Dear West Genesee Families and Staff,
West Genesee has a storied past and an ongoing reputation for continued and future successes. We look to the future and to continue rich traditions. Recently, that has been on my mind.
Look to the Future
Earlier this year, a group of hard-working student-athletes made history with the first match of our Girls’ Wrestling program! (December 13, 24 E-Newsletter “A Wildcat First”)
Last week, the Boys 7th/8th Volleyball team hosted the first match in the history of the Boys’ Volleyball program. In front of stands filled with supporters, these student-athletes check a box of Wildcat history to grow our prestigious volleyball program with the addition of a boys’ competitive team. The team played strong and provided a preview of what will become a formidable part of our region. Congratulations to these Wildcats and their supporters who will forever be able to say they were there at the beginning!
This weekend, our West Genesee Cadet Colorguard team continues, in only their second season, to represent us well. The group traveled to East-Syracuse Minoa for the 2025 Spartan Spectacular Winter Guard Show. They outdistanced three other groups for a 1st place finish in the Cadet Class. Congratulations to these student-athletes!
Rich Traditions
An impressive number of students from West Genesee High School worked for months toward their performances this past weekend. The Fine Arts Department presented this year’s musical Disney's The Little Mermaid. Each of the four performances included a full house of audience members who were able to experience this outstanding show! Continuing the long history of shows, this group performed at a level seen in professional productions! Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for providing these unforgettable musical experiences. Bravo!
A Connection Between Both
Audience members witnessed a very special moment during one of the performances. During a big moment in the show, the stage is filled and the auditorium includes cast members performing in the aisles. During the song “Under the Sea”, singing and dancing “sea creatures” invited audience members to join the fun. In one instance that I saw, a young child left her seat with wide eyes and a wider smile to dance alongside the cast member. That must have been a wonderful moment for the child! Who knows, that may lead to her participating in a musical one day! Kudos to those “taller Wildcats” for the impression on and modeling for “smaller Wildcats”!
Enjoy this edition of the e-News and be sure to look for a future event to attend.
Sincerely,
David C. Bills, Superintendent of Schools
WGHS Students Selected for Syracuse Youth Wind Ensemble
This fall an opportunity became available to high school musicians for the new Syracuse Youth Wind Ensemble.
Conceived and started by Westhill Band Director, Erin Althen and our very own, Greg Borsz, this ensemble aims to provide "an inspiring musical home to the most exceptional high school woodwind, brass, and percussion student-musicians from across Central New York" (from https://syracuseyouthwindsymphony.org). Interested students auditioned last October and began weekly rehearsals in November.
There were eleven WGHS musicians selected to play in this special ensemble. They are:
- Samantha Bullock - Clarinet
- Riley Bullock - Trombone
- Sarai Card - Clarinet
- Harrison Card - Trumpet
- Jack Ciesielski - Tuba
- Reis Cleland - Timpani
- Audrey Diddle - Percussion
- Jack Dotzler - Tuba
- Georgia Dziedzic - Horn
- Benjamin Korzeniewski - Saxophone
- Layla MacArthur - Horn
- Evan Perkins - Tuba
- Ryan Popp - Horn
The musicians will be performing March 9 at the New York State Band Director's Association (NYSBDA) Symposium. Clear here to read information about the group: https://syracuseyouthwindsymphony.org/#about.
CMS Celebrates Black History Month:
February is Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and rich history of Black Americans.
The CMS Social Justice Club has created a special slideshow to celebrate Black History Month. Check out the slideshow presentation below to see their work in action!
Universal Pre-Kindergarten Registration Will Open On March 10, 2025
West Genesee partners with local Community-Based Organizations (CBO) for its Pre-K program.
To be eligible for UPK during the 2025-2026 school year, a child must:
Turn the age of 4 on or before December 1, 2025
Reside in the West Genesee Central School District
Registration will open on March 10, 2025. In the event that more registrations are received than can be accommodated, the District will conduct an initial selection process via an open lottery in which children will be selected at random.
Those children who have completed the registration process by 3:00 p.m. on April 2, 2025 will be part of the initial selection process.
Families who were part of the initial selection process will be called in order of selection and informed:
whether their child has been accepted to the program, and
which site (including hours of the program) is available for their child;
OR
where their child is on the waiting list.
Families will be contacted by April 3-4, 2025.
If at any point after the initial selection process there are more students registered than seats available, students will be placed on the waiting list in the order that their registration was completed.
Transportation to and from the program is the responsibility of parents/guardians, and students must attend the program five days a week to maintain their seat.
Look for registration information on the Central Registration webpage at: https://www.westgenesee.org/district-services/registration/. If you have any questions, email the Central Registrar at centralregistrar@westgenesee.org, or call Central Registration at (315) 487-4683.
When registering, parents should be prepared to upload the following:
proof of residency (ie. mortgage or property statement or signed lease agreement)
proof of age
Join the West Genesee Culture Celebration on March 1, 2025!
The Annual Culture Celebration will be held at West Genesee High School on Saturday, March 1, 2025 from 12:00-3:00 p.m in the upper gymnasium. The annual West Genesee Culture Celebration is an exciting opportunity to showcase the rich diversity of the West Genesee Central School District and the broader Camillus community.
This special event highlights the many cultures that make up our community through performances and table displays by students, families, and community groups.
Some of the participants this year include a Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Tearney's Martial Arts, Irish Dancers, and a Russian folk singer. Additionally, the event will showcase cultural displays from around the world, featuring South Africa, Bulgaria, Germany, Palestine, Mexico, and more!
Attendees are encouraged to bring an item to benefit two deserving organizations. AccessCNY is opening a new respite center for children facing mental health crises and is looking to collect children's books, art supplies, fidget spinners, playdough, and puzzles. The West Genesee Power Pack Program will be collecting Easy Mac, packaged fruit cups, granola bars, soup, Chef Boyardee, and Pop-Tarts to help combat food insecurity in the Camillus area.
For more information or to sign up, contact: Meghan Leonardis, West Genesee High School Administrative Intern, mleonardis@westgenesee.org, 315-487-4673.
Let’s make this celebration a true reflection of our multicultural community and foster a culture of inclusion in our schools. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Emergency Closing Information is Important
Announcements about school closings, delayed openings, or early dismissal will be posted on the News Headlines section of the District website home page. They will also be broadcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the list of stations which you can access by clicking here.
Also, ParentSquare communications software allows us to send emails, texts, and make phone calls. (Phone calls will be used for emergency situations only.)
Parent/Guardians and staff will NOT need to sign-up to receive information from schools that you are registered for in Schooltool. (You will have the option to opt-out if you choose not to receive emails, texts, and/or phone calls. To receive texts, you also have to opt-in per the instructions in the Tips article below. )
