Board of Education Spotlight for February 8, 2021
CNY Scholastic Art Award WinnersC.W. Baker High School
Acting Superintendent DeBarbieri and the Board of Education honored 17 C.W. Baker High School students who were awarded 24 Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mentions in the CNY Scholastic Art Awards! Great work, amazing talent!
Gold Key
Lenah Penafeather, 10th Grade, “Breathe” (Photography)
Silver Key
Madison Chetney, 12th Grade, “The Glass in a Broken Home” (Photography)
Haylee Gower, 11th Grade, “Forgotten Keepsakes” (Photography)
Chelsey Myers, 11th Grade, “Space Cows” (Digital Art)
Lenah Penafeather, 10th Grade, “Discarded Like Trash” (Photography)
Rowan Phelps, 12th Grade, “Crowded Injustice” (Sculpture)
Delaney Sheckler, 12th Grade, “Aims” (Photography)
Giovana Vazquez, 10th Grade, “Disconnected” (Photography)
Giovana Vazquez, 10th Grade, “Soul” (Photography)
Corrie Youker, 12th Grade, “Icy Hawk” (Photography)
Corrie Youker, 12th Grade, “The Wise Owl” (Photography)
Honorable Mention
Kaitlyn Coomes, 12th Grade, “Wire Tree” (Sculpture)
Margaret McClain, 12th Grade, “Monolithic Meadow” (Ceramics & Glass)
Andrew Millard, 12th Grade, “The Collector” (Film & Animation)
Lenah Penafeather, 10th Grade, “Abandoned” (Photography)
Sara O’Dell, 11th Grade, “Forever Friends” (Drawing & Illustration)
Sophia Proia, 11th Grade, “Skelly Belly” (Drawing & Illustration)
Caitlin Sacco, 11th Grade, “Powerless” (Drawing & Illustration)
Hannah Salvagni, 10th Grade, “Triple Tranquility” (Photography)
Megan VanBuren, 11th Grade, “Salem” (Ceramics & Glass)
Olivia Wafer, 10th Grade, “Peacock” (Painting)
Olivia Wafer, 10th Grade, “Tree frog” (Painting)
Corrie Youker, 12th Grade, “The Siren” (Digital Art)
Corrie Youker, 12th Grade, “Birds Eye” (Photography)
Kelly Kenna
C.W. Baker High School
Acting Superintendent DeBarbieri and the Board of Education honored Kelly Kenna, a special education teacher at C.W. Baker High School, with the Certificate of Excellence for adapting to the challenges of the pandemic with care, creativity and enthusiasm. Kelly Kenna is the 12:1:1 special class teacher at C.W. Baker High School. Kelly works with students with significant disabilities who struggle with remote learning. She has found creative ways to use assistive technologies and different materials and supplies to meet her students learning needs during these times. She couples this with having very strong family engagement with all her students to partner in ways to best support each student given their own individual needs and family circumstances. She works with her students both in-person five days a week and during classroom quarantines on remote instruction without ever missing a beat. Her students are all making great progress despite these challenges. Kelly is accepting this award on behalf of the amazing TAs who she works with at the high school.
Emma Manning
Elden Elementary School
Acting Superintendent DeBarbieri and the Board of Education honored Emma Manning, a special education teacher at Elden Elementary School, for adapting to the challenges of the pandemic with care, creativity and enthusiasm. Emma Manning is a first-year special education teacher at Elden Elementary School where she is a co-teacher in 5th grade and also supports students with disabilities on 100% remote instruction. Emma works tirelessly to create ways to engage students and support their learning needs both in-person and remotely. And she does this always with the most positive and strength-based approach. In a short time, Emma has created very strong relationships with her students, families and colleagues at Elden, and has established herself as an outstanding special education teacher in our District.
Colin Keating and Brittany O'Reilly
Baldwinsville Theaters Arts Program
Acting Superintendent DeBarbieri and the Board of Education honored Colin Keating and Brittany O’Reilly, of the Baldwinsville Theater Arts Program, for adapting to the challenges of the pandemic with creativity and enthusiasm. Despite not being able to hold traditional musicals with the Baldwinsville Theater Arts Program, Colin Keating, music teacher at C.W. Baker High School, and Brittany O’Reilly, music teacher at McNamara Elementary School, are working hard to make sure the show still goes on. Ray Middle School students performed “The Big One-OH!” as a virtual musical in January and Durgee students will perform “Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical” as an online streaming platform later this school year. Plans are in the works for Baker students. Colin and Brittany are working hard to make sure our students have the opportunity to continue to take part in the theater arts despite the many challenges they are facing.
Kimberly Way and Heather Awward
School Nurses
Durgee Junior High School
Acting Superintendent DeBarbieri and the Board of Education honored Kimberly Way and Heather Awward, the school nurses at Durgee Junior High School, for being committed to providing care and compassion to students in the District, and for rising to the occasion whenever and wherever their help is needed. Kimberly Way and Heather Awward are the school nurses at Durgee Junior High School but this school year they have stepped up to provide as much nursing consistency for the students as possible at McNamara Elementary School. There are a number of medically complex children and procedures at McNamara. Working as a team, Kimberly and Heather have been able to make sure students at Durgee and McNamara were constantly cared for even. They both have gone above and beyond in ensuring that the health office at McNamara remains as consistent as possible. We are proud of their commitment to the District, the children and to the nursing profession!
