Phoenix Central School DistrictDecember 2018

PCSD student musicians recently showcased their talents during two all-state festivals.In early November, two Emerson J. Dillon students participated in the Junior High Area All-State festival in

Ithaca with the concert band. Fifty-four school districts were represented at the event, with Phoenix students Virginia Bednarski (trumpet) and Cameron Huntley (euphonium) earning seats with the band.

EJD Band Director David Frateschi noted that song selections for the festival included challenging pieces such as “Americans We” by Henry Fillmore and “Night on Fire” by John Mackey. The performance was a testament to the students’ hard work and the district’s commitment to its music program, he said.

“This is the seventh straight year the PCSD has earned the designation as a top 100 schools in America for Music Education,” Frateschi said. “Special thanks go out to the Phoenix administration team and the board of education for their continued support of our students here in Phoenix.”

In addition to the junior high event, Phoenix was also represented at the high school Area All-State Music Festival, held Nov. 17 in Fulton. PCSD participants included Sarah Thorn (bass clarinet); Hailey Goudy (clarinet); Lily Roberts (French horn); Virginia Bednarksi (trumpet); Thomas Uhl (trumpet); Violet Ameele (trombone); Christian Johnson (euphonium); Chloe Calkins (euphonium); Olivia Ripley, Garrett Strang and Declan Hawthorne (mixed choir); Skyler Patnode Aidan Trumble (orchestra); and Zaya Koegel (treble choir).

Phoenix Students Shine at All-State Music Festivals

Hovercraft Project Combines Science, Teamwork Teamwork was in the spotlight recently at Emerson J. Dillon Middle School as fifth-graders collaborated to

build hovercrafts.The daylong learning initiative, hosted by Matt Chase, founder of

the Hovercraft Project, included opportunities for academic and social growth. Teams worked together to measure, cut, assemble and test hovercrafts powered by Dewalt blowers. During the testing stage, students analyzed data and adjusted their craft to maximize its distance traveled.

“Our philosophy is learn to love to learn,” Chase said. “This is a full-day, immersive experience for the students, and they are in control of their learning.”

Once the initial data was analyzed, team competition began, and students rode hovercrafts from one side of the gymnasium to the other before an eventual winner was crowned.

Phoenix fifth-graders Aubrey Harris (left) and Shy’Meriah Jones encourage classmate Colin Burgett as he rides a hovercraft in the school gymnasium.

Drama Club Presents Fall Play: ‘Clockwork’

The John C. Birdlebough High School auditorium was abuzz with excitement as the Drama Club presented this year’s fall play in early November.

The production, “Clockwork” told the story of the Dunwoody family and their unfortunate luck. As the story unfolded, the comedy/mystery had plenty of twists and turns that kept the audience on its toes while trying to figure out who was killing off the Dunwoodys.

Cast members were Garrett Strang, Declan Hawthorne, Zaya Koegel, Dan Braun, Izzy Allen, Hunter Jewell, Haley Bowersox, Olivia Ripley, Jonah Hawthorne, Lily Roberts, Charity Frantz, Sophia Trinca, Ashleigh Besaw, Natalie Brown, Savanah Neupert and Hannah Matlock.

The crew included Gabby Allen, Aiden Southworth, Josh VanGorder, Jeremy Bingham, Ryan Lange, James Hagg, Connor Borst, Josh Smith, Darren Fischel, Connor Calkins, Aubri Renfrew, Sophia Crandall, Ariana Richway, Allie Grabowski, Maria Stepanova, Maria Sheirer, Angel Barker, Siera Wilder, Summer Koegel, Crystal Stobart, Christopher Caltabiano, Angel Russett and Melody Trask.

Cameron Huntley (euphonium) and Virginia Bednarski (trumpet) pose for a photo prior to the Junior High Area All-State Festival.

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The Phoenix Central School District Board of Education, its officers and employees, shall not discriminate against any student, employee, or applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, religion, marital status, sex, age, or disability. This policy of nondiscrimination includes: access by students to educational programs, counseling services for students, course offerings and student activities, recruitment and appointment of employees and employment pay, benefits, advancement and/or terminations.

TV Celebrity Delivers Motivational Speech to PCSD Students

Students in the Phoenix Central School District recently learned about perseverance as motivational speaker and TV celebrity Nick “Sunshine” Tokman shared his remarkable story.

Tokman, who appeared on four seasons of “Deadliest Catch” as a crab fisherman, captivated students at the middle school and high school and encouraged them to follow their dreams. He talked about feeling unfulfilled and the struggles he faced before finally landing his dream job catching king crab in Alaska.

“Failure is not going to kill you or break you, it’s what you do afterward that matters,” Tokman said.

For Tokman, failure and rejection were all too common when he first moved to Alaska without a job or experience in the crabbing industry. He was fired from multiple jobs and struggled to make ends meet. However, he kept working toward his dream.

“Don’t let money come before the things that matter most to you,” Tokman said. “Just because you don’t have the resources you think you need, it doesn’t mean you have to stop going after the things you want.”

His message resonated with students, as they met with Tokman and spoke about their own hopes and dreams.

“At the end of the day, it’s your life and you need to make decisions that make you happy,” he said.

Volcanic eruptions and lava flowed right before students’ eyes during a virtual reality lesson recently at Michael A. Maroun Elementary School.

Using a smart phone app and virtual reality headsets, Phoenix second-graders embarked on a Google Expedition through volcanoes around the word. Students experienced Erta Ale, Mount Bromo, Dallol and Kilauea volcanic activity. As they peered through their headsets, they identified craters, witnessed eruptions and discussed molten rocks.

“This is a great way for our students to learn about fast changes in science,” said teacher Melissa Murphy. “It put them right into the lesson and they experienced things they’ve never seen before.”

Following the virtual reality experience, students talked about what they saw and were able to identify metamorphic rocks.

Virtual Reality Experience Features Volcanoes at MAMPhoenix second-graders look into their virtual reality headsets to explore volcanoes during a recent science lesson.

John C. Birdlebough High School Principal Thomas Bailer (right) and students Jackson Butler, Lilian Doughty, Summer Koegel, Zoey Gould and Kearra Backus are all smiles after meeting motivational speaker Nick “Sunshine” Tokman.

As part of a recent career day, Emerson J. Dillon Middle School students got a glimpse into what their future may hold while exploring dozens of possibilities.

Each student in the building, from fifth through eighth grade, completed an interest survey last spring. Based on those results and a student poll, the student services department contacted local businesses that matched the students’ interests.

“It’s important to connect the students with people and careers that match,” said EJD school counselor Kathy Barber. “With nearly 40 different jobs represented at career day, there is something for everyone.”

Students had an opportunity to explore jobs in the trades, armed forces, science, the arts, hospitality and health services. There were paramedics, architects, artists, veterinarians, electricians, engineers, an FBI agent and others who spoke about their careers and fielded questions from students about education, salary,

job requirements and job scope.

“This event gives students an idea of what is out there, and what their future could hold,” Barber said. “Not only do they learn about jobs that they might want to do, but they also can rule out careers that just don’t match up with their interests. It’s a great learning experience.”

Barber noted that the student services department was grateful to all the local business owners and employees who presented.

EJD Students Explore Careers

Anastasia Moore, Gabrielle Ezman, Chase McElyea and Elias Torres are all smiles as they learn about manufacturing, engineering and the P-TECH program during career day at Emerson J. Dillon Middle School.

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Phoenix Central School District | Home of the Firebirds

Allen Joins 1,000 Point ClubJack Allen recently hit a milestone as a Firebird

basketball player. In a Dec. 4 loss to Christian Brothers Academy, Allen drove to the hoop to score his 1,000th career point in front of the home crowd. Coach Nick Perioli presented him with a ball to mark the achievement. For more athletic news and information, visit phoenixcsd.org/athletics.

A handful of Phoenix students are putting their engineering skills to the test as members of the Firebird Sprockets robotics team.

The team is comprised of Matt Doane, Jonah Hawthorne, Sheridan Southworth, Ellie Lamath, Cole Bailer and Hannah Brooker. Members work to build a game-playing robot that completes various tasks in competitions against other high school student-led teams. They are judged and scored on a variety of criteria, and the top teams compete against one another in elimination rounds.

In early December, the Firebird Sprockets participated in a qualifier competition in Sauquoit. The team said they were happy with their performance and are looking to tweak the robot for the next competition slated for Jan. 6.

“Our main goal going into the competition was to do better than last year, and we did that,” said Doane. “We did really well with the programming and some of the engineering, but there is room for improvement.”

The team will track their progress and record their ideas in an engineering notebook, which factors into the judging criteria during competitions. Regardless of outcome, the team noted that they were having fun while learning a lot about the STEM fields.

For more information about the robotics program or how to get involved next year, contact Rob Southworth (rob.a.southworth@gmail.com).

Firebird Sprockets Robotics Team Gears Up for Next Event

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association recognized five Phoenix sports teams and 58 students who excelled academically and athletically during the fall season.

Teams that earned scholar-athlete status had at least 75 percent of its roster comprised of students who averaged 90 percent or higher. According to the NYSPHSSA, “Those student-athletes, teams and schools work very hard throughout the year and deserve to be recognized for their academic success.”

For the PCSD, the following teams earned this distinction: Boys’ Cross Country, Girls’ Cross Country, Girls’ Soccer, Girls’ Volleyball and Girls’ Tennis.

Individual honorees were Darren Fischel, Ethan Harley, Nathan Kosakowski, Holt Reed, Gavin Trask and Michael VanAuken (Boys’ Cross Country); Violet Ameele, Sara Brunell, Jena Klimaszewski and

Julianna Lewis (Girls’ Cross Country); Erika Brown, Emma Clark, Elisabeth Dona, Hailey Fredericks, Francesca Goodell, Allison Grabowski, Cassadee Handville, Emilie Hilliard, Lynee Lesperance, Ashley Margrey, Caitlyn Mitchell, Madison Pelton, Taylor Petrie, Leah Schlachter and Mackenzie Shank (Girls’ Soccer); Brielle DeRoberts, Gianna DeRoberts, Ashley Kenner-Carbonaro and Katelyn Kenner-Carbonaro (Girls’ Tennis); Alexis Capenos, Caitlin George, Hailey Goudy, Megan Hess, Erin McArdell, Sarah Thorn, Olivia Thrall and Madison Watkins (Volleyball); and Grace Arnold, Marcus Berube, Michael Dion, Matthew Francis, Hans Goodnow, Isaiah Gordon, Noah Gordon, Samuel Guthrie, Alexandra Hopps, Paige Isabell, Madison Kalt, Cole LaPine, Danielle LeFebvre, Owen Lytle, Alex Olschewske, Andrew Quinn, Andrew Stellingwerf, Sean Stevens, Thomas Uhl, Joshua VanGorder and Nicholas Vaverchak.

Phoenix Student-Athletes Excel in Fall Season

3rd Grade Holiday Concert a Hit

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Phoenix Central SchoolsDistrict Office116 Volney StreetPhoenix, NY 13135(315) 695-1555

Vision StatementThe Phoenix Central School District is dedicated to educating students to develop desired moral, ethical, and cultural values, to stimulate and expand a continual learning process and to cultivate an understanding and appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, which will enable them to function effectively as independent individuals in a democratic society.

It is hard to believe that it is almost Christmas. The first few months of the 2018-2019 school year have been filled with excitement, opportunities and significant amounts of student achievement. Having lived in Central New York my entire life, I know that the next few months will bring cold weather and lake effect snow. Please be sure that your children are properly dressed and waiting for the bus in a safe location as they head to school each morning.

It is my pleasure to inform you that we will be introducing a new School and Community Partnership in mid-late January. The goal of this partnership is for the Phoenix Central Schools, Village of Phoenix and Phoenix Rising to work collaboratively in an effort to increase and improve opportunities for our faculty, staff, students and community. We have already identified a number of ways for all of us to work more closely together. Some of our ideas include getting staff, parents and students of all ages involved in a variety of community projects (e.g., Spring clean-up, neighborhood renovation projects, shoveling snow, raking leaves, painting, etc.). Project sign-ups will be posted on our district website. Anyone interested in participating should log onto our district website at www.phoenixcsd.org, click on the “For Community” tab on our homepage, then click on the “School and Community Partnership” link to register. This is a great way to come together to support our community, and everyone is encouraged to participate!

After numerous planning and logistical meetings,

I can tell you that our capital project construction will begin February 18, 2019. The first four phases of construction are scheduled to take place at JCB High School and include the following:

• Feb 2019 – Aug 2019 – Phase 1 - Music Addition

• April 2019 – July 2019 – Phase 2 - 2nd Floor Classrooms (250/260, computer labs, business classrooms, TV News, etc.) & Multipurpose Field

• June 2019 – Sept 2019 – Phase 3 - 2nd Floor Classrooms (ELA, SS, SROs Office) & 1st Floor Classrooms (art)

• July 2019 – July 2020 – Phase 4 - JCB Auditorium

JCB High School administration has done an excellent job adjusting room assignments to accommodate construction during the second semester. We greatly appreciate faculty, staff and students’ flexibility and patience in the months ahead. I will provide progress and future phase updates in all district newsletters sent home this year. Please keep in mind that, as with any construction projects, timelines may change slightly.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Phoenix Central Schools. I wish each and every one of you a relaxing and safe holiday season with your family and friends.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. ByrneSuperintendent of Schoolscbyrne@phoenixcsd.org @cbyrnepcsd

A Message from the Superintendent’s Desk

Shop with a HeroTwenty Phoenix Central School District students had an opportunity to Shop with a Hero on Dec. 2 at the Granby Walmart.

The annual shopping event paired students with local law enforcement personnel and community representatives. Once the student selected a hero to shop with, they walked up and down the aisles of the store selecting Christmas gifts for family members.

Several local community members, organizations and businesses helped make the event possible. Donors included the PCSD, Walmart, Upstate Shredding Weitsman Recycling, J & J Collision and Sales, Subway, Allstate, the Medicine Place, Phoenix Police Department, Bombadil’s, Bull & Bear, Clay Sportsman’s Club, Syracuse Picture Booth, Shineman Foundation, Wyatt Kyle (artist), Exelon and Just Donuts.

Pictured above are Deputy Robert Wells, PCSD student Alexander Salotto and PCSD Superintendent Christopher Byrne.