Sweet Reward for Doing Something Good InNovember,theNationalHonorSocietysponsoredafooddrivetobenefitthe Portville Food Pantry. Morning Program students (Grades Pre-K – Grade 2) participated in this canned food drive to exemplify the pillar of caring. Each classroom tallied the number of donated items. The students of Morning Pro-gram collected a total of 916 canned food items for the food pantry. Mrs.Yehl’sfirstgradeclassdonatedthemostitems.Theydonatedatotalof 369 items and won an ice cream sundae party!

Mr. Piatt is trying to put together a chronological history of Portville's long running ecology camp. This in-cludes many of the people involved over the years. One important fea-ture is a list of all alumni who were senior counselors at camp. If you were a counselor for one of these years, or can remember who was, please contact Mr. Piatt atjpiatt@portvillecsd.org. For a history of ecology camp, go to the Portville Central School Web-site at www.portville.wnyric.org and look for the Ecology Camp link on the front page.

PCS teachers are continuing the complex and important work around teach-ing the skills and concepts outlined in the ELA and Math Common CORE State Standards. 3rd – 9th grade ELA teachers and PK-9th grade math teachers are working with the ELA and math modules (instructional units) as they become available through the New York State Education Department via EngageNY. Teachers have been planning with their grade-level and/or content colleagues at PCS and collaborating with teachers throughout the region with the support of CA BOCES. Math teachers have had opportunities to participate in Collabora-tive Learning Communities provided and hosted by CA BOCES: grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and Algebra I. CA BOCES has provided on-site support as well as online sessions and digital resources. ELA teachers have had on-site support as well, including digital resources. The task is enormous and the teachers are meeting and exceeding the expecta-tions as they continue to work to provide the best educational experience for kids.

EcologyCamp Search

English Language Arts(ELA) & Math at PCS This fall at Morning Program, stu-dents in grades Pre-K through grade 2 played Respect Bingo to exemplify our Character Counts pillar of respect. Each day at Morning Program, Mrs. Griffith, Elementary School Coun-selor, asked the leader from two of the classes to pick a Respect Bingo calling card. Each bingo calling card described a way to be respectful in oneoffivecategories:caringforself,working with others, responsibility at home, fairness in play and trustworthy actions (Respect Bingo, developed by Maryann Hudgins). Congratu-lations to Mrs. Houseknecht’s class, our Respect Bingo winner!

Respect Bingo

PoRtviLLE CEntRAL SChooL DiStRiCt nEwSLEttER • voL 12, iSSuE 2 • wintER 2013-14

a commitment to success

PBL provides opportunities for PCS students to explore real-world problems and challenges. These learning experiences have included marshmallows and rubber band powered cars as well as visits to colleges and local manufacturing com-panies. Along the way, PCS students have demonstrated great success. Regents Physics students recently completed a projectile motion cal-culations project: The Marshmallow Launch. Students had to design a marshmallow launcher and predict where the marshmallow would hit: three, six, or nine meters. The idea came from 2013 PCS graduate and RIT freshman Engineering major, Troy Gib-erson,whorecentlywonfirstplaceinRIT’s Pumpkin Chunkin Competition with the trebuchet design he used for the high-school science fair. This year’s launch may have been lighter but in-volved just as much creativity. Some of the best launches were from trebuchet models created by two teams: Galen

Project-Based Learning(PBL) For PCS StudentsZiaggi, Katie Topolski, and Liz Augos-tini & Kevin Flaig, Brooke Lewis, and Jenna Gillespie; their designs earned the highest scores. The project was a huge success. Alfred University Inamori School of Engineering recently hosted its annual Engineering and Materials Science Day for junior and senior students from area high schools; a team of PCS students participated. There were tours and demonstrations in various engineer-ing laboratories and students who attended were invited to participate in a scholarship examination. First, Sec-ond and Third place winners received a scholarship they could use in any of AU’s engineering programs. Students in public and private schools from anywhere in the United States could take the exam. This year PCS senior Josh Foster earned First place and a $10,000.00 scholarship. Congratula-tions! What an amazing accomplish-ment! PCS brought home success last year as well when 2013 graduate Mike Lukomski earned Second place and an $8000.00 scholarship. Two teams of PCS juniors and seniors also traveled to St. Bonaven-ture recently to participate in the 2nd SBU Dream It, Do It 500 Competition. Teams of four had to create a rubber band powered cars. They worked with an engineer and SBU students to pre-pare and create a marketing campaign for their cars. At the end of the day, they had to present their campaign. Students created their teams and par-

ticipated all on their own: Josh Foster, Megan Gray, Jeremy Freeborn, Alassia Cousins, Matt Ketchner, Ben Reynolds, and Garrett Crosson. It was a Saturday filledwithlearningandfun. The next college connection will be with D’Youville College. A group of College Forensic Science students will be visiting the college for an upcoming unit on autopsies. The students are looking forward to visiting a college forensics lab. Lastly, upper-level PCS science students visited a local manufacturing company: SolEpoxy, Inc., in Olean for Tour and Demo Day. A Chemical Engineer from the company gave a presentation and tour of the facility.

The presentation included information about the education needed to secure a career as a Chemical Engineer as well as levels of education and training for the skills needed at all levels within the company. There was also dialogue about how the employees, from engi-neers to the people working “on the floor” are encouraged to collaborateand share ideas/suggestions. An im-portant message to PCS students was that there are good jobs available in our region—there are many opportunities for our best and brightest to stay local. The visit provided an excellent school-to-work connection. PCS students are preparing for college and careers in authentic ways. These project-based and interdisciplin-ary experiences are improving the way students learn science, technology, engineering, and math.

2 The Portville Panther

Congratulations to the following CTE Outstanding Juniors and Seniors from PCS: Rheannon Stonemetz-Criminal Justice 1, Tess Wolsky-Audio Visual Production 1, Angel Gillespie- Career Foundations, Kiel Platt-Collision Repair/Auto Body 2, Brienne Jordan-Medical Professions 2 Alexis Layman-Cosmetology 1, David Long-Automotive Technology 1. (Missing Junior: Christian Bennett - Computer Systems Technology)

CtE outstandingPCS Students

healthy halloween Party

Pennies Lead to Pizza Party

SCHOOL CLOSED MONDAY, JANUARY 20Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Halloweenwasahealthycelebration forfifthgradersatPCS.Aspartoftheir nutrition unit, students from the classrooms of Mr. Glover, Mrs. Kloc, Mr. Rogers and Mrs. Warner applied what they learned to plan a healthy and nutritious party featuring food from all of the main food groups: protein, fruits, vegetables, dairy and grains. Students were able to gather together in the John Dubots multi-purpose room and make healthy choices for their lunch. Theentirefifthgradewouldliketoofferaspecial“thankyou”toallthepar-ent volunteers for their time and help in setting up and presenting the buffet style meal.

During the month of October, the Portville American Legion sponsored a penny drive to raise funds for Breast Cancer Awareness. Mrs. Enos’s class collected the most funds and was rewarded with a pizza party sponsored by the Legion. The 6th graders enjoyed helping others and donating their coins for a great cause!

Winter 2013-14 3

Corder's Corner... By Mr. Lynn C. Corder, Elementary School Principal

It is hard for me to believe that we are approaching the half-way point of the 2013/14 school year! As the new principal, I am amazed by the great students, staff and parents of our Portville School. The sense of “Community”inourschoolsisaliveand well. As you are aware, we are imple-menting the new Common Core cur-riculum in English Language Arts and Math. The big instructional shifts you will see as parents are in the area of Math (Kindergarten-12th grade) and ELA (3rd-12th grade). There is much talk about the academic rigor, testing and accountability with the new Com-mon Core, however, I wanted to focus on the academic vigor. A question we continually need to focus our atten-

have such dedicated and gifted teachers in our school. I am also impressed with the many caring and supportive parents/guard-ians in our children’s lives. Whether it is attendance at Morning Program, Open House, Parent Conferences or a host of other events, participation is outstanding. The desire of a child to learn is surely innate. I see this every day in our school and I am sure you witness it at home. The natural curiosity your children have in the world around them will set them up for a lifetime of learning and discovery if we continue to teach them in inspiring ways. Sometimes mundane learning threatens to destroy that zest children have to absorb new things as they advance through school. As a com-munity, we can’t let this happen. Home and school must do all we can to actively keep our children’s love of learning alive. As I mentioned in my article this past Fall, Portville School is dedicated to building a safe, compassionate com-munity of lifelong learners where “Pride CreatesSuccess.”OurDistrictsharesacommon focus for the quality education we provide for every student, and con-tinue our work with the Common Core Standards as the framework for this focus. Thank you for the opportunity to work with each of you as students and parents of our school.

tion on is; what invigorates learning or makes it interesting and engaging? The answer is simple… it’s the passion of a teacher, aparent, orother significantadult in a students’ life that really gets kids interested in learning. Think of it this way, do your children share the same interests as you? Are they passion-ate about the things that matter most to you? Of course they are, because you bring these experiences to the children with vigor. The same must be true in our schools and the way that we engage children in our classrooms. I can tell youfirsthand that I see thispassioneveryday throughout classrooms in our school. Although the curriculum is new and the challenges are great, teachers are focused on what truly matters, the students in front of them. I have been meeting with teachers on a regular ba-sis, and I am amazed by their spirit and willingness to do all they can to have the students meet success. The comment that I hear most often is that the Com-mon Core is challenging, however, our kids are up to this challenge. Though the methods may be new and somewhat different from our conventional teach-ing, teachers are encouraged at how the students are grasping the concepts and applying their skills in both writing and mathematics. This is happening because the teachers are engaging the students with vigor. We are truly fortunate to

winter 2013

A wonderful thanksgiving Feast Ms. Bantelman and her students, with help from Mrs. Wray, Mrs. Ours, and Ms. Degolier, created a Thanksgiving feast. Two students shared their experience: Briana stated that she and her classmates helped with and enjoyed everything, including shopping, cooking, and eating; she and Mrs. Bantelman said that everything was homemade even the squash and cranberry sauce. Dalton explained that his role was setting the table, which was very festive, and making the mashed potatoes. Both students shared that the whole class worked together and enjoyed the experience. The menu included turkey, gravy, mashedpotatoes,stuffing,corn,squash,cranberrysauce,littlechocolatepies,andpunch.ThesmellofThanksgivingfilledthehallsofPCS;whatagreatwayto start the holidays!

For Information About PCS Anytime...Visit Us on the Web: www.portville.wnyric.org4 The Portville Panther

PRE-KINDERGARTEN - SEPTEMBER, 2014 In order to identify all children who will enter Pre-Kindergarten in September 2014, we are asking those parents who have eligible children to complete this form and return it to our Registrar, Michelle McCracken, in the Guidance Office (716-933-6760). This information is necessary when we initiate Pre-Kindergarten sign-ups in the spring. We use the information below to generate a mailing list for sending the actual registration packets. We are requesting that you return this form to the Guidance Office as soon as possible regardless of whether or not you plan to send your child to Pre-Kindergarten next year. Your child must be 4 years of age on or before December 1, 2014. Registration packets to enroll your child in Pre-K will be mailed March 25, 2014, and are due back by April 25, 2014. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Pre-Kindergarten 2014 Child’s Full Name:________________________________________________________ First Middle Last DOB:__________________ M / F Ethnic:________________________ Mother’s Name:__________________________________________________________ First Maiden Last Street Address:___________________________________________________________ House No. Street City State & Zip Mailing Address:_________________________________________________________ (if different from above)

Phone No. where you may be reached between 8 AM - 3 PM:_____________________ Father’s Name:__________________________________________________________ First Middle Last Street Address:___________________________________________________________ House No. Street City State & Zip Mailing Address:_________________________________________________________ (if different from above)

Telephone No. where you may reached between 8 AM - 3 PM:____________________ Child Resides with: __________________________________________________________________________________

Pre-School Sibling Name:_________________________ DOB:__________________ Pre-School Sibling Name:_________________________ DOB:__________________ Pre-School Sibling Name:_________________________ DOB:__________________

KINDERGARTEN – SEPTEMBER, 2014 In order to identify all children who will enter Kindergarten in September 2014, we are asking those parents who have eligible children to complete this form and return it to our Registrar, Michelle McCracken, in the Guidance Office (716-933-6760). This information is necessary when we initiate Kindergarten sign-ups in the spring. We use the information below to generate a mailing list for sending the actual registration packets. We are requesting that you return this form to the Guidance Office as soon as possible regardless of whether or not you plan to send your child to Kindergarten next year. Your child must be 5 years of age on or before December 1, 2014. Registration packets to enroll your child in Kindergarten will be mailed March 25, 2014, and are due back by April 25, 2014. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Kindergarten 2014 Child’s Full Name:________________________________________________________ First Middle Last DOB:__________________ M / F Ethnic:________________________ Mother’s Name:__________________________________________________________ First Maiden Last Street Address:___________________________________________________________ House No. Street City State & Zip Mailing Address:_________________________________________________________ (if different from above)

Phone No. where you may be reached between 8 AM & 3 PM:_____________________ Father’s Name:__________________________________________________________ First Middle Last Street Address:___________________________________________________________ House No. Street City State & Zip Mailing Address:_________________________________________________________ (if different from above)

Telephone No. where you may reached between 8 AM & 3 PM:____________________ Child Resides With:_______________________________________________________ Pre-School Sibling Name:_________________________ DOB:__________________ Pre-School Sibling Name:_________________________ DOB:__________________ Pre-School Sibling Name:_________________________ DOB:__________________

Caya Receives u.S. Army RotC Scholarship

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY- On Thursday Sept. 19, Casey Caya received quite a return for his summer of hard work. The 22-year-old Portville native received a U.S. Army ROTC scholarship

valued at $75,000.00, an achievement that did not come without its challenges. This past summer, Casey traveled to Fort Knox, KY in order to attend the Leaders Training Course (LTC) with 1,100 other young men and women who are train-ing to become the future leaders of the United States Army. Casey’s exceptional physical fitness and impressive resil-ience landed him in the top 15% of the LTC attendees and earned him a 2 year scholarship to St. Bonaventure Univer-sity to complete his degree. Before arriving at St. Bonaven-ture University, Casey was enrolled at Jamestown Community College in Ole-an, NY. After two years, Casey applied

to St. Bonaventure and transferred into the Journalism and Mass Communica-tions program. His transition to St. Bonaventure was aided by the academic agreements between the two academic institutions which makes transferring trouble-free. Casey arrived at St. Bonaventure to be welcomed by a few friendly faces. Portville Central School alumni Jared Kausner (right) and John Gordnier (left) are both instructors for the ROTC program, with Kausner being a ’08 graduate of St. Bonaventure. Portville continues to have a hand in producing top quality ROTC Cadets and outstand-ingArmyOfficers.

S'mores Si vous Plait

PATHS Ipad Raffle

Mr. Matz’s JCC 2520 French class is spreading S’mores across the ocean! The class receives a French magazine, and in it, there was an article about S’mores, which is a new concept in France. The class wrote a letter in response to the article further explaining S’mores, as well as offering to send them the mate-rials (graham crackers are not readily available in France). Our letter was published by the magazine, as shown in the picture, and we have even received letters from readers of the magazine in France wanting to know more about American culture and daily life. Right: picture of published letter. The light gray part says, We talked about the culture of the marshmallow in the August "Phosphore." It seems that in the United States, they make sandwiches out of them! Our letter to them, in black under-neath, says: We are a French class in the US. We get your magazine and we like to read it in class. We are interested in your article about marshmallows. Here, we eat S'mores. It's like a sandwich where you roast the marshmallow, and add chocolate and graham crackers. Do you want us to send you some graham crackers?Wehearyoucan'tfindthemthere. The part after is theirs, it says: Yes, we want to try the graham cracker so we can die happy.

As Fall comes to a close and Winter begins, PATHS is happy to report a FUND-RAISING SUCCESS! The winner of the Ipad 2Raffle,ZachLampack,ishappilyenjoyinghis new device. PCS's very own Madison Lampack sold the winning ticket! Thanks to everyone who made this fundraiser a success! The Scholastic Book fair has come and gone as well and our classroom teachers were able to use scholastic dollars for books to use in their classroom. We will be hosting another Book Fair in the Spring. We are also very excited about the "Panther Cub Project". We are going to be welcoming new infants born into the Port-ville Community with a functional, reusable bagfilledwithearlyliteracyinformation,local listings to promote literacy, a stuffed panther, a baby hat and a book. If anyone knows of a family that is expecting a new addition, please let PATHS know by calling theElementaryOffice at 716-933-6045!Wearehopingtoofficiallybeginthisnewproject in January.

Winter 2013-14 7

Elementary Academic honor Roll, 1st Quarter OnNovember26,2013,ourfirstquarterhonorrollreceptionwasheldforour146studentswhoearnedhonorrolland/or Student of the Quarter status. We would like to say a special thank you to P.A.T.H.S. for sponsoring our honor roll reception. Academic Honor Roll recognizes students in grades 4, 5, and 6 each quarter that earn an 85 and above average in their core subjects. Students of the Quarter are students the teacher has chosen that have shown improvement, extra effort, and/or worked very hard during the quarter.

GradeSiX

GradeFouR

GradeFivE

8 The Portville Panther

Elementary Academic honor Roll, 1st QuarterFourth Grade:Kendall ArtlipKylie BlessingZachary BucknerKaitlyn BuckvichReanna CarrierJaimee ChastainBrandon CorneliusAllie DeFazioBreanna DeYoe-VanScoterKevin EberthMatteson FriesBrenton GagliardoOlivia GanoungChristian GariepyJared GeorgeNikki HepkerJames Hosmer Sophie KelloggZackary KlossSamuel KorsaElijah KorsaShailynn LarkinTony Mebane Michael LongCourtney LyleKyle MathesNathan Petryszak

Megan PagettAbigail PullinsJames RandallMallory ReynoldsThomas ScanlonGunner SchwabenbauerGrant SharpBrianna ShieldsJordyn SickelsColin WalshCaleb WatsonMallory WeltyMia WeltyShawna WilcoxCaydence ZalwskyCaleigh Zollinger

Fifth Grade:Taylor BeckJacob BillingsMaddix BishopRyan BokmanMaura BurkeAlyssa BushnellFaith CapitoFelecia CapitoJacqueline DaleyEthan Dean

Brooke DeYoe-VanScoterOlivia EmleyKayleigh ForrestLevi GanoungBlake GeorgeMakayla GilroyHunterGriffinKylee HammondTayalynn HarrisMia HlasnickElena IsamanHailey KeimCarley LaFeverConnor LaFeverDaisy LaytonPaige LengvarskyKayla LittleJoseph LongEmma MikolajczykTorianne MorrowMaggie O’ConnellJack PagettCourtney PalczewskiKayla PalczewskiDominic PascucciDelaney PettitMackenzie Pilon Autumn Reed

Jennifer ReedShannon RocheleauMadison SargentKaleb ShawVictoria SmithAlexa SteighnerDominic StoneBraxton StoneCaleb StrombergRegina TkacikGrace WardAlex WenkeNicholas WhippoKaitlyn WilliamsHailey Wyant

Sixth Grade:Samantha AgettJordyn BabbAustin BabbAngel BladeDanae CarrierBryar ChildsRenee CookBrennan DeanKarissa DeckmanKiersten FergusonAutumn GagliardoKassidy Gehm

Justin GibbonsEmilyGriffithSkyler HammondJillian HlasnickHarlee HowardCameron KalsmanJulie KuhnAbigail LampackWilliam Larson IIJonathan LassiterDerek MikolajczykJulian MoralesKatherine NothemEthan O’DellTucker ProcktonHarley RobinsonMaddison SchoonoverDamien SmithShannen SteinLayne StephenReece SwetlandHolly VincentKarly WeltyColton WhitneyElena WilsonHannah Woodring

Fourth Grade:

Lucas Cook, Aidan Cole,

Nicholas Harmon

Fifth Grade:

Hailey Kellogg, Corissa Loncher,

Shayden Gibble, Ryan Unverdorben

Sixth Grade:

Alexandria Estabrook,

Angela Hernandez, Brennan Niver,

Dalton Tobola, Destiny Shaw

Students of theFirst Quarter 2013

Mathletes Compete at JCC Ten Mathletes traveled to JCC Olean Campus on Friday, November 15, 2013 to participate in the Jamestown Community College / University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Mathematics Competition. The competition was a good way to challenge students with mathematics and problem solving skills. The PCS team received a trophy for 4th place and Makayla Wells received a trophy for the top scorer for Portville Central School.

Winter 2013-14 9

MUSIC NOTES

Front, L-R: Gabi Wilson, Taylor Richardson, Arik Kavanagh, and Bryn Milne. Back: Al Nothem, Taylor North, Adam Wray, Donovan Gayton, and Korah Witherell.

PCS Musicians & vocalists Perform at Area-All State

Junior High Area All-State

THANK YOU to those who sup-ported the Music Department with their frozen food and poinsettia sales this fall. Area All-State Musicians: Re-cently, 16 students were selected to rep-resent PCS at the Zone 1 Area All-State Music Festivals after achieving outstand-ing scores at the NYSSMA Solo Festival in the spring of 2010. The Junior High Festival was held in November at Akron High School. NY. Donovan Gayton (drums), Bryn Milne (trumpet), Al Nothem (trumpet), and Adam Wray (trombone) participated with the jazz band, Arik Kavanagh (bass clari-net)andTaylorNorth(flute)playedintheconcert band. Vocalists who participated in the Chorus were: Taylor Richardson, Gabi Wilson, and Korah Witherell. The High School Festival was in November at SUNY Fredonia. The following students participated in the mixed chorus: Ellen Bossert, Melina Bossert, Kailyn Delaney, Travis Groth, Brooke Lewis, Makayla Wells, and Tri-sha Zegers. Raechel Rowley and Allison Eaton performed with the women’s chorus, while Liz Tkacik (clarinet) and Ryan Kent (alto sax) were in the band. All-State Singers: Selection for the All-State music ensembles is even more competitive. Three Portville stu-dents were chosen this year – Travis Groth (senior, Mixed Chorus), Makayla Wells (senior, Women’s Chorus) and Liz Tkacik (junior, Vocal Jazz). Of the 900 total students selected to participate in these groups, only 6 of them were from Cattaraugus County.

All-State Singers

Front: Ryan Kent, Makayla Wells, Liz Tkacik, Ellen Bossert, Allison Eaton. Back: Brooke Lewis, Melina Bossert, Travis Groth, Kailyn Delaney, Raechel Rowley, and Trisha Zegers.

Senior High Area All-State

Upcoming Concerts:March 13, 2014 • Portville Band Members in grades 7-12 performing in small ensembles.

10 The Portville Panther

it's a Small world After All

By Anne Mitchell, Curriculum Coordinator The school year is off to a great start at Portville Central School. Within this contemporary learning system, is the 2013-14fifth-gradeclassandtheirsocialstudies teacher, Mrs. Kloc; together, they are experiencingfirst hand thatthey are part of a larger community: a global community. They call their work “The Fifty Nifty UnitedStatesPostcardDrive.” In thehallway by their classroom is a map of the United States, and it is surrounded by postcards from all around the Nation. The students have written to family and to friends and the postcard collection continues to grow. The communication and connections have reached beyond the United States; the students have started a “Postcards from Around the World”display. When the mail comes to room 104, there is a great deal of excitement. In addition to postcards, students have re-ceived artifacts like coins and brochures. The students take turns pointing to a map of the United States and a map of the World so that they can put into per-spective where they are at PCS in relation to the another state, country, or city. National and global awareness involves recognition and appreciation of the Earth as a single entity; it enables us to perceive the vastness of the world, its dynamic complexity, and the diversity of its people andcultures.ThePCS“PostcardDrive”helps students see how they are part of a school system within a community that is part of a county, which is part of a state, a nation, and the world. I had the privilege of interviewing each of Mrs. Kloc’s classes. I asked the students about their work and what they had been learning; there was so much enthusiasm in their responses, and there were common threads in each class. The

In a World of High-Tech Communication, A Postcard Drive Helps Portville Central School Students Become Globally Aware.

most significant response was pride; many students stated, “Our collection continues to grow every week; we are learning so much; and our learning is connectedtowhatwe’restudying.” The top three interests in the project are works of art and historical events; connections to family, friends, and new acquaintances, and advertising and marketing. Students discussed how many times the cards highlight famous worksof art and significanthistoricalevents that have occurred in certain places. They also talked about friends and relatives that they have yet to meet as well as connections from people they donotevenknow—manyarefifth-gradestudents. One student could trace her genealogy back to Queen Elizabeth. The students are fascinated about how the web of people connections continues to grow and the amazing paths it has taken. The students love the visuals on the cards, and we talked about the mar-keting and advertising involved in the design of some cards. It is “geographic awareness,”onestudentexclaimed;“the

impact of the geography is illustrated on the cards: wildlife, vegetation, industry, recreation,etc.”Anotherstudentmen-tioned that she would like to travel to Italy some day to experience the culture and history. Two student comments that con-nected with me were the “sense of voice” in thewritingon thecardsandtheanticipationof“littlesurprises”eachweek. Mrs. Kloc has given her students the opportunity to experience global knowledge, to build schema & empathy, and build community without leaving Portville Central School. If you have a connection that you could share with Mrs. Kloc’s students, please have postcards sent to Portville Central School; PO BOX 790; Portville, NY 14770. The students hope to encour-age other districts to create a postcard drive as well. Perhaps by the end of the school year, with the help of CA BOCES’ Learning Resources, the students can use contemporary technology to connect with some of the amazing students and/or people they have met along the way.

JANUARY 25 - WiNtER WEEkEND DANCEfor Grades 9-12 from 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. in the high school gym

* * *SCHOOL WiLL BE CLOSED

Monday, February 17 through February 21 for WiNtER RECESS

Winter 2013-14 11

By Hannah Kichman I am sad to announce this will be my last AmeriCorps Update. My two years with the program are coming to an end, and I would like to take this time to thank the whole town of Portville for allowing me the opportunity to work closely with members of the community, students, and fac-ulty. This has been a distinct pleasure and has allowed me the chance to become a part of such a close woven family oriented community. In the past few months the students have been work-ing hard to continue to volunteer and be a part of making a difference in the lives of others. We kicked off the year with our “Peers Actively Lead-ingStudents”program.Thisisachancefor5thand6thgraders to be paired up with 9th graders and work on completing homework, while also participating in one on one mentoring. In September, students showed remembrance to Sep-tember 11th, 2011, by creating a mural for the 7th grade hallway. They also made owls to send to children that are currently at the Buffalo Children’s Hospital. During October, students from the elementary and high school were asked to donate their old and worn out jeans to the Blue Jeans Go Green Foundation. This is a Denim Recy-cling Program that will take their old jeans and turn them into Ultra Touch insulation. This insulation is then donated to programs like Habitat for Humanity for the houses that they build. High School students also created little turkeys out of pom poms to send to the Buffalo Children’s Hospital. InDecemberstudentsjoinedthefirstgradersinsingingfor the senior citizens of Portville. These same students also held a private concert for the residents of Portville Manor, along with a little Holiday Party. Last, a special thank you to each and every student that has worked with me in the past two years. I am positive that you will continue to make a difference in the community and the lives of the students here in Portville, because you are the driving factor that is making a difference in my life every day. What I have learned in the past 2 years, you can-not read about in a textbook, it is something that you can only gain through practice. I have you to thank for this life changing experience. Last April we had students from Portville submit some of their own poetry work to the America Library of Poetry contest. Four Portville students were picked to be published inthisyear“Discovered”PoetryCollection. The America Library of Poetry is pleased to present this impressive collection of student’s poetry from across the United States. Each year, they received thousands of sub-missions and publish hundreds of talented young authors, manyforthefirsttime.Itistheirhopethatthesewritersas well; as those who read their work will be encouraged in their literary pursuits. Congratulations to Grace Emley, Hannah Elizabeth Kloss, Gabi Wilson and Abigail Phillips on this wonderful accomplishment.

AmeriCorps update i will Move on

imagination, a way of Living

tired

4-Leaf Clover

By Grace Emley Ilookateveryoneandthink“Yeah,Igotachance!”

My friends and I have already started to make plans.The third day marches in.

I start to worry.When I look at the piece of paper on the wall,

And I don’t see my number.Then I feel angry, sad, let down.

I know that many of my friends made it.I will get over it.I will move on.

A few months have passed.People now say I have potential.I have grown stronger each day.

I have moved on.

By Hannah Elizabeth KlossImagination is not only something you have,

It is a way of living,making dreams come and go.

Imagination is a way of making your dreams come true That’s what imagination has done for me!

Imagination is an always will be a way of living.Imagination has made me think of what I want to do:

Sing, dance, play instruments, act.And I am doing just that.

Imagination is not only something you have, It is a way of living.

By Gabi Wilson“What’swrong?”theyask.

“Nothing,I’mjusttired.”IfeelasifIcouldexplode.Tired of being excluded. Tired of no one caring.

Tired of being hurt by others. Tired of feeling ugly.Tired of being tired. Tired of being overwhelmed.

Tired of living. Tired of feeling fat.Tiredofsadness.Tiredofallthefighting.

Tired of being mistreated. Tired of disappointment.Tired of people. Tired of feeling so empty.

Tired of being worthless. Tired of feeling sick.Tired of being weird. Tired of anxiety.

Nothing, I’m just tired.

By Abigail PhillipsI was going to meet you by train.

Years I waited by the windowpane.I knew it would be well worth it

But until that day, I did not know it.Before that day, I kept telling them I would see you.

Before that day, I kept telling them I loved you.Before that day, we were strong.

Before that day, I thought we had won.Our struggle had long been fought.

Wefightthroughtheirlies.Wekeptonfightingforwhatwasinourheartsandminds.

Your loss was so unexpected.Toloseyou,diditfinallyendit?

Never did we think it would be over.‘They’ did not defeat us, but our luck ran out of our 4-leaf clover.

I’ll say goodbye for now but I know it’s not truly over.Here I hold close to my heart, our 4-leaf clover.

12 The Portville Panther

Coaches nominate Fall Sports Athletes of the Month Each month, coaches nominate an athletethathasdonewellonthefield/court. These athletes were recognized for their hard work, dedication, and per-formance for the month during this fall sports season. For September: Football: Ben Waugh and Brett Marcellin, Boys Soccer: Ryan Thierman, Girls Soccer: Madison Clark, Volleyball: Shaina Grif-fin,Swimming:MakaylaSargent For October: Football: Curtis Caya and Justus Elliot, Boys Soccer: Cody North, Girls Soccer: Ellen Bossert, Vol-leyball: Emily Losinger, Swimming: Delaney Kalsman

Americorps Snapshots

Winter 2013-14 13

Building Project SurveyThe Board of Education and Administration would like your feedback on the proposed

Capital Improvement project that was voted down on December 10, 2013.

Do you have children that currently attend Portville Central School? Yes No

Are you a Portville Central School property taxpayer? Yes No

Were there aspects of the project that you were very supportive of and would like to see continue? (you may select more than one)

EnergyEfficiencyAspects Locker Room Renovation

Fitness Center Renovation Roofs and Water Piping

Renovate Vocational Classroom Maintenance Building Construction

Elementary Library Expansion

Were there particular aspects of the project that you were not supportive of and would like to see eliminated from the project? (you may select more than one)

EnergyEfficiencyAspects Locker Room Renovation

Fitness Center Renovation Roofs and Water Piping

Renovate Vocational Classroom Maintenance Building Construction

Elementary Library Expansion

I am against any building project at the school regardless of what is done. True False

As long as a project had no property tax increase and did not include expansion of the building, I would vote yes to a building project True False

What was the percentage of local property tax impact of the proposed project?

Comments ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Please complete and return the survey to: Coralie McMahon, Secretary to the Superintendent

Portville Central School, P.O. Box 790, Portville, NY 14770

Winter 2013-14 15

Portville Central School500 Elm Street, Po Box 790Portville, nY 14770www.portville.wnyric.org

BoARD oF EDuCAtionJames Tkacik, PresidentDaniel Wenke, Vice PresidentSteve Andrianoff, 2nd Vice PresidentGeorge NufferThomas RoweDouglas DotyBryan GeorgeChris KlocCheryl Wood

ADMiniStRAtionThomas J. Simon, Superintendent of SchoolsLawrence J. Welty, Junior-Senior High School PrincipalLynn C. Corder, Elementary School Principal

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPermit No. 30

Olean, NY 14760ECRwSS

Or Current Resident

POSTAL PATRON LOCAL

"A Community of Learners"

Portville Athletes Earn high honors at State & Local Levels (Left) At the two-day New York State Public High School Athletic As-sociation girls’ state swim meet, which was held in Ithaca College November 22-23rd, Makayla Sargent captured firstplaceinthe200IndividualMedley.Thisisthefirstindividualstatechampin the Portville history. Her time of 2:02.80 was a new personal best as well as an automatic All American time. Alongwithher1stplace,shefinished

3rdinthe100Butterfly. (Below) During the 66th annual Olean Time Herald Big 30 football testimonial, senior, Ben Waugh was selected as a Big 30 All-star for this past football season. Coach Gary Swetland was honored as the Alfred J. Bunnell/Rod Rohl Memorial Coach of the Year. The entire football squad was honored with the Leon Abbott Memorial Sports-manship Award.