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The West Seneca & Elma Sun / Saturday, December 13, 2014
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w e st se n e ca & e l m a
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CPOWNY and Buffalo Zoo pair up to welcome giraffe calf By Lizz Schumer
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014
West Elementary has the holiday spirit By Angela Rupp
HAMBURG SUN EDITOR
There is a new face at The Buffalo Zoo, and Community Papers of WNY Inc. is partnering with the Zoo to welcome its first Zooborn baby in some time: A baby giraffe. The male calf arrived in the middle of the night on Oct. 24, to first-time parents A.J, 5, and Moke, 3. Community Papers of WNY has planned a year of events and promotions, in conjunction with the Zoo, to welcome the newest addition to Western New York. A formal press release will be released by the Zoo and CPOWNY on Dec. 15, announcing the still-anonymous baby’s name, as well as the reasoning behind its new moniker. The newspaper group and the Zoo are working together to host a series of events and contests, to coincide with the calf’s first year of life, and CPOWNY readers will be the first to know, and participate in, these promotions. Baby giraffes tend to remain with their parents until they are around about 22 months old, so the orga-
SUN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTO BY PHOTOGRAPHER JEFFREY T. BARNES
A formal press release will be released by the Buffalo Zoo and CPOWNY on Dec. 15, announcing the still-anonymous baby’s name. nization has plenty of time to spend with the new little one. Special events will include a coloring contest, in which children in grades K-4 color a drawing of the baby giraffe and mother from a drawing template included in all community papers. A winner will be selected from each of CPOWNY’s 25 commu-
nity newspapers by random drawing and each winner will receive a family pass for the Buffalo Zoo; two parents and two children. Next will be a contest for winning a named, baby giraffe plush animal, for sharp-eyed readers. A series of eight billboards by Lamar of Buffalo are located throughout the Buffalo metropolitan area that feature
the photo and name of the new Buffalo Zoo baby giraffe. The first family from each of the 25 community papers to correctly submit all eight route and cross-street billboard locations will receive the collectible baby giraffe.
See Giraffe Page A6
Canned food drive underway for the West Seneca Food Pantry By Angela Rupp SUN CORRESPONDENT
Lauren Masset, recreation supervisor at the Kiwanis Center, and a West Seneca resident herself, will be running her second annual “Cans for Community” holiday food drive to benefit the West Seneca food pantry. The food pantry serves about 125 families per month, all of whom live in, attend school in, or go to church in the Town of West Seneca. Masset is conducting an organized effort to collect non-perishable food between Dec. 8 and Dec. 21. Donations can be dropped off at town hall, the town ice rink, West Seneca Library, and the central drop off point will be the Kiwanis Center at 50 Legion Parkway, off Union Road. Collected items will be taken to the West Seneca Food Pantry for distribution to families in need in our community. “This year the pantry is asking for canned soup,
THE SUN
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boxed dinner and other nonperishable lunch items. There is a large demand for these items therefore any variety, any size will be accepted to boost the needed supply,” said Masset. “The drives central focus will be collecting these items, but will not be limited to only this. Any nonperishable food item will be accepted.” To ensure food safety, no unlabeled cans, expired items, perishable items, homemade items, noncommercial canned items, noncommercial packaged items, alcoholic beverages and mixes and open or used items can be accepted. Any items with rust will also not be used. Masset states that food that is donated will go directly to those in need, in the Town of West Seneca. For some families, the food pantry is there lifeline to their next meal. Hosting a food drive will help families struggling financially to not have to worry about how to feed themselves or their children. However, it serves
PHOTO BY KIMBERLY SNICKLES
Masset and a volunteer help deliver canned goods to the food pantry last year after a successful food drive. another role as well; those helping out foster a stronger sense of community and social responsibility. It’s a great lesson for young people to embrace during the holiday season. “This is something I like to do during the holidays to give back to the community. Nobody should have to go hungry or worry about food especially during a magi-
cal time like the holidays,” explained Masset. “Hunger can affect anyone – you might not even know …. It could be someone you go to church with, your neighbor, a classmate…. The guy standing in line behind you at the store. This is truly neighbors helping neighbors, neighbors feeding neighbors.”
The holiday season is upon us, and families at West Elementary School in West Seneca enjoyed a night of fun traditions and made some special memories. From 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, West Elementary School welcomed students and their families to their annual holiday party for a fun and festive night of celebrating. Families came in droves to enjoy the holiday season with their child’s principal and teachers. Sponsored by the PTA, there was plenty to see and do for the Wildcat families. A warm welcome awaited every parent and child, and a full list of fun events was detailed for them. The library at West Elementary was open to students to hear stories of this special season. Mrs. Burakowski did the first two readings of the night for a full crowd of students eagerly listening. Everyone then headed down to sit in the gym and listen to the famous Hills Brothers sing their Christmas songs on keyboard and guitar. The crowd was clapping and singing along to famous holiday songs like “Let It Snow” and “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.” They even taught the crowd their original song, “The Season of Light,” which was a huge hit in which the crowd sang and clapped along. The school mascot came out onto the dance floor to join in the musical fun. Many people then got up to dance to the live music. Principal Rachel Badger, a dedicated and hands-on leader at the school, was front and center for the holiday event. “This is a magical time for children, and a busy time for parents. And to provide an opportunity for parents to take some time from their busy schedules and have a whole host of wonderful activities for the children…It has always been a huge success for our school. The PTA, and all the parents who work hard behind the scenes, without them, these special events wouldn’t be possible. It really does take an entire school to host and to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and memorable evening,” said Badger. Along with storytelling and music, students could also head to the cafeteria to meet the big guy himself, Santa Claus, who was all dressed up and ready to listen to the childrens’ gift wishes. The PTA organized cookie decorating, ornament making and held a gingerbread contest in which each family was able to vote for their favorite candy covered creation. PTA member Sarah Kos was there helping out while enjoying the evening with her husband and children. “It’s really just about organizing everything. We usually have some sort of entertainment, a band, and we do the decorating. This year, we have the gingerbread house contest. We have our staff in the school do story time for the kids, and of course, we have Santa here,” explained Kos. The school is hosting a fundraiser called “The Tree of Warmth” for the Lions Club of West Seneca, in which they can bring in an unwrapped item to the school before Dec. 17. Donations were also collected for the canned food drive in West Seneca. “You can sense the excitement with the children,” Badger remarked as she headed to the library to read her book to the waiting group of students. “It all comes down to tying into the themes of the season: love, peace, joy and harmony. That’s what it’s all about.”
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
SALON LA MODA ..................................... SECT. A PAGE 2
SPORTS............................................... SECT. B PAGES 1 – 3
EDITORIAL ............................................... SECT. A PAGE 4
SANTA LAND ............................................ SECT. B PAGE 4
OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
SANTA STOLEN ......................................... SECT. A PAGE 5
WISHES ACROSS AMERICA ..................... SECT. B PAGE 6
SCHOOL TO CLOSE ................................... SECT. A PAGE 6
CLASSIFIEDS ..................................... SECT. B PAGES 7 – 9
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POLICE BLOTTER ..................................... SECT. A PAGE 7
SECT. B PAGE 10 BREAKFAST WITH SANTA .......................SECT.
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