WCCS Student to Climb Kilimajaro

Diane Schmitt Class of 2007 Graduate

To Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for Charity

I am currently a junior at Cornell University majoring in food science. I am grateful for coming from a small and supportive high school. I feel that I developed a valuable skills that I continue to use in college especially research and presentation skills as well as, the opportunity to gain leadership experience.

I am involved in several groups at Cornell. One group that I am especially excited about is Fistula Free Climb. The group is made up of students that are raising money for OperationOF which funds operations and support for women with obstetric fistulas in Africa.

I will be traveling to Tanzania with Fistula Free Climb from January 3 to 23. I will be volunteering in a hospital and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,341ft. We hope to raise $100,000 for OperationOF an organization that delegates the money to hospitals to perform the surgeries for women with obstetric fistulas. The cost of a surgery is $250. I hope to personally help ten women by raising $2, 500.

Sincerely,

Diane M. Schmitt

Wheatland-Chili Class of 2007

Middle School Principal Appointed

New Principal for

Wheatland-Chili Middle School

The Board of Education approved Brad Zilliox as the new Middle School Principal at their November meeting. Mr. Zilliox was chosen after an interview process involving parents, support staff, teachers, board members, and administration.

Mr. Zilliox is currently the Assistant Principal at the Willink Middle School in Webster. He has held that position for the past five years. He also has experience as an Assistant Principal in Newark and as an administrator at Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES. Mr. Zilliox has also taught High School Social Studies and was a teacher for the New Visions Program.

We are excited for his start here at Wheatland-Chili in early January 2010. His wide range of experiences will continue the emphasis of quality education here at WCCS.

T.J. Connor School Peace Pole Project

 

Wheatland-Chili fifth-graders make their mark on TJ Connor Elementary and it all began with a book

 

 

The Wheatland-Chili Class of 2016 is moving on to the middle school and they have left their mark on TJ Connor Elementary School by designating it as a place of peace. Fifth-graders planted a peace pole on the edge of the school’s playground in June and it all started with the book, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

 

The book is about each individual doing something to improve the world.

 

It took the school year and the entire school community working together to complete a peace project. It began with TJ Connor Teacher Rhonda Broman sharing the book with staff in September and starting a Pennies of Peace drive with all the students.

 

“When I read the book to learn more about the penny drive,” said Teacher Wendy Clark, “I knew I wanted to share author Greg Mortenson’s story with my fifth-grade students.”

 

The Board of Education was offering Excellence in Teaching Mini Grants. “I knew exactly what I needed the grant for! Books, of course,” said  Clark. By this time a team of teachers: Clark, Ann Bayer, Julie Gusmerotti, Alison Hughes, Rhonda Broman, Linda Giroud, Nancy Scott, and Cristy Smith were working on a building wide project. In their grant application, the teachers asked for funds to purchase copies of Three Cups of Tea.

 

“The fifth-graders at TJ Connor became completely involved in reading the book and were incredibly enthusiastic about participating in all the spin-off projects,” said Clark. 

“Students signed up for various jobs in connection with the book and its message of each individual doing something to improve the world.” 

 

The grant was also used to purchase a peace pole to be planted at the edge of the playground and dedicating TJ Connor as a place of peace as the culminating event. The pole was created in Wasaic, N.Y., by the World Peace Sanctuary.

 

Gathering the fifth-graders at the peace pole following the dedication, Superintendent Tom Gallagher told students, “Let this be a reminder of what we can do as individuals, I am so very proud of each of you. You’ll always be a role model to those who are younger than you. You should be very proud of your accomplishments. I thank you.”

 

Board of Education member Kim Snyder told students, “because of a book you did all this for our school. The Board of Education is very proud of you.”

 

“It was awesome,” said fifth-grader Nina Rizzo, “that students had a chance to work on a peace pole.” 

 

“Students accomplished this,” said fifth-grader Alexis Combs.