by Catie O’Toole / The Post-Standard
Thursday January 22, 2009, 5:00 AM
Solvay School Superintendent J. Francis Manning announced several good things happening in the district at a school board meeting last week. Among the items:
• Solvay High School’s Business Club has opened its new school store. “Business has been good and the students are excited about the store’s future,” the superintendent said at the Dec. 15 school board meeting.
• Doreen Merola, an English-language arts content specialist and certified training associate at Solvay High School, achieved “training associate” status for the Center for Cognitive Coaching in Denver.
She is now one of 50 training associates for the center and one of 25 still actively teaching cognitive coaching in the world. Manning said two Australian educators who recently visited the district were “most impressed with our leadership, students, staff members, facilities, etc. They have all spoken about the pride we take in our buildings and how clean and neat everything looks.”
• Last month, Solvay’s National Honor Society students brought some “holiday cheer” to residents at Van Duyn Nursing Home. The students spent several hours at the facility’s seventh-floor trauma unit decorating cookies and making ornaments with the patients. “What a wonderful experience,” Manning said.
• Spanish Club students volunteered for the Syracuse Spanish Action League. “They are working with Spanish-speaking children at two local libraries during their after-school program,” Manning said in his superintendent’s report.
• French and Spanish clubs planned to hold a joint bottle drive the first week of January.
• Advanced art classes participated in the Solvay Police Department Patch project. “Art students researched the historical aspects of the village of Solvay and the Solvay community as a way to gain inspiration for their designs for the new Solvay Police patch,” Manning said in his report.
• SADD received a $2,000 Erie Insurance Lookin’ Out grant. “SADD is currently planning for many prevention activities such as the talent show, let’s not meet by accident program, and this year, introducing monthly school wide announcements that will highlight positive activities among students as well as statistical quotes relating to prevention,” Manning said in the report.
• Solvay High School faculty and staff gave hundreds of dollars toward student basic needs and holiday care packages, Manning announced. “Well over 20 students will be supported this holiday season with food, clothing and personal hygiene items, among many other presents and packages,” he said.
• Solvay’s tutor mentor program is in full swing, Manning said. It services 50 students in the district.
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