Cal-Mum Chronicle

Tuesday, January 23…3:15 pm…elementary school is done for the day, buses have pulled out, hallways are…quiet? Wait a minute, upstairs and down, corridors are lined with backpacks and boots and excited voices spill out of classrooms. What’s going on? Let’s take a peek…

First stop, VR Club! Teachers Ashley Cornwell (Gr. 3) and Kasey Rogers (Gr. 1) outfitted 19 third graders with virtual reality headsets so that they could visit the solar system. The students were first treated to a simulation that allowed them to stroll among the planets, viewing their relative sizes and relationship to the sun. Next a movie featuring an animation of a lunar rover landing on the moon left them gasping with excitement as the spacecraft descended among the craters. Between views, students answered “candy questions” and earned a sweet reward as they described what they’ve learned.

In a quick change of pace, students squirmed and squealed as they experienced the thrills and chills of a roller coaster ride. Mrs. Cornwell commented, “This is a chance for our students to travel outside the bubble of Caledonia and experience things they might never have a chance to see otherwise. Last year we traveled all the way to New Caledonia to study shark life.” (New Caledonia is an island in the south Pacific, 750 miles east of Australia.)

Next stop, Creativity Club in the second grade hallway. Kindergarten students in Karly Yarwood’s second grade classroom were 100% hands-on, engrossed in creating Play Doh patterns, assembling plastic tubes, and constructing Lego trucks. Not only problem solving and fine motor skill development were on display, but also heartwarming cooperation lessons were being learned with student comments such as, “I thought you needed help” and “That won’t work, let me show you something” (while brandishing a plastic screwdriver).

Downstairs, the main hallway conference room was abuzz with activity as 36 second graders crowded around large round tables covered with cardboard scraps, straw, string, and markers. Welcome to STEAM Club! (The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.) One of the students enthusiastically commented, “I heard we’d be making a superhero robot arm so I definitely wanted to come.” As the group created their robotic arms with loops to fit on their fingers and tendons fashioned from string, they were assisted by teachers Michelle Langschwager, Kyle Leonard, Rita Merlo, and Genesee Valley BOCES specialist Emilee Williamson. Mrs. Merlo commented, “Emilee is here to guide us in our projects through the ReadyFor BOCES program. We’re very lucky to have funding in our budget to be able to access this.” ReadyFor is designed to build students’ confidence and competence to become leaders in our evolving technological world.

January 23 was just a one-day snapshot of the robust offering of clubs that keep the elementary building alive after school, as children pursue interests from art to science to reading. Elementary Principal Michele Meyer commented, “The clubs are organic and vary from year to year. Teachers see a need and act on it. For example, Trish is starting Little Scientists for first graders to give them some of the same opportunities that our older students have.” First grade teacher Trish McMullen explained, “Patty (second grade teacher Patty Wade) and I loved teaching Science Camp over the summer in our early days of teaching and we wanted to bring those opportunities back to the kids. Our theme is going to be winter. The kiddos will participate in winter-themed experiments and activities including snow volcanoes, making a snow storm in a jar. snow dough, a polar bear den, and bird feeders.” Little Scientists Club meetings will start at the end of January.

Other elementary extracurricular clubs include perennial favorites Chess Club, PageTurners, and Ukulele Club, as well as Art Club which starts up in February. The sessions will be center-based and give students the opportunity to choose the medium (for example, painting, air-dry clay, drawing) they want to work in for the one-hour timeframe. Art teacher Heather Cassidy-Schaffer explains, “Each grade level will have three sessions. We’re starting with K/1, then grades 2 and 3, and finishing with grades 4 and 5. We will be able to accommodate 24 students per session.”

Mrs. Meyer reflects in closing, “Our participation level is incredible…usually more than half the grade level wants to participate in any opportunity offered. We don’t have enough time in the school year to fit them all in!”

This past month has been an exciting one for Coach Paul “Chip” Day and his Cal-Mum varsity wrestlers, filled with individual and team milestones.

• December 28: Garret Thompson wins the 100th match of his six-year varsity career.

• January 13: Cal-Mum Dual Match. Team goes 5-0 and Anthony Leach wins Most Outstanding Wrestler Award

• January 16: Congratulations to Senior Night honorees Chad “CJ” Clemons, Anthony Leach, Damon Linzy, Austin Pittman, and Garret Thompson.

• January 16: Team wins second straight LCAA D2 League Championship with an undefeated league record.

• January 20: Coach Day was named the 2024 Livingston County Athletic Association Wrestling Coach of the Year.

• January 20: CJ Clemons received the prestigious Trevor Regan Memorial Award, after being nominated by Coach Day. The honor is presented annually to an LCAA wrestler who has persevered a successful athlete, student, and citizen.

• January 20: Cal-Mum finishes third at LCAA championships with six wrestlers on the podium.

Don’t miss our in-depth profile next month on how Cal-Mum alumnus and Coach of the Year Chip Day has grown our wrestling program!

After several years without the alumni panel, Principal Rebekah Chenaille reinstated the program and sent out a call to any former students who had graduated within the past five years. On January 3, fifteen alumni met with the senior class, sharing the challenges and successes they have encountered during life after high school.

Senior Brooke Van Dyne enjoyed the event, saying, "It opened my eyes to how college is going to be. I will look back at this meeting if I'm ever struggling in college and remember what all of our alumni said." Presenters also enjoyed the opportunity to share their wisdom. Class of 2022 graduate Montgomery "Monty" Kessler explained, "The kids were very interested in what the biggest difference was going from high school to college. My response felt a little harsh but it's very true, especially leaving a small town. I told them that they were going to go from being a somebody to a nobody, which sounds scary but allows you to find out who you truly are." Monty recently left her college and emphasized to the seniors how important it was to look at multiple schools rather than immediately choosing one for a particular sport or program.

Following the presentation, the panel was treated to a luncheon with faculty members, allowing them time to reconnect and catch up.

Six senior Spanish V students, taught by high school Spanish teacher Aminta Romaguera, will earn the prestigious New York State Seal of Biliteracy this year. They are (L to R above) Donald Peet, Oliver Johnson, Lorenzo Martelle, Mrs. Romaguera, Braeden Fonte, Isabella Cochran, and Madelyn Brogan. The award was established by the state legislature in 2012 and first awarded to New York students in the 2015-2016 academic year. It recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages, in addition to English.

Mrs. Romaguera comments, “The seal benefits students by demonstrating that they are able to communicate with people from other cultures. Not everyone is fully bilingual, but this shows that you can express yourself well in Spanish, using language to make a connection to the rest of the world.”

Successful candidates earn three points in English and three points in each world language from a points matrix, which includes course grades, national and state exams, transcripts, and culminating projects. Common ways to complete the English proficiency requirement are by earning a 3 or above on the AP English exam or by making an oral presentation. For the Spanish portion, students must score an 85 or above in Spanish IV and V, and present a culminating project in Spanish before a panel. This year’s panel consisted of Mrs. Romaguera, middle school Spanish teacher Sarah Sheffield, principal Rebecca Chenaille, senior high guidance counselor Sarah Curran, English teacher Paul Meloon, and school librarian Elizabeth Barbour. Mrs. Romaguera explains, “There are requirements for who’s on the panel. You need at least two Spanish speakers, an English teacher, and an administrator. The panel is important because, even though members can’t understand everything that’s being said, they can watch how students express themselves and see how comfortable they are using a second language.”

The Spanish V students began work on their projects by researching issues in Spanish-speaking countries. Senior Lorenzo Martelle chose present information on the issue of racism in Peru. “I found an article online and thought this was an interesting topic. Here in the US we are very familiar with the topic of racism, but it hadn’t occurred to me that it was also an issuel in other countries.” He described the presentation day as “nerve wracking” but added that he was very happy to be recognized for proficiency in a second language, feeling it would be very useful in the job market.

Another recipient, senior Oliver Johnson, presented on poverty in Mexico. During his research he discovered that the level of poverty had actually improved in recent decades due to Mexican government programs designed to make more jobs available. Oliver enjoyed the content of Spanish V class in general. “The readings we use are all about real-life issues in other countries. The class does a good job making us aware of problems in Spanish-speaking parts of the world.” He added, “This process helped me with my presentation skills in general. I think being proficient in Spanish will be useful as I pursue a career in the future, hopefully in finance or the business world.”

At the end of the school year, the six students will receive a Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma and will also be awarded a medallion to wear at the graduation ceremony. Felicitaciones a todos! (Congratulations to all!)

The fourth grade Career Day is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, from 1 to 3 pm. Speakers will be discussing their careers with students and answering questions. Elementary Principal Michele Meyer comments, “We’d like to invite our Cal-Mum alumni to participate in this very special day. Please consider sharing your story with our students.” Interested participants may call the elementary office at 538-3481 for more information and to sign up.

Seniors Samantha Johnson and Ava Siegel recently had their work selected for display in Rochester Institute of Technology's student art exhibition. The opening reception was on Friday, January 19, and the show runs through Friday, February 2, at the Bevier Gallery in RIT’s College of Art and Design.

Both girls were students in Vicki McArdle’s AP Studio Art class. Mrs. McArdle commented, “It has been a pleasure working with Sammie and Ava throughout the first semester. Their submissions to RIT were works created for their AP portfolios. I am very proud of both of them!” As part of the AP requirements, Ava and Sammie will each submit a body of work to the College Board in May, showing evidence of experimentation, revision, and investigation of a personal inquiry they have chosen to explore through creating their artwork.

• Fifth and sixth graders Jonathan Benedict, Ella Brockenshire, Avery Grattan, Lyla Hillman, Kennedy Hopkins, Lena Meyer, Kenzie Nichols, Josalyn Patanella, Rozlyn Streb, and Jacob Wildey were chosen to perform at the All County 1 Elementary Band Festival.

• The cast and crew of 60+ middle school students, directed by librarian Liz Barbour and ELA teacher Tessie Schoff, presented two amazing performances of the middle school play, “It’s a Madhouse!” to enthusiastic audiences.

• High school writers Attila Balasi, Jovee Barrett, Phoenix Barrett, Peyton Clement, and Madilyn Offen had their writing selected for inclusion in a young writers’ anthology.

• Elementary school chess players Duncan McNear, Maxwell Yanik, Nehemiah Greenlaw, and Coletyn Smith won awards at the BOCES regional chess tournament.

• Senior Gia McCowan won the Section V Student-Athlete Scholarship for Fall Game Day Cheerleading.

• Team ICE Cube, made up of high school students Ava Amorese, Bella Pillittere, and Lily Clement, finished second in the Interscholastic Competition in English (ICE) at SUNY Geneseo.

Congrats to Cal-Mum Varsity Cheerleading on a great performance at Canandaigua's NYS Cheer Spectacular last weekend. The squad earned its second 1st place finish of the month. Cal-Mum will be hosting the LCAA Winter Cheer Championships on Friday, February 9, and our Raiders are scheduled to compete around 7:26 pm--they'd love your support in the stands!

Mark your calendar for these upcoming February events:

• February 2: Middle/high school report cards viewable in SchoolTool.

• February 3: Elementary Sweetheart Dance 5:00-6:30 PM

• February 13: School Board Meeting on budget. 6:00 PM M/HS Chorus Room

• February 19-23: Winter Recess.NO SCHOOL this week.
  

• February 27: School Board Meeting on budget. 6:00 PM M/HS Chorusl Room

• February 28: Senior Trip Parent Meeting 7:00-8:00 PM

Cal-Mum is hiring! Do you or anyone you know sound like a good fit for the Raider community? Click the maroon bar below to apply or share the link https://cal-mum.recruitfront.com/JobOpportunities with a friend!