Attica Central School District

We were delighted to welcome Ann Horack, a dairy marketing and communications lead for Cargill, and Sean Wade, director of development for Action for Healthy Kids, to our district last week for a behind-the-scenes look at all the good things a recent grant made possible by the two organizations has done here in Attica. Action for Healthy Kids, a national nonprofit that helps schools create healthier learning environments and promote student health and well-being, and Cargill, one of the nonprofit’s financial supporters, specifically supported an initiative last year aimed at encouraging the incorporation of dairy into school meal programs. Upon learning of our desire to introduce fresh smoothies as an option for students at breakfast and lunch, the two organizations awarded our district a $30,000 grant last August, which we’ve used to launch several exciting initiatives: We purchased a smoothie bike and an ice machine, which we use to make fresh, homemade smoothies featuring dairy products like yogurt and milk, combined with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. This ties into our broader effort here in Attica to promote healthier eating habits among students. We also acquired a new cooler and freezer for our Elementary School, helping us store the increased volume of fresh produce we’re now sourcing for student meals. Perhaps most fun of all, we rebranded our elementary cafeteria into a bright, healthy, and interactive space that encourages students to enjoy their meals. The walls are now filled with colorful fruit and vegetable characters sharing fun jokes and sayings that promote healthy eating in an engaging way! During their trip to Attica last week, Horack and Wade toured our elementary school cafeteria and kitchen, heard from students about some of their favorite breakfast and lunch items, then headed to our middle/high school cafeteria, where our teachers and staff had organized something of a food fair for the two visiting VIPs. Horack and Wade sampled the cheeseburger soup that won The Great Chef Cook-Off in our auditorium atrium earlier this month, the dried apple chips Mr. John Versage and his students make with our district’s dehydrator and a few products from Merle Maple, whose junior partner, Kristina Copeland, told the pair about the educational field trips Merle hosts for local school districts - Attica chief among them. This was a great day! The grant Horack’s and Wade’s organizations made possible has had an incredible impact here in Attica, making healthy eating more fun and accessible for our students. We’re so proud of the positive changes it has supported in our school community and so grateful to Action for Health Kids and Cargill for their support - thank you!

Our Fresh Connections Club went Italian earlier this week, whipping up a batch of homemade meatballs in marinara and alfredo sauces! With the help of our amazing advisors - Becky Sphar, Jenelle Bauer, Melissa Brooks and Alicia Spoth - 16 club members got hands-on, learning how to mix, shape and cook beef meatballs to perfection. They explored different sauces like marinara and alfredo while discussing the health benefits of beef and how to use it in balanced meals. The kitchen buzzed with teamwork, laughter, and the mouthwatering scent of home-cooked goodness. A huge thank you to the New Beef Council for its generous beef grant which made this activity possible. We’re just getting started and can’t wait to see what our Fresh Connections Club comes up with at its next meeting!

Mrs. Janes’ Kindergarten and Mrs. Edward’s Fourth Grade Buddies held a Recycled Materials Vehicles Grand Prix in the multi-purpose room down at Attica Elementary earlier this week! Students were tasked with creating a vehicle using recycled materials at home with their families in honor of Earth Day. Students were granted Pit Passes to get front row seats to this special event. Students took turns racing their cars, recorded the distance they traveled and will be using the data collected to create a graph showing the results. A special shout out to Mr. John Versage, a technology teacher in our middle and high schools, for building the ramp the cars traveled down. We were seriously impressed by the incredible vehicles our students designed and built - check them out for yourself! (Photos courtesy of Kristin Janes and Jessica Edwards)

With warm weather finally here, Attica Central School would like to remind all students in grades 5-12 that it is the expectation that all students will wear appropriate clothing, as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. The purpose of the dress code at Attica Central School District is to ensure a productive learning environment in which all students feel comfortable. The Code of Conduct can be viewed at https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2319/ACSD/5003516/2024-25_Code_of_Conduct_-_BOE_Approved_8-8-24.pdf Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Thirty-one of our student musicians were selected to participate in the Genesee-Wyoming Music Educators Association’s two All-County festivals this school year - 9 for instrumental ensembles and 22 for choral ensembles. These prestigious ensembles draw members from the GWMEA’s 11 member school districts across the region. At the elementary, grades 4-6 level, students are selected for all-county ensembles based on teacher recommendations. Junior (grades 7-8) vocal ensembles are also determined by teacher recommendation while junior instrumental ensembles are based on a student’s performance during a solo-festival audition the spring prior. Vocal and instrumental ensembles at the senior (grades 9-12) level are likewise based on solo-festival performances. Students selected for the GWMEA’s All-County Festival I in Alexander in March were: Elementary Chorus: Sophia Franz (6th grade, soprano), Madison Clark (6th grade, soprano), Annabelle Kirsch (5th grade, alto), Hannah Brueckman (5th grade, alto), Kristen Grgurich (6th grade, alto), Audrey McNall (6th grade, soprano), Aria Dorner (6th grade, soprano) and Sophia Schmidt (5th grade, alto), Caden Morrison (6th grade, alto) and Adalynn Mills (6th grade, soprano). Junior Band: Caleb MacLane (7th grade, alto saxophone) and William Gouinlock (8th grade, baritone). Senior Chorus: Sophia Biniaszewski (10th grade, alto), Peyton Miller (10th grade, alto), Ilyssa George (9th grade, alto), Ethen Woloszyn (10th grade, bass) and Kara Hassenfratz (12th grade, alto). Students selected for the GWMEA’s All-County Festival II here in Attica earlier this month were: Elementary Band: Lily Mest (6th grade flute), Madison Clark (6th grade 6, clarinet) and Avery Nelson (6th grade, mallet percussion). Junior Chorus: Hope Moyer (7th grade, soprano), Melinda Driesel (8th grade, soprano), Quinn Jerge (8th grade, alto), Zoe Hinkson (8th grade, alto), Faye Cannon (7th grade, alto), Logan Brueckman (7th grade, baritone) and Blake Sidell (8th grade, baritone). Senior Band: Kara Hassenfratz (12th grade, clarinet), Elizabeth Gouinlock (10th grade, clarinet), Beau Hyman (11th grade, tenor saxophone) and Nola Clark (9th grade, trumpet). Congratulations to all our student musicians! (Photos courtesy of Amanda Hofheins, Austin Matson and Stephanie Gietler)

Heads up, Attica - our Blue Devils Dispatch for April 2025 is live! Each of our principals has created a parent newsletter specific to their school with the help of our teachers and staff - use the links below to read all three! • Elementary School: https://secure.smore.com/n/qh2y0 • Middle School: https://secure.smore.com/n/wkt7vr • High School: https://secure.smore.com/n/75n3ej

We want to give a huge shoutout to Laura Steves and her incredible Art Club students for giving our Elementary School Book Barn a beautiful facelift! This special feature will house all the books in our agriculture classroom and will soon be added to the library as part of an upcoming event. Stay tuned as we bring this book barn to its new home! A special thanks to our talented student artists: • Evelyn Walthew (Grade 10, lead painter) • Trevor DeBruyn (Grade 9) • Rebekah Hess (Grade 9) • Sophia Biniaszewski and Peyton Miller (Grade 10, creators of the amazing cow print doors!) We’re so proud of our students for their creativity and hard work - what an amazing way to celebrate art and literacy in our school!

A belated congratulations to our Physical Education Students of the Month for March, freshmen Blake Kauffman and Alanna Blackshire!

Ms. Alyssa Allein’s first graders got together with Mrs. Cheryl Allein’s, Mrs. Deb Weber’s and Ms. Kamie Clark’s third graders yesterday for a pancake breakfast to kick off Spring Break with a bang! (Photos courtesy of Alyssa Allein)

Underground Spirit Week wrapped up today in the high school! It’s been a fun week not only for our staff who participated, but for our students to see what theme each new day might bring! Monday: Denim on Denim Tuesday: Blackout Wednesday: Anything but a Cup Thursday: Christmas in April Friday: College Day Not a bad way to make the week before Spring Break go by just a bit faster! (Photos courtesy of Dustin Gardner)

Peep day 2.0! Students in Audra Landis’ kindergarten class have a standing goal to earn pom-poms for things like following directions, being kind and trying their best. “Students work together as a team and, if they earn enough pom-poms to fill our class jar, we celebrate with a special day at school,” explained Landis. “Recently, they earned enough pom-poms to fill our jar and as a class, we decided that our special day would be a ‘Peep and Popsicle Day!’” Students started the day by coloring the front cover of their own Peep Day Book and, throughout the day, completed all of the activities inside the book. “Students had to draw and build a jelly bean peep house, observe peeps in three different liquids - vinegar, soda and water - to see if the peeps would sink or float, and use their five senses to describe a peep,” said Landis. “We took a popsicle break before students became peep creators, designing and creating a new flavor peep.” The day wrapped up with a share circle so that Landis’ students could present their newly-created peep to their classmates. (Photos courtesy of Audra Landis)

Spoons flew last night at The Great Chef Cook-Off, which pitted teams against one another in a winner-takes-all showdown to answer the question: Whose soup will steal the show? The Cook-Off featured four teams, each comprised of a contingent of Fresh Connections Club members and an Attica Central School District staff member to lead them, competing to create a flavorful, nutritious soup using local ingredients. This culminating activity showcased the cooking and collaboration skills students have developed over the course of the Fresh Connections Club program. Team Clam Chowder, led by Middle School Principal Paul Clark, created a rich and savory clam chowder that showcased advanced techniques and complex flavors. Team members included David Anthony, Emerson Spink, Chandler Bowman and Adam Kujawski. Team Southwestern Chicken included Calven Schlau, Ellie Brown, April Edwards and Spencer Moscicki and was guided by Superintendent Dr. Kiel Illg and Assistant Superintendent of Business & Operations Meaghan Matuszak. They prepared a bold, ingredient-packed soup with a smoky southwestern flavor. Team Corn Chowder, working under the guidance of Elementary School Principal Sherry Bennett, focused on comfort and flavor with a hearty corn chowder enhanced by the addition of bacon. Team members were Gwen Spink, Kaydence Fladie, Jackson Price and Teagan Jarmusz. And Team Cheeseburger Soup, led by our Committee on Special Education Director, Kimberly Maerten, delivered a creamy and flavorful soup inspired by the classic cheeseburger. Soups were judged by members of our Board of Education, who ranked each based on flavor, presentation, creativity and use of ingredients. In addition to the official judging, a popular vote was held among all community members, families and students who attended the tasting event in our Performing Arts Center lobby. The competition was fierce but when the succulent, soup-scented smoke had cleared, the overall winner, by both the Board of Education vote and the popular vote, was Team Cheeseburger Soup, led by Mrs Maerten and her four sous chefs - Fiona Spink, Jade Pope, Kallee Kirsch and Shannon Dippenaar! In addition to winning bragging rights, the team's winning Cheeseburger Soup will be featured on our lunch menus as a celebration of its delicious achievement! The event was a tremendous success, drawing enthusiasm from both students and staff. Many in the audience asked for copies of the recipes and students expressed pride in their creations. The cook-off was an exciting and engaging way to bring our food and nutrition goals to life, while also reinforcing the importance of local agriculture and seasonal ingredients. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make the Cook-Off possible! And in case you’ve got a hankering for some soup (like we do), we’ve uploaded our four teams’ recipes to the photo album on our Facebook page linked below so you can make your own batch at home. Enjoy! Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=100057106403663&set=a.1180644437182425

We’d like to introduce you to our April Food Service All-Star, Mr. Jesse Fiegl! Jesse is an incredible asset to our middle/high school cafeteria, always bringing dedication and hard work to everything he does. His expertise in shipping and receiving keeps our operations running smoothly and his willingness to tackle any task makes him a truly reliable and valued team member. To show our appreciation, Jesse was recently awarded a gift basket as a token of our gratitude. Thank you, Jesse, for your commitment to keeping our Attica students fed and happy every day!

Mark your calendars, Attica, because this Thursday, we’re finally going to answer THE question that’s befuddled generations of Blue Devils for time out of mind: Whose soup will steal the show? Come April 10, Committee on Special Education Director Kimberly Maertens, Middle School Principal Paul Clark, Superintendent Dr. Kiel Illg and Elementary School Principal Sherry Bennett will be going head-to-head (-to-head-to-head) in a soup showdown. Our four competitors will be preparing their soups after school Thursday with help from members of our Fresh Connections Club, who will serve as sous chefs, and competition organizers Becky Sphar, Melissa Brooks, Janelle Bauer, Alicia Spoth and Meaghan Matuszak, whose support is making this sure-to-be delicious event a reality! Before our Board of Education meeting, competitors will spoon out their concoctions for board members and other attendees to taste. It’ll be up to them to decide which soup stole the show and will claim The Great Chef Cook-Off crown. In addition to bragging rights, the winning team will have their soup featured on our lunch menus as a celebration of its delicious achievement! You’re not going to want to miss this competition, Blue Devils - it’s going to be hotter than a ladle-full of clam chowder fresh from the stove! The Great Chef Cook-Off will take place this Thursday, April 10, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. in our Performing Arts Center lobby, 3338 East Main Street Rd., Attica. Our regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting will begin promptly at 7 p.m.

We want to give a huge hand to Attica’s own Ruth Hess, a third grader in Mrs. Cheryl Allein’s, Mrs. Deb Weber’s and Ms. Kamie Clark’s class down at Prospect Elementary, who progressed to the final round of Yummies Ice Cream’s 5th annual Sweet 16 Tournament! More than 400 third graders from across Wyoming County submitted flavors for this year’s competition including Ruth, whose ‘Rue’s Minty Goo’ flavor featured a combination of mint ice cream with mini M&M and marshmallow swirl ins. Yum! Over the past few weeks, Yummies patrons paid $2 to sample and vote for a variety of matchups as the different flavors went head-to-head in the single elimination tournament. Finals voting was yesterday and, unfortunately, Rue’s Minty Goo came in second to Warsaw third grader Reese McClurg’s flavor, Roarin’ Raspberry Ripple. Yummies owner Val Henrici’s original plan had been to award 100% of the proceeds from the Sweet 16 tournament to the winning student’s school’s Snack Pack program, which sends students in need home with food for the weekends. But Henrici was thrown a curveball yesterday when Ruth and Reese, who met at Yummies to film a segment for WRGZ-TV, channel 2 in Buffalo, put their heads together and, in an incredible act of kindness and character, decided to split the proceeds 50-50, regardless of which flavor came out ahead in voting. All in, Yummies’ Sweet 16 tournament raised about $2,200 - all of which will now go toward helping feed hungry kids in the Attica and Warsaw communities. Henrici stopped by Attica Elementary this morning to present Ruth with a check for $1,100 for our Snack Pack program. As if that weren’t enough good news, Yummies will also be stopping back soon with a big tub of Rue’s Minty Goo so that all of Ruth’s classmates can try her delicious creation. Many thanks to Yummies for hosting this event - it’s always a highlight of the spring season here in Wyoming County - and to everyone who voted! (Photo courtesy of Cheryl Allein)

Join us in congratulating our newest Attica All-Star, Elementary School Principal Sherry Bennett! Formerly an assistant principal in our middle school, Bennett has been leading our elementary school for about two years. In that short time, she’s earned a reputation among her Prospect Street colleagues for prioritizing student achievement while, at the same time, seeking to foster a sense of camaraderie and togetherness among staff. “She’s a constant source of positivity and inspiration,” said Amanda Crowley, an elementary school counselor. “She creates an environment of encouragement and support, ensuring that each staff member feels valued and motivated and also recognizes the hard work and dedication of the team, which then builds a sense of community.” Since Bennett took the helm at Attica Elementary, her underground spirit days, ‘Lucky 7’ gifts and random ‘thank you’ notes slipped into staff mailboxes have become common occurrences down on Prospect Street. “It’s just a small way to remind us that she cares,” said Crowley of the ‘thank you’ notes. “I know I’ve had days when I went to my mailbox and received one, only to then realize how much I needed that note and reminder at that moment.” Carin Krawczyk, who as the elementary school’s building secretary works closely with Bennett on a daily basis, said Bennett has an innate ability to recognize what a student needs in a given moment, and then provide it. “She is loving when she sees a child that is just in need of some positive reinforcement and firm when the situation warrants,” Krawczyk said. “She’s also implemented good behavior rewards by having students earn ‘Champ Chips’ and ‘Brag Tags’ which has really had a positive impact on our school culture. I think the simplest way to put it is that Sherry is all about what’s best for students.” Crowley agreed. “She really strives to create a nurturing environment where each student is encouraged to reach their full potential and meets students where they are at,” she said. “I have personally walked by classrooms where I see her sitting on the floor with the students or helping them with their school work in her office. Her dedication to student achievement is evident in the strong relationships she builds with students, families, and staff, all working together to ensure every student’s success.” Congratulations to Mrs. Bennett - Attica Elementary is lucky to have you!

Mrs. Jill Pierce’s students dug into farm life at Burley Berries & Blooms during an exciting field trip last week! During the trip, Pierce’s students: • Witnessed dairy in action with a live milking demonstration • Explored the bottling process and delicious dairy products at the creamery • Brought home an Attica Orange sunflower from the greenhouse • Had a chocolate milk taste test (this was a student favorite) A huge thank you goes to the Burley Berries team for their amazing support of the Attica Farm to School Program and for helping connect students across the region to local agriculture - we appreciate you! #FarmToSchool #HandsOnLearning #DairyDelight #GrowingWithAttica (Photos courtesy of Jill Pierce)

Today was Peep Day in Mrs. Kristin Janes’ kindergarten class! Each of Janes’ students chose a peep to adopt, completed a ‘sink or float’ experiment, built a jellybean house for their peep and made celebratory headbands. Then, students designed their very own peeps, choosing a name, age and hobby before coloring a picture of them using crayons. Proud of our kiddos - each of them were very responsible and took care of their peep all day long! (Photos courtesy of Kristin Janes)

Tinkerbell, a 3-week-old calf, visited Ms. Alyssa Wright’s ag classroom earlier this week and she was kind enough to send us a few photos!

Last week, students from Alyssa Wright’s horticulture class and John Versage’s technology class had an incredible, hands-on experience at Kenneth Henry & Sons, a family-run greenhouse grower and produce farm in Hamburg. Our students had the opportunity to: • Fill trays for planting • Explore greenhouse technology • Witness hydroponic lettuce production • Harvest fresh lettuce for our Attica Food Service Program’s salad bar Despite the snowfall outside, the greenhouses reminded us that spring IS on the way (however much it may be dragging its feet). Fun Fact: The hanging baskets for our FFA Basket Sale will be coming from this very greenhouse! The operation was amazing to see, and the lettuce was absolutely delicious. If you're looking to try this fresh, local product, you can find it at Braymillers Market. A huge thank you to Jason Henry and his whole family for their hospitality and for sharing their expertise and operation with our students.