ROY-HART JUNIOR ALLIE O'GRADY HAS PASSED AWAY

Alexandria "Allie" Faith O'Grady, age 17, of Gasport entered into rest on Wednesday, February 23, 2011. Born December 26, 1993 in Newfane, she was the daughter of Richard J. and Kelly S. (Isele) O'Grady.

Allie was a Junior at Roy-Hart Central Schools and had planned to continue her education at RIT. She was very active in the school being co-editor of the yearbook, member of the honor society, member of the student council and 2012 class secretary. She loved to ride horses and taught others how to ride. An avid trap shooter, she was in the Youth Trap League at Wolcottsville Sportsman Club, Hartland Conservation Club and North Forest Rod and Gun Club. She will be sadly missed by both her family and many friends.

She is survived by her loving parents, Richard and Kelly O'Grady of Gasport. Dearest sister of Lauren, Kateleen, Shawn and Richard, all of home. Granddaughter of Robert and Bonnie Isele, Richard F. O'Grady and the late Josephine O'Grady. She is also survived by several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Family and friends are invited at attend visitation at the Sherrie-Bream Funeral Home, 4521 Main Street, Gasport, on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held from Hess Road Wesleyan Church, 2514 Hess Road, Appleton, NY on Monday at 11:00 AM with Pastor Robert King officiating. Interment will be in Royalton Mountain Ridge Cemetery, Gasport, NY.

Please visit www.sherriefuneralhome.com to sign guest register.

FITNESS CENTER RE-OPENS

THE ROY-HART SPORTS BOOSTER CLUB PROUDLY ANNOUNCES

MARCH 7, 2011: THE GRAND RE-OPENING OF THE FITNESS CENTER

WHERE ...... ROY-HART HIGH SCHOOL
WHEN ….. MONDAYS THRU FRIDAYS – 3:30 – 8:30 PM
SATURDAYS – 9-11 AM

MEMBERSHIPS … 1 MONTH = $20; 3 MONTHS = $45.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SUPERVISED AT ALL TIMES. STUDENTS 14 AND OLDER - FREE (MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT-MEMBER).

For information, please email bostonrick123@yahoo.com

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT ALL ROY-HART SPORTS AND STUDENT ATHLETES.

MIRACLE FOR SARA

This Saturday, February 26th from 5:00 to 9:00, the Hartland Bible Church will be hosting "Miracle For Sara" a fundraiser for the daughter of Steve and Grace Smider.

Sara has dedicated herself to serving others in Romania and recently incurred some significant medical expenses overseas. On February 10th she had surgery in Bucharest where they removed tumors and treated an infection. The proceeds from this event will help cover some of the medical costs.

There will be a spaghetti dinner and Chinese auction as well as music by Susie O'Conner, Jennifer Cusson, and Root 98.

Tickets are $15 at the door.

The HBC is located at 8110 West Ave. and their website is: http://www.hartlandbible.com/

LET'S GET OBAMA TO SPEAK TO ROY-HART GRADS!

This Friday is the deadline of the White House's contest that high school students can enter in hopes of having President Obama deliver their commencement address.

The White House website says...

Applications are open for the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge! The Commencement Challenge invites public high schools across the country to demonstrate how their school best prepares them for college and a career, helping America win the future by out-educating our competitors and achieving President Obama’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

The application includes essay questions and statistical information that illustrate how schools are promoting college and career readiness for all students while establishing a culture of student success and academic excellence. Applications must be submitted by Friday, February 25th at 11:59 pm EST. The winning school will host President Obama as their 2011 commencement speaker.

For complete info and an application, go here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/commencement

WIVB TV NEWS REPORT ABOUT THE SHOOTING

Dispute between twin brothers ends in bloodshed: wivb.com

ROYALTON TEEN SHOOTS TWIN

The Lockport Union Sun and Journal is reporting on a shooting in town...

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office — under the direction of Capt. Kristen Neubauer — is investigating the motive of a shooting Monday afternoon that left a 15-year-old injured.

A report said the Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call around 1:53 p.m. about a shooting at 7056 Riddle Road. Neubauer said one teen shot his twin brother in the hip, after an altercation, with a .20 gauge birdshot, owned by another family member.

Read the entire article (with details about the arrest) here:

http://lockportjournal.com/local/x62851884/Teen-allegedly-shoots-twin

ROY-HART'S MIXED REGENTS RESULTS

Earlier this week the NY Education Department released the results of the 2009-2010 Regents Exams for all districts state-wide.

How did Roy-Hart perform?

The first number represents the percentage of test takers who received a passing grade (a grade of 65 and higher). The second number represents those who excelled (85 and higher).

Middle School Tests
Earth Science - 100 - 62
Algebra - 100 - 27

Senior High Tests
Spanish - 98 - 59
English - 96 - 26
Living environment - 92 - 40
Physics - 90 - 35
Algebra - 88 - 17
US History - 87 - 31
Global History - 78 - 23
Chemistry - 74 - 11
Earth science - 71 - 29
Geometry - 66 - 8
Algebra/Trig - 58 - 15
Math - 25 - 0

In a nutshell, Roy-Hart students do well in knowing non-math subjects, yet only fairly master that subject matter.

Mathematically, Roy-Hart students are major under-performers. State officials believe that students need to score at least 80 on high school math exams to be on a path to earn at least a C in those subjects in college.

MRS. RAMMING HAS PASSED AWAY

An attentive reader of this blog caught this obituary in the Lockport paper. Even though the obit does not say so, this is the Mrs. Ramming who taught at Gasport Elementary...


Kathryn A. (nee McCague) Ramming, of East Amherst, NY, February 17, 2011. Beloved wife of Thomas M. Ramming; dearest mother of Julie A. Ramming; daughter of Florence (Grabowski) and the late John J. McCague; sister of Margaret (Robert) Gorton, John J. Jr. (Ann), Kevin (Sharon) McCague and Nancy (Gregory) Humphrey; daughter-in-law of Clare “Butch” Ramming and dear friend of Bernice Ideus.

No prior visitation. Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at St. Mary’s Church (Swormville), Tuesday morning at 10. In lieu of flowers, memorials to St. Mary’s Church (Swormville) or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Kate loved the beaches, especially on Hilton Head, and the Buffalo Sabres, where she was a season ticket holder for the last 29 years.

Arrangements by ERIE COUNTY CREMATION SERVICE, 834-6435.

Sign the guest register here:

http://lockportjournal.com/obituaries/x460149479/Kathryn-A-Ramming

ROY-HART'S RESERVE FUNDS

The School Zone blog at the Buffalo News' website featured a story about school districts' reserve funds:

During state budget hearings in Albany on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy echoed the same theme we've been hearing from the governor: the schools should be able to absorb the proposed state aid cuts without feeling the pinch.

Among other things, Duffy again pointed to the millions that school districts have in reserve funds. By the most recent estimates available, from the end of the last fiscal year in June, that totals $1.5 billion statewide.

The governor's office says it's time for school districts to tap into those reserves to cover budget shortfalls. School officials say that's not what the reserves are for -- and add that if they use up the reserves this year, they'll have nothing left next year, when that property tax cap is expected to take effect.

Cuomo's office has released a list detailing how much each suburban district had in reserve, as of June 30. Keep in mind that a district may have spent down its reserves since then.

The article noted that Roy-Hart had at the time $890,000 or 4% of its budget in reserves. It was the second lowest dollar amount in Niagara County, just behind Barker.

Check out how all the schools rank here:

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/school_zone/

TONYA'S BENEFIT THIS SATURDAY

This Saturday, February 19th from 4:00 to 10:00 at the Hartland Fire Hall there will be a fundraiser for family of Tonya Scarborough, who lost her third battle with cancer on Jan. 23, 2011. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Roswell Park. There will be a spaghetti dinner from 4-6 PM, live music, a basket raffle, and a bake sale.

CANAL CORPORATION HEAD RESIGNS

Canal communities like Gasport must have solid working relationships with the Canal Authority for the preservation and betterment of existing facilities, equipment and attractions. A lot of canalside communities were impressed with its director Carmella Mantello. It was announced just over a week ago that she's stepping down. Here's what the Saratogian newspaper says about her replacement:

As Schenectady loses a mayor to the state’s Canal Corp., the woman he is replacing in the position could possibly become the new mayor of Troy.

Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton will be recommended as the new director of the state’s Canal Corp., according to a state press release.

The current director and Troy resident Carmella Mantello is helping him during the transition, she said. And even though the Collar City has been abuzz with rumors of her possible run for mayor, she did not substantiate that possibility.

Mantello has served as director of the state’s Canal Corp. since May 2005. In 1999, she campaigned to become Troy’s mayor but lost to Mark Pattison. She is also a former member of the Troy City Council.

Stratton was elected mayor of Schenectady in 2004. He represented District 2 in the Schenectady County Legislature for two years and was a Schenectady City Council member at-large from 1992 to 2002, officials said.

He served as the economic development and small business liaison to the state Senate minority leader from 2000 to 2003. He worked at Empire State Development in the Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research for 13 years. After graduating from SUNY Oswego, he began his career at General Electric in 1981 where he worked in the cable television and broadcasting department in Schenectady and later moved to the corporate government relations department in Washington, D.C.

“The choice of Mayor Stratton as director of the Canal Corporation is an excellent one,” said Thomas Grasso, president of the Canal Society. “He is a well-respected community leader and strong supporter of New York state’s storied waterway. Therefore, to have a man of his stature and leadership abilities in this role bodes well for the future of the canal, and I am very confident he will robustly advance the goals and objectives of our magnificent canal system not only for the betterment of the canal system and the state, but for the people of New York as well.”

Read the entire article here:

http://saratogian.com/articles/2011/02/09/news/doc4d535deebdaba943463618.txt

100 MILE RUN TO PASS THROUGH GASPORT THIS WEEKEND

Resurrection Racing will be the host for the Winter Beast of Burden on Feb. 12 to benefit the Army National Guard's Family Readiness Group, organizer Sam Pasceri announced.

The endurance race is an ultra-distance run that takes place on the historic Erie Canal towpath. It begins at 10 a.m. at the Widewaters Marina.

The FRG is an organization that helps the soldiers and families during all phases of deployment. Its members volunteer to help each other out with many different tasks.

Pasceri, the owner of Resurrection Races, said, “This year I'll be testing out a new category that will soon be offered at our Summer Beast of Burden race. The Elite category is geared towards the armed forces. Our goal is to bring the armed forces together to go toe-to-toe with one another while raising money for other charities and organizations.”

Lockport National Guard will be deploying again this fall for another 12 months, Pasceri said.

“I'll do my part for the FRG by trying to run as far as I can while wearing military boots, BDU's (battle dress uniform) and lugging a 45-pound military rucksack,” Pasceri said. “My ultimate goal is to complete a minimum of 25 miles.”

The race will follow the same path that it did last year, making it's way through Gasport on a 25-mile path that is done 4 times over a 24 hour period.

So, don't be startled by folks running the towpath this weekend...appreciate their athleticism!

This is a huge event. It will bring 56 runners to town (plus there 1 to 2 person support teams). They are coming from all across the US and Canada and even as far away as Brazil!

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Here are some crucial links:

Pledge Page: https://sites.google.com/site/sampasceri/FRG-Pledge

Beast of Burden website: http://winter100.com/


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Sam would like to thank the sponsors of this event, without them the event would not be possible:

LocalEdge - Title Sponsor
Wittlan, Cain & Dry LLP - Presenting Sponsor
Executive Landscaping
Lockport Athletic & Fitness
Papa Leo's
Niagara Produce
J. Fitzgerald Group
Little Debbie Snacks
Road I.D.
Lockport Inn & Suites
Hammer Nutrition
P. Andrew Vona Esq.
Zombie Runner

STATE OF THE DISTRICT MEETING

The following message from the Sports Boosters highlights what's in the works for this week's school board meeting...

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10 @ 7 PM IN THE HIGH SCHOOL AUD -- BOE MEETING

Included on the agenda will be a presentation of the current state of affairs as might be reflected in the up-coming school budget. We will have a look at programs cut from the current budget, including Sports. Will cuts continue? Can funds be "distributed" in such a manner as to perhaps restore programs? Can further losses be prevented? What funds can our district expect, at present time, from NY State?

RECAP OF WINTERFEST

Sunday's newspaper featured a story about Winterfest...

Wendy Bacon had her hands full with four daughters at the bounce house Saturday during the Royalton-Hartland Winterfest and came away smiling.

“The kids are having a blast,” said Bacon as she bundled up the 6-year-old twins and a pair of toddlers at the Royalton-Hartland Elementary School gym. There was Idealina, Patience, Corliss and Josephine.

“It sounded like a good time in the community,” said the mom who teaches at the middle school. “We figured we’d come and check it out. It’s been a wonderful experience for the girls.”

Read the entire article online...

http://lockportjournal.com/local/x150254015/Winterfest-fun

CIVIL WAR PHOTO IN ONLINE AUCTION

I saw something online that may interest people who collect Gasport history or have lineage to Sylvanus Wilcox. An online auction house is attempting to sell a photo and note regarding the Civil War captain who hailed from our hamlet.

Check it out here: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/8572416

ROY-HART WINS WKSE CONTEST

The students and families of the Royalton-Hartland School District were motivated to win WKSE's (Kiss 98.5 FM) School Spirit contest in memory of Meghan Redenbach.

They won...and boy, did they ever!

Here's the item from WKSE's website:

Congratulations to all schools that participated in Kiss 98.5's School Spirit 2011, to benefit Women and Children's Hospital. The top 3 schools will get their choice of a concert from BC Jean, Auburn, or The Ready Set. This final Top 10 Countdown is brought to you by ECC:

10. North Tonawanda Middle School

9. Kenmore West High School

8. Transit Middle

7. North Park Middle

6. Sweet Home Middle

5. Amherst Middle School

4. Pioneer High School

3. Attica Middle School
Raised $4,507.69

2. Edward Town Middle School
Raised $5,808.42

1. Roy Hart High School
Raised $11,227.22

Congratulations to Roy Hart High School, Edward Town Middle School, and Attica Middle School for winning a concert! And thanks to all schools for your efforts!

Total amount raised during Kiss 98.5's School Spirit 2011 for Women & Children's Hospital: $26,950.57!

WINTERFEST

Just a friendly reminder...

Winterfest is tomorrow. For details visit the Winterfest website:

http://www.royhartwinterfest.com/

CONSERVATION & GREEN SPACE IN ROYALTON

I was recently selected to participate in the conservation & green space committee of the Town of Royalton's planning board. It's my duty to share concerns about our wild spaces, and help the board find that balance between environmentalism, property rights, and economic development when it comes to achieving the community's goals in the initiation of its comprehensive plan and the development of its zoning ordinance.

I'm pretty versed in my understanding of Royalton's green space and flora & fauna, but even so, I need your help for two reasons. One, I don't know everything (although sometimes in my newspaper columns I act like I do). And, two, endeavors like this work best with community input.

Consider me your conduit for environmental concerns for our town. Let me know about certain green space and conservation issues and I will be sure to share your thoughts with the committee.

Your best bet is to contact me via email. My address is: bobconfer@juno.com

CUOMO'S BUDGET & ROY-HART

Yesterday Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his budget for 2011-2012. It calls for a $1.5 billion cut in educational funding.

What does that mean for Roy-Hart?

A $894,707 decrease in state funding, dropping to roughly $11.4 million in total state aid for 2011-12.

NO SCHOOL!

The Royalton-Hartland school district is closed Wednesday due to the winter storm.

SNOWMOBILING NEEDS TOWN APPROVAL

Some folks read only what they wanted to in the last post about snowmobiling and failed to notice one key component of the law...

Snowmobile clubs must obtain a resolution of support from the municipality where the Canalway Trail is located before applying for a permit from the Canal Corporation. A municipality has the option to continue the prohibition along its stretch of the trail. The regulations apply to lands under the jurisdiction of the Canal Corporation.

That said, a local club must pursue this matter with the town of Royalton if anyone hopes to take their snow machine on the towpath.

Realize, too, that you may not have a continuous path, either. When last this came up (January of 2009), Middleport was dead set against it:

Middleport Mayor Julie Maedl said Wednesday that she opposes the idea, although her board hasn’t voted on it, and the director of New York State Canal Corp. said that all municipalities along a route must support it.

Maedl said Middleport rejected a snowmobile trail plan along the canal 10 years ago. “There are people walking on that canal bank yearround,” she said. Maedl also said that it might set a precedent for all-terrain vehicles on the towpath, which she opposes. Maedl, who lives right along the canal, said that before she got cable television, there used to be so many snowmobilers that they would create interference with TV reception, and they would park all over the sidewalks heading to Middleport’s bars. She said the trail “is not policed the way it ought to be.”

Read the coverage about that -- and the Canal Authority's pilot program -- here:

http://gasportnewyork.blogspot.com/2009/01/legal-snowmobiling-on-towpath-may-be-in.html