Unified Basketball at Central Square
The gym was packed to cheer on the first home unified basketball game held on Thursday, May 3. It was truly amazing to see our student athletes and Oswego's student athletes compete and showcase what sports are all about. This hard fought competition was won by the Redhawks, but both teams showed such class and sportsmanship throughout this very special event. Inclusive Sports: combines athletes (players with intellectual disabilities) and athletes (players without intellectual disabilities) to create athletic teams for training and competition. Participation is rooted in the principle of meaningful involvement which ensures that every player is given an opportunity to contribute to the success of his or her team through their unique skills. Inclusive activity is among the most conducive ways to breakdown stereotypes and foster relationships. It was one of the most meaningful events I have attended during my 21 years working in education. For more on Unified Sports, click on the following link: http://www.nysphsaa.org/Sports/Unified-Sports
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Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Senior, Tyler Young, was named High School Big Brother of the Year, and we are so proud. We have several students at Central Square that volunteer for this meaningful organization. Being an "engaged and contributing citizen" are among the Attributes of a Central Square Learner and Tyler and our other student volunteers absolutely possess these key traits. Mrs. O'Mara does a wonderful job organizing all of these student leadership opportunities. To see Mrs. O'Mara present this great award to Tyler Young, click on the following link: https://youtu.be/tq9oz1d5OW8
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May 8 is National Teacher Appreciation Day
This is National Teacher Appreciation Day, and we would like to take a moment to thank all of our amazing teachers and support staff. The work that goes into making such meaningful learning opportunities for our students is tremendous, yet our teachers and support staff do it on a daily basis because they treat their students as if they were their own children.
We are delighted with the high level of continuous support and encouragement that our staff bestows on our students, which is not only present in their classrooms but also in the athletic arenas, at concerts, plays, school clubs/activities, and other opportunities to show our students how much our staff cares about them. The Central Square community has a rich history of supporting the students and their families, which makes Central Square so special.
Please join me in wishing all of our teachers and support staff a wonderful day, and on behalf of the entire District and Board of Education, we personally thank them for truly making a difference in a child’s life.
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SKILLS USA WINNERS
A huge congratulations to all of our PVM students that competed in this year's Skills USA competition held at the NYS Fairgrounds. Mitchell Kaylor 3rd place in power equipment, Darian Warren
2nd place in culinary arts, Miranda Hoyt 3rd place in Medical Math, and Mackenzie Maxwell
2nd place in Health Occupation. These students possess many of the Attributes of a Central Square Learner and had the opportunity to showcase them at
this reputable event, making
Central Square so very proud.
For more on Skills USA,
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School Budget/BOE Election Vote May 15
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Fort Brewerton/Greater Oneida Lake Chamber of Commerce
Citizenship Incentive Award Program
Monthly awards are given to Paul V. Moore High School and Central Square Middle School students who do not have a discipline referral for each month. This is a great way to recognize good citizenship in our students, which is a big part of the District’s mission. Our April winners are Evan Emond and Kaileigh Barker (PVM High), and Drucilla Biela and Troy Richmond (from CSMS) . We are very proud of you! They each received fantastic gift certificates from businesses belonging to the Fort Brewerton/Greater Oneida Lake Chamber of Commerce.
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Our Mock Trial Team Wins Championship!!!
It was a courtroom drama and fight to the finish all the way at this year’s Oswego County Mock Trial championships as teams from Mexico and Central Square considered the following case: Law enforcement officers take a high school student into custody following a “violent” bullying incident involving another student and a teacher. Or did a hapless student fall victim to an insidious “conspiracy” between teachers and school administration to railroad the young woman into trumped up charges? Mock Trail pits two opposing teams of students, acting as defense and prosecution counsel, in direct competition on a case given to both teams. Teams receive information on the case, defendant, witnesses and law enforcement documents to inform their strategy. Mock Trial teams are judged on their oral performance, professional conduct and decorum to opposing counsel, persuasiveness and knowledge of the case facts.
In the end, acting judge Karen Khanzadian of the DePerno & Khanzadian, PC, found in favor of the Central Square team, but all students left the competition with a greater understanding and respect for the criminal justice system. “It’s a hands-on experience that forces students to work together as a team,” said Oswego County Assistant District Attorney Michael McAndrew, who served as the attorney advisor to the Mexico team. “Reading and being able to apply information, public speaking, teamwork - no matter what they decide to do after college, they’re learning skills to help with that.”
Congratulations to the Unified Basketball Team on their amazing inaugural season. The unified basketball team is a combination of students with and without intellectual disabilities and consists of both boys and girls. Although our team only lost one game all season, we believe that this was a PERFECT season! It was wonderful to see the look of pride of the student-athletes', coaches', parents', and all of the fans' faces each game as they all cheered our players on. We are looking forward to next season, as well as eventually creating a Unified Bowling Team. 
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Top 100 Ceremony
Our Top 100 Ceremony held in the PVM auditorium showcased the top 25 students (academically) in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Seniors are illustrated to the left. This was a great celebration of the students' accomplishments and the support their parents, guardians, and friends provided them throughout their time at PVM, and over the course of middle school and elementary school. There were numerous students that were on the cusp of being in the Top 100 that also put a tremendous amount of work, time and energy, and we want to thank them and their parents as well. There are also students that gave all they had to earn a 75 average through a tremendous amount of hard work as well, and those students should also be congratulated for putting forth their best effort. We can only ask all students to do their very best, and if doing their very best landed them in the Top 100 then we need to celebrate that, and if it landed them below that distinction, they too should be congratulated. It was wonderful seeing the look of pride on the parents' faces at this event.
