Beacon News January 30, 2008

Barb Accorso reporting

Presiding Officer: Dan Barletta

Visiting Rotarians: N/A

Guests:

            Dave Dimbleby, Superintendent of the Hilton Central School District (guest speaker)

            Paul Sochia – guest of Rich Vogelzang

Birthdays:

            Barb Accorso

            Tod Myers

            Kathy Voelkl

Anniversaries:

            Chuck Scarpula

Announcements:

·         Chuck Krause announced that raffle tickets for LPGA can be sold by non-profit organizations for a fundraiser.  Contact Chuck for more information.  He also mentioned that if you contribute to United Way you can specify that your $ be earmarked for Camp Haccamo by requesting donor #1046.

·         Jim Gaudett announced that there will be an LPGA certification class for concessions tent managers coming up.  He will keep everyone posted as to when and where.

·         Rich Vogelzang updated us on Ziti.  It was a huge success!  We are very close to $50,000.  Please get checks in as soon as possible.

·         Don Riley – Thanked Kim Putman and all of the kids for doing a great job with raffle ticket sales at Ziti.

Upcoming events:

·         March 8 – Area 9 Dinner @ Rick’s Prime Rib on Buffalo Road.  “Night at the Races” wth an All you can eat buffet.  Net proceeds to benefit Camp Haccamo and Sunshine Camp. 

·         June 10 - Annual Golf Tournament

·         October 12^th – Hike for Haccamo – there will be 4 sites this year.  More info to follow.

Today’s Guest Speaker:   Dave Dimbleby, Superintendent of Hilton Central Schools gave us an informative Mid-Year Update. 

He highlighted the accomplishments from 2007:

·         Schools and district identified as “High Achieving,Gap Closing” by the state.

·         EXCEL project approved with no impact on taxes.

·         Budget approved with 0% increase in local tax rate.

·         High School Music Dept. is a Grammy Award semifinalist

·         Hilton High School named to Newsweek’s top 5% of High schools in the nation

·         Community Ed program increased course offerings by 40%

·         Middle School ELA results increased 8%.

·         Now offering Pre-K program for limited #

·         Hewlett Packard Tech Grant awarded

He also highlighted the upcoming challenges:

·         5^th Grade Social Studies results declined from 99% to 90% meeting state standards.

·         Rising NCLB assessment results standards

·         Elementary ELA and Math results remained flat

·         Anticipated Loss of Revenue in 2008-09.

·         Promote greater rigor and relevance in curriculum.

Fining by Don Riley:

·         Dan Barletta an attempt was made to fine President Dan for losing 2 bells during his presidency.

·         Bill Russell was given a $25 credit

·         All of those that were “corked” were giving a $5 credit

50/50 Winner: Chuck Krause – the ace was not drawn.