To all,

The first month of 2012 is drawing to a close and there is much to highlight that has occurred at Weedsport which should bring our community a sense of pride. Our achievements run the gamut from interscholastic sports to education to artistic and so on. Please read on to gain a better understanding of our school district’s latest accomplishments of note.

For starters, our Weedsport Varsity Girls’ Basketball team is having a season to rival all seasons. Presently they are entrenched in first place with an undefeated record in their league and they have positioned themselves to win their first league title since 1976. That is not a typo. It has been 46 years since a Weedsport Girls’ Basketball team has secured a league title. I myself coached the girls’ varsity team for 10 years and always hoped to be in a position to win the title yet it eluded the teams I coached. I can only imagine how satisfying it is for the coaching staff and players to be close to reaching a level that few at Weedsport have accomplished. While on the subject of titles, I know that this happened a while ago but I believe it is still worth highlighting. At the annual Cayuga County Holiday Basketball Tournament Weedsport captured 3 out of the 4 possible titles and all teams combined had an overall record of 7-1. Only one other school has either matched or exceeded that title amount in the history of the tournament so we are in truly a rarified position in terms of our tournament achievement.

I have heard a great deal of positive feedback about our student newspaper publication, The Johnny Green, and I could not agree more with the assessment. As I had the opportunity to read the latest edition of the newspaper, I was amazed with the depth of thought, the variety of viewpoints, and the high interest articles that captured my attention. I will continue to savor the published editions of 2011 – 2012 and look forward to next year’s output when the a new elective course offering entitled Journalism will be linked with the production of The Johnny Green. I t is anticipated that the coursework will lead to enhancing our student’s abilities in ELA and their understanding of how a newspaper is developed as well as allowing the newspaper to evolve into a more compelling publication.

In mid-January our latest collection of scholars were inducted into Weedsport’s chapter of the National Honor Society. The high achieving sophomores and juniors who walked the stage to receive their pins and certificates commemorating their induction were welcomed into the organization by an adult within our educational system that has had a positive impact on their educational achievement at Weedsport. It is very gratifying see the number of participating staff members in attendance at the event who get to share the achievement with the honoree. To top it all off, the keynote speech was delivered by former Weedsport student Eddie Rooker who has achieved a modicum of success as a graduate of Cornell who now serves on the Ithaca City Council at the ripe age of 24! His presence and words were motivational and I hope that our inductees will be inspired by his words and deeds.

Finally, the Fine Arts Department at Weedsport initiated a new event in mid-January and titled it the Winter Art & Music Gala. This was a wonderful opportunity for K-12 students and their families to view some of our artists’ work and enjoy an evening of musical performances by groups and individuals. The overall evening, complete with refreshments, was much like what I would expect to experience if attending a coffeehouse performance. It was very causal and very cool.

These Superintendent e-Newsletters serve many purposes with the primary focus being the aforementioned – an opportunity to trumpet the finer aspects of the District. Additionally, I utilize the e-Newsletter to promote upcoming events and one such that I will bring to your attention at this point is our Community Budget Forum. Please consider attending the event scheduled for Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Weedsport Jr.-Sr. High School.

Thank you,

Shaun