The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Grafton

Berlin High School Class Of 2014 Valedictorian And Salutatorian

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submitted by Erin Clary, Communications Specialist, Berlin Central School District 

The Berlin High School announces Alessa D’Alessio as its Valedictorian and Cullen O’Brien as its Salutatorian for the Class of 2014.

Valedictorian Alessa D’Alessio

BCS 2014 Valedictorian Alessa D’Alessio. Photo courtesy of Erin Clary.
BCS 2014 Valedictorian Alessa D’Alessio. Photo courtesy of Erin Clary.

D’Alessio is the daughter of Yolanda and Michael D’Alessio of Cherry Plain. She has a cumulative GPA of 96.79 percent. Her coursework this year includes Advanced Placement English and Psychology, along with Hudson Valley Community “College in the High School” Calculus. She will graduate with a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation.

D’Alessio has been the recipient of several awards including the University of Rochester Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award and the U.S. Air Force Math and Science Award, both in 2013.

Although she has attended Berlin High School for less than two years, D’Alessio has made a tremendous impact on her class and the school community during that short time. She is a member of the varsity soccer and varsity cheerleading teams. She has served as a class officer and is an active participant in the Drama Club. D’Alessio is also a member of the National Honor Society.

As an active participant in her community, D’Alessio has volunteered her time at the Town libraries, the transfer station where she sorted recyclables and at Sunderland Elementary School in Vermont where she helped clean up the grounds.

D’Alessio is currently undecided on where she will go for college but plans on majoring in International Relations and the French language.

Salutatorian Cullen O’Brien

BCS 2014 Salutatorian Cullen O’Brien. Photo courtesy of Erin Clary.
BCS 2014 Salutatorian Cullen O’Brien. Photo courtesy of Erin Clary.

O’Brien is the son of Doris and Daniel O’Brien of Grafton. He has a cumulative GPA of 94.8 percent. His coursework this year includes Advanced Placement English and Chemistry, along with Hudson Valley Community “College in the High School” Calculus. O’Brien, along with one other student, also created their own Environmental Science Independent Study program. He will graduate with a Regents Diploma with Honors and Advanced Designation.

O’Brien was the recipient of several awards in 2013 including the University of Rochester George Eastman Young Leaders Award, the Clarkson University Leadership Award and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal.

A well-rounded student, O’Brien is a member of the varsity soccer and basketball teams and is a four year member of the high school band. He is also part of the jazz band and marching band and has participated in drama club. He is a competitor in the Science Bowl, Envirothon and Masterminds teams. O’Brien is also a member of the National Honor Society.

Also active in his community, O’Brien has volunteered at church cleanups and in fundraising walks and activities in Grafton Lakes State Park where he is also employed as a life guard during the summer months.

Although currently undecided on where he will attend college, O’Brien plans to study Chemistry or Biology with the intent of pursuing a career in medicine, either as an emergency medical physician or physician’s assistant.

Grafton Library Food For Fines Amnesty Week

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The Grafton Community Library is offering an opportunity to get rid of your late fees while helping to provide crucial food items for the most vulnerable in our community. For every nonperishable food item that you bring in to the Library between April 14 and April 19, we will waive one of your late fees. We cannot waive fees for items that are still checked out or lost. All food items will be donated to the Parish of Our Lady of the Snow Food Pantry and will go directly to help families in need in our community.

The food pantry is in particular need of the following: coffee, tea bags, peanut butter, jelly, pasta, spaghetti sauce, soups, cranberry sauce, canned veggies, canned fruit, canned chicken, tuna fish, instant potatoes, rice-a-roni, pasta-roni, cereals and juices.  Please do not bring expired or damaged food items or items that are unlabeled.

April Events At The Grafton Library

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The Grafton Community Library announces its programs for the month of April. All programs are free and open to the public. For more information contact the Library at 518-279-0580 or email director@graftoncommunitylibrary.org. Stay up to date with everything that is happening at the library by visiting our online events calendar at www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org/whats-happening-at-your-library, and signing up for our email newsletter on our website www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org.

Storyteller Gil Payette will present Native American Animal Spirits (all ages program) on Friday, April 18, at 6:30 pm. In this fun and informative program Payette will weave together his teaching and storytelling skills to give us a glimpse of how Native Americans understand spiritual and sacred animal power. Some Native American languages had no word for “animal.” These life forms were considered extended family – brothers, sisters, cousins – each one unique unto itself, a symbol of power, of the soul, a creative element with a spiritual purpose. Special prizes will be given!

The Facts about Lyme Disease will be presented by Jennifer Mahoney, Rensselaer County Health Department, on Tuesday, April 22, at 6:30 pm. Get ready to enjoy the great outdoors in a safe way this spring by finding out everything you need to know about Lyme disease in our area.This program will cover:

• information about the tick’s life cycle;

• awareness of Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases;

• recognizing basic signs and symptoms;

• knowing to seek early diagnosis and treatment;

• knowing if you live, work or play in an area that has infected ticks;

• practicing preventive actions, and

• knowing who to contact for more information.

Book Discussion Group

The Book Discussion Group will discuss The Secret History by Donna Tartt on Wednesday, April 30, at 12:30 pm. The Grafton Community Library’s book discussion group meets monthly. New participants are always welcome. Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is the darkly engrossing debut by the author of last year’s acclaimed novel The Goldfinch. This tale of murder and intrigue at a small Vermont college was inspired by Tartt’s years in Bennington. Copies are available now at the Library.

Weekly Storytimes for Preschool Aged Children will take place on Thursday, April 17, at 4 pm, Wednesday, April 23, at 10:30 am and Wednesday, April 30, at 10:30 am.

The Grafton Clippers Coupon Group will meet on Monday, April 21, at 6 pm. Be part of a new social group where people gather to share knowledge of clipping coupons and finding ways to cut shopping trips by 90%. The Grafton Clippers will meet at the library every other Monday at 6 pm. New members are always welcome. For more information email Donna atmoreoutoflife@gmail.com or Erin at Erin_469@yahoo.com.

Game Day at the Library – Tuesdays starting at 3:30 pm. Come to the Library to play your favorite board games with friends: Scrabble, Bananagrams, Scattergories and more. Use the Library’s games or bring your own.

Sit and Knit Needle Arts Group – Saturdays at 10 am. Come share your love of all the Needle Arts – knitting, stitching, crocheting and more. All skill levels and abilities are welcome.

Poestenkill VFW Breakfast

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The Sullivan-Jones VFW post 7466 in Poestenkill will be having its monthly buffet breakfast on April 13 from 8 to 11 am. The cost of the breakfast has gone up to $8 for adults, $4 for children 6 years to 12 years but  is still free for children 5 years and under.

This month, besides our normal fare, we will be serving corned beef hash and ham.

Grafton VFD And Ladies Auxiliary Breakfast

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The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department along with the Grafton Ladies Auxiliary will be serving an All You Can Eat Buffet Breakfast on Saturday, April 26, from 8 to 11 am at the Grafton VFW – Fire Hall on South Road (County Route 85). Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, eggs (made to order), sausage gravy & biscuits, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast, orange juice, coffee and milk are on the menu.

The cost is $9 per adult, $4 for kids 12 and under and free for kids five and under.

Grafton Historical Society April Meeting

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The Grafton Historical Society will meet at 7 pm in the Grafton Town Hall on April 16.

Researching Local History Online

Bob Mayo will give a presentation on how digitized New York State newspapers available on the internet can be used to research local and family history.  He will discuss some of what he learned about Taconic Lake history and his own family history in the process.

Bob lives year round on Taconic Lake in the Town of Grafton, where he is President of the Taconic Lake Association.  He worked for over 20 years at IBM and is currently the Director of the Libraries at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Bob blogs on local nature and other subjects at http://rensselaerplateaulife.blogspot.com/ and maintains a weather station that provides a feed to the internet and local TV station WNYT (Channel 13).

The program is free, and the public is welcome. Refreshments will be served.

School Spring Vacation Series At Dyken Pond

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The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering a School Spring Vacation Series for kids from April 14 to 16, from 2 to 4 pm.  Each program will be held outdoors and will include a short hike through Dyken Pond’s trail systems.  Children are welcome to attend one or all programs.

• Monday, April 14, will offer a Bird Watching for Beginners program that will teach kids about the anatomy of a bird and how to identify them in the wild.

• Tuesday, April 15, will offer a Signs of Spring hike that will have kids exploring a 1-2 mile trek through the woods.

• Wednesday, April 16, is an Amphibian Adventure in search of frog eggs and other amphibian life in the forest. A $1 per child suggested donation covers material costs.

A complete list of programs can be found at www.dykenpond.org. Pre-registration is encouraged to help with planning, but not required and can be done by contacting the Center at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or 658-2055.

Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, is a Rensselaer County Park open daily during daylight hours for hiking, fishing and non-motor boating. Call for more information and a complete schedule of our summer events.

No Snakes In Ireland And No Business At The Grafton Planning Board Meeting

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by Kieron Kramer 

The only points of interest at the two minute long Grafton Planning Board meeting on St. Patrick’s Day, Monday, March 17, was what didn’t happen at the meeting – especially since nothing happened at the meeting. The meeting started early at 6:58 pm with Planning Board members Pete Gundrum, Owen Grandjean, Jim Goyer and Chairman Tom Withcuskey present. There was no one present from the public.

The Board reviewed and then voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the February 24 meeting and public hearing. Then Chairman Withcuskey announced that he had been in touch with the attorney for AT&T who informed him that they are “still putting their application package together,” according to Withcuskey. AT&T has to apply for a site plan review for modifications to its cell tower at 38 Radio Tower Way. Radio Tower Way runs off of Snyder Road. They want to place three new antennas on the tower to upgrade the signal to 4G LTE. AT&T had withdrawn its application before last month’s meeting, and it was to be on the agenda at the March 17 meeting if they had their paperwork done. Now it is being postponed until the next Planning Board meeting on April 21.

Hearing Nothing More

Withcuskey also announced that he had “heard nothing” about the site plan review required for the change of use at the R.J. Valente mine on Route 2 near the Brunswick Town line. According to Withcuskey, Valente has not begun the site plan review process as required by the Town and the Commissioner of the DEC has not ruled on which agency, the DEC or the Grafton Planning Board, will be the lead agency in the NYS Environmental Quality Review process (SEQR). Or, perhaps, the DEC has not informed Withcuskey of its decision, which he expected before this meeting.

Book Sale At The Grafton Library

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The Grafton Community Library, located at 2455 NY Route 2, will be opening the doors at 8 am on Saturday, March 29, for a book sale. The sale will run until 1 pm in the basement. Stop by the Library to pick up some fresh reading material at bargain prices. Hardcovers are one dollar, and paperbacks are fifty cents. There are still free VHS tapes available. You never know what you will find! Go to www.graftoncommunitylibrary.org for more news about programs and events or call 279-0580.