VFW Post 6338 Auxiliary hosts 58th Recognition Tea

by Rachel Hunter

The Silas Wainwright VFW Post 6338 Auxiliary hosted the 58th Recognition Tea on Tuesday, May 9 in honor of all present and retired teachers, administrators, and support staff at all Gouverneur Central School District schools, and to give special recognition to those retiring in the current school year.

This was the first time the event was held since the COVID-19 pandemic (as the last Recognition Tea was held in 2019), and the retirees from the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 calendar years were honored. VFW Post 6338 Auxiliary President Jeff Platt (current District 9 Treasurer and past president) welcomed all those in attendance. President Platt awarded certificates of appreciation to the following retirees:

Donna Stankiewicz was honored for over 19 years as a Spanish Teacher (September 1, 2000 to October 18, 2019).

Dixie Hall-Forkey was honored for over 26 years as a cafeteria worker (September 28, 1993 to January 4, 2020).

Joe Wahl was honored for over 27 years as a Physical Education Teacher (September 1, 1992 to February 23, 2020).

Donna K. Parker was honored for 15 years as a Teacher Aide (September 1, 2005 to June 26, 2020).

Jerrilyn Jesmer was honored for over 21 years as a cafeteria worker (November 17, 1998 to June 26, 2020).

Marla Shampine was honored for over 20 years as an Elementary School Nurse (December 7, 1999 to June 30, 2020).

Lynn Nicholl was honored for 25 years as a Secretary (September 25, 1995 to June 30, 2020).

Chris Dashnaw was honored for 31 years as Science Teacher (September 1, 1989 to June 30, 2020).

Linda (Erdman) Jones was honored for over 34 years as Assistant School Business Manager (February 3, 1986 to June 30, 2020).

Victoria Day was honored for 33 years as Elementary Principal (September 1, 1987 to July 27, 2020).

Densey Jessmer was honored for three years as Teacher Aide (August 31, 2017 to July 29, 2020).

Tonya Rood was honored for over 18 years as Guidance Counselor (December 10, 2001 to August 31, 2020)

Tammy Kimok was honored for 18 years as Secretary (July 5, 2002 to September 30, 2020).

Diane McDougall was honored for 11 years as a cafeteria worker (September 1, 2010 to June 30, 2021).

Robyn Knowlton was honored for 24 years as CSE Chairperson (September 1. 1997 to June 30. 2021).

Sharon Martin was honored for 22 years as Elementary Teacher (September 7. 1999 to June 30, 2021).

Bonnie Walker was honored for 32 years as Secretary (September 11, 1989 to June 30, 2021).

Pat Williams was honored for 34 years as Elementary Teacher (September 1, 1987 to June 30, 2021).

Lauren French, former Superintendent of Schools, was honored for her 37 years serving the district (September 1, 1984 to June 30, 2021).

Barb Tuttle was honored for her 38 years as Reading Teacher (September 1, 1983 to June 30, 2021).

Lyn Patton was honored for her 23 years as a Cook in the cafeteria (May 18, 1999 to January 14, 2022).

Marie Hutton was honored for 30 years as Account Clerk (March 2, 1992 to April 16, 2022).

H. Joan Pike was honored for 13 years as Teaching Assistant (September 1, 2009 to June 24, 2022).

Michelle Benda was honored for 22 years as Physical Education Teacher (September 5, 2000 to June 24, 2022).

Krista Wainwright was honored for 28 years as a Cook (September 1, 1994 to June 28, 2022).

Christine Carr was honored for 23 years as a cafeteria worker (May 18, 1999 to June 30, 2022).

Tyrone Bristol was honored for 38 years as Custodian (July 10, 1984 to June 30, 2022).

Roland Houghton was honored for over six years as Custodian (May 2, 2016 to July 29, 2022).

Patricia Bush was honored for 23 years as Guidance Counselor (September 27, 1999 to August 1, 2022).

Renee Powlin was honored for five years as Music Teacher (August 30, 2018 to June 30, 2023).

Carol LaSala was honored for 11 years as School Business Manager (August 27, 2012 to June 30, 2023).

Amber Wilcox was honored for 23 years as Physical Education Teacher (November 6, 2000 to June 30, 2023).

Thunderous applause sounded throughout the VFW Hall as the recognition was extended to the retirees in thanks for their many years of dedicated to service.

VFW Post 6338 Auxiliary President Jeff Platt then welcomed Gouverneur Central School District Superintendent of Schools Jacquelyn L. Kelly to the podium. “I’d like to thank everybody for coming today. In addition to all the former employees that we just honored, we’re here today to honor three employees who will be retiring from the Gouverneur Central School District on June 30, 2023. Each of these retirees have had an impact on the District in different ways. Carol LaSala, the Gouverneur Central School District Business Manager, was hired on August 27, 2012. Carol came to our district with a wealth of knowledge and experience. She worked for a private accounting firm in Canton for years, and one of the many roles she played there was to work on school district audits. She also worked for the St. Lawrence – Lewis BOCES in the Central Business Office for years before joining our school district. When I began in my new role as superintendent, I knew there would be challenges. I had many years of experience teaching students and working with families. I had a solid knowledge of curriculum and instruction. I even had experience leading a building. As an assistant superintendent, I had experience working at the district level. I did not, however, have extensive knowledge of school finance, and I knew that would be a challenge. For any of you who are not aware, school business can be a pretty scary thing. Even though, Carol likes it so much she still gets a little bit giddy when she talks about it. Thank goodness I came to Gouverneur. Not only did Carol have extensive knowledge of school finance, but she was more than willing to share that knowledge with me. I bet she has answered thousands of questions since I started, and she never gets frustrated with me, no matter how trivial the questions seem to her. She is a patient and kind instructor. I am pretty sure she sees me as a challenge. The thing about Carol is that she is often the first person I look to when something unusual lands on my desk, and if she is not able to help me, she always knows the direction in which I need to go. When Carol retires, a vast amount of knowledge, experience and skill will be leaving the district with her. She is one of the most committed and dedicated employees with whom I have ever worked during my 25 years in education, and she will be truly missed. I couldn’t bid farewell to Carol without mentioning that, while she is a great employee and an exceptional business manager, she is also a pretty proud mom. Being a working mother can present challenges and seeing the success that each of her four boys have experienced shows that Carol loves a good challenge. While Carol was committed to her career over the years, her boys were and continue to be the apples of her eye. You should be very proud of them, Carol. In retirement, Carol, I wish you the best of luck. I hope you enjoy your time traveling around the United States. We are not only losing a highly qualified and experienced business manager, but I am saying goodbye to a friend… Send us postcards from your travels and many adventures, and don’t forget where Gouverneur is. Maybe we can schedule a lunch date or two. Congratulations, Carol.” Thunderous applause sounded as GCSD Business Manager Carol LaSala was presented a Certificate of Appreciation. She extended gratitude to the Gouverneur CSD Board of Education and former GCS Superintendent of Schools Lauren French for hiring her at the Gouverneur Central School District. She also extended gratitude to current GCS Superintendent of School Jackie Kelly, the administration team, and the current GCS Board of Education for their unending support. “My job is not easy. The rules change all the time. But I try to go with the flow,” she said. She also extended appreciation to GCSD Business Office Staff and others for their dedication and support over the years. “Without them, I could not do my job… and they made me look good. It truly does take a whole team to do the work of the business office. I appreciate them,” she said. She also extended appreciation to her parents for instilling in her a work ethic, and to her children for their continual love and support. “Thank you for this acknowledgement,” she said in conclusion. “I will always remember Gouverneur… you really have meant a lot to me. Thank you.”

Gouverneur Central School District Assistant Superintendent Jessica Sullivan then took to the podium to recognize Amber Wilcox for her 23 years of service to the district. In 2000, Amber Wilcox was hired as the Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics. In 2007, she transitioned to P.E. Teacher and Coordinator of Athletics. In 2009, she moved to Secondary P.E. at the Middle School. Amber has been a longtime member of the New York State association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance where she received a Special Service Award and served two years as President of the Northern Zone as a member of the association’s executive council. “When I was asked to speak about Amber’s time with us, I immediately thought about the impact she’s had on our advisory community and the special education students at the middle school. For the time that I was assistant principal and principal at the middle school, amber has always taught our adaptive physical education class. For those of you not familiar with A.P.E., it is physical education that is adapted to the individual needs of our students with disabilities. I believe there is a huge difference between a good teacher and a great teacher. To prepare for an A.P.E. class, a good teacher would make modifications to activities in P.E. to meet the needs of their students. A great teacher endlessly researches equipment and activities to find a way for their students to fully participate in P.E. – and Amber is a great teacher. I cannot count the number of times that Amber would come into my office because she found a new activity or a new piece of equipment that she would like to try with her A.P.E. students. She constantly looked for ways to improve her instruction and engage students in P.E., regardless of their disability. One of the things that I loved most was to walk by the gym and see her students participating in A.P.E. The other thing that I would like to mention is the work that amber has done with our students in advisory. A few years ago, the middle school created an advisory period at the beginning of the day. The purpose of this time was to focus on character education and building relationships. Amber really embraced advisory. During my time at the middle school, she would always do a Thankful Thursday. Each Thursday, her students would recognize a staff member and give them a card thanking them for the work that they do. Amber created a family within her advisory community, and she did this through the time she spent planning for activities that were designed to bring her students together and build character. So, Amber, I want to thank you for the time you have given to our district and the impact you have had on our students. I hope that you are able to enjoy your retirement, travel and do whatever else makes your heart happy. And if you ever get bored, know that we always need substitutes.” Thunderous applause sounded as Amber Wilcox was presented a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition for her years of dedicated service to the district.

“Thank you,” Amber Wilcox said. She extended appreciation to her family as well as the Gouverneur Central School District administration, faculty and staff for their support over the years. “It’s been a wonderful 33 years total, and I am proud to say that I got to finish it here in Gouverneur, and do what I have been able to do. Working with the students, I can only hope that I imparted on them some of the things that they should be doing or trying to do to help them maintain the health and wellness in their lives. Working with the adaptive students has just been absolutely phenomenal. I would work with any student… having the opportunity to work with students who you really have to focus on: “What can you do to serve them in their best interest and allow them to be physically active?” That has been very gratifying. It is my pleasure to have been here for the 23 years. I will miss it. You don’t realize how much it just becomes part of that family until you are standing up here saying goodbye. But it has been my pleasure, and I thank all of you who are here – from those that I worked with in athletics to those I worked with in Phys Ed. It has just been my pleasure, and I’ll keep doing what I feel is in the interest of the students to get them through this year and move them forward. Thank you very much.”

Gouverneur High School Principal Cory Wood then took to podium to recognize GHS Music Teacher Renee Powlin for her years of dedicated service. “Someone said that, “Music is the soul of humanity.” Working with Renee Powlin over the last five years, we were very fortunate to have her after a teaching education career in library and music in Central New York. Due to budgetary constraints, she called us and said: “I am interested in a teaching job that you have up there.” It was a choral position. For the last five years, since 2018, she has done just that. She has showed us through COVID the obstacles that the kids faced of trying to create music when they are separated. Through cold, winter nights driving from CNY to here for Chamber Singers or a concert, and then to the beautiful evenings of graduation. Renee has performed wonderfully with our kids, and she has challenged our kids to the highest levels of New York State. Her students have performed at every level of music festivals, through the local NYSSMA all the way down to all-state in which we’ve had a number of students. The thing about Renee is that she practices what she preaches. She provides her talents to a number of organizations and music ensembles around the county and CNY. She’s continually taught her kids that, “It’s okay just to sing.” She is going back to the Pulaski area, and I hear she might be still working, so I wish her the best of luck at that. It has been a wonderful five years. Thank you for everything you have brought. Again, it is all in the songs. Congratulations.”

Thunderous applause sounded as Renee Powlin was presented a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition for her years of dedicated service to the district.

“Thank you,” she said. “As Mr. Wood said, I came back into teaching five years ago after being a school librarian for 18 years. Yes, I taught music at the very beginning, and once you are a musician, you always a part of it, it becomes a part of your being. I kept accompanying and being involved in choir, so it was just a natural transition to come back into it to finish my career. I have enjoyed every minute of it. I drive 70 miles one way per day. There are some days when the drive is not so much fun, but we’ve made it through, and staying late to work with the Chamber Singers and stuff. The kids here have been welcoming. It has been a great experience, even through COVID and being separated. But this year, my students kept saying: “Can’t you wait and graduate with me.” And I said, “No, I am going to graduate this year.” But this is the best music department I have ever worked with, and we have worked as a team… They were a great team to work with. I just took 17 kids to NYSSMA Solo Fest last weekend, 15 of them it was their very first time, and they were amazing. To come out with all these ninth graders, there were three outstandings, two A+’s at Level 5, two Level 6 A’s, and two other Level 5 A’s. The rest of them, grade levels 1-4, the top rating is 28 and they had 24s and 25s. It was just a great experience. Please come to our concert on May 23, 7 p.m., at the GHS auditorium. You’ll enjoy our music.”

VFW Post 6338 Auxiliary President Jeff Platt then invited the crowd to enjoy the tea and refreshments provided by the auxiliary as they enjoyed fun, food and fellowship for the next hour. Much gratitude was extended to the auxiliary for hosting the annual event. For more information about VFW Post 6338 and its auxiliary, visit www.vfwpost6338.com.