Attica Central School District

REMINDER: Our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Kiel Illg, is hosting a public information session centered on our 2025-26 budget proposal TOMORROW - Friday, May 9 - from 12 to 1 p.m. at Hidden Valley Animal Adventure, 2887 Royce Rd., Varysburg. Illg will be on hand to answer questions, field comments and generally explain what’s in the budget proposal district residents will vote on Tuesday, May 20. We hope to see you!

Members of our Fresh Connections Club dove into the world of herbal remedies last week by whipping up a batch of dead nettle salve, a soothing, natural skin treatment made from the vibrant purple wildflower that often pops up in spring gardens. Students began by learning about dead nettle - what it looks like, where it grows, and why it’s known for its anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing properties. Our club members had the opportunity to touch, smell, and examine the plant up close while discussing its many uses in natural remedies. Then, club members rolled up their sleeves to create their own salve by infusing oil with dried dead nettle, mixing in melted beeswax to thicken the mixture and pouring it into labeled tins for easy transport. This meeting offered a blend of science, nature and wellness as each club member left with a handmade salve and a newfound appreciation for the power of plants!

Give it up for our Physical Education Students of the Month for April, Jacob Behrend and Abigail Lampke! Jacob, a senior, and Abigail, a sophomore, were named Students of the Month for displaying positive behavior during physical education classes, showing a desire to learn new skills and putting forward their best effort 100 percent of the time. Congratulations, Jacob and Abigail, and enjoy the Dunkin’!

We're thrilled to share that Attica Central Schools have successfully completed the final Backpack Program delivery of the season, made possible through the generous support of the New York Foods for Families Grant. This initiative has been instrumental in providing nutritious, locally sourced food to families in our community. A heartfelt thank you to our local partners: • HLW Acres: For contributing homegrown chickens, ensuring families receive quality protein. • Fenton's Produce: For providing vibrant produce boxes filled with spring delights like rhubarb, spinach, lettuce, radishes, asparagus, and potatoes. These collaborations not only support our community's well-being but also bolster local agriculture. We're grateful for the continued partnership and dedication to nourishing our families. As we wrap up this season, we look forward to future opportunities to support and uplift our community together!

It was National School Principals’ Day last week, so of course our elementary school had to go all out to celebrate Mrs. Sherry Bennett! First, the Leadership Club created a piece of wall art showing a heart comprised of words that best describe Bennett as well as an acrostic poem using the letters in her name. Then, the entire school came together and put their finger print on a canvas to create the shape of a heart to let Bennett know how much she is loved! A worthy recognition for someone who makes such a positive difference in the lives of her students!

Last week, students had the opportunity to sit down with Joe Lavey during a ‘Lunch & Learn’ in our High School Library. The Sales and Marketing Manager from Auto Collision and Glass in Attica, Lavey spoke with our students about the automotive industry. Students learned about preparing for the industry, what a day-in-the-life of an employee is like, benefits of the job, and much more. One of the key takeaways from the session with Lavey was that students don’t necessarily need to be experts in the field to do a good job, as skills can be taught on the job. Many thanks to Mr. Lavey for coming to speak with our students! (Photos courtesy of Dustin Gardner)

This month, we're thrilled to recognize two outstanding members of our food service team: Jane Bartz and Stacey Smith! Our Food Service All-Stars for the month of May, Bartz and Smith work in our High School/Middle School Cafeteria, where they consistently go above and beyond to make school meals awesome. From serving in our summer food service program to greeting students with bright smiles every day, their dedication shines through in everything they do. "Jane is always up for anything I ask,” said Food Service Director Kris Wick. “She is a true service-oriented staff member, and I am thankful to have her on our team. Stacey is always present and on time. She is dedicated, kind and always brightens our team.” We are so thankful for their professionalism, passion, and unwavering commitment to our students. Thank you, Jane and Stacey, for making our school community a better place!

Apart from the photoshoot (courtesy of Brody Wheeler), our Declaration Day celebration last week in the High School Library was all the more special for the efforts of first-year counselor, Mr. Dustin Gardner. Unbeknownst to our Class of 2025, Gardener approached the parents of seniors in the weeks leading up to Declaration Day to have them write their soon-to-be graduate a letter. As you can probably imagine, these letters yielded quite a few special moments (and more than a few tears) in the library Thursday afternoon. Gardner also set up a few tables for seniors to write letters of their own to Attica teachers or staff members that helped them in some way along their journey through high school. Many thanks to Mr. Gardner for going out of his way to make this day a bit more special for our seniors!

A VERY belated congratulations to our Middle School Students of the Month for February AND March! February 5th Grade: Cailee Lawton Cailee is such a sweetheart! She always gives her best effort, even when things are difficult. She is cooperative, friendly, and polite. Cailee brings energy to any group she’s a part of! She is kind, loving, and caring! She has been working really hard and has made great growth in all areas of academics, especially reading and is a true pleasure to work with! 6th Grade: Millie McCutcheon Millie is such a nice student and a sweetheart. She cares about others and is always a team player. She is dedicated to her schoolwork. Millie always has a huge smile on her face and brightens the room! She is friendly to all of her classmates and always works to her full potential and includes everyone! 7th Grade: Miles Maksymik Miles is in advanced math and takes on this challenge very well. He participates in class and is always looking for ways to correct his mistakes and learn from it for next time. Miles is inquisitive and hard working. He is polite in class to the teachers and classmates and always willing to help others out. 8th Grade: Allison Hendershott Allison is a very hardworking student. Whenever she knows she is going to miss a class she makes sure she gets her assignments ahead of time. Allison has never missed a homework assignment in math class and is always asking questions to try to gain a deeper understanding of the material. She likes to be challenged as well. Allison is a role model for other students in the grade. She likes to help others in class and explain her reasoning so others can understand as well. March 5th Grade: Lincoln Fleenor Lincoln is a great listener and positive influence in the classroom. He shows that he is dedicated to his education by working hard. He is always polite and helpful. He also has a great sense of humor! 6th Grade: Aubrey White Aubrey always comes to math class with a "can-do" attitude. She is polite and friendly with adults and peers and just generates an aura of positivity. 7th Grade: Addylin Askey Addy works incredibly hard on a daily basis not only to excel in academics, but in extending kindness and compassion to those in need. Addy is a remarkable student who exemplifies kindness, respect, and dedication in everything she does. She is always willing to lend a hand, whether helping a classmate understand a lesson, organizing classroom materials, or offering words of encouragement to those around her. 8th Grade: Bradley Datzler Bradley is a great example of what it means to be helpful, respectful, and hardworking. He consistently goes above and beyond to support his classmates, whether by offering assistance with assignments or encouraging others with a positive attitude. His respect for teachers and peers is evident in the way he listens attentively, follows directions, and treats everyone with kindness. A dedicated and diligent student, Bradley approaches every task with determination and a strong work ethic, always striving to do his best. His commitment to excellence and his willingness to help others make him a deserving candidate for Student of the Month.

Give it up for our High School Students of the Month for March! Our 9th grade student of the month is Laurel Cius, nominated by Mr. James Nash. “Laurel is a fantastic student, and actively puts forth effort into her classwork and homework,” said Nash. “She also goes out of her way to make sure she makes up any late work, and I greatly respect that. She is an asset in the classroom, and always tries to answer a question, and shows no fear if her answer may be incorrect.” Our 10th grade student of the month is Noah Robinson, nominated by Ms. Alyssa Wright and Mrs. Alicia Spoth. “I was beyond impressed with his representation of the district during a recent field trip to Kenneth Henry & Sons,” said Spoth. “Noah demonstrated exceptional curiosity and engagement, eagerly asking questions and showing a genuine interest in learning. He conducted himself with professionalism and responsibility, serving as a wonderful ambassador for our school. His enthusiasm and respectful demeanor made a lasting impression, and I believe he is highly deserving of this recognition." Added Wright: “Noah always creates a great learning environment for his peers, and offers help wherever he can. He always has a smile on his face and comes to class eager to learn.” Our 11th grade student of the month is Kristen Miller, nominated by Mrs. Elizabeth Winters. “Kristen continues to work very hard in my AP Biology course. She has truly stepped up to the challenge in this rigorous course, and should be commended for her positive attitude and resilience when the content and assessments are highly challenging,” said Winters. “Kristen understands that the hard work she puts in now will only benefit her in future courses at Attica and at the collegiate level.” Our student of the month for 12th grade is Jacob Behrend, nominated by Mrs. Jody Brydalski “Jacob was always so polite in Ski Club,” said Brydalski. “He would always say thank you when he got off the bus and, in general, is such a well-mannered young man!”

Today, on National School Lunch Heroes Day, we want to give a huge THANK YOU to our amazing food service staff who go above and beyond every day to nourish our students with healthy meals and warm smiles. Your hard work, dedication and kindness continue to make a lasting impact on our school, out community and, most importantly, our students! You are true heroes, keeping our students fueled, focused, and feeling cared for. Thank you!

Super grateful to Brody Wheeler of Brody Wheeler Photography for leading the Declaration Day photoshoot for members of our Class of 2025 yesterday in the High School Library! This was a great time for our seniors to come together, celebrate where they’ve come from and where they’re going, and take a few photos together. Himself an Attica alum, Wheeler’s been capturing special memories for clients throughout Western New York (and beyond) for more than 30 years. You’re probably familiar with his portraits of our senior athletes that the Attica Central Booster Club sponsors each year, but Wheeler also offers in-studio and on-location senior portraits, family portraits, corporate headshots, commercial, editorial and architectural photography and is a frequent photographer of weddings, corporate events, fundraisers and school dances. For more information about his services, visit his website at the link below. Link: https://brodywheeler.com/

PLEASE SHARE: Our budget newsletter will be delivered in this weekend’s edition of the Attica Penny Saver. It contains important information about our district’s 2025-26 budget proposal, which residents will vote on May 20. You can also access the newsletter on our website at the link below. Link: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2319/ACSD/5573250/Attica_budget_newsletter_FINAL.pdf

Mrs. Elizabeth Winters’ and Mrs. Laura O’Donnell’s high school science students headed down to Prospect Elementary earlier this week for STEM Day! This year’s activity challenged our elementary schoolers to construct a balloon-powered car. After breaking into teams, younger students worked with their assigned high schoolers to construct their car using straws, cardboard, rubber bands, a set of wheels and a whole lot of tape. Then, they headed out into the hallway to test their designs and made improvements based on how their cars performed. We were light-headed just WATCHING all the balloon blow-ups! At the end of the activity, teams measured the overall distance their cars traveled, charted the results and compared how their cars performed with their classmates. All in, we had nearly 50 high schoolers help more than 400 elementary schoolers engage in this activity across 21 different classrooms! Such a fun day and so full of learning - many thanks to all the students and staff who helped make it possible! LOTS more photos over on our Facebook page at the link below, so make sure you go check them out! Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=100057106403663&set=a.1196168678963334

PLEASE SHARE: Our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Kiel Illg, is hosting a handful of public information sessions centered on our budget proposal for the coming 2025-26 school year. Illg will be on hand to answer questions, field comments and generally explain what’s in the budget proposal district residents will vote on Tuesday, May 20. Five events are planned at different times and locations across our district to allow as many people to attend as possible. These events are in addition to the required public budget hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 in our High School Cafeteria. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming sessions!

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)