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Ping pong and basketball news

13 Feb

Thanks to Debbie Kazimer for sending me the following information about the ping pong tournament held at Thomas High School Tuesday afternoon.

The charity tournament was organized by National Honor Society seniors Ben Kazimer, Matt Hill, David Tomer and Will Johnson to benefit Honor Flight, Rochester.

Thirty-two players participated in the tournament, including Superintendent Carmen Gumina, who challenged Ben to a match. Ben won in two very close games. Gumina and Ben each bet $20, and Ben donated his winnings to Honor Flight.

Webster Thomas principal Glenn Widor and several teachers also played in the tournament.

The boys succeeded in raising $1,000 for Honor Flight, an amazing achievement which reflected the hard work they put into organizing the tournament. Not pictured here are all of the raffle donations they collected from local businesses; they even got the trophies donated.

Our young people in Webster are something special.

 

And now, BASKETBALL!

The annual benefit basketball game sponsored by the Willink and Spry middle school student councils returns this year, but with a twist.

Or maybe a roll.

The annual game, scheduled for Friday March 2, pits students against students and (usually) staff against staff. But this year there’s an exciting new feature:  special guests the Rochester Wheels wheelchair basketball team will be joining the fun.

The sixth graders start the competition with boys versus boys followed by girls versus girls. They’re followed by the seventh and eighth graders playing together, with the boys starting and the girls finishing.

Finally, the Spry and Willink staff will team up this year to take on Rochester Wheels. That game alone will be worth the price of admission.

The two middle school student councils have raised tens of thousands of dollars over the years for an array of worthy causes. This year Spry Student Council is donating its proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Willink Student Council is donating its share to the Jack Foundation.

The game will be held on Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m. in the Webster Schroeder High School gym. Tickets are available for students to purchase during most lunches at both schools, and for all to buy at the door for a donation of $5 each. Refreshments and other concessions will be available for purchase. Additional donations of any amount are gladly accepted.

This is an awesome family-friendly, community event which will benefit some great community organizations. Everyone is invited to join in the fun.

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Webster Thursday Mailbag

7 Feb

Enjolras and cast

First thing I want to do in today’s mailbag is remind everyone that Les Miserables opens Thursday night at Webster Schroeder High School.

If you know the story and the music, you know why you want to see this production. If you don’t know the story or the music, trust me — you’ll want to see this production. I got a taste of it several weeks ago when I was working on another article for the D&C, and even though the numbers were still very rough around the edges, I came away very impressed.

I got my tickets about a week ago, and they were already pretty scarce. You can take your chances at the door, or go online here to purchase them for will-call.

Showtimes are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 each and reserved seating only.

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A quick shout-out to the Webster Rotary Club, who this Saturday will be welcoming home members of the 3-126 AVN Army National Guard platoon, who are returning from a 6-month tour in Afghanistan.

 

This is the eighth platoon the Rotary has sponsored in the last nine years. Normally the platoons have been from Fort Drum, but this time the Rotary was able to connect with a local unit from the New York Army National Guard.

To date the Webster Rotary has sent 536 care packages to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The celebration is being held at the National Guard Reserve Center in Chili.

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Show the love this Valentine’s Day by donating blood. Two blood drives coming up in Webster next week make that easy to fit into your schedule.

The first is Monday February 12 at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Road (east of Phillips Road), from 1 to 7 p.m. The second is Tuesday February 13 at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 813 Bay Road, from 1 to 6 p.m.

Call 1-800-RED CROSS  (733-2767) to make an appointment, or just stop in. It will only take ah hour out of your day, and will help save three lives.

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The First Baptist Church of Penfield’s next Flapjack Saturday Community Fundraiser will be held Saturday January 20, from 8 to 10 a.m.

The  menu includes pancakes, pure maple syrup, scrambled eggs, sausage, and more for just $5.00 per person.

All February proceeds will benefit RESOLVE, a group dedicated to intervening and preventing domestic and sexual violence against women.

Breakfast is served at the church, 1862 Penfield Road. The venue is handicap-accessible. For more information, call 585-586-2876, log onto http://www.fbpenfield.org, or visit them on Facebook.

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Do you have a little one starting kindergarten this fall? This notice is for you.

The first opportunity for parents to register their children for kindergarten is during Kindergarten Parent Orientation on Tuesday, February 27, at 6:30 p.m. at your student’s school.  Parents will have an opportunity to learn about the kindergarten program, meet staff, and tour the school.

Kindergarten registration packets and all related paperwork for the 2018-19 school year are now available on the district website and in all elementary schools. To download the packet, go to websterschools.org, click the Central Registration button, then the REGISTRATION – 2018-19 Kindergarten link located on the left side of the page. The packet and related paperwork are located at the bottom of the page under Downloads.

Parents who cannot attend Kindergarten Parent Orientation may take the completed paperwork and all necessary documents to their children’s school during Walk-in Registration Days, February 28-March 2, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Staff will be available to review your paperwork as you wait.

 

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Spreading the joy of books at Schlegel

2 Feb

students

How many ways can you find to read a book aloud? Schlegel Elementary School figured out about a half dozen ways to do that Thursday.

The occasion was World Read Aloud Day, and the entire school participated. Library Media Specialist Jamie Palmer took the lead. Step one was to assign all the students into small groups. Then, right after morning announcements, the school’s fifth graders fanned out to their assigned groups, leading them to classrooms where readers were waiting.

But not just classrooms. Students clustered in hallways, the gymnasium, the music room, the library … pretty much any space where they could settle in and listen to a few good books.

About 20 minutes later, the teachers (plus support staff and substitutes) swapped spots and read two more books to a new group of students. Then everyone convened in the cafeteria, where Supervisor Carmen Gumina read Aaron Reynolds’ Creepy Pair of Underwear to the entire school.

Other highlights of the day included when second graders performed books for kindergartners, and when three children’s authors Skyped in to chat with students.

It still wasn’t over. At the end of the day, everyone gathered in the cafeteria again to enjoy some whimsical poetry by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater from her book Read! Read! Read!

By the end of the day, every student had enjoyed at least six books read aloud to them –not including any that the classroom teachers worked into their regular curriculum.

If there was any question whether the students enjoyed the day, it was answered when at the very end of the afternoon’s assembly, the entire student population spontaneously started to chant “We love books!”

Here are a few photos from the day. I’ll put the rest in a photo gallery which you can see here.

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Webster Monday Mailbag

28 Jan

Happy new week! Here are some neat events coming up you might want to check out, starting with Willink Middle School’s upcoming production of Legally Blonde, Jr.

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Based on the award-winning Broadway musical and the smash hit motion picture, Legally Blonde The Musical Jr. is a fabulously fun journey of self-empowerment and expanding horizons. The show’s instantly recognizable songs are filled with humor, wit and sass – leaving cast members and audiences alike seeing pink!

Legally Blonde Jr. follows the transformation of Elle Woods (Sarah Lewandowski) as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. When Elle’s high school boyfriend, Warner, (Jacob Sukhenko) dumps her and heads to Harvard, claiming she’s not “serious” enough, Elle takes matters into her own hands, crafting a showy song-and-dance personal essay and charming her way into law school. Befriending classmate, Emmett (Jake Groff), and spunky hairdresser, Paulette (Shanna Smith), along the way, Elle finds that books and looks aren’t mutually exclusive.

An energetic case and crew numbering more than 100 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have been working hard for months to bring this show the stage, and you’re gonna be impressed with the results.

Legally Blonde Jr. will be performed at Willink Middle School, 900 Publishers Parkway, on Friday February 2 at 7:30 and Saturday February 3rd at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, and can be purchased through the Drama Club website the week beginning this week.

Les Miz Tickets on Sale

And since we’re talking school musical productions, I should mention that tickets are now on sale for Webster Schroeder High School’s production of Les Miserables. 

The show will take the stage in four shows February 8 through 11.

Reserve tickets are $12, and can be purchased online by clicking here. You can also get them at Wegmans and at the door if it’s not sold out.

 Free Mardi Gras Pancake Supper

St. Martin Lutheran Church, 813 Bay Road, will host a free Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday February 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. The menu will include sausage and applesauce, and unlimited pancakes.

You’re invited to attend this family-friendly event in your most festival Mardi Gras attire, and there will be plenty of beads for everyone. Plus, you’ll be able to make your own masks.

The dinner is free, but a free-will offering for outreach projects can be made. Call the church at 671-1899 with questions or to reserve seats.

Pancake Breakfast at Rochester Christian School

PCBF2018If you don’t get your fill of pancakes at St. Martin, make sure to visit Rochester Christian School on Saturday February 23, for their annual breakfast, which will benefit the VIP playground project.

This is the school’s 23rd annual event. Breakfast will include pancakes, sausage, fruit, milk, juice and coffee. Plus, there will be family-friendly games, so make sure to bring the kids.

Breakfast will be served from 8:30 to 11:30 am at the school, 260 Embury Road. Tickets are $6 for adults, (max $25 per family) and free for children under 2.

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Webster high school plays just around the corner

20 Jan

If you happened to see Saturday’s D&C, you might have seen my article about high school plays taking place this spring all over Rochester’s east side.

Of particular interest to my readers here in Webster, I was able to spotlight Webster Schroeder’s upcoming production of Les Miserables. Unfortunately, the parameters of the article did not allow me to include information about Webster Thomas’ spring musical, a slight I would like to correct now.

pippin-baltimore-3-5-5573952-regular

Webster Thomas High School will present Pippin from March 22-24.

Director Brenda Nitsch writes,

This is the 10th anniversary (we did it 10 years ago!) but with a different spin. However, the basic plot line is the same. The story is about a boy who is trying to find the “extraordinary” in life but realizes in the end that you can find joy and fulfillment in the ordinary.

We like this show because it has lots of layers and makes you think. We will, and already have had, lots of discussions around the plot, characters, motive, etc. That is one of the cool things about this show–there aren’t really right answers. It is all perception. The choreography is in the style of Bob Fosse.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on March 22 and 23, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on March 24. Ticket information, when available, can be found at websterthomasplayers.com.

les_miserables_400

As I mentioned, there was a short blurb about Webster Schroeder’s production of Les Miserables in Saturday’s paper, which read,

Les Miserables’ sweeping ballads and show-stopping tunes make it the perfect musical at which to experience the incredible vocal and acting talent of our high school students, which may make you question whether you’re in a high school auditorium or at the RBTL. Plus, we’re told, “there are some awesome wigs happening.”

Yes, that’s right: “awesome wigs.” But I was able to sit in on one of the rehearsals, and I’ll tell you right now, there’s a whole lot more awesomeness than just wigs happening on that stage. I am a huge fan of the music of Les Miserables, and from what I saw, I will not be disappointed.

Webster Schroeder High School will present Les Miserables on February 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 11 at 2 p.m.  For more information and tickets, visit websterschroedermusicals.com.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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ROC & Soul Fitness opens this weekend

11 Jan

exterior

Webster’s newest business, ROC & Soul Fitness, is slated to open on Saturday, and the community is invited to check it out for free.

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Malena and Joe Guadagnino (E. Rosenberry)

Owners Joe and Malena Guadagnino call ROC & Soul a “boutique fitness studio,” offering barre, yoga, and other classes in their sparkling new studio at 43 East Main Street. You’ll find it tucked down in the new little “Shops at Main Street” plaza behind Prime, kind of where the OTB and Rubino’s once were.

Joe and Malena plan to start offering classes on Saturday (hopefully the weather isn’t too nasty). The first, Vinyasa Flow, is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., followed by a SOUL Barre class at 9 a.m. Four other Vinyasa and Barre classes are scheduled throughout the rest of the weekend. And every one of them is free, in  honor of their grand opening.

To register for the classes, and more information about their drop-in and package fitness class rates, visit their website and Facebook page.

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Here’s an important program update from the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

Thanks to the winter storm that’s headed our way, Saturday’s comedy hypnotist show at Webster Schroeder has been cancelled. The diocese hopes to be able to reschedule the event this summer sometime.

Eventbrite.com is issuing refunds for all tickets purchased through their website. Check there for more information.

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Comedy hypnotist brings show to Schroeder

9 Jan

jasonIt’s been a quiet start to the new year. Perhaps everyone — including me — has been hunkering down trying to will away the cold and snow. But now that the holidays are officially over, it’s time for me to get back to work…

 

Let’s start with this event, which promises to be very funny, and is a fund-raiser to boot.

The Episcopal Diocese of Rochester will be sponsoring nationally-known comedy hypnotist Jason Christopher, who will bring his show to Webster Schroeder High School on Saturday January 13 at 7 p.m.

Jason’s 90-minute show is totally family-friendly. No one gets singled out, and he only hypnotizes groups of people who want to be hypnotized. Proceeds will support 34 different mission projects throughout the diocese.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children under 12, and $15 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets online.

jason 2

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Kate Lee and the O’Connor Band are coming to town

4 Jan
OConnor-Band-PRESS-5-LO-RES-768x510

The O’Connor Band, with Webster native Kate Lee, will be coming to town the week of January 18.  Kate, second from left, is pictured with Forrest, Maggie and Mark O’Connor.

Grammy-winning bluegrass/Americana group the O’Connor Band– including Webster’s very own Kate Lee (Webster Schroeder ’10) — will be visiting from Nashville in a few weeks to perform at the Eastman Theatre and share their skills in our schools.

The O’Connor Band’s debut album, Coming Home, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart in 2016 and won Best Bluegrass Album at the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2017.

The band features legendary fiddle virtuoso and composer, Mark O’Connor, his wife Maggie O’Connor (fiddle/vocals), son Forrest O’Connor (mandolin/vocals), and Kate (fiddle/vocals), who last April officially joined the family when she married Forrest.

Before their Eastman Theatre performance, the group will spend two days educating students through Mark O’Connor’s O’Connor Method: An American School of String Playing. The O’Connor Band will perform at both high schools for Webster Central School District instrumental and choral ensemble students in grades 4-12 and high school junior-level social studies’ students. Mark will provide educational narrative regarding the historical time and place of the band’s bluegrass genre across generations. The O’Connor Band will also be visiting Rochester City School District’s School No. 19 to give a performance and master class to the school’s Strings for Success program.

On Friday night January 19, the band will conclude their visit with a performance at the Eastman Theatre, beginning at 8 p.m. Singer-songwriter Chris Wilson will open the show, which will feature music from the O’Connor Band’s Grammy-winning album as well as music from their 2017-released O’Connor Band LIVE! album.

Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre is located at 26 Gibbs Street in Rochester. For tickets, visit www.eastmantheatre.org/events/oconnor-band.

To learn more about the O’Connor Band, visit their website at www.oconnorband.com.

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Oak Tree Award nominations still being accepted

2 Jan

oak leafAs students and staff members head back to school again, this important reminder about the Oak Tree Award.

Nominations are still being accepted for the annual Oak Tree Recognition, given to an outstanding WCSD teacher.

Co-Sponsored by the Webster Teachers’ Association (WTA) and the Webster Central PTSA, the Oak Tree Award recognition program is an annual award that is designed to recognize teacher excellence in Webster Central Schools.

Any Webster resident or district employee, current or former student, parent, teacher, or administrative colleague may nominate a teacher for the Elementary or Secondary Teacher of the Year Oak Tree Award.

Award nominees must meet the following criteria:

  • Currently teaching in a full-time position in Webster Central School
  • Have a minimum of 5 years teaching experience in Webster Central Schools
  • Plan to continue to teach the next school year in, or retire from Webster Central Schools
  • Be a member of both the Webster Central PTSA and the Webster Teachers’ Association

Nominations must be submitted by February 1, and must include a 1-page typed narrative describing:

  • How the teacher has demonstrated expertise in the subject matter, connects well with students, engages students using a variety of teaching methods and strategies, and/or incorporates a variety of teaching approaches to best benefit all learners.
  • Special talents or commitments of this teacher, including extracurricular or school community endeavors.
  • How has the teacher touched your life or the lives of his or her students.

Click here for the nomination form.

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School 17 says Thank you, Webster

31 Dec

Here’s a very nice end-of-the-year feel-good fuzzie, which I received in my email this morning. It’s a video thank-you to the Webster community from School 17 for helping bring Christmas to the children, many whom wouldn’t otherwise get even one present, let alone anything else resembling Christmas.

Click on the image to see the video. May the new year continue to bring more instances of people helping people, every day and in both big and little ways.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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