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ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
BRESEE’S FIGURINES BRING BACK MEMORIES, page B-4 VISIT www.
AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE COMPLIMENTARY
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, December 21, 2023
Volume 16, No. 9
CCS Logo, Mascot Being Phased Out COOPERSTOWN ooperstown Central School officials will systematically phase out the school’s longserving logo by June 2025. This comes as the result of a November 17, 2022 memorandum issued by the New York State Department of Education regarding an official Commissioner’s Decision— subsequently upheld in the State Supreme Court— indicating that public school districts are prohibited from using Native American mascots. According to CCS Superintendent Sarah Spross in her report to the CCS Board of Education at the meeting of June 21, “arguments that community members support the use of such imagery or that it is ‘respectful’ to Native Americans are no longer tenable.” The New York State Board of Regents, on April 18 of this year, unanimously approved new rules that will ban the use of Native American culture by schools, including names, logos and mascots. Public schools that use Native American names, mascots or imagery will lose state funding. The rule goes into effect after the 2024-2025 school year, but schools that currently have Native American logos or mascots have to commit by the end of this academic year to making a change. A silhouette of “The Indian Hunter,” a famous sculpture by John Quincy Adams Ward paying homage to author James Fenimore Cooper also referred to by some as the Deerslayer, is the current CCS mascot and logo. NYSED recommendations presented at the July 19 CCS board meeting read: “CCSD is required to make the determination as to whether or not its team name, logo, or imagery are connected to indigenous Nations or peoples. As you point out in your letter, James Fenimore Cooper is clear that Hawkeye is not indigenous (“The Deerslayer” states that both of his parents where white). However, due to his upbringing among the Lenni Lenape (what Fenimore calls the Delaware People) depictions of Hawkeye may contain indigenous imagery that is prohibited under the Part 123 regulations…Our suggestion would be to engage in Continued on page 13
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INSIDE
Photo by Wriley Nelson
Holiday Party in Pioneer Park COOPERSTOWN—Pioneer Park was the site of the Cooperstown Fire Department’s Children’s Holiday Party last Saturday, December 16. Details on page B-2.
Fox Nurses Rally against Understaffing By WRILEY NELSON ONEONTA .O. Fox nursing staff and representatives from the New York State Nurses Association held a “speak out” rally on Wednesday, December 13 to draw attention to ongoing
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staffing issues. About a dozen nurses accompanied by NYSNA personnel and community members gathered in front of the emergency room entrance to speak about their concerns about the state of the hospital’s staffing and administration. Each of the speakers pointed
out that A.O. Fox faces a 50 percent vacancy rate in nursing; under normal circumstances, the hospital has a staff of about 100 nurses, but it is currently operating with around 50. Such a severe shortage of labor power poses dire risks to patient health and to the Continued on page 12
CCS Elementary Student Bakes for Entire School
► O2K COMMENTS ON WIND PROJECT, page 4
By WRILEY NELSON
► celebrate the hunter, page 4 ► A Christmas Story a la Terry berkson, page 6 ► ‘bear’ premiers this week, page 6 ► citizens work to save local banking, page 9 ► ‘TODAY’ show to film in cooperstown, page 13 ► stagecoach withdraws oneonta plans, page B-3 ► merry christmas! Follow Breaking News On
AllOTSEGO.com
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COOPERSTOWN ooperstown fifth grader Winston Hom made his own solution to gloomy weather and the long stretch of school and work between the holidays. The 10-year-old student spent seven hours over a weekend to bake more than 500 cookies and distribute them to every student and staff member on Monday, December 18. “I love to bake and always have,” Winston said. “I thought last Friday, ‘no one likes Mondays. How can I make it more fun?’ It took me seven hours and I had to do it all myself because my parents were busy.” As he and his friend and classmate Paxton Hazzard pushed the cookie cart around the halls, Winston explained that he comes from a Danish family and wanted to recreate a traditional family recipe. By all accounts,
his beautifully-made butter cookies were successful. “I ran into his mother, Marie-Louise, at the Fun Run on Saturday,” said Elementary Principal Amy Malcuria. “She asked me about the number of people at the school for him.” Winston worked with Malcuria in October to found the Acts of Kindness Club. AOK recently ran a turkey raffle to raise money and buy a mobility cart for a disabled school therapy dog. “Winston has done a really amazing job of recruiting friends and classmates,” Malcuria continued. “He really exemplifies what it means to be a Cooperstown Elementary student. He has such a big heart and is so inclusive, he always wants to help everyone. The club is unique here: It’s student-run and student-founded. They govern themselves and come up with their Continued on page 13
Photo provided
Winston Hom, 10, prepares to distribute 500 cookies he baked for the students and staff of Cooperstown Elementary School.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER EDDM PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ONEONTA PERMIT NO. 890