By Metta SaGurney & Madison Waschensky
This month, our school Board of Education held its meeting on Wednesday, the 12th of November, and we had the opportunity to attend as reporters from the Blue Devil Beat. Sitting in on this meeting was an amazing opportunity to not only witness the complexities that go into running the entire Ken-Ton School District, but also to feel a sense of involvement in our school (and district) community! After a magnificent performance of the national anthem by Franklin Elementary’s second through fourth-grade vocal music students, the meeting began. Below are just a few of the important topics our board discussed.
Franklin Elementary “Start With The Library” Presentation
Franklin Elementary Teachers and Librarians gave an incredible presentation about the benefits of school libraries and librarians in K-4 learning and beyond. This presentation discussed the importance of creating connections between multiple subjects, allowing these budding learners to gain a deeper understanding of what it is they're learning. For example, second-grade students read Greek mythology in ELA, while learning about ancient Greece in Social Studies, and learning what famous Buffalo architecture was influenced by that of the ancient Greeks. The librarian plays an incredibly crucial role in this, creating activities and recommending books that fit perfectly into these students' ever-growing web of understanding. In addition to this incredible work, Mrs. Thompson, Franklin Elementary’s amazing librarian, forms close bonds with her students as they age through elementary school, allowing for flawless book recommendations!
Early School Year Reports
Lots of great things have been happening around the district this school year so far! We were absolutely thrilled to learn about all of them, including but not limited to: The Apple Crunch, the growth and success of the Ken-ton Family Support Center, Kenmore East’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong”, Kenmore West’s production of “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” and the NYSSBA (New York State School Board Association) conference which members of our board attended and presented at!
Student Board Representative Report
Kenmore West’s very own Dominic DiGiulio gave a separate report on the goings-on at our school, discussing in greater depth things like the pep rally, homecoming, the pumpkin auction, spirit week, and the eighth-grade Halloween party!
After Dominic’s report, the meeting gave a five-minute recess, giving people the option to leave then or stay for the less involved part of the meeting. We elected to rush home and write this article, but next time we will surely stay to learn about the things we unfortunately missed, such as the financial section and our district’s test score evaluation. Thank you, BOE.