Vol. 167, No. 46
• CLINTON, NEW YORK • May 28, 2014
Another Day at the Office For the second time in the program’s history, CCS girls varsity track and field takes the coveted section title. On a rainy morning, members of the girls varsity track and field team run drills in preparation for the State qualifier appearance. Written and Photographed by John Howard fire truck whirled up College championship and a section title was Street and into the Village. going to be a disappointment,” said Behind it was a school bus packed with Head Coach Norm Deep. “These girls female athletes who had just spent the have been a steamroller all season. … hour-long ride back from Marcellus They punch in and they punch out.” Clinton was the favorite at Sectionals celebrating. The Clinton varsity girls track and and performed at a different level than field team had just won the Section III the competition. The girls finished the B2 title. By the time they disembarked meet with 155.5 points. Their closest to continue the celebration at competitors, Lowville and Hannibal, Bonomo’s, the energy level amongst who tied for second, only earned 98 each. the squad seemed to only swell. As they waited for scores to roll in Last season, the girls finished second place in the league and in the from the team’s more dominant field section. Their 2013-14 season would be events, Deep was anxious. Mostly, he defined by a work ethic spawned from said, it was “pressure to not mess up.” “I was just so nervous,” he said. a goal that, for other programs, might “When something is in your reach and feel like a fantasy: To not lose. Ever. “Anything short of a league you’re supposed to do it and it’s just
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What’s in a Speech? Christopher Dickey Delivers HighlyAnticipated Commencement Address
there … it was like a monkey was off my back once the girls won.” Many of the girls in the program describe Deep as a father figure during competition. Perhaps more essential to the team’s success is his obsession with numbers. “He goes through the roster at each event and sizes the other team up to decide which events we can win and which events we need to win,” said junior field athlete Audrey Bartels. “He figures out all the points we need to get ahead of time.” The doorway leading into his High School classroom has become a shrine of record printouts. When a record gets broken, or an athlete moves up during a meet, it’s updated before the next day of class. Deep is the head coach for both boys and girls varsity programs—a costsaving and conveniently camaraderiedriving measure that came with joining the Center State Conference two years ago. “The funny thing about track is that people see it as a individual sport,” said senior Haley Allen. “At the end of the day, you’re really running for your team. … If one person can’t perform to what was expected then we’ll always have a second person who can step in and make up for the points lost.” That support base was seen throughout the girls’ season with Hannah Shankman, one of the team’s key field athletes, being out with a stress fracture to her foot. Younger athletes on the team stepped in to fill the void in Shankman’s events like pole vault and triple jump. “As a senior, it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, what’s going to happen when I CHAMPIONS, page 15
10 Applicants Reviewed by BOE for CCS Superintendent Spot By Staff
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Christopher Dickey delivers the commence address for the Class of 2014 in the Hamilton College Field House. Written and Photographed by John Howard
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ive hundred Hamilton College seniors were scheduled to walk across the stage and receive diplomas last weekend. Three hundred faculty members were scheduled to watch. Seats were set to accommodate up to 5,000 others as family members and friends filled in every available spare inch of the Field House. For 10 to 15 minutes, one person would command the room. Last week that person, Christopher Dickey, sounded more hesitant than he normally does on his frequent visits to
the CNN news set as a correspondent. Dickey is the foreign editor for The Daily Beast. He’s contributed to media outlets ranging from The New York Times to Vanity Fair and written award-winning books on subjects from Nicaragua to the NYPD. Even for a guy who has made a career out of covering some of the most unstable regions of the globe, the coming weekend presented a new challenge to him. Dickey had been tapped to give the address at the College’s 202nd commencement ceremonies. While he has given talks in university settings before, including multiple trips to the GRADUATION, page 9
he Clinton Central School District is now considering 10 applicants for the open superintendent position. An executive session was held during Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting to review applications produced from a statewide search. Howard Mettelman, who has been hired as a consultant in the search, said that the names of these applicants would remain confidential until the Board decided on two finalists. Following a review of the 10 applicants, two rounds of closed door interviews will take place before the final candidates are brought forward to the public in a community forum. At the time that The Courier went to press the exact dates of the interview rounds and community forum were unclear. The selected applicant will replace current CCS Superintendent Matt Reilly, who will vacate the position in July.
CCS Budget Passes By Staff
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total of 576 votes were cast in the 2014-15 budget vote for the Clinton Central School District last Tuesday. More than two-thirds of voters voted “Yes” to both a proposed $24,886,057 budget, as well as a proposition to purchase two 66-passenger buses and a five-passenger minivan of a cost not to exceed $250,000. The budget is a 2.69 percent increase of the 2013-14 spending plan and comes with a tax levy increase of 1.62 percent. According to the School’s
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Col. David Blanks Delivers Memorial Day Address
Col. David Blanks on the Village Green. Written and Photographed by John Howard
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ol. David Blanks of the United States Air Force delivered a heartfelt and timely speech during Monday’s Memorial Day services on Clinton’s Village Green. His speech aimed to remember and honor those who have fallen in their service, but also to offer hope for the younger generation coming into the service. Starting his speech with the history of Memorial Day, Col. Blanks moved on to statistics, listing off numbers of Americans killed and wounded from the Revolution War through the War in Afghanistan, totalling in the millions. “Hearing these numbers, we get discouraged, just as it’s easy to read some of today’s headlines and get discouraged,” he said. Col. Blanks then mentioned Elliot Rodger, the 22-year-old gunman who killed six people in Santa Barbara’s weekend rampage. “I think that commentary misses the mark, in my humble opinion, on what our great nation stands for,” he said, recalling a tour in Afghanistan in the early days after 9-11. “In the midst of that time, I encountered many youth,” he said. “Their chests swelled with pride even as they were hearing about the loss of comrades on a daily basis.” In 2010, he said, that age group maintained that same patriotic enthusiasm. In the midst of the 24hour shock news cycle and 41 years of the volunteer service, he called that display inspiring. Col. Blanks graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1987. He is the commander of Rome Research Site and the deputy director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate. In addition to serving, he has worked on various aircraft engineering and test analysis assignments. Col. Blanks’ address followed a full morning of services. Members of the Clinton Fire Department, the Clinton Kiwanis Club, the Clinton Historical Society, the Air Force Guard, the Helmuth Ingalls American Legion Post 232 and the Clinton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9591, amongst others, participated in a parade that marched from the College Street bridge to the Green. For more on the Memorial Day services, see page 5. administration office, there are an estimated 12-13,000 eligible voters within the District. The five percent turnout is typical in recent years. For this budget season—which has proven relatively controversial-free with no staff cuts proposed—a low turnout was especially anticipated. Bill Huggins was re-elected to another term as a Board of Education member. Michael Wade and Jim Korfonta, whose terms will expire in July, will be replaced by Megan Burdick and Timothy Thomas. Thomas received the highest draw of votes at 429.