Hornell City School District
April 2017
Highlights
Student choreographer animates 42nd Street
M
Board of Education
John McNelis, President
Kerry Davis, Vice Pres.
Joshua DeLany
Jessica Hess
James Marino
Uzma Mehr
Judith Rose
Superintendent
Douglas Wyant, Jr.
ost high school theater departments
won’t attempt a production of 42nd Street
because it includes too many dance numbers for
unskilled dancers to tackle. But, most high school
theater departments don’t
have Natalie Marino.
Marino is a senior at
Hornell High School who
has been studying dance at
Dancin’ on Edge since she
was three years old. She was
the director of choreography
Natalie Marino
for the school’s recent
nd
production of 42 Street. In that role, she spent
hours listening to and studying the show’s score,
trying to think of possible dance routines.
“I put in a lot of late nights,” she said. “I would
literally sit in front of my computer for hours,
listening and thinking. Probably 90 percent of
the cast had never danced before, so I had to
come up with ideas that were simple enough to
teach, but would be interesting for audiences to
watch.”
Then, Marino was responsible for teaching
her peers the dances she had created. “Everyone
was so accepting of me in that role. Teaching
actually became my favorite part. I love watching
the other cast members perform,” she said. “I had
no idea they would be so good.”
According to Marino, 42nd Street is “a dancer’s
dream.” “The opening number still gives me
chills,” she said. “If I were to imagine being in a
Broadway production, this is the one I’d want to
be in.”
The show is set in 1930s New York City and
relies heavily on the jazz and tap dance styles
that were popular at that time. This is a perfect fit
for Marino, who has studied all forms of dance,
but favors jazz and tap.
This is actually the second show that Marino
has worked on. For last year’s production of How
to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, she
was the dance captain. Tim Berardi, the show’s
director, arranged for a professional dancer
to help with choreography. When the original
choreographer was no longer available, Berardi
asked Marino to step in.
Marino’s efforts on last year’s show earned
her a Theater Association of New York (TANY)
Excellence in Choreography Award. This award,
along with her dance performance and competition experience, have prepared Marino for the
next step. She plans to study Dance at SUNY
Fredonia or Dean College in Massachusetts next
year.
In addition to the professional experience
she’s gained, Marino also values the relationships
that she’s formed through her participation in the
last two musicals. “Mr. Berardi is a good teacher
and we have a lot of fun together as a cast,”
she said. “And I’ve made so many close friends
through this that I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t
done it.”
What
you
Highlights
can
do:
Okoniewski wins Lincoln
Scholarship
Capital construction
update
unior McKayla
Okoniewski was the
winner of the 2017
Lincoln Scholarship
sponsored by the
Hornell G.O.P. She
received $500 and
was invited to read
her winning essay at
the annual Lincoln
Day Dinner, held
February 23 at the
McKayla Okoniewski
Main Place in Hornell.
The scholarship contest was open to all
Hornell High School seniors, as well as Advanced
Placement U.S. History juniors. Applicants for the
contest and scholarship submitted an original
essay on some aspect of Abraham Lincoln’s
life. Essays were reviewed by members of the
High School Social Studies Department, then
submitted to the local Republican Party for final
selection.
Okoniewski’s essay focused on the ways that
Lincoln demonstrated his character during his
early life. “I started by learning about his biography and was impressed by how his character
showed through,” she said. “As a child, he wasn’t
always able to attend school, so he would walk
miles to borrow books from the library or people
he knew. He read anything he could get his
hands on. He always valued reading and learning
and his determination was impressive.”
“He was willing to do what needed to be
done, whether that was walking miles to get
books or making the decisions that would lead
to the Union’s victory,” she said.
Reading her essay in front of a crowd of 100
or more people, including state and local political leaders, was nerve-wracking, Okoniewski
said. “But several people spoke to me after and
complimented me,” she said.
Okoniewski plans to attend college after she
finishes high school, but isn’t sure at this point
where she will go to school or what she’ll study.
Her main interests are in history, English, art
and dance. She’s a member of the color guard,
marching band and the track team and participates in musical performances. In addition, she
works ten hours a week at Miss Lisa’s Artistry of
Dance and takes several classes there.
B
J
22
ids for planned renovations and site work
at the High School recently came in under
budget. This will allow the district to complete all
planned projects as well as some alternate work.
Planned work includes reconfiguring and
paving of the west Junior High parking lot and
adding a new bus loop from Red Raider Road
exiting between the baseball, turf field and
track north onto Adsit Street. Two additional fire
hydrants will be installed on the north side of the
building while this work is being done.
The Senior High south parking lot will be
reconfigured with a new parent drop off. Work
will begin on the west lot on April 10 and be
completed by the end of June. Then, work will
begin in the south lot and should be completed
for the start of the 2017-18 school year.
At the end of June, renovations will begin in
25 classrooms on the second floor. Beginning in
September 2017, the “B” gym and “B” gym locker
rooms will be shut down for renovations until mid
January.
After the basketball season is completed
in spring 2018 and the “B” gym renovations are
completed, work will begin on the “A” gym and
girls “A” gym locker room.
At the end of the 2017-18 school year,
renovations will begin in approximately 13
classrooms and the nurse’s office on the first floor.
Work should be complete by the beginning of the
2018-19 school year.
Like us on Facebook
L
ike us on Facebook to receive the latest updates on
our athletic
teams, as
well as school
closings
and delays
and other
information. Go to our website at www.hornellcityschools.com and follow the link to our page.
Highlights
Celebrate spring at the Family Resource Center
C
elebrate spring with your pre-school aged children at the Hornell Area Family Resource Center.
Join us April 5 to dye eggs and go on an egg hunt or on April 21 for an Earth Day activity.
Or bring your child for “Tikes and Trikes” on April 19, where he or she can pedal, practice gross
motor skills and play.
We also offer Ages and Stages developmental screening, a support group for grandparents who
are parenting and more. Please see the calendar for details and find all of our offerings on the district
website – www.hornellcityschools.org.
Sun
The Center is
located at the
North Hornell
School. Look for
the blue Family
Resource Center
2 signs and ring
the doorbell for
entry. Discover
fun, educational
activities that
support learning
9and development
from birth to age
six, resources for
families, and a
warm, friendly
environment.
16 The Center is
free to use
and open to
everyone.
April 2017 Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
April is Na�onal Child Abuse Preven�on Month. It’s your turn to make a difference. 1Spring
has sprung!
Prevent Child Abuse NY offers helpful �ps that we can do for the kids and families in Story Hours
our lives to help prevent child abuse. Visit www.preventchildabuseny.org in April are
for more informa�on or visit the Center in April and blossoming with
par�cipate in Pinwheels for Preven�on. springtime fun!
3
4
5
6
7
8 Put your rain
boots on and get
Drop in & Play Drop in & Play Drop in and Play Drop in & Play The Center is ready to splash
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. closed today. into books about
Join us for “EGG”- citing Story Time
Grandparent
NaƟonal Find
activities & an Egg Hunt 10:30 a.m.
Support Group
a Rainbow Day
ducks, mud, and
Noon - 1 p.m.
Let’s make our own!
“Ducks”
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
all things Spring!
10
11
12
13
14
15
—
April 3rd is National
Find a Rainbow Day.
Drop in and make
your own rainbow
craft and learn the
science behind
17
18
19
20
22
21
rainbows, too!
Drop in & Play Drop in & Play Drop in & Play Spring Recess
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Grandparent
Support Group
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pathways to
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join us today from
Tikes and Trikes Kindergarten Readiness 12 to 2 p.m. for an
Earth Day activity.
11 a.m. ‐ Noon 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
————
25
26
27
28
in for Tikes 24
Drop in and Play Drop in & Play Drop in & Play Drop in & Play The Center is and Trikes and
1 p.m. to 7 p.m. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. your toddler or
closed today. STEM for Pre‐K Grandparent
preschooler will
Science ‐Technology ASQ Screenings StoryTime
Support Group
Engineering ‐ Math 10:30a.m.
be pedaling
10:30 a.m. 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
2:30 p.m. “MUD”
and practicing
30important gross
How can YOU help prevent child abuse?
Really listen to a child. Children need undivided attention when they talk. Be patient
motor skills and
and remember that they move at a different pace. * Make special time for a child that you care about. * Run an errand, bake cookies
or
prepare
a
meal
for
a
new
mother
in
your
neighborhood.
* Provide amusement for restless children in a waiting room. * Smile and
getting exercise!
23
Drop
acknowledge that “it’s tough work” when you see a parent coping with a stressful situation in public. * Remind the caregivers that you
know what a great job they are doing. * Listen to parents when they tell you about their challenges. * Advocate for programs that
provide families with education and support—starting when their child is born! Adapted from Prevent Child Abuse NY
Drop in on the 5th to dye eggs with shaving cream, make a colorful 29egg craft, and go on an egg hunt! Celebrate Earth Day at the Center on the 21st. Plant seeds and share how you take care of our planet each day. Hornell Area Family Resource Center
North Hornell School * Avondale Avenue
Hornell, NY 14843 * (607) 324 - 0014 Ext. 1741
email: [email protected]
We’re on Twitter!
F
3
ollow us on Twitter @
HornellSchools for the latest
information on closings, delays and
other important schedule updates
from the Hornell City School District.
25 Pearl Street
Hornell, NY 14843
607-324-3012
www.hornellcityschools.com
3