The Cazenovia High School Music Department is pleased to announce that Olivia Emerson and Carter Williams have been selected for a NY State Conference All-State Music Ensemble.

The New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) All State Conference will deliver a virtual concert in place of the conference this year.  Olivia Emerson, a senior clarinetist, was selected to perform with the Symphonic Band and Carter Williams, a senior vocalist, was selected for the Mixed Choir. Since they were not able to perform NYSSMA solos last spring, Emerson and Williams were admitted based on their 2019 scores of 99 and 100, respectively. While this years’ festival will not be held in person, the NYSSMA organization believes it is important to recognize the musical efforts of the students who applied by recognizing their acceptance into these prestigious ensembles and give them the opportunity to participate in a professional quality performance from a safe distance. 

To be selected for The All-State Conference, students spend countless hours preparing a Level VI NYSSMA solo from the NYS manual. All Level VI solos are considered ‘Professional’ level solos that only the strongest musicians are able to perform. Most years, over 6,500 sophomores and juniors from across the state of New York prepare for All-State evaluations in the hope of being selected. The concert would normally be held in the magnificent “Eastman Theatre” (University of Rochester) which has been Rochester’s preeminent performance space since its opening in 1922. This historic space has hosted the world’s greatest musicians and conductors. We are thrilled to have these musicians represent our school music program on a virtual platform, our congratulations to Olivia and Carter on this esteemed accomplishment.

Article submitted by Ms. Maggie Dougherty, Choral Music Teacher, Fine Arts Department Chair – Cazenovia High School

Please welcome Kaleen Sessler as the Long-term Sub for Global History and Geography II for the 2020-2021 school year.  Sessler grew up in Plattsburgh, NY where she attended Plattsburgh High School. She earned a BA in Social Studies Education from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, where she also played varsity soccer. Sessler has a MS in Literacy from Syracuse University and she taught in the Buffalo City School District and the Liverpool Central School District. For the past two years Sessler was Executive Director of Cazenovia Community Preschool.  “Coach” Sessler just completed her fifth season as the Girls Varsity Soccer coach at Cazenovia and sixth year coaching in the district.

Sessler is a past Board President of the Friends of Lorenzo, a local not-for-profit that supports the Lorenzo State Historic Site in Cazenovia, and is a Board Member of Cazenovia Community Preschool.

Sessler has lived in Cazenovia for almost 10 years with her husband Jack, a former student at Cazenovia, and our three children Hadley, Harriet (Hop) and Johnny.  Sessler comments, “I look forward to continuing the strong tradition of excellence at Cazenovia High School.” 

Please join us in welcoming Miss Hannah Kuhn to the Cazenovia School District as a school psychology intern.  Miss Kuhn earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University at Buffalo in 2017. While in college, she was a part of the collegiate dance team and also participated in intramural volleyball and indoor soccer.  She is currently attending SUNY Oswego completing her Master of Science and Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology.

Miss Kuhn graduated from Oneida High School where she participated in soccer, volleyball, dance team, and band.  She was also a member of a competitive dance studio for fifteen years.  Miss Kuhn has been working as a teaching assistant in a summer school program for the last five years.

Outside of school, Miss Kuhn shares that she enjoys being active, whether that is going for outdoor runs, bike rides, or walks with her family and friends.  She is excited to get this experience in the Cazenovia School District!

Please welcome Mr. Nick Tchurekow to Burton Street Elementary School as a new 4th Grade Teacher.

Mr. Tchurekow has been teaching for eight years. Prior to Cazenovia, Mr. Tchurekow taught 1st grade in Fulton City Schools, as well as in central Virginia, wherein he taught a couple of grade levels including 5th and five years of 3rd grade.

Mr. Tchurekow earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from SUNY Geneseo. He also holds a  Master’s of Science in Education degree in Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) from SUNY Oswego.

When not teaching, Mr. Tchurekow can be found playing sports and games with his wife and 3 young children. He also enjoys watching and supporting Syracuse athletics, especially basketball, as well as working on DIY projects around the house.

Dear Families,

We hope that everyone has remained healthy and that you have a chance to enjoy a few well-deserved weeks of relaxation. We expect that all of you have been following with great interest the news related to schools’ reopening nationwide and here in NYS.

Last Thursday, we finally received the reopening guidance from Governor Cuomo and the State Education Department. The 145 page document is comprehensive in scope and we believe that, if followed, represents a roadmap for returning students, teachers, and staff to school as safely as possible. District compliant plans must be submitted to NYSED by July 31^st. The Governor plans to announce the status of school openings the first week in August.

As the administration and our reopening committees dive deeply into the requirements, and make plans for meeting them, we are interested in your input to help us in this planning process. Of paramount importance in our planning is the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff.

Access to parent surveys for Burton Street, Cazenovia Middle School, and Cazenovia High School have been emailed to parents/guardians of students registered in the school district.

Your responses to these brief surveys are essential information for our planning process for reopening. Your responses at this time do not commit your family to a specific course of action.  We ask that you complete the brief survey for EACH ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN by Friday, July 24^th in order to best help us in our planning.

If you have not received an email from the District with access to the parent surveys, please contact one or more of the following school personnel:

Burton Street Elementary: Principal, Kara May

Middle School: Principal, Amy Getman-Heringshaw

Cazenovia High School: Principal, Molly Hagan

Thank you,

Matt Reilly

Cazenovia, Superintendent of Schools

Due to increased cases of COVID-19 in the Town of Cazenovia, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s graduation ceremony from Saturday, June 27th until Saturday, July 11th.  The safety and well-being of our entire school community is the driving force behind this significant change.  We understand the importance of this event for our students and are committed to celebrating their achievements.

Board of Education Meeting Discussing Graduation decision (video recording)

Dear Resident:

I write today with the most recent update on our delayed ballots. Contrary to what I reported to you earlier this week and to what we were told by our vendor, NTS, ballots did not get sent out on Tuesday. Instead, we are currently being informed that ballots will leave the post office in Cazenovia tomorrow morning (Thursday).

At this time, we are recommending that you either return your ballot by mail no later than the very next day in order for it to reach the District Office by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 9^th, or that you use the in-person drop-off option available at the Middle School Entrance on Monday, June 8^th from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. or on Tuesday, June 9^th from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

I remain committed to having your voice heard in this process and apologize for the confusion and inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Matt Reilly

Superintendent, Cazenovia School District

Good Morning,

Late Friday, the District was informed by the third-party vendor with whom we contracted with for the printing and mailing of our absentee ballots, that our ballots had not yet gone out. The company has experienced a problem in their supply chain with envelopes which has delayed the process for us and the other 50+ schools they are working with. I spoke with the vendor yesterday (Sunday) and was told that the ballots will be mailed Tuesday at the latest. Unfortunately, this provides voters with very little time to cast their ballots and return them to the District Office. Voters can still also hand-deliver their absentee ballots on Tuesday, June 9^th from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm and also on Monday, June 8^th from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. to compensate for the short window of time. Socially distanced in-person delivery will be available to the ballot box at the Cazenovia Middle School entrance.

When we contracted with this vendor, we did so with the belief that this would help ensure the vote was done correctly. Unfortunately, this has not assured a smoothly run process.

Thank you for your patience and understanding,

Matt Reilly

Cazenovia, Superintendent of Schools