Free books for students

14 May

library-mainWouldn’t it be great if every single student in our district could be handed a free book?

The Webster Teachers Association (WTA) wanted that, too. So they signed on to the First Book program and recently received a truckload (literally) of books — 25,000 of them — which they hope to distribute to schools by the end of the year.

But unloading, unpacking, sorting and repacking them for the schools is a monumental undertaking. Knowing that many hands make light work, the WTA is partnering with the Webster Central PTSA to recruit volunteers to help out.

The goal is to get at least two adults from each school in the district to sign up to help for a few hours on Saturday May 18 from 8 a.m. to noon in the Webster Thomas High School Field House.  It should be fun work and the time will pass quickly. The WTA will even provide light refreshments.

Signing up is easy. Click here to see what slots still need to be filled. And thank you in advance for taking the time to support our students.

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Spreading kindness, one locker at a time

14 May

photo

This is another great story from the schools.

Last Friday morning, every single student in all four Webster secondary schools arrived to find inspirational notes taped to their lockers. The previous evening, teams of parent volunteers had fanned out at each school — Schroeder and Thomas high schools and Willink and Spry middle schools — and taped thousands of positive, uplifting messages to students’ lockers.

The project was coordinated and implemented by the Webster Central PTSA, in conjunction with the Webster Teachers Association.

PTSA representative Stacie Peters wrote,

My co-president, Allison Fedyk Featherly and I along with WTA President Chris Wojtas and WTA/PTSA liaison Linda Law thought as the year is winding down it can be a stressful for our older students with exams, papers, homework, etc. We wanted to send some encouraging vibes to them during this time.

We are excited to surprise the students as they come in Friday morning. We did this last year as well and the smiles it brings to students/staff was awesome!

What a wonderful, simple way to bring a little sunshine into our schools during a dreary spring.

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Schroeder athlete needs our votes!

13 May

sydney 1Sydney Bolton, one of our finest high school athletes — a star on the field and in the classroom — has been nominated by the Democrat and Chronicle as their Female Athlete of the Week for May 6-11. But the only way she’ll win is with OUR help.

The D&C is now taking votes to decide who will be the the male and female athletes of the week each week. Sydney, a Webster Schroeder Varsity softball pitcher, is one of four Rochester-area athletes in the running for this week’s honors.

Sydney, a junior at Schroeder, pitched two complete games last week for the Warriors, allowing just three runs in two wins, and driving in five runs of her own. But her academic achievements are equally impressive.

Sydney…carries a 94.5 cumulative GPA while taking enriched AP courses and interesting electives. She is a member of Schroeder’s National Honor Society (and) volunteers with Link Crew. Her academics have allowed her to be on High Honor Roll every quarter, and she was recently accepted into the New Visions program at St. Ann’s. In addition to softball, Sydney plays the trumpet in the wind ensemble and symphony orchestra.

Future plans include becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner in oncology/ hematology, and coaching a youth softball team.

Sydney was also recently named the Webster Schroeder Female Athlete of the month at school (the above quote was taken from that display) and was recently inducted into Tri-M music honor society.

Sydney is an exceptional scholar-athlete who deserves to be recognized. It would be great if all of Webster could get behind her and show the entire Rochester area how proud we are of our young people.

Click here to vote for Sydney. (You don’t have to be a D&C subscriber.) You can vote once per hour, and votes will be accepted until noon on May 17.

Sydney 2

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The village is getting bike racks. Where should they go?

8 May

OK all you Village of Webster residents — or more importantly, all you folks who like to ride your bikes to the village — we have some thinking to do.

Several weeks ago I received the happy news that the Village Board has approved the purchase of four new bike racks!

It was just about a year ago when some of my fellow Barry’s Runners and I were enjoying a post-run pint at Barry’s Old School Irish, and discussing the need for bike racks in the village. The recently created bike lanes on Main Street and North Ave. invite cyclists to visit, but aside from one small rack hidden in a garden at the corner of Lapham Park and East Main, there’s really no place to lock them up when you’re in a restaurant or the bookstore … or pub.

Shortly after that conversation, I presented the idea to the Village Board, whose members were very receptive. Kudos to them for doing the research and deciding it was worth the investment. 

Jake Swingly, the village’s Superintendent of Public Works, did most of the legwork during this process, and reports that the new bike racks will come in two different designs. Two will be a hoop type with “Village of Webster Est. 1905” engraved into it, and the other two will be like the blue rack below, with the bicycle. All four new racks will be green.

 

 

 

Now the Board just has to figure out where to install them. And that’s where you come in. They said it would be great if I threw the question out to my readers. So I’ve created a little survey. I’ll collect the thoughts and comments of anyone who would like to weigh in on the issue, and them present them to the Board in a few weeks.

In the survey, I’ve suggested nine different installation spots for the racks. They should, of course, be centrally located to village locations people are likely to visit, but there are also a few other things to consider. For example, should all four be distributed individually throughout the village, or perhaps should two of them be side by side to accommodate more bikes?

Ultimately, the Village Board will decide where they will be placed, especially considering that the big planters will be returning to the sidewalks soon. But if we can give them some feedback to help guide their decision, I’m sure they’d appreciate it.

Here are nine locations to consider (if you have other suggestions, there’s a place in the survey to include those):

village map

  1. In front of Village Hall, 28 W. Main Street
  2. In front of Barry’s Old School Irish/The Garage Sale Store, 2-8 W. Main Street
  3. In front of Smith Insurance, 4 East Main Street (northeast corner of the village’s four corners) 
  4. Nestled into the small natural area just east of Smith Insurance (see photo below)
  5. In front of the Webster Museum (18 Lapham Park)
  6. In front of Harmony House, 58 East Main Street
  7. Near Village Bakery (44 East Main St.) or in that lower parking lot somewhere
  8. In Gazebo Park
  9. Somewhere north of 104, perhaps near Pub 235, at 235 North Ave.
Capture

This is that natural area adjacent to Smith Insurance

If you have other ideas as to where they should go, the survey will give you a place to include them as well.

Click here to go to the survey. It should only take a minute!

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Some updates from the Knuckleheads

7 May

knucklehead-logoThere’s a lot of news out of Knucklehead Craft Brewing lately, and it’s all good.

For starters, Len Dummer tells me that plans are on track for the Knuckleheads to purchase the building, at which point they’ll be installing a full kitchen, AND a beer garden AND make more improvements to the parking lot!

Whew. All this should be happening within the next few months, so stay tuned for updates.

If you haven’t been to Knucklehead yet — which by the way is Webster’s first and only micro-brewery/brew-pub — they’ve got a few great events coming up which would be a great time to check them out.

The first is the pub’s second annual event Island Party from 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday May 11. Alfred St. John’s Trinidad & Tobago Steel-Drum Band will provide the island music, and everyone is encouraged to get creative with their island-themed attire (grass skirts more than welcome). Knucklehead”s talented chefs will be preparing a tropical-themed menu.

Click here for more details.

The second event is a charity fundraiser, the second annual Pints For a Purpose.

In consideration of one of Knucklehead’s employees who has cystic fibrosis, this year’s event will benefit the Just Breathe Foundation, a local charity that directly helps patients with CF who are struggling financially.

Tickets are $50, which includes a free pint (from a total tap takeover of more than 10 local breweries), a plate of food provided by Heintzelmann’s BBQ Pit, five raffle tickets and entertainment by Marty Roberts and Donny C.

Only 100 tickets will be sold, and are available (cash only) at Knucklehead only during regular business hours.

Click here for more details.

If you can’t make it either of these events remember that the Knuckleheads usually have new release parties at least every other week, live music every Friday, trivia every Monday and an amazing kitchen.

Knucklehead Craft Brewing is located at 426 Ridge Road in West Webster, at the corner of Bay. Check out their webpage here and their Facebook page here.

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The Wine Walks are back!

6 May

I think the village might be pushing things a bit. I mean, it IS only May and the way things are going this spring, it might actually still be snowing on May 18.

But that being said, the first Village Wine Walk of the season has been scheduled for Saturday May 18.

winewalk22

From 4 to 7 p.m. that evening, merchants throughout the village will open their doors for wine lovers to sample a wide variety of wines and spirits. Several new businesses will be participating this time around, including The Pickled Paintbrush, McAllister Sign, Webster Home Improvement and MJ Gabel Jewelers.

Tickets are just $15, and all proceeds will benefit the Webster Museum. They’re available online at the Webster Business Improvement District website or directly from Eventbrite.

This is a really fun event, and it usually sells out, so get your tickets soon.

Looking ahead in the village, Movies in the Park will begin July 16 with fun family flicks, another Wine Walks is scheduled for August 3, a Beer Walk on September 14 and the very popular Bourbon Bash returns on November 16.

Check the BID Facebook page and website regularly for updates and news of other events happening in the village.

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Webster Eye Care celebrates 25 years

5 May

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Shari and Mike Gustin, owners of Webster Eye Care Associates, who on Thursday celebrated their business’ 25th anniversary.

Webster Eye Care Associates is located on Main Street in the Village of Webster. On May 2, 1994, they took over the practice from Dr. Robert Brennan and have been a proud part of the village community ever since.

25th anniversay 1

Dr. Shari Gustin is a doctor of optometry and Mike Gustin is a licensed optician. As they grew the practice, they brought on additional licensed professionals including optometrist Dr. Jason Hochreiter, optician Brad Cadwell, optician Sarah Collins and administrative staff members. Mike and Shari are both strong village supporters who enjoy taking part in the village’s many special events and projects.

The Gustins are marking their silver anniversary with several specials: They’re raffling off one pair of Maui Jim and one pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses every Thursday in the month of May; giving away a brand new pair of Maui Jim sunglasses in a social media contest; and are offering a buy one/get one 50% off special for all patients, current or new (please make an appointment first!)

For more information on Webster Eye Care Associates, visit their website here, their Facebook page here or call them at 585-265-3710.

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Webster Community Mailbag

4 May

You might want to warm up your coffee before you read today’s mailbag, because it’s a pretty long one.

jakeJake Gorski, the son of one of my Plank North teaching colleagues, is working on his Eagle Scout project and is looking for some help collecting supplies. He explains in this letter:

My name is Jake Gorski and I am a senior at Fairport High School. I am also a Scout in Fairport Troop 207 in the final stages of my Eagle project. 

My Eagle project is to create and distribute packets of essential hygiene items for those in need at the Blessed Sacrament soup kitchen, where I have been volunteering for the past 12 years. They are located on the corner of Monroe Avenue and Oxford Street in the city of Rochester, and serve dinner to a large and diverse population of homeless and needy individuals five nights a week.

I am looking for donations of socks, tooth paste and tooth brushes, deodorant, baby wipes, and razors. I will accept both travel or regular size items. Blessed Sacrament serves many individuals in need, so I am trying to make around 80 packs. Any donations are greatly appreciated.

If you think you can help out, contact Jake at jwgorski22@gmail.com.

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swan lakeThe students of Willink Middle School will present their student-run production of Swan Lake on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 at the school, 900 Publishers Parkway.

Two of the school’s our 8th grade students, Mayli Nitsch and Shanna Smith are directing the play, which involves nearly 40 cast and stage crew from grades 6 through 8. Their hard work has been impressive, and the show will surely be outstanding.

Tickets are only $5 and can be purchased online here. They will also be available at the door.

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Just in time for spring planting and Mother’s Day, the Webster Arboretum Association will host their annual Plant Sale on Saturday May 11 from 8 a.m. to noon.

The sale features beautiful, live, healthy plants offered by locak commerial growers and local garden clubs. Garden Club members will also share their favorite plants from their own gardens.

The sale will take place at the Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Road in Webster.

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These next items are from the schools:

The Webster Teachers Association (WTA) has secured approximately 25,000 free books for Webster schools via the First Book program. In order to get these books distributed before the end of the year, the WTA is partnering with the Webster Central PTSA to get books unpacked, sorted and organized by age group for delivery to all of our 11 schools.

Lots of volunteers are needed. The WTA is looking for a minimum of 2 adult volunteers per school, per time slot to help on Saturday, May 18 from 8 a.m. to noon in the Thomas Field House. Click here for more information and to sign up.

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Speaking of the PTSA, they’re in urgent need of sponsors for next year’s PTSA calendar. Here’s the plea:

It’s community that makes Webster so special. We’d like to thank the local businesses and organizations, past and present, who have supported WC PTSA with generous donations, sponsorships and member benefits, making our work possible.

We are asking for your support once again. Please consider sponsoring our special edition 60th Anniversary 2019-20 calendar!

Whether it’s your first year, or thirty-first year sponsoring our calendar – your support is needed and appreciated more than ever. We’ve made it even easier this year, you can do it all online if you choose! Click here to learn more.

All donations are tax-deductible, and you’ll receive a receipt along with a sample copy of the calendar by September.  Families or individuals may become sponsors too.

Your donation funds community-wide programs supporting students and their families on critical topics like mental health and substance use prevention, annual scholarships to outstanding graduating seniors, annual Oak Tree Awards for exceptional educators, and helps us support the PTSA committees in all eleven WCSD schools, so they can provide services unique to their school population.

Questions? Email SponsorHelp@websterptsa.org.

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The school district has announced the hiring of four new assistant principals:

Jill Doyle

Jill Doyle is the new assistant principal at Plank South Elementary School. Doyle is a WCSD graduate and former Plank South student herself. She is currently a fourth grade teacher at the school, a position she has held since 2016.

Matt Mietelski

Spry Middle School White House welcomes new assistant principal Matthew Mietelski, who is replacing Interim Assistant Principal Jim Vitale. Mietelski is currently assistant principal of cooperative summer school for Monroe #1 BOCES and a literacy specialist at Johanna Perrin Middle School in Fairport CSD, where he has taught since 2013.

Two new assistant principals will greet students at Willink Middle School in September: Ashley Socola in the Blue House and Jason Simoni in the Green House.

Ashley and Jason comboSocola is currently an assistant principal at Merton Williams Middle School in the Hilton Central School District, a position she has served in since 2016. She is replacing interim Blue House assistant principal Annette McCabe.

Simoni is a WCSD alum who is returning to the district from Bishop Kearney HighSchool, where he has served as principal since 2015. He replaces Jeremy McBride who will be a new assistant principal moving at Webster Thomas High School.

All four new administrators will begin their positions on July 1.

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Stay tuned for upcoming blogs I’m still working on about new developments at Knucklehead Craft Brewing; special events at the Webster Museum; May programs at the Webster Public Library; a look at the new Spiedielicious restaurant in town; this summer’s special events schedule in the Village of Webster; a big anniversary for Webster Eye Care, and OH! the village is getting BIKE RACKS!! Start thinking about where you might like to see them installed.

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Good Smoke is good stuff

3 May

good smoke

I took a while, but I have finally tried out one of the Village of Webster’s newest restaurants, Good Smoke BBQ on Main Street.

Good Smoke opened in January, the third location for the restaurant, which is also located in East Rochester and Chili. I’d been hearing good reviews and was in the mood for barbecue, so it was a good choice after a long week of house cleaning as we prepared our former home to go on the market.

So my husband and I (new village residents that we are) walked down there last night for dinner. My first thought as I scanned the menu was that things were a bit pricey. Not exorbitantly so, but above average from what I would expect from a BBQ place. (Admittedly, I haven’t been in many.) Hoping that it would be a large enough serving for two, we decided to split a three-meat combo platter, priced at $22.99, comprised of 1/4 rack of ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, a piece of corn bread and two sides (we chose mac salad and baked beans).

It was a great decision.

I needn’t have worried that there would be enough for two people. Both the meat servings and the sides were generous, and by the time we had plowed through them and the corn bread, we were plenty full.

And everything was delicious. The rib and pork sauces were pretty sweet, which I loved. The beans were also very tasty and my husband enjoyed the mac salad (although I prefer my mac salad a bit more vinegar-y). I also give high marks to the corn bread, which was nicely moist.  The servers were friendly and the service was fast.

So bottom line, I definitely recommend Good Smoke, and we will definitely be back. The meat combo platter was a good choice this time, but knowing how generous the servings are, I wouldn’t hesitate to try one of the sandwiches or BBQ bowls next time, maybe for lunch.

Good Smoke BBQ is located at 5 West Main Street in the Village of Webster. Check them out on Facebook here, on their website here.

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Strike Back Martial Arts wins again

2 May

award

Congratulations to Strike Back Martial Arts, a jujitsu and self-defense studio in the Village of Webster, which was recently awarded the 2019 Best of Webster Award in the martial arts category. What’s especially cool about this is that this is the second year in a row the dojo has received the award.

The “Best of Webster” program recognizes companies which have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category, and looks to highlight companies that enhance the positive image of small business in local communities.

I’ve had the honor of working with the staff at Strike Back on a volunteer basis for four years, so I know firsthand why this dojo is so special. In addition to offering adult and youth jujitsu and self-defense classes, Strike Back also offers martial arts classes for children and young adults with autism and with Down syndrome.

The Jujitsu Buddies program for children on the autism spectrum is the one I lend a hand with, and I see every week what these classes do for these children.  I’ve seen anxieties melt away and self-confidence bloom. I’ve seen unbridled delight on the face of a child who accomplished a skill for the first time. I’ve seen children start to believe in themselves and learn that if they just try, they will succeed.

That is why Strike Back Martial Arts received — and deserves — this award, now two years in a row.

Strike Back Martial Arts is located at 55 East Main Street in Webster.  For more information, log onto www.strikebackmartialarts.com, find them on Facebook, or call (585) 236-1083.

strike-back1

A typical Jujitsu Buddies class at Strike Back Martial Arts. Instructors are (L-R) Dave Nicchitta,  me, Pam Wright and Mike Palmer. 

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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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