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Looking for this? Orchard park Community Education has gone digital! Please go to www.opschools.org/communityed for registration information. You can still register by mail or in person as well!
The Orchard Park High School Athletic Department is pleased to announce the 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees. The selection committee has chosen the following individuals among many student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have contributed to Orchard Park’s long and proud tradition of excellence in the area of scholastic athletics. This year’s inductees are Phil Aronica (class of 2010), Emily Girasole (class of 2009), Jason Januszkiewicz (class of 1997), John Klanac (class of 2006), David Patronik (class of 2002), Lalaine Podkulski (class of 1972), Sandy Trampert (Coach) and the 2015 Orchard Park Varsity Softball Team. The selection to the Hall of Fame compliments each individual’s highly successful athletic career at the Orchard Park High School and their accomplishments beyond their years as a student at the Orchard Park High School. The Hall of Fame festivities are planned around the 2023 OPHS Homecoming Weekend. This year’s homecoming is Saturday, September 30, 2023. Our inductees will be honored in the homecoming parade, at a brunch in the OPHS Cafeteria and introduced before the varsity football game.
Orchard Park Central School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Click here to learn more
This summer, Eggert Elementary welcomed its new Assistant Principal, Ms. Stephanie Hall. Ms. Hall comes to Orchard Park from the Grand Island Central School District. She spent thirteen years working for Grand Island in the primary building as both a Kindergarten and first-grade teacher. Ms. Hall spent the last eight years of her career as a first-grade teacher and part of a co-teaching team in an inclusion classroom. She plans to bring this team mentality to Eggert. She hopes to work with the families, faculty, staff, and administration to ensure success for all students. Ms. Hall is looking forward to becoming part of the Orchard Park community.
This summer, Ellicott Elementary welcomed its new Assistant Principal, Mrs. Krista George. Mrs. George has spent her first few weeks getting to know all she can within the school building and she looks forward to continuing to learn about everything that makes Ellicott Elementary an amazing place. Through her 19 years of experience in education, she has held a variety of roles within the Depew Union Free School District. During this time, she was a Dean of Students for Pre-K through 5th grade, an elementary instructional coach for literacy, and a teacher of 3rd and 4th grade general and special education students. She is looking forward to continuing her professional growth alongside Mrs. Nigro and all members of the Orchard Park Central School District. When she's not busy at school, Mrs. George enjoys spending time with her husband, 15-year-old son, 12-year-old daughter, and their two rescue dogs. A student-centered environment that allows children to explore and learn is an environment that she will work to uphold at Ellicott Elementary. Mrs. George believes we are all lifelong learners and each day is an opportunity to grow and develop ourselves individually with the support of those around us. She is thrilled to work with the Ellicott community and will do her best to meet the needs of each student that walks through our doors.
Dan Reiford joined Orchard Park High School as the House III Principal this summer. He comes to Orchard Park from John F. Kennedy High School in the Cheektowaga-Sloan School District. There he was the Assistant Principal and Athletic Director for the past three years. Prior to his time at JFK, he spent ten years teaching Social Studies at Pioneer High School, primarily teaching AP US Government & Politics, Economics, and US History. As a teacher, Mr. Reiford has also served as Student Government advisor, Senior Class advisor, Union Building representative and Boys JV Soccer Coach. He currently lives in the Village of Hamburg with my wife and two daughters. Mr. Reiford is eager to start the school year and begin supporting and building relationships with the faculty, staff, students and parents with the Orchard Park High School community.
The Orchard Park Middle School welcomed Mrs. Jaimie Knight as one of Orchard Park Middle School’s new Assistant Principals. Education has always been a driving force in Jaimie’s life, and she considers it a privilege to serve in a leadership role that allows her to contribute to the growth and development of the students, staff, families and the greater Orchard Park community. Jaimie has been dedicated to the field of education for thirteen years; in this time, she taught third grade as well as ninth and twelfth grade English Language Arts for the Hamburg Central School District. Last year, Jaimie served as an Assistant Principal of Special Programs in Hamburg, where she had the opportunity to work closely with the Technology Department as well as with district and building leadership teams. While Jaimie has been afforded many opportunities to learn and grow as an educator and leader in various capacities of the educational landscape, she is beyond excited to begin a new chapter in her journey with the Orchard Park Central School District.
The Orchard Park Middle School welcomed Mrs. Katelyn Welker as one of its two new Assistant Principals this summer. Mrs. Welker has been in education for 13 years. She has held the role of Teacher (in the area of World Languages), Assistant Principal, Acting Principal, and Principal over those years. Her last five years have been spent in administration at Pioneer High School. Although she has always felt at home in the classroom, it is her position as an administrator where she has been most fulfilled. She strives to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and be reliable as an administrator. She firmly believes that every child can excel and that the partnership between home and school builds confidence in students to use their power to shape their future and the future of the community. She believes education is a life-long process and expects that she will continue to learn much about the uniqueness of OPMS this year and those to follow.
The annual Holocaust Survivor assembly returned to OPMS this spring. Mr. Greg Shershnevsky, of the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo was able to come in and speak to eighth grade students on Friday, May 19. Mr. Shershnevsky shared his Holocaust experience with the eighth graders. He was smuggled out of a ghetto as a baby in a cleaning bucket. His memories of the time were limited as he was so small so he also shared stories of many of the heroes of the Holocaust. After the assembly Mr. Shershnevsky was able to meet with a smaller group of students and social studies teachers in the library to have a more informal discussion about his experience. The Orchard Park Middle School PTO was able to sponsor the assembly and the reception afterward. They have been sponsoring this event for more than 30 years! Though this year’s presentation was the first in person presentation since 2018 the district was able to partner with the Holocaust Resource Center to provide virtual presentations during the pandemic. Mr. Shershnevsky is a speaker through the Holocaust Resource Center. Its mission is to teach the lessons of the Holocaust; remember the survivors and victims; promote social justice, civic responsibility, and human rights.
Mrs. Matesic's Pre-K class at Eggert Elementary has been learning about chicks. Blake M. a former student of Mrs. Matesic's brought in fertilized eggs from his grandfather's cabin for the students to observe and learn from. Students learned about the chick life cycle, used an ovascope to view the development inside the eggs along the way, and counted down the days until the eggs hatched. After one week in Pre-K, the chicks made their way back home with Blake.
The Community Education course catalogue is now available online! Click here to research, register and pay for Community Education classes. In-person registration and mail in registration is still available.
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