their every day 

adult lives. 

Matthew McElligott, the author and illustrator of many books such as Even Monsters Need Haircuts, Backbeard: 

Pirate for Hire, Backbeard and the Birthday Suit, The Lion’s Share, and more was supposed to visit Philadelphia 

Primary in January. However, due to an early release from school because of snow, we weren’t able to see the author. 

The good news is that he is returning in the beginning of June. I’m excited to share our projects with Matthew McElligott 

that the students worked very hard on. The students enjoyed doing an activity where they had to draw their monster 

before and after a haircut. They also had a chance to draw themselves as a pirate. 

This Year’s Contest Winners: 

Poetry Contest Winner: 

Tiara Talimeliyor (K) 

Essay Contest Winner: 

Farid Ouedraogo (3) 

Poster Contest Winners: 

Myla Knapp (K), Angela Vargas 

(K), Fiona Hendri (1), 

Julia Askins / Savannah Baker 

(2), Skyler Gilreath (3) 

Calcium Primary School celebrated its 21 st Annual Multicultural Festival on March 8 th . Parents, teachers, 

students and community members filled the atrium with displays of treasured items from all around 

the world. 

Joining us for the festival were students from Alexandria Central High School to share games, crafts and 

food with the elementary students, as well as 6 th graders from Hammond Central School District to observe 

and learn about other countries. ESOL students throughout the district also joined our celebration. 

High School and Middle School ESOL students also volunteered to help students make crafts from 

around the world. 

The event ended with a Peacemaker Assembly in the cafeteria at 2:00pm where Mrs. Primicias’ class 

performed a musical skit to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” 

Our theme this year is, “Fighting World Hunger.” We held a food drive for a local food pantry and donated 

fundraiser money to “Food for the Poor.” In honor of our theme, there was a poetry, essay and 

poster contest that students could enter. Those who won 1 st prize for each category were announced, and 

those who won the poetry and essay contest read their work to the audience. 

Lastly, students received Peacemaker Awards for “Honesty” and were introduced to our new Peacemaker 

trait “Friendship” with a video of students showing how to be a good friend put together by Mrs. 

Nash and Mrs. Sposato. 


We have completed our “winter activities” and are 

beginning to prepare for our busiest time of year. 

This was an enjoyable winter, 

although not much snow, 

we did get out a few times for 

some sledding fun. 

Theresa Primary School celebrated 

science on March 22nd 

with our annual science fair. 

Many fabulous varieties of projects were presented. 

Thank you to each and every student and family for 

helping us all to learn just a little more in this area. 

AWARDS 

Theresa Primary is very proud of our Academic and 

Citizenship Award winners, as well as award winners 

in other areas. These students were recognized 

at our Academic Awards Assembly held in 

February. Congratulations to all students for working 

so hard and earning this recognition! 

Again this year, Theresa Primary students took part in 

the Sunshine Dental Coloring Contest. Theresa Primary 

winners were Antonio Jezierski, Jaci Fleming, and 

Mitchell Leeson. These students and their families will 

be invited to a celebration provided by the Sunshine 

Dental Group. Each year TPS is proud to share their 

winners with 

the rest of the 

county. 

On February 

8 th , the three 

Kindergarten 

classes from 

TPS had the 

distinct pleasure 

of visiting 

three local 

Senior Citizen 

Centers. Over the past several years the experience 

of sharing songs, stories and 

homemade, kid-decorated cookies has become 

a tradition that is highly anticipated by 

all. Theresa Primary School’s kindergarten 

has, until this year, visited only Milltown 

Senior Housing in Evans Mills. As our classes 

have grown 

from one to 

two to 

three and 

the numbers 

of students 

in 

each class 

surpassed 

20, it was 

decided that we should visit three Centers 

instead of one. The children went to Milltown 

with Mrs. Cook, Antwerp Senior Center 

with Ms. McParland and Chase-Harrington in 

Philadelphia with Mrs. Burnard. Parents who 

were able to join each class participated in 

meeting the senior residents and serving 

cookies and punch. The children had made 

decorations to share with each of the residents 

and had made little valentine greetings 

with the names of the seniors on 

each! The experience was overwhelmingly 

positive for all! 


IRIS Students - Just Say No to Bullies 

The week of March 26 th -30 th , IRIS students once again took a stand against bullying and harassment celebrating their 

second “No Bullying Week” of the year. 

Students showed their support for one another through participation in lessons, activities, and spirit days including: 

Monday- “Being a Good Friend is No Sweat-Pants Day” 

Tuesday- “Band Together Against Bullying Day” 

Wednesday- “Superfriends are Superheros Against Bullies Day” 

Thursday- “Be a Good Sport Jersey Day” 

Friday- “Bullying is Crazy-Mismatched Clothes Day” 

Students continue to learn about the importance of treating all 

people with acceptance and respect. The IRIS school community 

wants students to understand their role in the “bully cycle.” We 

continue to place emphasis on not only what to do if you are a 

target of harassment but also teaching the bystanders what they 

can do to help one another 

Twist and Shout the Bullies Out! 

On May 2 nd IRIS 4 th Graders will share popular music from the 1950’s era with friends and family at the High School 

Theatre, while also promoting great behavior in our schools. Students will be singing and dancing to popular sock hop 

songs, including, “At the Hop,” “The Locomotion,” and “Land of a Thousand Dances,” as well as “School Days,” as 

performed by Chuck Berry. 

The students will sing the more recent, “Don’t Laugh At Me,” to promote zero tolerance for bullying 

in our school. 

Leading up to the concert, students studied elements of famous 1950’s sock hops, and even held their 

own hula-hoop contest! 

Many thanks to all who joined us to “Twist and Shout the Bullies Out” for good! 

Pi time again at the 

On Thursday, March 8 and Friday, March 9, the 7B Math students participated in the 2nd Annual Pi Day Competition. 

Memorizing a total of 221 digits between them, the finalists were (pic. 1 left to right): Logan Shaver, 

Riley O'Neill, Ki'ara Oliver, Lionel Novo, and Anthony Seybolt, and (pic. 2) Logan Infantine. Each finalist received 

a mini-pie for their effort. In the final round, on Pi Day (March 14), Ki'ara Oliver was the winner, having 

memorized a total of 56 digits of pi correctly. Each of the finalists won a full-size pie for their efforts. 


The Indian River Girls Basketball Team competed against APW on January 18 th to raise awareness 

for Pancreatic Cancer. Four members of the Indian River Varsity Girls Team have lost loved ones 

to this deadly disease. Pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which the survival rate has 

not improved substantially over 40 years. This year, an estimated 44,030 people will be diagnosed 

with pancreatic cancer in the United States, and approximately 37,660 will die from the disease. 

The average life expectancy after diagnosis with metastatic disease is just three to six 

months. The event raised $1352.50 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. To find more information, 

please go to www.pancan.org. 

Mrs. Matthews’ 7 th grade health classes worked collaboratively with Miss Schied, IRMS librarian, on their culminating 

health projects for the first semester. Each student was assigned a lifestyle disease and researched 

how lifestyle factors contributed to the disease. After each student compiled the necessary information to explain 

both the disease and the factors, as well as properly cited all sources, PowerPoint presentations were created 

to showcase each disease. 

After viewing all of the presentations in each class, students were asked to vote on the top presentations, which 

were then recreated in a web 2.0 presentation program called Animoto. The Animoto presentations use pictures, 

music, and powerful messages regarding risk reduction of lifestyle diseases. All of the Animotos were 

featured on the announcement monitor in the Middle School lobby in February, during National Heart Health 

Month, and can be viewed on the IRMS Library webpage under Student Resources. Congratulations to the 

featured students: Ryan Bailine, Aaron Doerr, John Fowler, Randi Gallamore, Gabrielle Garcia, Jeswann 

Kerson, and Alysa Moore. 


Kick-off Assembly 

Statistics 

Half of the hospitals around the 

world are filled with people 

with water-borne diseases. 

1 in 8 people around the world 

does not have access to safe or 

clean drinking water. 

World wide, 1 out of 5 deaths 

of children under 5 are due to a 

water-borne disease. 

443 million school days are lost 

each year due to water-borne 

diseases. 

Book Sale Fundraiser 

Our goal is $5,000. 

Currently we have raised over $2,000 

Mr. Koch, District Business 

Manager, taught the classes 

about aquifers and well building. 

The students holding cups represent the saving 

of pennies or coins in the cup which will be 

collected for the program and also represents the 

1 in 6 people on the planet that do not have 

access to clean water. 


Diseases 

Every year six million children 

die from malnutrition 

before their fifth birthday. 

More than 50 percent of Africans 

suffer from waterrelated 

diseases such as 

cholera and infant diarrhea. 

Every 30 seconds an African 

child dies of malaria-more 

than one million child deaths 

a year.

By Donna Donohue 

Everyone at IRIS is participating in a wonderful service project called the Drop by Drop Project. We are trying to raise 

$5,000.00 to build a well in Kenya through an organization called Free the Children. 

Students have been trying to earn extra money around the house by doing special chores. We are selling water bottles in 

the morning, have sponsored a used book sale, will have a basketball tournament in May, and plan on several more fundraisers 

before the end of the year. 

If we reach our goal by June 1 st , we may qualify to have a business match our donation, so we can double our money! 

Anyone making a donation of $10.00 or more can do so in honor or in memory of a loved one. Just make checks 

payable to the IRIS PTO and put the word “well” on the memo line. Then tell us who you would like to honor. A 

special “drop” will be placed on our bulletin board for everyone to see. Mail your donation to 32430 US Rt. 11, 

Philadelphia, NY, 13673. 

To learn more about Free the Children, read the articles written by my students, Jordan and Katina. Then visit their website 

at www.freethechildren.com. 

We will keep you posted! 

Drop by Drop Project 

********************************************************************************************************************************** 

Craig Keilburger, when he was twelve years old, saw in the newspaper that a boy his age named Iqbal Masih was murdered 

for speaking against child labor. 

Iqbal Masih was sent to a carpet factory by his father to pay off debt from his brother’s wedding. At the age of 

ten, he escaped from the carpet factory and began to speak out against child labor. He also went to other countries to 

make speeches about child labor and how it was technically slavery, and slavery is against the law. He also became very 

concerned about un-free in Pakistan. He entered a school in Lahore and passed four grades in two years. Easter morning 

he visited his mother; later that evening he went biking with his cousins. Someone who didn’t feel the same way as Iqbal 

about child labor shot him. 

After Craig read that article, he wanted to help other children from being hurt, then Free the Children was born. 

Craig started Free the Children to make a change in those children’s life in poor countries and people who need basic 

sanitary needs. 

So, if you don’t believe us about these two amazing people , go to 

www.FreetheChildren.com and see the amazing changes Craig is trying to make 

for the people in Kenya. 

Jordan Daughtery and Katina Broad 

Why We’re Building The Well 

Joshua Doerr 

Iqbal and Craig 

Have you ever had to walk 4 hours just for water, that isn’t even clean? I bet you have not ever done that. Well, little 

girls do that every day! Isn’t that sad? Well, you should help us build a well in Africa, so those poor little girls can have 

help. So those little girls can have an education for their future. What if that was you? You would want help too, right? 

Well you can, by donating just $7 dollars! I bet you have even more than that! That container weighs 40 lbs! its exhausting 

just getting there, now, they have to walk back to home with 40 pounds of water! The water isn’t even clean! They 

get diseases if their mother doesn’t boil it! Little girls and little boys sometimes die because their mother didn’t get any 

education. So their mother doesn’t know what to do when something bad happens because you should be taught that 

Education is important, everybody needs it. That’s why the well will allow those poor little girls to be able to get a good 

education. On top of that they’ll have clean water to drink. 

Indian River Central School District Newsletter * Spring Edition * Page 11

Happy Spring!! 

The Middle School has had exciting activities and 

events springing up all over the place lately! The 

T.A.G. group has been keeping busy creating displays, 

planning Teen Tech Week events, and reading, 

wherever and whenever possible. Planning for 

the spring bookfair will soon be underway, so any 

students who would like to help out are encouraged 

to attend. During the week of March 12, Teen Tech 

Week was celebrated with a variety of activities, all 

techified. When not playing with duct tape, students 

were able to investigate a fabulous drawing program 

called FlockDraw, demonstrated by Miss Lannis, or 

practice their acting skills during Charades 2.0. Students 

were also eligible for a door prize, just by 

showing up. There were several first-timers, and the 

activities were enjoyed by all. 

On the heels of TTW, entries for the Jefferson-Lewis 

School Library System Bookmark contest took place, 

with local judging occurring immediately before April 

break. The winners from each level were submitted 

to BOCES, and the grand prize winners are listed below. 

The theme for many students in the past few 

months has been research, research, research. 

What better way to improve information literacy 

skills than with a nice investigative project. 

Whether it's diseases in health, or the Dust 

Bowl in Social Studies, students know where to come 

to get reliable information that offers the best in currency, 

accuracy, and authority. 

And what would the world be without great books to 

read. It's not too early to start planning your summer 

reading activities. Maybe it will be Margareta 

Engle's new book about a girl's struggle with dyslexia, 

The Wild Book. or how about Marissa Mayer's 

futuristic fairy tale Cinder, where cyborg meets evil 

stepmother. That Hunger Games thing, what's that 

all about? Those of you more actionoriented 

readers might enjoy a read through Carl 

Hiassen's lastest offering Chomp, or the newest Artemis 

Fowl escapade, The Last Guardian. And really, 

who is not, at least secretly, awaiting the return of 

Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles with The Serpent's 

Shadow, due out in May? The theme for summer 

happenings at your local public library is "Own the 

Night", so check out what's happening wherever you 

live. If none of the suggested books here appeal to 

you, let your librarian know - we love coming up with 

more! Don't forget to suggest your favorites as 

well. Doesn't matter where you are, don't forget to 

read! 

In 6 th grade: In 7 th and 8 th grade: 

Georgia Tsitiridis Hannah Deline 

Collin Combs Breanna Knapp 

John Albrecht Derek Kuhn 

Maxim Garner Ashley Childress 

Zhayleigh Carr Shania Roy 

Clifford the big red dog came from 

PBS to visit Calcium Primary! The 

movie, Clifford,was being shown at the Evans Mills Fire Department. 

While Clifford was at the school, a book was read in the 

library to Mrs. Askins’ Kindergarten class and Mrs. Rolfzen’s 1st 

grade class, combined. 


(Many college acceptance letters have not been received by the Newsletter’s print deadline) 

Congratulations to all of the seniors and good luck on their future endeavors. 

College Acceptances 2012 

Alexander Bievenour to Pratt Art Institute for Fine Arts and Rochester Institute of Technology 

for Medical Illustration 

Dalton Boyd to Hartwick College and Utica College for undeclared major 

Haylee Bush to Keuka College for Psychology 

Sarah Clark to Cazenovia College for Photography 

Denzell Davis to Niagara Community College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, 

and Jefferson Community College for Sports Management 

Courtney Edgar to Jefferson Community College for Math/Science, Speech Pathology 

Meghan Everett to Jefferson Community College for Math/Science 

Zachary Godin to St. Lawrence University, Clarkson University, SUNY Institute of Technology, 

and LeMoyne College for Business Administration 

Heather Green to University of Florida, Simmons College, and Clarkson University for 

Psychology 

Jasmin Hollenbeck to Jefferson Community College for Math/Science 

Britney Hoover to Oswego College, St. Lawrence University, and Jefferson Community 

College for Psychology 

Daniel Iles to Westminster College for undeclared major 

Sarah Kane to Elmira College for Individual Studies 

Ryan LaClair to LeMoyne College and Clarkson University for Biology 

Brett Marcellus to Mansfield University for Biology 

Kelsey Marnell to Jefferson Community College for Childhood Education 

Tierra Messina to Morrisville College and Canton College for Elementary Education 

Juan Nadal to Jefferson Community College for Humanities and Social Sciences 

Carl Paro to University of Colorado for Information Systems Security 

Stacey Pickens to Onondaga Community College for Human Services 

Sara Pickert to Jefferson Community College for Math/Science 

Lea Robles to Jefferson Community College for Humanities and Social Sciences 

Joseph Roger to Potsdam College for Engineering 

Kimberly Ruiz to Onondaga Community College for Broadcast Communication 

Macie Schell to Canton College for Pre-Veterinary Science 

Elena Sheperd to University of Southern California, Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic 

Institute, Boston College, and University at Albany for Biology 

Tiffany Varin to Jefferson Community College for Nursing 

Jade Webb to Oswego College for Public Justice, Jefferson Community College for Humanities 

& Social Sciences 

Michaela Wicks to Jefferson Community College for Business Administration 

Karisa Widrick to St. Lawrence University, Ithaca College, Syracuse University, and Potsdam 

College for Music and Christian Ministry 

Stallone Wiley to Potsdam College for Secondary Education, History 


Leadership 

The National Honor Society chapter of 

Indian River Central School District held 

their induction ceremony on Wednesday, 

April 11 th at 7PM in the Theatre of 

Performing Arts. Congratulations to 

the following inductees: 

Mrs. Katherine Ring, NHS Advisor 

Seniors Juniors 

Bryann Hoover Veronica Cordova 

Emily Lay Katherine Emberton 

Trona’ea Outlaw Nathan Esparza 

Sierra Reed Eric Hagen 

Shay Tiemann Taiga Ishida 

Tyler Reeves 

Logan Running 

Misty Sears 

Brittney Simerly 

Character 

Sophomores 

SCHOLARSHIP 


Service 

Danielle Adams Jack McCarty 

Connor Bell Julia Miller 

Rebecca Butler Hura Minger 

Aliza Canell Brooke Minnick 

Michaela Culbertson MaKaela Murdock 

Ashley Dobmeier Rebecca Oster 

Xavier Ehresman Allison Peer 

Emily Elcsisin Timothy Peters 

Felix Garcia Caroline Pracht 

Benjamin Godin Rachel Rodriguez 

Daylen Greenfield Desiree Smith 

Sara Gushlaw Brandon Twiss 

John Hall Jessica Varin 

Dale Kirkby Abigail Widrick 

Kaleb Loar Kennedy Wilcox 

Nicolette Marshall Alexander Wilson 

Freshmen Brandon Iglesias, Katherine Zebrowski, and Catlynn Phillips were recent place-winners in 

the Greater Thousand Islands Literacy Council Young Writers’ Contest. Entrants were asked to compose 

an original essay in response to a quote from Rosa Parks, which states: “Each person must live their life 

as a model to others.” In explaining vividly what the quote means to them, and how they live as models 

to others, these students rose above the rest in the 9 th grade category to earn recognition. 

Brandon earned first-place honors and was invited to read his winning essay at the Young Writers’ 

Celebration at Watertown’s Case Middle School on the evening of March 28. 

Katherine, who followed in second place, and Catlynn, third, were also to be recognized for their 

excellent entries at the ceremony. 

Mr. Struchen would like to acknowledge all students who participated in the contest. 

Well-done!

Distracted Driving 

Indian River High School students, Jasmine 

Chhoeun and Daniel Johnson, hope to receive 

good results from the public concerning their 

video. 

Jasmine and Daniel, both video production 

students, took part in the 2011 Distracted Driving 

Video Contest held by NYCM Insurance. Their 

video had a chance of among the top 30 entries in 

NY to win $500. The only way they could accomplish 

this is if their video received the most “likes” 

by April 30. 

Video Production teacher, 

Mr. Burdick, challenged his students 

to construct a video that 

would speak to the public against distracted driving. 

Jasmine and Daniel did just that by interviewing 

Wilson Stevenson, who recently was in a severe 

accident. Wilson stated “even if the kid says 

“oh I don’t text when driving”, but the guy next to 

you can be…when you’re 

behind that wheel, it’s your 

life and everyone’s around 

you”. Hearing that from 

someone who was recently in 

an accident has a certain impact; it shows you just 

how much you need to pay 

attention to the road and other 

drivers around you. It takes 

just one distraction and there 

could be severe repercussions 

because of it. 

To view the video go to: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch? 

v=gBVf6gBWvhA 

http://www.newteendrivers.com/vote.asp 

On a clear, cold and frosty morning on Saturday, November 

5, 2011, members of Tree Watertown and volunteers 

from Starbuck School in Watertown planted a variety 

of fourteen trees on the grounds of Starbuck School. A 

tree was also planted at the North Entrance to Thompson 

Park in Watertown. Contributions in the amount of 

$600.00 were received from the faculty and staff of the 

Indian River Central School District on behalf of Samuel 

Thomas, school counselor and a member of Tree Watertown, 

in memory of his sister, Androniki Thomas Litman, 

native of Watertown, who died in 2011 and her son, 

Benjamin Litman, who died 2010. They had resided in 

Danville, California. 

The Thomas family requested that the funds be used for 

the planting of trees at Starbuck School as a legacy for 

future generations to enjoy. The Thomas family wishes to 

thank the faculty and staff of Indian River Central for their 

financial contributions and to Peggy Berry, school psychologist, 

Mollie Jenne-Phalen, school social worker, Joan 

Oddi, retired secretary for Pupil Personnel Services, Mike 

Lumbis, City of Watertown Planning Department and a 

member of Tree Watertown, Mark Taylor, building principal 

of Starbuck School, and to all those who donated their 

time and talent in order to make this project a success. 

Your kindness is very much appreciated and will long be 

remembered during a very difficult time. 


Indian River Seniors are participating in job shadows for the school-to-work program again this year. Many 

high school seniors have an idea of what career they want to pursue, however, most of their knowledge is 

based solely on what they have read or researched. Several students lack the first-hand experience within that 

field. The purpose of the job-shadow program is to give seniors an opportunity to see the day-to-day operations 

or tasks involved in a particular occupation. The job-shadow experience is also intended to give students 

a realistic view and knowledge of what is involved in their chosen occupation(s) as they make decisions 

about their future. This year Indian River has 168 seniors participating in their job shadow experience 

through our own school-to-work program while the other 48 students participate through their BOCES vocational 

program. 

The class of 2012 has very diverse occupational interests that include: accounting, cosmetology, culinary 

arts, graphic and interior design, music and video production, criminal justice occupations, sports management 

occupations, veterinarians and vet technicians, occupational and physical therapy, nursing and other 

health related occupations, teaching, photography, communications, marketing, psychology, human services, 

and many more. 

We would like to thank all the employers who have helped our students learn more about their occupational 

interests including: Fort Drum, North Country Orthopedics, Northern Radiology, EJ Noble Hospital, Samaritan 

Medical Center, River Hospital, Milestones and Little Lukes, Debbie Smith-Massage Therapist, 

Country Side Veterinarian Clinic, Jefferson County SPCA, Watertown Correctional Facility, Full Frame 

Works Photography, Jefferson Community College, Greater Watertown Chamber of Commerce, Watertown 

Daily Times, AmeriCU, TV-7, The Border 106.7, 94 Rock, Bradley’s Military Trophy Shop, Indian River 

School District, Watertown City School District, Carthage Central School District, and Gouverneur School 

District. 

The Guidance staff together with the School-to-Work Coordinator planned several “Career Chats” that were 

held after school during the months of February, March, and April this year. “Career Chats” are interactive 

talks between a professional in a specific career area and students who are interested in that career. Students 

were able to learn from professionals in physical therapy, veterinary technology, communication and 

information design, various healthcare careers, and culinary arts. We anticipate continuing these “Career 

Chats” next year. 

The Highlighters, Indian River High School students, 

Jhaisean S. Allen, Denzell L. Davis, and Delanie J. 

Whittington earned first place and a $1000 cash prize 

at the Jefferson Community College business concept 

competition on March 16 for their business concept 

specializing in athletic event video recording. Joining 

the students is Suanne Slate, Indian River High School 

business teacher. 


The Indian River Board of Education is pleased to present the proposed budget for 

school year 2012-2013. For a second year the State of New York was facing a significant 

budget deficit, and the Governor and Legislature again came together to 

close the gaps and enact an on-time budget for the upcoming year. Having a degree 

of certainty made the budget process a bit easier for the district, and we are truly 

hopeful you will be pleased with the outcomes and support the budget on May 15. 

Indian River continues to be the exception in the North Country. In a time when other districts are facing staff 

reductions and a shrinking enrollment, Indian River is growing and planning for the arrival of more students. 

Last year we budgeted for an additional 250 students to join us, and our opening enrollment was up by 223. So 

while we were a little bit low, we were able to meet all of the educational demands we anticipated in the budget. 

However, even though we had some relief because we did not receive the full forecast of new students, we also 

recognized that we needed to address the continuing shortfalls in state aid in order to ensure we could have viable 

budgets for the long term. To do that, our staff reviewed all areas of expenditure, and that review found 

some areas of potential savings. This year we reduced our debt load by taking advantage of historically low interest 

rates and refinancing our building debt. The district’s refinancing efforts yielded over $135,000 in savings 

for the upcoming year by reducing the interest to be paid on the building bonds. And this is not a one-year savings….savings 

of this magnitude will continue for the district through 2024 when the last bond is paid off! 

Additionally, the district reviewed its bus fleet, and while it cannot make the fleet smaller in the face of growth, 

we certainly could look at the upcoming fleet purchases and see if savings could be made. As a result of this 

review and some recent technology changes, the District is purchasing buses with smaller engines at a savings of 

nearly $65,000. In addition to the immediate savings on the cost of the buses, these lighter engines are approximately 

25% more fuel efficient, and over time this will yield more savings. 

Finally, a fact of life today is the increasing cost of energy. Through our cooperative bidding with other schools 

and municipalities, we are able to purchase electricity directly from the producer, bypassing the “middle-man” 

and accruing considerable savings. This year we are lowering our electric budget by over $125,000 to reflect 

these savings initiatives. 

As you review the budget, please note that our core instructional component is the area with the significant increases. 

That should come as no surprise….it is our mission. As we face growth, we make allowances for increased 

levels of staffing to provide for the direct education and the necessary support services for the children 

we serve. 

As in the past, the Board of Education has reserved 3.37% of the fund balance for future contingencies while 

keeping the tax levy to an increase of only 1.51% over last year, which is well beneath the newly imposed tax 

levy cap. These factors permit us to maintain educational quality in every area and to provide for a growing 

population’s needs. 

Our goal is to continue to reflect the community’s expectation for excellence in all that we do. We encourage 

you to participate in your District. Join us at one of our many concerts, plays, celebrations of the arts, or sporting 

events. Visit a Board of Education meeting and become involved in the process. And finally, I invite you to 

come to the public hearing on the budget on May 8 in our new Large Group Instruction facility in the High 

School, and to express your opinion by voting on May 15 at the District Office in the Board Room. 

Thank you 

James Kettrick 

Superintendent of Schools 

From the Desk of Our Superintendent 


RESOLUTION TO ENACT A CAPITAL RESERVE FUND 

Since 1985 the District has been engaged in the construction of facilities to meet the growing population and to meet the needs of 

our students. We recently completed a project which added 38 classrooms on three buildings and performed some much needed 

work on the structures. All of this is aimed at preserving these great facilities for the foreseeable future. 

What is not foreseeable, however, is the next wave of growth. Where that comes will depend, in large part, on where housing is 

constructed within the District. Much of the projected housing is in response to the growing demand from the population associated 

with Fort Drum. At the current time, the demand is outpacing the supply, so the market for additional homes is there, and the 

desire to be on or near the post is real. 

That gives rise to the potential for another capital project in the future. While the need has been clearly defined, all indications are 

that it will arise. As a result, the Board of Education wants to have a tool at hand to be able to react quickly to any potential project. 

That tool is a Capital Reserve Fund where funds would be put aside to finance a portion of the next project. 

These funds would come from the Federal Impact Aid stream we receive each year. If the District receives aid which exceeds its 

budget projections, the Capital Reserve Fund would be a place to save Federal dollars to address an issue arising out of Federal 

action. This would offset any potential consequence to a future tax levy increase to address capital needs. 

In 2001 the District’s voters established a similar Capital Reserve Fund and that was used on this last project. It served to reduce 

the debt load now carried by the District and that lower debt load is part of the reason why the local tax levy hasn’t increased in 

response to the capital projects. 

The Board of Education adopted the following resolution to place before the voters on May 15: 

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Indian River Central School District is hereby authorized to establish a Capital 

Reserve Fund to be used to finance in whole or part the cost of acquisition, construction or reconstruction of District buildings and 

grounds and of other capital projects in accordance with Education Law section 3651, in an ultimate amount not to exceed Ten 

Million Dollars ($10,000,000). The fund shall have a probable term of ten (10) years. The Board of Education is further to pay 

into the fund (1) in the 2012-13 school year and annually thereafter funds of the District in an amount determined by the Board not 

to exceed $2,000,000 per year (2) state aid reimbursement to the District on account of capital projects to the extent determined 

appropriate by the Board for the purposes of the fund, and (3) such other monies as the voters may direct. 

We are asking that you consider this resolution carefully for all of the future benefits it can bring to the District through prudent 

and responsible fiscal management. The aim is to meet any future contingency without increasing the local tax levy as a result of 

any construction activity. This reserve fund is a proven tool to do just that, and the Board encourages the district’s voters to adopt 

this resolution. 

RESOLUTION TO ENACT A LIBRARY TAX INCREASE 

Under Education Law, a School District may act as the tax assessor and collector for the local library systems located within the district’s 

boundaries. Since 2001, the district has acted in this capacity. This year the libraries conducted a petition drive seeking a 

separate resolution proposing an increase in the library tax. The long form of the resolution is as follows: 

Resolved, that pursuant to Education Law, Section 259, the Board of Education of the Indian River School District is authorized to 

levy and collect an annual tax, year after year, separate and apart from the annual school district budget, the additional amount of 

$20,000 (above the current amount of $40,000 for a total of $60,000), which shall be paid to Evans Mills Public Library ($5,000 for 

a total of $15,000), the Bodman Memorial Library ($5,000 for a total of $15,000), and the Crosby Public Library ($5,000 for a total 

of $15,000) and Theresa Free Library ($5,000 for a total of $15,000) for the support and maintenance of the libraries; with this appropriated 

amount to be the annual appropriation until thereafter modified by a future vote of the electors of the Indian River School 

District. 

In the voting booth, the long resolution will be shortened to the following wording for the sake of a more concise presentation: 

RESOLVED that the annual library tax levy for the support and maintenance of libraries be increased from $10,000 to $15,000 (or a 

total increase of $20,000) for each of the four (4) libraries within the Indian River School District (Evans Mills Public Library, Bodman 

Memorial Library, Crosby Public Library, and Theresa Free Library) and such appropriation to remain at such level until otherwise 

modified by the voters. 

The last increase in the amount collected for the libraries was in May 2005. Should you have any questions concerning this resolution, 

please contact any of the affected libraries or the North Country Library System in Watertown at 315-782-5540. 


VOTER INFORMATION 

The information contained in this space summarizes the questions which shall be placed before the voters. 

WHO CAN VOTE? 

A voter does not need to own property in the district but must: 

be 18 years of age or older; 

be a citizen of the United States; 

and, be a resident of the district for 30 days prior to the vote. 

BUDGET HEARING 

May 8, 2012 

7:00 pm 

Large Group Instruction Facility, High School 

This is a time when voters can have their budget questions answered in order to gain a better understanding of the budget 

before the vote. 

BUDGET VOTE 

May 15, 2012 

11:00 am to 9:00 pm 

Board Room (District Offices in the Middle School) 

All eligible voters in the district are encouraged to cast their vote for the budget proposition and for those running for the 

Board of Education. 

BUDGET PROPOSITION 

Shall the District approve a budget appropriation of $75,524,149 for school year 2012-2013? 

LIBRARY PROPOSITION 

RESOLVED that the annual library tax levy for the support and maintenance of libraries be increased from $10,000 to 

$15,000 (or a total increase of $20,000) for each of the four (4) libraries within the Indian River School District (Evans Mills 

Public Library, Bodman Memorial Library, Crosby Public Library, and Theresa Free Library) and such appropriation to remain 

at such level until otherwise modified by the voters. 

CAPITAL RESERVE PROPOSITION 

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Indian River Central School District is hereby authorized to establish a 

Capital Reserve Fund to be used to finance in whole or part the cost of acquisition, construction or reconstruction of District 

buildings and grounds and of other capital projects in accordance with Education Law section 3651, in an ultimate amount 

not to exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000). The fund shall have a probable term of ten (10) years. The Board of Education 

is further to pay into the fund (1) in the 2012-13 school year and annually thereafter funds of the District in an amount 

determined by the Board not to exceed $2,000,000 per year (2) state aid reimbursement to the District on account of capital 

projects to the extent determined appropriate by the Board for the purposes of the fund, and (3) such other monies as the voters 

may direct. 

ABSENTEE BALLOTS 

Applications for absentee ballots may be obtained between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday 

through Fridays, except holidays, from the District Clerk. Completed applications must be received by 

the Clerk no later than 3:00 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or on 

the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Absentee ballots must 

be received by the District Clerk no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, the date of the 

budget vote. If you have questions please contact Cheryl McCormick, District Clerk, at 642-3441. 












What happens if the voters fail to pass the budget? 

If the voters fail to pass the budget, the Board of Education must begin work on a “Contingency 

Budget.” There are a number of considerations when developing a contingency budget. 

First, the Board of Education may elect to submit the same or a revised budget to the voters on June 

19, but it is not obligated to do so. The Board also has the option of developing a contingency 

budget and adopting it without taking it to the voters, but if it does this, the tax levy can be no higher 

than it was in the current year. This is a change from past years in order to comply with the new tax 

levy cap. If the Board does take a budget proposal out for a re-vote and that budget fails as well, the 

board must then adopt a contingency budget with no change in the tax levy. There can be no more 

than two public votes in a budget year. 

Any contingency budget for the upcoming year would be capped at 3.2% over the prior year’s 

budget, less any exclusions allowed by law. This year that calculated cap is $75,469,068 which is 

$55,081 below the proposed budget. Certain non-contingent items have been removed in order to 

reach that level. The process of identifying non-contingent items is described below. 

Also, when looking at a contingency budget using the three part model (capital, administrative, and 

program), the administrative portion of a contingency budget may not comprise a greater percentage 

of the contingency budget than it comprised in the prior year’s budget, exclusive of the capital component. 

In plain English, this means that administration cannot grow at the expense of program under 

a contingency plan. This year the administrative component of the proposed budget shows a 

0.57% decrease when compared to the current budget (less the capital component), so this criteria is 

being met with the proposed budget. 

Finally, as already mentioned, the Board will make a decision on what expenditures they deem necessary 

to operate and maintain schools. Some expenditures are required by either law or regulation. 

Those will be included. The contingency budget may also have allowances for expected growth. 

Still other expenditures will be declared “ordinary contingent expenditures” under the law. These 

will also be included in any contingency budgets and will focus on those appropriations necessary to 

maintain educational program, preserve property, and assure the health and safety of students and 

staff. 

In general, selected equipment items not necessary to maintain program will be eliminated under a 

contingency budget. The Board of Education would make decisions on these items individually. 

Similarly, certain pupil supplies which would have been supplied for free under an adopted budget 

would be eliminated under a contingency budget. Additionally, on the revenue side, the Board 

would be required to collect full reimbursement for costs associated with use of facilities by community 

or outside agencies. The Board already has a policy in place to accomplish this requirement 

should it arise. 

You can now see that a contingency budget can never be larger than the one proposed to the voters, 

and the tax levy may not grow under a contingent budget. The answer to the question of what happens 

when the voters fail to pass the budget is complicated and is founded in several sections of Education 

Law designed to provide for ordinary contingent expenses while still limiting any increases in 

the overall spending or in the spending associated with certain components of the budget. We hope 

this explanation has served to increase your awareness of the process. 


INDIAN RIVER “STORMS THE HILL” 

Impact Aid 

For over 25 years, Fort Drum has had a significant impact on the North Country and, in particular, the 

Indian River Central School District. Over 70% of the Indian River student population is Federally related, 

either as a dependent of a member of the military or as the child of a civilian who works on Fort 

Drum. 

Sixty two years ago, in 1950, President Harry Truman enacted a law which provided for the Federal government 

to make payments in lieu of taxes to support these children in their educational pursuits. He and 

the Congress recognized that it was unfair to have non-taxable Federal lands in a school district and to 

burden that district with the cost of providing an appropriate public education. From that simple notion 

the Impact Aid program was born. 

Indian River takes full advantage of this Impact Aid program. In 2011 the District received over $14.3 

million in Impact Aid. Unfortunately, this program is not a guarantee and has not been fully funded 

since 1969. It is subject to the annual budget appropriation cycle. Because it is not a guaranteed program, 

the District takes extra efforts to go to Washington and conduct a grass-roots advocacy effort to 

ensure that this program is not forgotten in the massive Federal budget process. 

This year, Board President Frank Laverghetta and Superintendent James Kettrick, along with Board 

Member Peter Shue and District Business Manager James Koch met with representatives from offices of 

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand as well as having the opportunity to meet personally with Congressman 

Bill Owens to discuss the program. Given the current protracted debate over the direction of both current 

and future Federal budgets, these efforts were timely. As there are movements to slash other programs, 

we were able to bolster the broad, bi-partisan support for Impact Aid, and we look for this program to 

continue into the future. 

We certainly appreciate the support we received when we visited with our representatives in Washington, 

and were pleased when Congressman Owens asked to visit the district this January to personally see how 

the funds are spent. It is not an exaggeration to say that without Impact Aid the District would be unable 

to provide the quality educational experience we’re known for. We thank our Congressional delegation 

for their strong, continuing support of this necessary program and for their membership on and participation 

in the bi-partisan Senate/House Impact Aid Coalitions. 


Congressman Bill Owens Visits Calcium Primary 

Pictured above: (L to R) Mr. Kettrick, 

Superintendent; Mr. Laverghetta, 

Board President, Mr. Kelly, Assistant 

Principal, and Mr. Owens. 

On January 19, Congressman Bill Owens took time from his schedule to visit a number of classes at Calcium 

Primary School. Earlier in the day he spent time with the command group on Fort Drum. Following that visit 

he asked to see where the children of many service members assigned to the post send the children to school. 

The staff at Calcium Primary was pleased to host this visit. 

In 2009 Calcium expanded, adding eighteen classrooms and a gymnasium. The school also added geothermal 

heating and cooling to the new additions, providing for a comfortable, twelve month educational environment. 

Representative Owens visited a number of classes, including a class employing the SMARTBoard to integrate 

technology into the mathematics curriculum. Along the way he chatted with children reading in the library, 

and took time to read to a combined Kindergarten class of 44 children. 

Representative Owens commented that he had been told that the schools were doing a great job and that the 

Federal Impact Aid they receive was being put to good use, but his visit served to confirm that report. He was 

happy to see the classes and spend time speaking with both the young students and the staff. 

As a way to commemorate his visit, Congressman Owens presented Assistant Principal Kevin Kelly with a 

flag which had been flown over the United States Capitol. Mr. Kelly was truly surprised by the presentation, 

but was prepared to “return the favor.” Immediately following the presentation of the flag, two children presented 

Congressman Owens with a Calcium Primary lapel pin to provide him with a reminder of his visit. 

The children and staff of Calcium Primary, and the entire Indian River family, wish to thank Congressman 

Owens for his untiring support of the district’s schools in their efforts to provide a superior educational experience 

for all of the students. 


Again this year, all three girls made regular contributions to the team throughout the season. 

Ashley Dobmeier finished second overall in points for the team with 11 total points, she recorded 

4 goals and 7 assists. Taylor Kiechle scored her first varsity career goal on January 

24th in a non-league game at Salmon River. This goal also happened to be the game winning 

goal. Christine Tacia played strong defensively throughout the season. 

The girls won the 2011 Sheehan Tournament by defeating host Albany Academy 2-0. 

The best accomplishment of the season for the girls was earning a trip to the Frozen Four Upstate 

New York Championship held at SUNY Plattsburgh. The Lady Purple Ghosts faced off 

against the Beekmantown Eagles and unfortunately lost. Making it to the finals was an outstanding 

achievement, especially considering the youth of the team. 

The girls would like to thank the Board of Education for providing them the opportunity to 

play hockey at the varsity level. 

Heart of a Champion Award—Christine Tacia 

Volleyball – Coach Foland 

We saw much improvement in the overall skill level from previous years. With commitment to 

summer camps and continued hard work we expect to see this program continue to grow and 

strengthen. 

Athletic Achievement – Jasmine Beltran, Megan Canell, Jennifer French, Heather Green, Tranae Outlaw, and Paige Morgia 

M.V.P. – Paige Morgia 

Frontier League All-Stars - Megan Canell and Paige Morgia 

Heart of a Champion Award—Heather Green 

Cheerleading – Coach of the Year Coach Hoover 

The Cheerleading squad had great numbers again this year and executed solid performances 

all season long. Two notable accomplishments were: 

�� 1 st Place at the Heart of a Champion Competition. 

4 Time Frontier League Class A Champs. 

On a side note, our team hosted the Frontier League Competition and did an outstanding job. 

We had numerous compliments on how well the competition was run. 

Athletic Achievement – None 

M.V.P. – Morgan Tanner 

Frontier League All-Stars – Brenna Chisamore, Tori Clyde, and Jessica Villalobos 

Heart of a Champion Award—Morgan Tanner 

Boys Indoor Track – Coach Marsell 

The 4x200 Relay Team was strong throughout the season 

again this year. 

Coach Marsell also noted individual improvements throughout 

the season for all of his athletes. 

The boys’ track team had Ryan Williams for Long Jump and the 4x200 Team of Ryan Williams, 

Kody Smith, David Morin, and Felix Garcia represented Indian River in the State Meet. 

Athletic Achievement – Zach Godin 

M.V.P. – Ryan Williams 

Section X All-Stars – Ryan Williams, Felix Garcia, David Morin, Kody Smith 

Heart of a Champion Award—Jonathan Maher 


Special thank you to: 

Parents of our athletes for all of your support and sacrifices throughout our sports seasons. 

Mr. Kettrick, District Administration and the Board of Education for all their support. 

B&G and the Custodial Staff who make sure everything is transported, set up, clean, operating, and 

ready to go for our programs. 

Indian River Athletic Trainer Ms. Naklick for treating our injured athletes to ensure a fast and safe recovery 

and supporting the coaches to help prevent injuries. 

Connie Mattingly and all members of the Athletic Booster Club for all you do for our athletes. 

Darleen Brumfield for everything she does for our athletes, coaches and athletic programs. 

All of the Coaches for your hard work and dedication. 

Special Recognition to: 

Coach Hoover - 2012 Frontier League Division A/B Cheerleading Coach of the Year. 

Coach Callahan - Frontier League Boys’ Coach of the Year. 

Coach Call and the Varsity Wresting Team who earned their 4 th straight Frontier League Championship, 

are 3 Time League Tournament Champions, 1 st Time ever Section III Tournament 

Champions and Sent 3 Wrestlers to State Championships this season. 

Four of our teams received the Scholar Athlete Team Award. This award is given to a team that has a cumulative 

grade point average of 90 or above. We are extremely proud of these athletes for accomplishing the job of maintaining 

a high grade point average as well as taking on the added responsibilities of being involved with athletics. 

Two of our Varsity Boys Hockey players qualified for Scholar Athlete and helped the combined IHC team receive 

this award, the two I.R. players Hayden Crowder and Steven Lowe. 

Other team winners this year are: 

Girls Varsity Basketball - 93.6 

Varsity Volleyball - 91.8 

Boys Indoor Track - 90.8 

Boy’s Swimming – 90.2 

Athletic Achievements, MVP’s, and All-Stars 

Varsity Boys Hockey 

Five boys played hockey this season for the combined team of I.R., W.H.S., and I.H.C. The 

boys were Griffith Black, Kevin Burns, Hayden Crowder, Joe Harrington, Patrick Harrington, 

and Steven Lowe. 

The team won the Franklin Academy Hockey Tournament held in Malone. I.H.C. beat South 

Glens Falls 3-2 in overtime to advance to the Championship game where they then beat Tupper 

Lake with a score of 4-2 to bring home the trophy. 

Heart of a Champion Award—Griffith Black 

Varsity Girls Hockey 

Three Indian River Lady Warriors played on the Alexandria Bay Purple Ghost Girls Varsity 

Hockey Team. The three girls were Ashley Dobmeier, Christine Tacia, and Taylor Kiechle. 

Indian River Central School Newsletter * Spring Edition * Page 34

Boys Basketball – Coach of the Year Coach 

Callahan 

The boys ended their season with an overall 

record of 16-3, 10-0 in the League, earning 

them the Frontier League “A” Division Championship. 

Some of this years team accomplishments: 

�� Only the 2 nd Varsity Basketball Team in 

school history to finish with an undefeated 

league record. 

�� They were also unbeaten on our home 

court. 

�� Earned a 2 nd seed for Sectional III Class 

“A” Playoffs. 

The boys take an active role in promoting and 

contributing to the future of the program. 

Our Biddy Basketball program was larger 

than ever this year with over 100 4 th -6 th graders 

involved in the program. The players 

teach and coach these younger players every 

Saturday throughout the winter season. 

Athletic Achievement - Rayshan-Shakur Clark and Nicolas Torres. 

M.V.P. - Coach Callahan would also like to recognize the entire 

League and Sectional Individual Champions 

GIRLS INDOOR TRACK WRESTLING 

Sectional X Champions: Frontier League Champions: 

�� Shot Put - Elizabeth Kolodgy �� 99 Lbs – Jody Brown 

�� 113 Lbs – Michael Mullins 

BOYS INDOOR TRACK �� 126 Lbs - Derrick Gray 

Sectional X Champions: �� 195 Lbs - Garrick Cook 

�� Long Jump – Ryan Williams �� 220 Lbs. – Derrek Dalton 

�� 4X200 Team – Felix Garcia, 

David Morin, Kody Smith and 

Ryan Williams 

BOYS SWIMMING 

Frontier League Champions: 

�� 100 Backstroke – Dan Iles 

Section III Champions 

�� 100 Backstroke – Dan Iles 

CLASS A Champions 

�� 106 Lbs – Nicholas Toutant 

�� 113 Lbs – Michael Mullins 

�� 120 Lbs - Derrick Gray 

�� 182 Lbs - Garrick Cook 

�� 220 Lbs. – Derrek Dalton 

Section III Champions 

�� 120 lbs - Derrick Gray 

�� 182 lbs - Garrick Cook 

�� 220 Lbs. – Derrek Dalton 

team as M.V.P., no one player stood out this season. 

Frontier League All-Stars – Ryashawn-Shakur Clark, Justin 

Mattingly, Quincell Rahmings 

Heart of a Champion Award—Ryshawn-Shakur Clark 

Wrestling – Coach Call 

The wrestling team continued their outstanding 

run with an overall record 22-2, 

league record 10-1. 

The team was dominant again this year demonstrated 

by these accomplishments: 

�� Won 7 Tournaments this Season. Including 

the Saranac, North Country, 

Mountain Duals, Richard New, Spartan 

Duals, Frontier League, and Section III 

Tournaments 

�� 4 Time League Champions 

�� 3 Time League Tournament Champions 

�� Won Section III Division 1 

�� Undefeated at Home for the past four 

years 

�� 3 Wrestlers Represented I. R. at the 

state Tournament. Derrick Grey, Garrick 

Cook, and Derrek Dalton 

Special Recognition to 3 of our Wrestlers: 

�� Garrick Cook passed Peyton Amato 

to become the Indian River All- 

Time Wins Leader with 176 wins. 

�� Derrek Dalton placed third at the 

New York State Wrestling Tourna 

ment. 

�� Both Garrick Cook and Derrek 

Dalton are 2 time Section III 

Champions. 

�� Derrick Gray is a 4 time Section III 

Champion and was awarded The 

Most Outstanding Wrestler at both 

the Class “A” and Section III tour 

naments. 

Athletic Achievement – Garrick Cook, Derrick Dalton, 

and Matt Simpson. 

M.V.P. – Derrek Dalton 

Frontier League All-Stars – Jody Brown, Garrick Cook, 

Derrek Dalton, Derrick Gray, 

Michael Mullins, Nicholas Toutant, Jordan Berry, and 

Matthew Simpson 

Heart of a Champion Award— 

Nicholas Toutant 


Girls Indoor Track – Coach Armes 

Special recognition to Beth Kolodgy who won Section 10 in Shot Put and represented Indian 

River at the State Meet. 

The girls worked hard all season and many improved their individual performances from the 

beginning of the season. 

Athletic Achievement – Meghan Everett and Angela Petrus 

M.V.P. – Meghan Everett 

Section X All-Stars – Elizabeth Kolodgy 

Heart of a Champion—Angela Petrus 

Swimming – Coach Baker 

The swim team posted another excellent year with a record of 12 wins 2 losses earning 2 nd 

place in the Frontier League. 

The boys earned: 

�� 3 rd Place in the Indian River Invitational 

�� 2nd Place at the Christmas Relays 

�� 3rd Place at the Frontier League Meet 

�� 4th Place Section III Class B Meet 

Our swimmers broke 4 school records this season: Dan Iles in the 100 Back Stroke and 200 

Individual Medley, Ethan Klock in the 100 Butterfly, and the 400 Free Relay Team of Sam 

Laclair, Ethan Klock, Joe Roger, and Dan Iles. 

Athletic Achievement – Dustin Fetterman, Dan Iles, Samuel LaClair, and Joseph Roger 

M.V.P. – Dan Iles 

Frontier League All-Stars - Dan Iles, Ethan Klock, Zachary Koerick, Samuel LaClair, and Joseph Roger 

Girls Basketball – Coach Whitley 

The girls ended their season with an overall record of 11 – 8. The team finished 3 rd in the 

Frontier League “A” Division and qualified for the Section 3 Tournament for the 9 th straight 

year. 

The Girls had a great trip to South Glens Falls for a Christmas Tournament where they competed 

in the championship game losing to a very tough South Glenns Falls team. 

The girls played hard all season long, being one of few area teams to beat Carthage earlier in 

the year. 

On a side note, the team helped raise over $1300 in support of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. 

Athletic Achievement – Kayla Brown, Kaitlyn Rajner, and Shay Tiemann. 

M.V.P. – Coach Whitley would like to recognize the entire team, no one player stood out this season. 

Frontier League All-Stars – Kaitlyn Brierton and Emily Kuba 

Heart of a Champion Award—Lakeisha Barnes 

Frontier League “A” Champions 

Frontier League “A” Champions 

Frontier League Playoff Champions Section III Champions 


Indian River School District Music Department News 

SPRING CONCERT SCHEDULE 

The K-12 Music Department announces the spring concert line-up as follows: 

All concerts take place in the Theatre of the Performing Arts at the High School at 7:00 PM 

�� Tuesday – May 1, 2012 High School Band and Orchestra Concert 

�� Wednesday – May 2, 2012 IRIS 4 th Grade Concert 

�� Tuesday – May 8, 2012 Antwerp Primary Concert 

�� Wednesday – May 9, 2012 Evans Mills 1 st Grade Concert 

�� Thursday – May 10, 2012 High School Choral Concert 

�� Monday – May 14, 2012 Philly Primary Concert 

�� Tuesday – May 15, 2012 Theresa Primary Concert 

�� Wednesday – May 16, 2012 Calcium Primary Concert 

�� Tuesday – May 22, 2012 7/8 Concert 

�� Wednesday – May 30, 2012 6 th grade Concert 

�� Wednesday – June 6, 2012 Evans Mills Kindergarten Concert 

Additional functions in the Theatre 

�� Monday, May 7, 2012 High School Academic Awards 

�� Saturday, June 2, 2012 “Time to Dance” Dance Recital 

�� Thursday, June 7, 2012 High School Sr. Awards Night 

�� Monday, June 11, 2012 Thespian Induction Ceremony 

††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† 

The High School Music and Drama departments staged the musical “Annie” at the Theatre this past March. The students 

were cast for the production during the month of December, and began to put the show together. The show is a 

well known classic musical based on the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie”. 

This show has been done by most of the area schools throughout the years. Our sophisticated theatre made it possible to 

create an atmosphere rivaling a professional show on Broadway. The adult production team of Mr. Heck, Mrs. Zygadlo, 

Mrs. Lisa Smith, Mrs. Fuller, Mrs. Dean, Mrs. Moore, and Mr. Dyke would like to congratulate the cast and crew of 

“Annie” for three great performances. 

We are already looking at next year’s production which will be announced soon!! 

The cast and crew dedicated the production of “Annie” in loving memory of Nancy Lee Lapp (Jan.13, 1993- 

Dec.11, 2011), someone who spent part of her short life also singing and dancing on our high school stage. 

On behalf of the Thomas and Kristin Lapp family: We would like to thank the Indian River 

School Community for all of the love and kindness you have shown surrounding the untimely 

death of our daughter and sister, Nancy Lee. We cannot begin to express our appreciation for 

the overwhelming support we have received from you. To live in a community willing to walk 

with us through such a tragedy is an unexpected, and very priceless, gift. We are eternally 

grateful. 


The Indian River High School Art Department will be doing a fundraiser for the Art Booster Club. 

The teachers and student volunteers will be creating portrait necklaces. The photo of your choice 

will be resized and placed on a domino to create a great personalized gift for someone special. Don't 

forget Mothers Day is coming up! For more information or to place an order, please email Ms. 

Turnbull—lturnbull@mail.ircsd.org —or Mrs.Rowley —rrowley@mail.ircsd.org. 

Orders will be taken until the end of May. 

Kimberly’s Picture 

Two Indian River Advanced 

Regents students, who will be receiving 

Regents Art Endorsement upon 

graduation, have just been notified of 

their acceptance to the Munson Williams 

Proctor- PRATT Institute. Alexander 

Bievenour and Kimberly Atkins 

have both been accepted into MWP- 

PRATT and have been offered $10,000 

scholarships, based on their fine art 

portfolio review and excellent academic 

standing. 

The MWP-PRATT Institute 

has a program that begins at the Utica 

campus for the first two years with a 

transfer to the Brooklyn, New York 

campus. 

Alexander has also been accepted 

into Rochester Institute of 

Technology and is considering a major 

in Medical Illustration. 

Alex’s Picture 


Indian River School District Art Department News 

Inspired by the children’s book, Snowballs, by 

Lois Ehlert, I wanted to create a lesson plan that 

focused on the beauty of “organic” lines and 

shapes. Second grade students at both Philadelphia 

and Theresa Primary are currently drawing 

and painting birch trees along with colorful birds. 

Students added a little table salt to their watercolor 

birds which added an EXPLOSION of 

white specks and a little texture too! The students 

used their knowledge of “organic” shapes 

to create a forest of birch trees filled full of colorful 

chirping birds! 

Paper Puppets A Hit! 

Fourth Graders at IRIS have been hard at 

work creating paper puppets in Art class! 

Using a version of the Japanese art of paper 

folding, student created a paper puppet 

which required various types of paper cutting 

techniques. The special features of the 

puppets included “paper relief” which allows 

parts to stand out and away from the 

surface. Many students have been making 

the three dimensional projects at home! 

Pictured to the Left: Gabriel Perez, Alex 

Mathieu, Julian Griffin, and Destiny Howland 

Mr. Tsuji’s art classes in Antwerp Primary are doing a dinosaur 

unit. They will all be making different kinds of dinosaur projects 

including hats to use as costumes in the musical; “Oh Say Can 

You Say Dinosaur - The Cat in the Hat”. Some of the art students 

will also be making a stop motion video using their dinosaur costumes 

and sculptures, while others will be writing and illustrating 

their own books about a dinosaur they have “discovered” and 

“named” themselves. 


Pictured Below: These third graders 

are making masks for their stop 

motion animation 

Below: Kindergartens – 3D Dinosaur

The following students received a monetary award from the Indian River Art Booster Club for 

placing First in the building or the “Best of Show” categories. 

Student Name School/Grade Category 

Megan Shipp Antwerp Primary/3 First Place 

Hailey Ferlicka Calcium Primary/2 First Place 

Victoria Shoemaker Evans Mills Primary/1 First Place 

Mason VanTassel Philadelphia Primary/3 First Place 

Tyler Roy Theresa Primary/3 First Place 

Tyler Roy Theresa Primary/3 Primary School Best of Show 

Caen Hammond Intermediate School/4 First Place 

Shane Barker Intermediate School/4 IRIS Best of Show 

Chloe Flores Middle School/7 First Place 

Chloe Flores Middle School/7 Middle School Best of Show 

Lauren Oh High School/9 First Place – Studio Art 

Kim Atkins High School/12 First Place – Drawing and Painting 

Josh McDonald High School/12 First Place – Sculpture 

Kim Atkins High School/12 First Place – Jewelry 

Alex Bievenour High School/12 First Place – Traditional and 

Digital Photography 

Kim Atkins High School/12 High School Best of Show 

Family by Kim Atkins 

Exploding Boxes by Shane Barker- 

Untitled by Chloe Flores 

Towering Snowman 

by Tyler Roy 



7 th and 8 th Grade Music Students had the opportunity to perform a solo and small ensembles at the annual In- 

House Solo Festival on March 29th. Students from the department performed their music in front of an adjudicator 

to receive a rating and comments about their musical progress. This was a great opportunity for the 

students to learn how to improve their playing and singing, and to hear about all of the good things that they 

are already doing with their musical abilities. We have many talented young musicians here at Indian River. 

The music staff would like to congratulate the students for their performances and would like to encourage 

all music students to continue to practice and work hard to excel. The 6 th Grade In-House festival will take 

place at the middle school on May 24 th . 

High School Band and Orchestra Concert 

May 1st 

The High School Band and the High School Orchestra will present a joint concert on Tuesday, May 1 st at 7:00 PM in 

the Theatre of the Performing Arts. 

Featured on the program will be the High School Stage Band, Concert Band and String Orchestra. 

The Stage Band will perform Jazz and Latin numbers with several solos. The Concert Band will perform 

music written by contemporary composers as well as a traditional Sousa march. The orchestra 

will perform numbers by Classical composers written especially for string orchestras, 

as well as music from Disney’s “Little Mermaid”. 

The concert will begin at 7:00 PM in the theatre and is open to the public with no admission fee. 

Music Department Looking for Used Instruments 

Do you have an instrument taking up space in your attic or closet? 

Would you like to give a student the chance to use your instrument in the band or orchestra? 

The music department is looking for quality used instruments for needy students to use in the band, 

orchestra or music classes. Many students have a hard time buying a new instrument and would like to 

have the opportunity to participate in our programs. 

If you have an instrument that you would like to donate, please contact Mr. Heck at 

check@mail.ircsd.org, or call 642-5127. 

Concert DVDs Available 

Mr. Heck, K-12 Music Coordinator, announces that the spring concerts will once again be video taped and 

available as a DVD for the price of $5.00 each. The DVDs can also be mailed for an additional $2.00. 

These DVDs have become a keepsake for parents and relatives and have been sent all over the country 

and abroad. DVDs can be obtained by emailing Mr. Heck check@mail.ircsd.org, or by calling the High 

School at 642-5127. 

Copies of past concerts from 2006, ‘07, ’08, ’09, ’10, and 2011 are still available. Please contact Mr. 

Heck for more information. 


HIGH SCHOOL CHORAL CONCERT 

Thursday, May 10, 2012 7:00 PM 

Indian River Theatre of the Performing Arts 

The high school vocal students, under the direction of Mrs. Lisa 

Smith, are preparing for their spring choral concert on Thursday, 

May 10th. The concert will feature three groups: Jazz Rock, 

Women’s Choir and Senior Chorus. The program will open with 

Jazz Rock Ensemble performing a powerful arrangement of 

Tear Them Down with riser choreography by Mrs. Toni Zygadlo. 

Their next number, featured in the ever-popular TV series 

Glee, is Somebody to Love, made famous by Freddie Mercury 

and the band Queen. Student soloists will be featured 

throughout the piece. From the 1970’s hit show Fame, Jazz 

Rock will be performing the high-energy theme song of the 

same title, choreographed by seniors Emily Conlin and Jeremy 

Thomas. For a taste of Broadway, we will be singing and dancing 

the famous Theme from New York, New York, arranged by 

Mark Hayes. Our final number, sure to appeal to young and old 

alike, will be Queen’s famous Bohemian Rhapsody, choreographed 

by Mariangie Blanco, Aurora Adams and Dale Hadjasz. 

The final group on the program will be our 150 member Senior 

Chorus opening with Roger Emerson’s toe-tapping arrangement 

of the African-American spiritual Didn’t My Lord Deliver 

Daniel. The beautiful Hidden Away, recorded by Josh Groban, 

will be second on the program, followed by Shenandoah, a favorite 

American folksong arranged by John Purifoy. The students 

are really enjoying preparing our fourth number, the jazzy 

Feeling Good, recently made popular again by crooner Michael 

Buble. The song is from the production THE ROAR OF THE 

GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD and will 

feature a student soloist. Our closing number, entitled To Those 

Who Serve, written by Jill Gallina, will be performed in honor of 

our military families 

A special thanks to our pit band including Mr. Charles Heck, 

Mrs. Toni Zygadlo, Mr. Jim Wiley, Mr. Steve Martin and Mr. 

Jim Oxenford. 

The students have worked very hard in preparation for this event 

and would love to have you bring the family to support them. 

The concert is free and open to the public. We look forward to 

seeing you there. 

Mrs. Lisa Smith 

HS Choral Director 

Music Department News 

On May 24 th select 6 th grade students in Chorus, Band and 

Orchestra will have a wonderful opportunity to perform 

for a music judge and receive constructive comments 

meant to be used as a growing tool. This opportunity is 

referred to as NYSSMA Solo Competition or Solo Festival 

but the students are not competing against one another. 

Instead, during a 10 minute session, they perform a certain 

“level” piece of music that has been well prepared, memorized 

scales 

(instrumentalists), and 

must sight read a short 

musical passage. We are 

proud that so many students 

are taking advantage 

of this wonderful 

growing opportunity to 

further their progress in 

their musical studies. 

On April 14 th select chorus students in grades 5 & 6 had 

the privilege to join voices in the annual JLCMTA Bi- 

County Choral Concert. Music teachers from Jefferson 

and Lewis Counties auditioned and selected their talented 

vocalists. Students practiced to learn and eventually 

memorize their music. Large ensemble rehearsals took 

place on April 11 th and 14 th with the concert being held at 

the South Lewis School District. Song selections included 

“Rhythm of the Rain”, “Gloria Deo” (a Latin piece which 

translates to: Give Glory and thanks to God, Alleluia). 

Irvin Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” was certainly 

a challenge but quickly became the groups’ favorite song. 

“I will Sing my Song” touched the harmonic spot in each 

of our hearts and “Don’t let the music stop” speaks for 

itself. 

Please congratulate the following IRCSD students: 

Heather Brancatella, Lauren Clark, Ian Dale, Matthew 

Demaio, Mia Farrell-Ramirez, Austin Greene, Megan 

Gregory, Makenna Hess-Fletcher, Ashley Howard, Maria 

Inserra, Chaun Lynch, Susan McPhie, Maria Miller, Justin 

Nadal, Katherine Peck, Dakota Sampsel, Nathaniel Smith, 

Kyerra Stanley, Gabrielle Anderson, Maya Calhoun, 

Madeline Cole, Jordan Daugherty, Kameryn Davis, Devon 

Hitchens, Kyrell Jenkins, Soleil Keys, Lache Little, Ian 

Mahoney, Tyler Refsnider, Amiaya Robinson, Kayla 

Sampson, Ariel Shaffer, Alexandria Smith, Payton Swinson, 

Ashley Torres, Lydia Wrenn, and Sharon Zumwalt. 


Indian River Music Students from the high school Stage Band, 6 th Grade Band, and and 7/8 Grade Chorus were selected 

to participate in the Jefferson Lewis Music Teacher’s Association’s Winter Bi-County Music Festival on 

February 4 th at the Lafargeville school’s auditorium. Students were selected to participate in a stage band, band and 

chorus from schools in Jefferson and Lewis Counties. Some of the best musicians in the 2 counties represented 

their schools and performed together in the afternoon concert. 

We are very proud of our students’ accomplishments. The following students were selected: 

High School Stage Band Students – Mr. Heck 

Jennifer French, John Hall, Ryan Anderson, Matt Porcello 

6 th Grade Band – Mr. Wiley 

Garner Maxim 

7/8 Chorus – Mrs. Stamp 

Kayla Sampson, Tyler Heflin, Brynn LaFave, Morgan Bowhall, KristiAnn Lapp, Sierra LaClair, Emily Lapp, Alysa 

Moore, Alyssa Sands, Adam Krauss, Khalid Robinson, James Kessler, Noah LaClair 

Indian River Music students from the high school Band and 5-6 grade Chorus were selected to participate in the 

Jefferson Lewis Music Teacher’s Association’s Spring Bi-County Music Festival on April 13 th and 14 th at the South 

Lewis Central School’s auditorium. Students were selected to participate in a band and chorus from schools in Jefferson 

and Lewis Counties. Some of the best musicians in the 2 counties represented their schools and performed 

together in the afternoon concert. 

We are very proud of our students’ accomplishments. The following students were selected: 

High School Band Students – Mr. Heck 

Jennifer French, Courtney Mills, Ryan Anderson, Brittany O’Dett, Daniel Johnson 

5 th Grade Chorus Students – Mrs. Sharlow 

Gabrielle Anderson, Maya Calhoun, Madeline Cole, Jordan Daugherty, Kameryn Davis, 

Devon Hitchens, Kyrell Jenkins, Soleil Keys, Lache Little, Ian Mahoney, Tyler Refsnider, 

Amiaya Robinson, Kayla Sampson, Ariel Shaffer, Alexandria Smith, Payton Swinson, 

Ashley Torres, Lydia Wrenn, Sharon Zumwalt. Alternate: Hannah Disco 

6 th Grade Chorus Students – Mrs. Denise Smith 

Ashley Howard, Austin Greene, Chaun Lynch, Dakota Sampsei, Heather Brancatella, Ian Dale, 

Kyerra Stanley, Laruen Clark, Makenna hess-Flecther, Megan Gregory, Mia Farrell-Ramirez, 

Susan McPhie, Justin Nadel, Katherine Peck, Maria Inserra, Maria Miller, Matthew DeMaio, 

Nathaniel Smith 

Jefferson Lewis Sr. Soloist 


Karisa Widrick was the Sr. Soloist featured at the Spring Bi-County Festival at South Lewis on April 14 th . Karisa 

was selected through an audition process that took place in June of 2011. She performed 2 selections on her flute. 

She played the “Concertino for Flute and Piano” by Cecile Chaminade, and also “Sentimentale” from Claude 

Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio. Karisa was accompanied by Mrs. Toni Zygadlo on piano, Mr. 

Charles R. Heck on upright bass, and Mr. Dan Hammond on the drums. 

Karisa received a monetary award along with being selected to perform at the Bi-County Festival Concert. Congratulations 

Karisa. 


On Wednesday, March 28 th family and friends 

were able to witness the tremendous musical growth of 

the 6 th grade Chorus, Band and Orchestra students under 

the direction of Mrs. Smith, Mr. Wiley, Miss Call and 

Miss Rowsam. These instrumental students who could 

call themselves beginners only a few short months ago 

can now be referred to as advanced beginners or intermediate 

players of instruments. 

The orchestra showed off some of their new 

skills regarding dynamics (the volume of sound), tempo 

(the speed of sound), and bowing styles in their concert 

performance. All of these effects are controlled by the 

bow, which the orchestra has been working hard to learn. 

Mastering the bow poses a significant challenge for beginning 

string players, and these students have done an 

outstanding job of improving their bow control over the 

past several months. 

The chorus, who sang in 2 part harmony at their 

December concert, has matured into a 3 part choral group 

with the boys (men) having to secure their own singing 

part. This 3 part singing transition helps them all be 

ready for next year in the 7/8 chorus. 

Mr. Wiley is very happy with the high level of 

musical aptitude apparent in this year’s band with great 

musical ability being evident through all sections. All 

concert attendees were pleased to hear a coherent musical 

performance presented by a group of musicians who only 

a few short months ago were getting mainly squeaky, 

buzzing and airy sounds from mouthpieces and headjoints. 

Looking ahead to May 30 th these same 6 th grade 

student ensembles will dazzle you with yet further 

growth at their Spring Concert. Keep your eyes open and 

your ears peeled for signs of growth and maturing sounds 

from these performing ensembles. 

The 6 th grade chorus has prepared a program for 

the spring that will showcase various styles of music. 

“Boogie Woogie Rhythm” and “Doctor Jazz” will 

make your body want to swing along to the dotted 

rhythm patterns. You’ll groove to the syncopated pieces 

of music called “Solfege Samba” and the pop hit 

“Fireflies” recorded by Owl City in 2009. We’ll demonstrate 

our patriotic loyalty when we sing “Land that 

we Love” which will be partnered with both “America 

the Beautiful” and “The Pledge of Allegiance”. 

We hope you are able to join us for 

a night filled with wonderful sounds from 

our 6 th grade maturing performing ensembles. 

Our 6 th grade Orchestra spring program shows 

off more new techniques we have learned such as playing 

slurs and ties as well as using the fourth finger. Beethoven’s 

Ninth is a classic and well known piece that raised 

the bar for us with its increased length and difficult bow 

control. We have explored contrasting styles in the Two 

Dances: Waltz and Barn Dance. We have several other 

pieces that we are preparing for you too but you’ll have 

to come to the concert to hear them! It has 

been quite a year for us and we are excited 

to continue making music in orchestra next 

fall! 

Mr. Wiley expects the Band students to show 

continued growth in all areas through the performance of 

a program that has yet to be determined. 

The annual spring NYSSMA solo festival was held 

in Watertown on April 28 th . This festival was a 

competition for the students to participate in to gain 

acceptance in the various Area All-State, Bi-County, 

State, and regional music festivals. Students prepared 

solos that were adjudicated by professional 

judges who evaluated musical achievement and artistry. 

Our students worked very hard on music by famous 

composers for the past several weeks to prepare for 

the competition. The students compete with students 

in the local area and across the state when being 

considered for the state and regional festivals. 

This solo and ensemble festival was also an opportunity 

for our students to receive constructive comments 

and suggestions to enhance their performances. 

Congratulations to all of the music students for their 

hard work. 



The Music, Art, and Drama departments will be traveling to New York City on May 4 - 6 for 

their annual trip. They will be seeing the shows “WarHorse” and “Wicked” along with visits to 

Times Square, the 9-11 Memorial and “The Guggenheim Art Museum”. The students will also 

have the opportunity to study with a Broadway dancer at the Broadway classroom session. The 

trip concludes with a visit to one of New York’s street fairs. 

The students have been participating in various 

fund raisers throughout the school year, and are 

excited to be able to visit the Big Apple and experience 

the sights and sounds of one of the 

world’s most famous cities. 

The High School Science Club has been busy teaching the school community about easy 

Earth friendly behavior. We converted old t-shirts to shopping bags and distributed them 

to faculty to encourage the use of reusable bags instead of plastic bags for shopping. We 

have a gorgeous tree sculpture in the High School Theater lobby made entirely of scrap 

materials. We invite the public to choose a paper leaf and write a promise to reduce their 

carbon footprint, then hang it on a branch of the tree. When we commit to changing our 

behavior in writing, we are often more successful in following through. 

We also participated in Aeropostale's "Teens for Jeans" jean collection. 

We collected 72 jeans which were distributed to local people in 

need. 

We are busy planning Earth Week educational activities April 23- 

27. Meatless Monday will help to reduce methane gas in the atmosphere. 

Methane from cow flatulence is a green house gas that is able to 

retain more atmospheric heat than CO2. On Tree planting Tuesday we 

will give away 300 trees to students to plant to reduce the greenhouse gas CO2 in our 

atmosphere. Students will Wear their Waste on Wednesday to see how much waste each 

person generates daily. On Think Globally Thursday, we will show students how a video 

clip on how to know the difference between what is recyclable and what isn’t. Fair Trade Friday will allow us 

to teach about Fair Trade products that are made with eco friendly and people friendly practices instead of 

exploitation. 

High School students are encouraged to join the Science Club at anytime. 


Indian River High School is glad to present the return of Student to Student (S2S), which was also known as 

Student for Student (S4S) two years ago. Student to Student is a program, started by the Military Child Education 

Coalition, dedicated to providing any new student to Indian River High School, with an easier and successful transition. 

In addition, it is designed to be run by the students of the high school, under the supervision of the Advisor Mrs. 

Mary Ellen Hynes, so that peer relationships and leadership skills can be built. 

There are three sections to our program: they are “Finding Their Way”, “Relationships” and “Academics”. 

S2S is aware that the transition from school to school is difficult and takes that into consideration when we welcome 

any new student. Students who provide tours to our new students are trained to know about the various school rules 

and policies in addition to where all classes, cafeterias, various school rules, all policies, and activities are in the high 

school and surrounding areas. Also, S2S members come from a variety of backgrounds and peer groups and help students 

establish peer relationships to gain self confidence and enhance their wellbeing. 

Lastly, S2S runs peer groups for all students to study, get help, and have 

discussions about academic subjects at school. 

Meetings are held every Wednesday and new members are always encouraged 

to come. Also, every month a party for new students is held, so that the 

new students can interact and everyone can be together for a fun time. Study/ 

tutoring sessions are on Mondays in the school library. Our mission is to help 

any student in need, so that they will be on the road for a successful journey. 

In March over 148,000 students took the National Latin Exam in the U. S. and 13 other countries. Indian 

River is proud to announce the following winners: 

Level I: Cum Laude, Nicholas Nicorvo, son of Holly Clerkin, Fort Drum; Everett Clay, son of Anthony and Kimberly 

Edwards, Fort Drum; Demetrie MacCue, son of Norris MacCue and Samantha Duhon, Evans Mills, Aubrianna Flores, 

daughter of Jarame and Monica Flores, Fort Drum; Magna Cum Laude, Leanne Grace Novo, daughter of Eddie and 

Rona Grace Novo, Philadelphia; Devon Bristow, daughter of James and Cherie Bristow, Fort Drum; Maria Shimkus, 

daughter of Joseph and Daisy Shimkus, Fort Drum; Maxima Cum Laude, Silver Medal, Amanda Gydesen, daughter of 

Richard and Ami Gydesen, Evans Mills;Vincent Inserra, son of Carmine and Andrea Inserra, Theresa; Bailey Crow, 

daughter of Eric and Lacey Crow, Fort Drum; Summa Cum Laude, Gold Medal, Aiden Kearns, son of James and 

April Sharp, Fort Drum. 

Level II: Magna Cum Laude, Kali Sherbino, daughter of Craig and Kelly Sherbino, Theresa; Cassandra Kiechle, 

daughter of Michael and Jean Kiechle, Philadelphia; Ethan Craighead, son of Shawn and Andrea Craighead, Fort Drum; 

Summa Cum Laude, Gold Medal, Jessica Sherwood, daughter of James and Sabine Sherwood, Philadelphia. 

Level III: Cum Laude, Devin Prochniak, son of Scott and LeAnne Prochniak, Fort Drum; Caroline 

Pracht, daughter of Michael and Alissa-Ann Pracht, Theresa; Emily Elcsisin, daughter of Mike and Linda 

Elcsisin, Calcium. 

Level IV: Cum Laude, Valery Glenn, daughter of Robert and Jennifer Glenn, Fort Drum. 


Pesticide Notification 

New York State Education Law Section 409-H requires all public and non-public elementary 

or secondary schools to provide periodic written notification regarding the potential 

use of pesticides throughout the school year and summer school to all faculty/staff and person in 

parental relation. 

The Indian River Central School District maintains a list of all faculty/staff and persons in parental 

relation who wish to receive 48-hour prior written notification of pesticide applications as required by 

law. In the event of an emergency application necessary to protect against an imminent threat to human 

health, a good faith effort will also be made to supply written notification to those on the 48-hour 

Prior Notification List. 

If you would like to receive 48-hour prior notification of pesticide applications that may occur at 

your school building during Summer School 2012, please complete the form below and return it to: 

Noah Prior, Superintendent of Facilities & Grounds 

Indian River Central School District 

32905 County Route 29 

Philadelphia, New York 13673 

Indian River Central School District 

Request for Pesticide Application Notification 

Summer School 2012 

(please print) 

School Building 

Name 

Address 

E-mail Address 

Day Phone Evening Phone 

Annual Asbestos Report 

Responsive to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) of 1986, 

Indian River Central School District inspected all facilities and developed a 

management plan for each building. The AHERA management plans are available 

for inspection at each school building’s main office. 

This annual notice is provided for all parents, staff and building occupants. Any 

questions regarding the AHERA management plans should be directed to Noah A. 

Prior, Superintendent of Facilities and Grounds at 642-0338. 


Alma Mater 

A fair river of the northland, 

Gladly gave to us our name. 

And as time records our history, 

We will honor it with fame. 

We are planting our traditions; 

We’ll defend them Valiantly. 

Hand in hand, we are united, 

INDIAN RIVER, WE LOVE THEE! 

Indian River Central School District Non-Profit Org. 

32735B County Route 29 US Postage 

Philadelphia , New York 13673 Paid 

Watertown, N.Y. 

Board Of Education Permit No. 45 

Frank J. Laverghetta, President 

Thomas L. Lapp, Vice President 

Rhonda Calhoun 

Linda M. Capone 

Elnora M. Durgin 

Bruce E. Jenne 

Robin R. Johnson 

Peter D. Shue 

John A. Voetsch 

James Kettrick, Superintendent of Schools 

POSTAL 

CUSTOMER 

♦ Antwerp Primary 659-8386 ♦ Intermediate School 642-0405 ♦ District Office 642-3441 

♦ Calcium Primary 629-1100 ♦ Middle School 642-0125 ♦ CSE Office 642-0100 

♦ Evans Mills Primary 629-4331 ♦ High School 642-3427 ♦ Transportation 642-0331 

♦ Philadelphia Primary 642-3432 ♦ Registrar Pre K 642-3441 ♦ Theatre 642-5521 

♦ Theresa Primary 628-4432 ♦ Registrar K-12 642-3696 ♦ Building & Grounds 642-0338

Spring Edition 2012 - B - Final Draft 8 by 11 - Indian River CSD

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