SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE

Salutations Attica,

I would like to share with you how much I have appreciated my time in Attica. It has been my high privilege to serve your children as the Interim High School Principal since the middle of October.

After ending 39 years in education, with my final stop being that of a superintendent of schools, I was a bit nervous about the idea of moving into the High School Principal’s role and interacting daily with students and staff. After all, it had been nine years since I was a high school principal.

To my delight, I have found it to be as rewarding an experience as it was when I was a high school principal many years ago. Attica students are every bit as engaging as any students I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with. They are bright, energetic, well mannered and respectful. They generally go about their day getting along with each other and they want to be successful in all that they do. To their credit they have accepted me as their principal for the year with grace and a positive attitude and I thank them for that.

The faculty and staff are really excellent. Your children are in good hands. This faculty invests themselves into our students. They build connections and respectful relationships while doing their best to help students learn how to think, rather than what to think. I have found each teacher to be an expert within their content area. By building relationships with students they have come to understand what learning methods work best for your child because they understand your child’s learning style. This is the best approach to students mastering concepts that will enable them to be successful in the future. The staff too, have accepted me with good grace and worked with me to enhance the school culture so students are successful. I want to thank them for their dedication and commitment to our students.

As I work on my exit plan, the District will welcome Mr. Michael Jansma to the position. He will begin his tenure as the next High School Principal of Attica on June 16th. He and I will have two weeks to transition me out of the chair and him into his new role.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me in my position as the Interim High School Principal. The students, the staff, the Board of Education, the Administration, and the community have blessed me with the tremendous opportunity to continue to be part of something truly wonderful and incredibly important; working to help students be successful.

Students in Ms. Koepsell’s Health class had the opportunity to mimic some effects that alcohol and other substances have on the body by utilizing the Fatal Vision Goggles. Luke Mest volunteered to discover that walking a straight line while “intoxicated” wasn’t as easy as he thought. While his classmates Owen Walek, Blake Kines, and Mason Jackson spotted him (for safety reasons), Luke demonstrated the difficulties an intoxicated individual may experience when completing a few field sobriety tests.

Although this is a comical activity to watch, the seriousness of the situation is also stressed. Scenarios are discussed involving individual, family, and community consequences for people who make poor decisions while under the influence.

Five of our exceptional high school students took their environmental knowledge to the next

level last week as they competed in the New York State Envirothon at SUNY Cortland.

Representing Wyoming County after securing top honors at the local level, the team faced off

against the best young environmentalists from across the state in a challenge that tested both

expertise and communication skills.

The Envirothon, a hands-on, outdoor academic competition, brings together teams of high

school students to test their knowledge in five key areas: forestry, aquatic ecology, wildlife

identification, agronomy (soils and land use), and a current environmental issue.

Unlike the county-level competition, the state Envirothon required teams to develop and deliver

a 10-minute oral presentation based on a real-world environmental scenario. The challenge: to

design a master plan that enhances legislation and public policy to improve forest resilience in

New York’s Adirondack Park, one of the most ecologically significant and politically protected

regions in the state.

In the field portion of the competition, students rotated through five outdoor testing stations.

They identified animal tracks, evaluated water quality, examined soil profiles, and worked in a

collaborative setting.

While the team did not take home the top trophy, they worked well together and the experience

they gained was invaluable. They also got a taste of college life by staying in the dorms and

trying dining hall food!

Family ID will be open for fall sports on July 18? The first day of practices for JV and Varsity sports is August 18, and modified football starts August 18. The rest of the modified sports start September 3.

I wanted to provide an update about the FFA's trip to the 100th Annual NY FFA Convention at the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY. Twenty students travelled to compete in a variety of competitions. With over 3,000 FFA members in attendance, there was some tough competition. Here are the highlights:

Our Senior Quiz Bowl Team took home a 3rd place win. Their knowledge of Ag trivia led them to this victory.

Our Maple Production Team won 2nd place. Tanner Day placed 4th place individually, and Will King placed 3rd individually.

New to the Attica Chapter this year was Forestry! Dylan Mirrione placed 3rd! They are already talking about studying for next year’s competition.

Competing in the only solo event was Addie Day, who placed 3rd for Jr. Creed Speaking. This is no easy task— congratulations Addie!

Other competitions our students participated in were Jr. Tool Identification, and Jr. Quiz Bowl. All of our students represented the district proudly.

Another special achievement was Evelyn King getting selected for an FFA jacket of her own. Congratulations Evie!

Agriculture is such an important part of our community, and we’re thankful for the decision to re-charter Attica’s FFA Chapter in 2017. At this year’s convention it was announced that our program was in the top 10 for membership growth. We’re happy to celebrate 100 years of New York FFA, and thrilled with the direction of our program!

Health Office Reminders

1. Medication Pick-Up:
If your child has medications stored in the nurse’s office, please remember to pick them up before the last day of school. Any medications left behind will be properly disposed of per school policy. Last day of high school classes is Thursday, June 12th, followed by 2 weeks of local and regents exams.

2. Health Forms for Next Year:

• Updated physicals and immunization records: All 9th and 11th graders will need to have a current physical on file for the school year. As well as any student participating in sports.

• Incoming seniors will need to have their second dose of meningococcal vaccine prior to starting school in September. Please check with your primary physician if your student is up to date.

• Medication authorization forms must be completed EACH YEAR for students needing medication during school hours. Medical notes, medication orders, PE excuses DO NOT CARRY OVER TO THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.

Have a fun, relaxing, and healthy summer!

Students in Mrs. Crowley's AP Calculus class have had the opportunity to talk about life after high school with some recent guest speakers. Earlier this year students discussed the field of interest they plan to pursue after graduation. Based on those fields of interest, guest speakers have been brought in to talk about everything from their career and educational path to things they wished they knew when they were graduating. So far, the speakers have all been Attica alumni! They include: Nichole Bolles (Physical Therapist), Melissa Helak (Nurse), Kimberly Harding (Labor and Employment Lawyer), and Olivia Barren (Nurse Manager of Maternity). The class is looking forward to several other speakers, as well, in the fields of Pharmacy, Medical Research and Software Engineering.

The 2024-2025 is about to come to a close and we are extremely grateful for a successful year!

Year in Review:

September: GLOW With Your Hand: Trades, Healthy Body Workshop for Athletes and parents, Rochester Area College Fair, Freshman Classroom visits

October: Senior presentations on scholarships, preparing for next steps, upcoming year, etc., Open House, PSAT, Golisano School of Business visit, FInancial Aid presentations,

November: Financial Aid Night for Senior Parents, BOCES Field Trip for Sophomores

December: Lunch n' Learn: Alumni Panel

January: BOCES Shadow Days

February: BOCES Shadow Days continued, Graduating Seniors Job Fair, FAFSA 1 on 1s, ASVAB

March: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), GLOW With Your Hands: Medical, Job and Community Fair, 2025 Buffalo National College Fair, Health Academy Visits

April: Lunch n' Learn: Auto Body, GCC Instant Admit/Promise Plus registration

May: Senior Decision Day, Lunch n' Learn: Law Enforcement, SEL presentations in classrooms

7 Tips to Boost Your Mental Health Over Summer:

1) Establish new routines

2) Get outside

3) Plan a getaway or daycation

4) Stay active

5) Maintain a healthy sleep schedule

6) Stay hydrated and eat healthy

7) Try not to compare your summer plans to other's plans.

Over the past weeks, sophomores in Mr. Mullin’s room have been reading the novel Speak. Over the course of this text, students come face to face with difficult topics such as bullying and assault. This has opened avenues for the class to have meaningful and engaging conversation about these difficult topics and to analyze when and where we have seen these played out in our lifetimes. Through these conversations, as well as through the conclusion of the novel which I will not spoil, students are made aware of the dangers that bullying can pose not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically as well.

So, as a means of combating these dangerous outcomes, students were tasked with creating presentations that demonized bullying in all its forms. These presentations tasked students with researching causes of bullying, its effects, as well as assessing what schools, media, and community are doing to combat these trends in society. Through these presentations, it was clear that students understood the importance of the work they were doing and displayed empathy throughout, a skill that we must continue to be intentional in teaching.