Attica Central School District

Did you know our elementary school teachers and staff were kids once, too?! We know - crazy, right? Seeing as today is picture day at Attica Elementary, we thought it’d be fun to travel into yesteryear and take a look at some of their school photos from back in the day! Can you tell who’s who and what grade they were in when their picture was taken? Leave a guess in the comments! The answers are upside down along the bottom of each image. Good luck!

Instead of teaching a normal lesson Friday afternoon, Mr. Matt Struzik led his English 12 students in a circle practice. Circles are a cornerstone of restorative practices and are used to foster a climate of trust and support among a group of peers. Struzik participated in a similar circle during a professional development day last school year and found it to be impactful, so he decided to try it with his students. Struzik’s circle revolved around a series of questions which students answered when a talking piece - in this case, a piece of an old hockey stick - came to them. Some of the questions were light - “Would you rather be able to talk to animals or be able to breathe underwater?” - for instance. Others like, “Have you ever been lost? How did you get back on track?” were a bit more open-ended and evoked some thoughtful responses from students.

FARM TO SCHOOL: Middle and high school students sampled a new variety of New York-grown apples and jalapeno bites during lunch this past Friday. Both were a hit, with the jalapeno bites slated to return to the lunch menu this Thursday, Oct. 5. In the elementary school, students sampled mozzarella sticks. The whole school was buzzing with excitement for the sticks to be added to our lunch menu with a side of sauce. Yum! (Photos courtesy of Alicia Spoth)

Don’t forget, Devils Nation - Homecoming Week kicks off tomorrow with Color Day. Make sure you wear your class’s color to school and we’ll see you at Flickerball at 6:30 p.m. sharp!

Our sixth grade classes welcomed two special guests earlier this week - Attica alumni Dave Panfil (class of 2006) and Brad Mest (class of 2008) - who both work as operations and maintenance technicians for Invenergy, the renewable energy company that owns and operates the High Sheldon Wind Farm. Panfil and Mest spoke with our sixth graders about how windmills transform wind energy to electricity, where the electricity goes and how they climb to the top of windmills to make repairs. They even brought tools and harness equipment with them for students to check out! Our students were blown away to learn that windmills contain so much technology and that they can be controlled remotely. Panfil and Mest did a great job answering our students’ questions and connecting their job responsibilities to some of the topics our students cover in their science classes. The pair’s visit also served as an opportunity for students to learn more about local career opportunities in renewable energy. Thank you to Dave and Brad for coming to visit! (Photos courtesy of Rob Crowley)

We had 14 local colleges and universities kind enough to send representatives to Attica this morning for our Rochester Area College Fair! Seniors and juniors headed down to the cafeteria this morning to speak with representatives, learn more about their post-graduation higher education options and, let’s be honest, get a bit of that free merch… A huge thank you to all our participating colleges and universities - our students learned a lot! • Alfred State College • Alfred University • SUNY Brockport • Finger Lakes Community College • SUNY Geneseo • Genesee Community College • Houghton College • Keuka College • Monroe Community College • Nazareth University • Roberts Wesleyan University • Rochester Institute of Technology • St. John Fisher University • University of Rochester

Please see the following statement from Superintendent Dr. Kiel Illg: Dear Attica Families, It is with excitement for the individual and gratefulness for his service that I write to you to announce that Physical Education Teacher and Athletic Director Eric Romesser will be leaving the District for the purposes of retirement on September 28, 2023. I am extremely grateful for Mr. Romesser's service and dedication in his role as Athletic Director since he began the position in 2012. Since that time Mr. Romesser has led the District in providing engaging, educational experiences through athletics for our students. Mr. Romesser was also instrumental in providing guidance in the development and completion of the new athletic complex for the District. “I’ve been here in some way, shape or form since 1992,” said Romesser. “In that time we’ve had great kids, understanding and supportive parents and some truly terrific coaches - all of which have made my job that much easier and are just a few of the reasons why Attica is such a special place. Looking back, I can honestly say I’ve loved my time here at Attica. It’s my second home.” As part of the transition plan for the remainder of the year, the District has selected Mrs. Lisa Young to serve as the Athletic Director. Mrs. Young will begin her duties as Athletic Director on September 29, 2023. I look forward to the leadership, commitment, and support that Mrs. Young will provide to our Athletic Department, students and school community in her new role. -Dr. Kiel Illg Superintendent of Schools

FYI: The Attica Fitness Center adult evening session will be closed tonight (9/28)....it will reopen on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.

Attica students joined more than 1,000 others from across the region at the Genesee County Fairgrounds in Batavia yesterday for GLOW with Your Hands, the career exploration event designed to give students in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties opportunities to learn more about career opportunities in local high-growth, high-demand industries. More than 65 business and career exhibitors in agriculture, manufacturing and other skilled trades attended this year’s event to present to students. This was an incredible opportunity for our students and they learned a lot! This annual event is a great opportunity for our students to learn directly from professionals in a variety of industries and get a feel for what career they may wish to pursue after high school.

Remember local outdoor sciences, the new elective High School Science Teacher Jenna Linsey started last year? Well it was so popular with our students that this year, we’ve had to expand it to two sections! Linsey’s students are continuing to monitor the health of Baker Brook, which runs near the Attica Nature Trail along the southwest boundary of the middle and high school campus. They also have a greater understanding of and appreciation for the importance of the Attica Wastewater Treatment Plant after taking a field trip Thursday and hearing from Attica alumni Doug Bietz (class of 2009) and Evan Krawczyk (class of 2014) about how they treat and purify wastewater. Krawczyk and Beitz, chief operator of the plant, emphasized the importance of ensuring water is as clean as possible before it’s released back into Tonawanda Creek - especially as a means of reducing the chances of harmful algal blooms on Lake Ontario, which the Tonawanda feeds into. (Photos courtesy of Jenna Linsey)

Senior Olivia Bernacki was recently named a National Recognition Program awardee by College Board, the education non-profit that administers the SAT and Advanced Placement program. Olivia was recognized with a National Rural and Small Town Award based on her overall GPA and scores on AP tests and the PSAT. To be recognized as a National Recognition Program awardee by College Board, a student must maintain a 3.5 GPA and score in the top 10 percent on their PSAT or at least a 3 on two different AP tests. Congratulations, Olivia!

Good news, everyone! The Scholastic Book Fair, originally set to end today, will remain open in our Middle School Library through Tuesday, Sept. 26! This annual fair is a win-win for students and our library - students are able to select from a broad selection of quality titles while each dollar spent helps raise funds to purchase materials and equipment for our library. If you haven’t stopped by to check it out, make sure you do so before it’s gone!

Laura Brueckman, one of our food service helpers, manned the cafeteria booth last night at our Middle School Open House! Laura had a great time educating families on our Food Service Department’s New York Thursdays program and ‘Build-A’ days and giving out samples of our homemade pico de gallo made using Attica-grown tomatoes - yum! Thanks to all the families who stopped by to say hello! (Photos courtesy of Alicia Spoth)

FARM TO SCHOOL: Another ‘New York Thursdays’ at Attica Central Schools! Today’s lunch menu was chock-full of local ingredients and products: • Taco in a bag with Burly Bros. ground beef (Attica) • Side salad: Tomatoes from district high tunnel greenhouse, cucumbers and peppers from • American Fruit and Vegetable Company (Rochester) • Corn on the cob: Merle’s Fresh Produce (Attica) • Plums: American Fruit and Vegetable Company (Rochester) • Apples: LynOaken Farms (Medina) • Milk: Upstate Farms (Farmer-owned dairy cooperative comprising more than 300 farms - most in Western New York) (Photos courtesy of Kris Wicks)

Freshmen English students recently finished reading Richard Connell’s famous short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” in class. Today, to review, they headed down to our High School Library where Library Media Specialist Melanie Loranty had prepared an escape room-style Breakout Box challenge to test what students had learned while reading the story. After being broken up into small groups, students were presented with five tasks, each of which included questions centered on vocabulary, literary elements and plot points Loranty had drawn from the story. Each successfully completed task yielded a portion of the combination to a locked box. After finishing all five tasks, students were able to enter the full combination and unlock their box to reveal the prize within! What a fun way to review!

We hope you’ll join us in congratulating Kara Hassenfratz and Kate Metzger, who were recently selected for the New York State School Music Association’s Area All-State Treble Choir! Last school year, Kara and Kate auditioned along with thousands of other student musicians as part of NYSSMA’s Solo Festival process in the hopes of being selected for an honors ensemble. Their selection to this prestigious vocal ensemble is all the more impressive considering they competed against the best student musicians in NYSSMA’s Zone 2, which includes eight counties in the greater Rochester area. This year's Area All-State Festival takes place at Rush Henrietta Senior High School on Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 with a final performance taking place on the afternoon of the 18th. Congratulations to Kara and Kate! (Photo courtesy of Austin Matson)

You’re invited! Don’t forget to stop by our cafeteria booth during our upcoming elementary, middle and high school open houses! You can meet the food service staff who feed your students fresh, local and nutritious food each and every day and even try some of our home-made pico de gallo made using Attica-grown tomatoes. We can’t wait to see you at your student’s open house!

Homecoming Week is almost upon us! Start planning your outfits now and don’t forget to bring that Blue Devils pride all week long! #DevilsNation

FARM TO SCHOOL: We had our first taste testing event of the school year this past Friday. Students sampled Attica-grown tomatoes paired with cucumbers and topped with Italian dressing! The salad will be available on our salad bar and received many requests for seconds from student samplers. The green and yellow bean combination was served on Friday’s line as well. The beans were frozen as a part of the summer food service program and grown by Fenton’s Produce in Batavia. (Photos courtesy of Alicia Spoth)

A huge shout out and thank you to Harding’s Furniture Flooring and Mattress for its $1,000 donation to our Future Farmers of America chapter - so incredibly generous!