Death, taxes… and dissecting a frog in high school biology!
We stopped by Ms. Jessica Jones’ 9th period class this afternoon to see how her biology students were proceeding with their frog dissections.
Today, students explored the structures of their frogs’ mouths, reproductive organs and thoracic cavity. It was a fascinating (and disgusting) lesson!
Thankfully, the powers that be have stopped using formaldehyde to preserve specimens, so we didn’t have to deal with that overpowering chemical smell (you know the one we’re talking about).
Many thanks to Ms. Jones and her students for letting us stop by!
It was an informative day for our 6th graders who visited 3 local agriculture-centric businesses.
At the first, Cargill Animal Nutrition in Batavia, students toured the production and shipping facilities and learned about how the mill produces between 450 and 500 tons of custom cow feed per day.
Then, students toured Upstate Farms Cultured Products, which specializes in traditional and Greek-style yogurt production, and even got to sample a few of the many dairy products the facility churns out.
To wrap up, students headed to LandPro Equipment where Attica alum Molly Haungs, nee Kelsey (Class of 1998), spoke about what it takes to keep the agricultural and residential equipment LandPro sells in good, working order.
Huge thanks to Cargill, Upstate Farms and LandPro for hosting out students today and to Attica Partners for Agriculture for helping bring this field trip together!
REMINDER: Our 4th annual Wellness Fair is TONIGHT - Thursday, May 22 - from 5 to 7 p.m. in our High School Gymnasium.
We’ve got lots of vendors and fun stuff planned, so stop on by and say hello!
Great news, Blue Devils - our Mobile Farm Stand is rolling back into action tomorrow - Thursday, May 22 - and we can't wait to see you there!
The stand will be set up and ready to go at the main entrance to our middle and high schools on East Main Street by the late afternoon, so make sure you stop by to pick up fresh, locally-grown produce proudly harvested through our Farm-to-School program and amazing local partnerships.
Thanks to remaining grant funds, we’re excited to continue using a “Give What You Can, Take What You Need – Nourish Your Neighbor” model. Whether you're giving, taking or just stopping by, everyone is welcome!
A special shoutout to Ms. Alyssa Wright and her students for getting us started with the first restock of the season. Going forward, Mrs. Jill Pierce’s class will take the lead in keeping the stand stocked each week. Our students love being involved, so if you see them out working, don’t forget to share your thanks and encouragement.
Let’s keep growing together, Attica!
Ms. Alyssa Allein’s first grade class celebrated Buffalo Bills Quarterback Josh Allen’s 29th birthday today in true, Western New York fashion.
From watching highlights during snack time to eating red, white, and blue “Bills” popsicles…we had an awesome day!
Happy birthday, QB1, from Ms. Allein’s first graders and all of us here at Attica Central Schools!
Oh, and GO BILLS!
(Photos courtesy of Alyssa Allein)
We were thrilled to welcome Senseis Dan and Logan Bauer of the Bauer Karate Academy in Le Roy to Attica Central Schools this morning to teach our physical education students about self-defense!
High School Physical Education Teacher Lisa Young met the Bauers at a recent physical education conference she attended and jumped at the chance to bring them in and show our students a few moves.
Thank you, Sensei Dan and Sensei Logan, for stopping by!
(Photos courtesy of Lisa Young)
Our high school counseling office held a ‘Lunch & Learn’ today for students to learn about career possibilities in law enforcement.
Tomarris Bell, an officer with the New York State Police, spoke with our students in the High School Library about cyber crimes, his career in law enforcement and other job possibilities that fall under the law enforcement umbrella.
Many thanks to Trooper Bell for taking time out of his schedule to come speak with our students (and to Attica Tops for their generous pizza donation).
(Photos courtesy of Dustin Gardner)
Results from today’s school budget vote and Board of Education election are below.
• Proposition #1 (2025-26 Budget Proposal): Passed (226 yes, 197 no)
• Proposition #2 (Purchase of Technology Equipment): Passed (305 yes, 119 no)
• Proposition #3 (Stevens Memorial Library Tax Levy): Passed (281 yes, 143 no)
Stevens Memorial Library Board of Trustees election
There were 2 open seats on the library’s Board of Trustees. Vote totals are below.
1st: Kimberly Harding (352 votes)
2nd: Stuart Hempel (320 votes)
Attica Board of Education election
Thane Wright and Melanie Toland were elected to the 2 open seats on the Attica Board of Education. Vote totals are below:
1st: Thane Wright (274 votes)
2nd: Melanie Toland (269 votes)
3rd: Joshua Pfuelb (169 votes)
Thank you to everyone who cast a ballot today - we appreciate your support of the Attica Central School District!
This past weekend, Attica senior Zoey Berggren graduated from Genesee Community College with an associate’s degree in liberal arts and sciences, general studies.
Yes, you read that correctly - Zoey graduated from college BEFORE graduating from high school!
Zoey’s been working toward her degree for about 1-1/2 years, taking courses through GCC and Syracuse University as part of GCC’s STEM Accelerated Degree program.
Congratulations, Zoey, on your incredible accomplishment!
Polls are now open in our Performing Arts Center Lobby, 3338 East Main Street Rd., for our annual budget vote and Board of Education election and will remain so until 9 p.m. tonight.
Come make your voice heard!
A belated congratulations to the teachers who were granted tenure at our Board of Education meeting earlier this month: Lori Warwick, Dylah Fagan, Amanda Crowley, Ben Mullin, Susie Baker, Lauren Kocher and Melissa Brooks!
(Photo courtesy of Kiel Illg)
Join us in congratulating our High School Students of the Month for April!
Brennan Pleace is our freshman student of the month. He was nominated by Ms. Jocelyn Pierce.
“Brennan has really dedicated himself to his classwork - especially as the school year’s gone on,” said Pierce. “He raises his hand and participates in class and he puts pride in his work. He’s respectful and can help others by explaining the work and process. I know he will go on and do great things in high school.”
Mrs. Elizabeth Winters nominated our 10th grade student of the month, Emma Vogel.
“Emma is a pleasure to have in class. She offers help to her classmates and to me when it looks like I could use assistance prepping activities for class,” Winters said. “She actively participates in class, demonstrates a positive attitude towards learning and always checks in to get her work when she’s absent. Her happy positive energy is an asset in the classroom and to the learning environment!”
For the junior class, our student of the month is Colden Dehlinger, nominated by Ms. Cheryl Conrad.
“Over the winter, Colden took it upon himself to help ensure an elderly woman got her medications,” explained Conrad. “A path was needed through snow and ice to get to her mailbox. Medications had been delivered and the lady could not get to them. Colden was contacted by Kathy Granger from the American Legion in Strykersville and he stepped in right away to help. This is a very commendable act of community service.”
And last but certainly not least, our 12th grade student of the month is Carlene Domes, nominated by Mrs. Becki Peters.
“Carlene is a hard worker and is taking a lot of challenging courses for her senior year and handling them well. She manages her time well with her extracurricular activities,” said Peters. “Carlene has a lot going on in her personal life, yet she has been maintaining a very positive attitude, keeps up on her school work and hasn't let life's difficulties drag her down. She's a great role model for her siblings and underclassmen.”
Well done to all our high school students of the month!
Old bananas were no match for our Elementary School Food Service Team!
This amazing crew didn’t want to see any bananas go to waste, so they whipped up a delicious banana bread treat for students to enjoy during Friday’s lunch.
Let’s celebrate their resourcefulness and passion for providing our kiddos with tasty, healthy lunch options!
A big shout out to Stephanie for making it all happen - keep up the great work, Attica Elementary!
(Photos courtesy of Alicia Spoth)
If you want a great real world example of our students embodying our core value of establishing and strengthening community and relationships, look no further than Mrs. Jill Pierce’s students who volunteered their time baking cookies for Gateway Home’s chicken BBQ fundraiser last month!
“They baked about 400 cookies and packaged them so we could slip them easily into each chicken dinner we sold,” said Sue Herman, who in addition to serving on our Board of Education serves as an office manager for Gateway Home. “They were so delicious and we got a lot of compliments!”
As a reward for their hard work, Mrs. Herman surprised each of our student bakers today with a gift card to The Vintage Cow Farmers Market.
Pierce’s students are already planning a future field trip to The Vintage Cow where they’ll use their gift cards to purchase themselves a treat as a reward for a job well done.
We love it when our Blue Devils make a positive difference in our community - well done!
(Photos courtesy of Sue Herman)
Our sixth grade students have been studying the Middle Ages in social studies and, last week, wrapped up the unit with a Medieval Fair!
Students have been working on a project about their chosen topic for the past few weeks and presented what they’ve learned to visiting students, parents and other guests.
Afterwards, they assembled in our auditorium atrium, err… great hall for a feast to celebrate in true, Medieval fashion!
Don’t forget to check out the photo album over on our Facebook page at the link below.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=100057106403663&set=a.1206041487976053
This week, Mrs. Jenna Linsey took her eighth grade science students outside for a hands-on lesson about rocks and weathering.
Students observed different types of rocks used to construct our school buildings, identifying features like texture, hardness and layering.
They discussed how wind, rain, and time cause rocks to break down—right before their eyes!
It was a great way to connect classroom learning with the real world.
(Photos courtesy of Jenelle Bauer)
Our Fresh Connection Club’s May 8 meeting was jam-packed, to say the least!
Club members started out with a nature-inspired craft, turning ordinary pine cones into beautiful spring flowers:
• Kids selected their favorite pine cones and painted them in bright, cheerful colors to resemble blooming petals.
• They added sticks as “stems” to complete their flower creations.
• Everyone loved showing off their personalized flowers and arranging them into displays to celebrate the new season.
These turned out great and made for some stellar Mother’s Day gifts!
Then, club members headed outside to our middle school courtyard to lend a hand building 5 new raised garden beds for future planting projects:
• The kids helped carry materials, prep, and assist in assembling six metal raised garden beds.
• We discussed the benefits of raised beds, how they’ll be used in our future garden projects, and how to care for them.
• Their teamwork and enthusiasm brought the project together quickly, and now we have brand-new beds ready for planting!
Well done, Fresh Connections Club!
National Hummus Day was earlier this week and members of our Fresh Connections Club celebrated by making fresh batches of classic and red pepper-infused hummus for their fellow students to sample during lunch!
Club members prepared the hummus Monday so it was ready for students to sample Tuesday on National Hummus Day on Tuesday.
Club members previously created a vibrant beet hummus and wanted to explore a more traditional option to propose for the district’s recipe book.
Great work to our student chefs and many thanks to our food service staff for making Tuesday’s taste testing possible!
Today, students across our district got a jump on summer with the first fresh local flavors of the season as our amazing Food Service Manager, Kris Wicks, surprised the students with greenhouse-grown strawberries from Headwater Foods out of Ontario, Wayne County.
When the opportunity to bring this nutritious and delicious fruit to the lunch line arose, Kris jumped at the chance. It’s just the beginning, but we can already taste the summer ahead!
As the season progresses, our food service team is preparing for even more local goodness, freezing dozens of flats of berries to use in smoothies and parfaits throughout the 2025-26 school year.
We can’t wait to share more of our homegrown favorites with the students!
Join us in congratulating our Envirothon team, which won first place in the Wyoming County Envirothon Competition earlier this week at Letchworth State Park!
Sponsored by the Wyoming County Soil and Water Conservation District and others, Envirothon is a hands-on, problem solving, and critical thinking competition designed to test students’ understanding of natural resources.
Our five-member team of Noah Robinson, Madelyn Burger, Gavin Carpenter, Dalton Burnham and Dylan Mirrione, with Rob Beck serving as an alternate, competed at stations focused on forestry, soils, wildlife, aquatic ecology and a station relating to a current environmental issue. This year’s current environmental topic is “Roots & Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship In A Canopy of Change.” Our team aced the current event test, and continued to excel in the other categories.
With their win, our team members brought home medals, a plaque for their classroom wall and also punched their ticket to the State Envirothon Competition at SUNY Cortland later this month.
Way to go!
(Photos courtesy of Alyssa Wright)
