News for the week of
April 18, 2004

In Features:

Brockport CROP WALK sets goal of $10,000 for the hungry
On Sunday, May 2, walkers supporting the Brockport CROP WALK 2004 will start from the First Baptist Church, 124 Main Street, on a course covering over six miles on village streets. The event will raise funds for the Brockport Ecumenical Emergency Food Shelf and for the Church World Service. more

Brockport firefighters receive NYS grant
NYS Assemblyman Bill Reilich recently presented the Brockport Fire Department with a state grant sponsored by his office to continue the upgrade to the Hurst Rescue tool that was initiated with the funds donated by BISCO earlier this year. Assemblyman Reilich expressed his appreciation to the volunteers for the work they do. more

Brockport police chief honors his officers for their service
In what has become an annual event, Brockport's Police Chief Dan Varrenti hosted a recognition ceremony for the officers who serve the village. more

BUM players perform comedy
Since 1996, the BUM Players has delighted local audiences with their annual, full-length dessert-comedy. This year, on April 22, 23, 24 and 25, "Breakfast in Bed," a British comedy by Jack Popplewell, will be presented at the Brockport United Methodist Church. The play is set in 1957 in the small town of Brimley in the Yorkshire region of England. more

Clarkson Schoolhouse receiving a face-lift
Members of the Clarkson Historical Society and former graduates of the Clarkson Schoolhouse/High School gathered recently to see the roof being replaced on the historic building. more

Max's Mardi Gras will be dual celebration this year
Max's Mardi Gras celebration will be even more of a celebration this year, as it will be incorporating the 175th anniversary of the Village of Brockport's charter. The event's theme, "Brockport's Birthday Party," will be incorporated in the floats and some of the day's events. more

Parma Baptist Church installs new pastor
Parma Baptist "Community" Church will be installing their new pastor, Rev. David R. Chhangte, on Sunday, April 25 at 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend this special service. more

Reassessments come as Easter surprise for some Ogden residents
The Easter weekend mail brought an unexpected surprise to some Ogden property owners -- reassessment notices. Ogden Assessor Robert Criddle said about 2,100 change notices were recently sent out, 700 to Spencerport village property owners and 1,400 to town real estate taxpayers. more

Second grader recognized for 'doing the right thing'
Nicholas Schell knows the importance of making good choices. He was awarded the "Do The Right Thing" award sponsored by the Rochester Police Department and 29 other Rochester area businesses, foundations and organizations. Rochester Police Chief Duffy presented Nicholas his award on Thursday, March 25. more

Spencerport village budget approved
On Wednesday, April ,7 a handful of Spencerport village residents attended a public hearing concerning the proposed budget for Spencerport. Mayor Ted Walker addressed the room with a power point presentation, going over each section of the budget and explaining reasons for the increase and answering questions. more

In Briefly:

Canal refilling set to begin
Assemblyman Bill Reilich, standing alongside of the now empty Erie Canal, reminds constituents in his district that starting next week, bouys will be placed in the canal and that the process of re-filling the canal for the 2004 season will begin. The canal will be "open for business and pleasure" officially on May 1, 2004. more

Chili Lions elect officers for 2004-2005
The Lions Club of Chili unanimously elected the following Lions to serve as officers from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. more

Fair holds variety show auditions
The Youth Taking Action Committee of the Monroe County Fair Association will hold auditions for a variety show, which will be held at the 2004 Monroe County Fair. Auditions will take place on Saturday, May 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Building #2 on the Fairgrounds, 2695 East Henrietta Road. more

Girl Scout Leader Day
More than 5,000 adult volunteers are the cornerstone of the local Girl Scout program. Please join the Girl Scouts of Genesee Valley in applauding their contributions on Girl Scout Leader Day, April 22. more

It’s good to be home!
Suzanne Hicks, an MP with the 64th MP CO, 720th MP Battalion, returned to Fort Hood from Iraq recently, then on April 12, her 25th birthday, arrived in Rochester and was greeted with a surprise airport reception. more

New recycling initiative for public events launched in Monroe County
Monroe County launched a new initiative aimed at increasing container recycling at public events. The pilot program will begin with this year's Lilac Festival in May. more

Radu family fundraiser a success
Two Ogden area groups joined together to raise funds for the Radu family of Spencerport. The members of the MOMS Club of Spencerport/Churchville and staff of Leo Bernabi Elementary School raised over $3,800 from a spaghetti dinner held April 2. more

Red Cross celebrates National Volunteer Week
Every year, over 1,200 Red Cross volunteers touch the lives of thousands of people in communities throughout Monroe and West Ontario counties. Red Cross volunteers help train almost 65,000 people in life-saving courses like CPR, First Aid and defibrillation. more

Remember Mama this Mother's Day
This Mother's Day, hundreds of mothers in the Rochester area will be alone. Whether it is due to separation from their families or broken relationships, these women will not be taken out to dinner, showered with gifts, or even receive a phone call wishing them a Happy Mother's Day. more

Volunteers sought for 2004 Lilac Festival
The annual Lilac Festival is just weeks away and volunteers of all ages (under 16 with parent) and interests are needed to staff the Greater Rochester Visitors Association (GRVA) information booths located throughout Highland Park during the festival. more

Politically Speaking:

Clinton urges FDA to protect integrity of New York's dairy products
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called on the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect New York and the nation's dairy producers by opposing any changes to "standard of identity" regulations for key dairy products. more

In Schools:

Bernabi student, Fortress youth
celebrate Earth Day with recycling project
Some students at Bernabi Elementary School in Spencerport and members of Fortress Youth have been recycling empty printer cartridges and used cell phones in an effort to keep these items out of landfills. As a reward for their efforts the participants in the Funding Factory Recycling Program are earning equipment for the school. more

Brockport students selected
for Elementary All County Ensembles
Several fifth and sixth grade students from the Brockport Central School were selected to participate in this year's Elementary All County Music Festival which took place March 26-27 at the Rush Henrietta High School. These students were chosen by audition. more

C-C senior wins RPO Young Artists Award
Jessie Lehman, a senior at Churchville-Chili Senior High School, competed in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) Young Artist Awards competition. This series of competitions is sponsored by the RPO and was held at the Eastman School of Music. more

Holley music students
participate in county music fest
Holley music teachers Jeffrey Galante, Amy Harris and Mary Elise Isler commended their students' excellent performances at two events in March that celebrated Music in Our School Month - the Orleans County Music Educators Solo and Ensemble Festival in Medina and the Orleans All County Music Festival in Kendall. more

Quest Elementary School has Primary Years
International Baccalaureate proposal in the works
Hilton's Quest Elementary School is taking a look at a program which would provide a unique world perspective to its curriculum. Parents are urged to attend an April 22 Parent Information Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Quest Elementary School auditorium, 225 West Avenue, Hilton, to learn more about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program. more

RIT offers Summer Camps for Kids
Kids on Campus launches its 21st season with an innovative summer line-up for students entering grades five through 10. Open from July 6 to 30, Kids on Campus offers workshops in computer gaming, photography, animation and graphics combined with chess, archery, soccer, fencing and aquatics. New this year is a choice of sports taught by RIT athletics faculty or chess workshops by the Rochester Chess Center. more

Roberts Wesleyan hosts international
speaker to celebrate 50th nursing anniversary
Internationally-known nurse researcher Patricia Benner will speak April 19 at Roberts Wesleyan College as the school observes the 50th anniversary of its nursing program. more

Spirit of Hispanic Culture in Boston Flamenco
Students at Hilton's Merton Willams Middle School enjoyed an assembly at the school April 8 when the Miami-based Boston Flamenco Dance Troupe visited for several performances. more

Spencerport adopts school budget and bus proposal
The Spencerport School Board has unanimously adopted a 2004-05 budget proposal of $55,059,917 and approved a bus proposition that will restore activity buses and allow for an earlier dismissal time for elementary students. The budget is projected to increase 3.94 percent with an estimated tax rate increase of 3.24 percent. more

In Sports:

Bright Raven brings home
regional and compulsory awards
Bright Raven gymnast Tracy Apeland of Chili earned two medals at the USA Gymnastics Level 9 Region 6 Championships held in Cambridge, Massachusetts at MIT April 4. The 17-year-old Churchville-Chili senior qualified to represent New York and compete among top gymnasts from New England by earning a high all around score at the New York State Championships last month. more

Junior Americans to play in Eastern Junior League
The Rochester Junior Americans have been accepted for play in the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) beginning in the 2004-2005 season. They will initially be an associate member and anticipate becoming a full league member for the 2005-2006 season. Currently, the team plays in the Empire Junior B League. The move to the EJHL is considered a significant step up for the Junior Americans program. more