School Board honors teachers, community members

Teachers – both past and present – were among those honored for their service to the school community by the Warwick Valley Central School District board at its regular meeting on June 1.

Nearly two dozen educators – whose time in the classroom ranged from seven years to over 30 years – were recognized by Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Leach, who hailed the honorees’ “countless contributions...to our students, families, and community.”

The following educators became district retirees in 2022-2023. Their years of service are listed parenthetically:

Jane Daly (12 years); Mary Dolan (19 years); Creslyn Driscoll (15 years) Herman Eurich (19 years); Lena Fahringer (30 years); Gia Gravelle (31 years); Donna Hagedorn (7 years); Mary Kalmanowitz (11 years); Augie Malillo (16 years); Terry McLoughlin (13 years); Jean McPherson (10 years); Lorraine Negron (24 years); Danielle Nicoletti (15 years); Joyce Paterno (32 years); Susan Perez (21 years); Karen Gray-Plaisted (21 years); Darlene Quinn (19 years); Beverley Rice (33 years); Claire Reilly (23 years); Lorraine Schmid (24 years); and Jennifer Thurston (15 years).

Christina L. Galow; Amanda C. Knowles; Katherine D. Johnson; Stacey L. Browne; Brianna L. Murphy; Jereme I. Safier; Danielle L. DeStaso; and Elizabeth M. Sullivan were awarded tenure by the district. They were honored in a video presentation making special mention of each awardee’s particular contributions leading to their tenure.

Community service honors

“Exceptional” PTA volunteers Lauren Payne of Sanfordville Elementary, Christy Brown representing Park Avenue Elementary, Lisa Lupkovich of the middle school, and Meredith Rother of the high school received the annual Shining Star award and were recognized for their contributions.

Jenna Price was this year’s recipient of the Jodi Denmead Outstanding Volunteer award, which is given to a parent “who exhibits the caring and dedication exemplified by the late Jodi Denmead.” Price is currently the director of Backpack Snack Attack, an outreach program that helps feed hungry students in the Town of Warwick.

The BOE also recognized student board member and graduating senior Elizabeth Roberts, who will be attending Howard University in the fall.

News about newspapers

School board president Keith Parsons said that the board has received emails from the community regarding the district’s official newspapers – currently, “The Warwick Valley Dispatch” and the “Times Herald-Record.” Parsons noted that some residents have asked about “The Warwick Advertiser” being reinstated as an official paper for the district.

This issue pertains to notices that the district places in the newspapers, regarding school board elections, budget votes, public meetings, requests for vendors’ bids, and more.

According to district counsel’s advice last year, “The Advertiser” didn’t meet the criteria to continue being an official district newspaper, although it had been for a number of years previously.

“Our attorney researched it, and [”The Advertiser”] meets the criteria, based on how long [publisher Straus News] has been in business,” Leach said, adding that there was also the matter of the paper being “grandfathered in.”

Board member Bill Fanos asked about the cost to reinstate the publication.

“It would likely be a cost savings, as “The Advertiser” is cheaper than “The Record,” Parsons said.

“The district has to by law use at least two papers to post these notices,” Leach said. “There were years we used all the papers, including ‘The Chronicle’ [the sister publication of “The Advertiser”]. We’ve had correspondence indicating people are unhappy with ‘The Dispatch.’”

Leach added that the district has met with the paper’s publisher, Jeanne Straus. “’The Warwick Advertiser’ [is] a viable option,” he said.

Board member Bill Fanos said he thinks it is worth it to use local newspapers to get district news out to the community.

Davis, on the other hand, said that newspapers are “kind of outdated” as a means of getting word out. Parsons agreed, indicating that newspapers are antiquated.

For his part, Leach said that although many parents may get district information and news from social media, the district still has a legal obligation to publish in traditional media.

The next school board meeting will be held on June 15. The special meeting will take place at the Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center, beginning at 7 p.m.