Announcements for Friday, October 9, 2026
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,
What a busy and exciting time of year it is in our Hive! With October underway, I hope your family is enjoying the beautiful fall weather and finding time to slow down and take in the season.
There is no school for students and district offices are closed on Monday, October 12, in observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I hope the upcoming three-day weekend gives your family a chance to rest, recharge and spend some quality time together.
October is also National Principals Month, and next week we’ll be celebrating the incredible principals who lead our schools each day. We’ll be highlighting our principals on our social media pages and website, so be sure to check them out! Our principals play such an important role in making our schools welcoming, positive places for students, staff and families, and we are grateful for all they do to keep our Hive buzzing.
Enjoy the long weekend, and as always, thank you for being such an important part of our school community!
I have a few announcements to share with you today:
Junior High Area All-State Music Festival:
Five Durgee students were accepted to Junior High Area All-State, which will be held in Homer on November 6th & 7th this year. Congratulations:
Nicholas Atcheson - Violin
Calvin Fordyce - Trumpet
Brayden Gangemi - Alto Sax
Abigail Jung - Violin
Gabriel Walsh - Trumpet
Go Bees!
Marching Band:
Our Marching Bees took first place last weekend and it was a huge win. Our Bees earned their highest score ever at the West Genesee show. The Bees are currently ranked #2 in the National Class standings for the NYSFBC going into this weekend. Go Bees!
The marching band departed this morning for the 2026 Bands of America Carolina Regional Championships! They take the field at 10 a.m. on Saturday and are the only band from New York state competing in the competition this weekend along with 30 other bands.
Athletics:
We’re celebrating an incredible accomplishment by C.W. Baker High School senior Mira Nadzan! Mira has finished her varsity tennis career with an undefeated league record — from 7th grade through 12th grade, she has not lost a single league match. That means six years of varsity tennis and an entire career without a league loss. A feat like this is truly remarkable and one we don’t see often. We are so proud of you and everything you have accomplished! Postseason individual play begins Monday at Liverpool High School. Go Bees!
Congratulations to Brayden Sheridan, Parker Allen, Owen Battaglia and Pat Schultz for their rounds of golf at Drumlin’s Country Club on Wednesday in Sectionals. Their scores were low enough to get them into the state qualifying tournament at Seven Oaks Golf Club this spring. Great work and well done. We are very proud of you all. Go Bees!
In the Boys Golf team sectionals, the red team took 5th place and the white team took 8th place. Congratulations on a great season! Go Bees!
Girls gymnastics sectionals are next Friday, October 16th at Valley Gymnastics. Go Bees!
School Board Recognition Week
In recognition of NYSSBA’s School Board Recognition Week, we celebrated our Board of Education at Monday’s Board meeting with two special tributes from our students. Technology students at C.W. Baker High School created handcrafted American flags for our Board members, and students from across the district shared their appreciation in a video answering the question, “Because you said yes, we can…”
Thank you to our Board of Education for your dedication to our students, staff and community. Thank you also to our talented students and Baker Technology teachers Jamie Cuyler, Mike Malecki, Morgan Coffey and Matt Hudson for helping make this recognition so meaningful.
Visit our website to watch the video!
National Bullying Prevention Month:
October is National Bullying Prevention Month and Wednesday, October 21st is Unity Day. Unity Day is a day to come together and remind us that we all deserve to be treated with kindness, be accepted as who we are, and feel included at all times. Everyone is encouraged to wear orange to show their support for bullying prevention.
Community Café:
You’re invited to join us for our Community Café on Tuesday, October 20th at Durgee Junior High School in the cafeteria. The topic discussed will be Screen Time in Schools. The Community Café, which will be held from 6 to 7 p.m., is an opportunity to bring together students, staff, parents and community members to discuss important topics impacting the school district. Guests will gather in small groups as we share ideas, perspectives and light refreshments. Registration is required. We hope you can join us!
2027-2028 Budget:
Last call for volunteers! As we develop our 2027–2028 District budget, we are looking for community members to share their input through our Budget Advisory Committees. Volunteers will review specific areas of the budget and provide feedback on potential cost savings before budget components are presented to the Board of Education. Interested in making your voice heard? Now is the time to get involved! The deadline to sign up is Thursday. All committee meetings will be held virtually via Zoom. Visit our website for committee information, meeting dates and times and details on how to volunteer.
Please continue to check ParentSquare, your email and our website at www.bville.org, for important updates. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
Go Bees! Have a great three-day weekend!
Sincerely,
Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools
