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School With a Pandemic By Bianca Gemignani, 4th Grade Photos by Veronica Gemignani, 4th Grade My name is Bianca Gemignani, and I go to school in person while other students are learning virtually at home. I was excited to do this interview with with Mrs. Wiggins, Principal of the Trumansburg Elementary School. I was excited to interview Mrs. Wiggins because she is a great person at the elementary school. The first question I asked Mrs. Wiggins was, “How much hand sanitizer does the school buy in a month? She answered, “Our maintenance department orders enough for each room and the halls. We have more than 30 rooms, so it is a lot!” Then, I said “What is the hardest part about the pandemic at school?” Mrs. Wiggins replied, “It is a challenge to run two different schools at the same time—remote and in-person, but our teachers are amazing and have come up with wonderful ideas.” After that, I questioned, “Is it hard to keep kids wearing their masks and social-distanced?” She answered, “It has not been hard. Kids are so good about their masks. We have extra masks for kids. We just ordered 400 more! We made small class sizes, so keeping apart is easy.” Finally, I asked whether it is hard to quarantine all the gym equipment when it is used. Mrs. Wiggins said, “It takes a lot of space and planning, but our PE teachers, nurse, and cleaners do a great job!” School is a little harder with masks, but I agree with Ms. Wiggins, I think we all do a great job, and our teachers do amazing!
Dividers for small group work
Individual yoga mats to keep 6 ft apart
Health and safety poster
In this issue:
Veronica & Bianca Gemignani
6ft markers to keep distance
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School with a Pandemic: ......... p 1 Students’ Opinions on Homeschool, Virtual, and In-School: ........................... p 2-3 Virtual Band: ............................. p 4 Recess: ...................................... p 4 Familiar Words:......................... p 5-6 Fierce:........................................ p 7 Cooking for Kids:...................... p 8 Welcome back: .......................... p 8 News from the Foundation:....... p 9-10
Students’ Opinions on Homeschool, Virtual, and In-School By Clara Knight, 6th Grade During this pandemic, while school is open, kids have three choices for schooling: doing homeschool with parents; doing their schooling virtually with teachers; and still going to school, except with safety masks and social distancing. I interviewed two people who are doing virtual schooling, one person who is homeschooling, and two kids who were in school at the time of this interview. They were given questions about their experiences with the type of schooling they were doing.
What is one thing you look forward to during your school day? In-School Kids: Claire Olney, 6th Grade: Seeing my friends because I don’t get to see them otherwise. Amelia Hoffmire, 6th Grade: I look forward to in-person physical educat ion (PE) class, because I get to see my teacher, and I get to play soccer and use my body. I also look forward to inperson core classes, such as math, ELA, and science, because talking to the teachers and showing the teachers your work makes it a lot easier.
Virtual Kids: Leah Washburn, 6th Grade: I look forward to math time, because I think math is a little bit easier digitally. Lucy Eldermire, 4th Grade: I look forward to lunch, because it is not on a screen. I also look forward to seeing my teachers and my friends.
Homeschool Kids:
Lucy Eldermire
Rowen Knight, 4th Grade: I look forward to Duolingo during school, because it’s fun to learn Spanish.
What is one thing you don’t look forward to? In-School Kids: Claire Olney, 6th Grade: I don't look forward to wearing my mask, because wearing my mask is the worst. Amelia Hoffmire, 6th Grade: I don't have any big problems with classes. I just wish we didn’t have to wear masks outside or during gym.
Virtual Kids: Leah Washburn, 6th Grade: I don't look forward to science because we use Brightspace for science a lot, and I don't like Brightspace. Lucy Eldermire, 4th Grade: Sometimes I don’t look forward to Morning Meeting, because lots of times I just sit there until someone greets me. It is kind of boring just sitting there, watching everyone greet each other. There are 20 people in my class, so the Morning Meeting takes a while.
Homeschool Kids: Rowen Knight, 4th Grade: I like playing with my Legos in the morning, so I don’t like stopping to do school work.
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Where do you do your schoolwork? Is there a special place where you work? In-School Kids: Claire Olney, 6th Grade: I am fully in school, so I work in my homeroom. Amelia Hoffmire, 6th Grade: Since I am doing in-person schooling I don't have many options, but I like working at my desk, outside on my yoga mat, or inside on my yoga mat.
Virtual Kids:
Leah Washburn Leah Washburn, 6th Grade: I do my schoolwork in my bedroom. Lucy Eldermire, 4th Grade: I do my schoolwork at my desk. My desk is in the living room in a corner. It has a lamp on it, a lava lamp next to it, and I sit on a swivel chair that I really like. I have a window in front of me and a window behind me. Sometimes I look out the window. Every day I bring my three favorite stuffed animals to my desk, and I set them on the windowsill in front of me. Their presence makes me feel happy and calmer.
Homeschool Kids: Rowen Knight, 4th Grade: I like to work at the dining room table, because it’s easy to concentrate and there’s lots of space. I like working there a lot more than I liked sitting at a desk in the classroom at school.
If you were able to go back to school tomorrow, normally, would you, or would you prefer to stay using the schooling method that you are now? In-School Kids: Claire Olney, 6th Grade: I am already in school, and apart from wearing my mask all day and getting up early, I like it because I can ask questions without sending an email to my teacher, and I get to see my friends because we’re in the same class. Altogether, I think it’s better than virtual. So, I would stay in school. Amelia Hoffmire, 6th Grade: YES! I definitely would go back to regular school if I had the option, be cause COVID has really changed so many things. I want to experience my regular middle school experie nce. I miss seeing all my friends, all the teachers, having all the community projects etc. I am not mad though, because I would rather everyone be safe and get a safe education over not being safe.
Virtual Kids: Leah Washburn, 6th Grade: If it is safe to go back to in person school with no masks and no social distancing, I would totally go. I like virtual, but I miss seeing my friends. Lucy Eldermire, 4th Grade: If by normal you mean no masks and no social dis tancing, I would. I don’t really like virtual learning. It isn’t as fun as learning in person because you can’t be there and be learning with people around you, with people at your table, with your teacher standing there in your room. I’m not sure if I would want to go back to school in pandemic mode with masks and social distancing. I just don’t like the idea of wearing a mask for 6 hours.
Homeschool Kids: Rowen Knight, 4th Grade: I would definitely go back to school as soon as I could, as long as I didn’t have to wear a mask. I like homeschool, but I like school more. Rowen Knight
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Virtual Band By Leah Washburn, 6th Grade The Middle School lost a lot of fun activities due to Covid, like soccer, the musical, and a lot of other group experiences, but we didn’t lose band. Students at home are doing virtual lessons with the band teacher, Mrs. Posegate. Students in school are meeting for small group lessons with Mrs. Posegate. I am in my second year of learning trumpet and French Horn, but as a virtual 6th Grade student, I am attending Band virtually. So, today I’m going to tell you about my virtual band experience. We get a lesson schedule sent to us every week. This tells me when I have a lesson and on which day. I usually practice every other day and whenever I get the time to. Then, I just wait for my lesson day. When my lesson day is here, I warm up by doing a scale or jumping from high to low, or I play a random song for 5-10 minutes, then get on my lesson. Our lessons are on Google Meet and Mrs. Posegate has a meet link on the band schedule. Usually, we have about 30 minutes for our lesson. I’m in a group with Keanu Blomquist. We each have half of a lesson. So, I usually stay on for Leah Washburn 15-20 minutes, and he leaves the meeting for that time. Then, when it is his turn, I leave the meeting, and Keanu gets back on and does his lesson. While I’m on, he practices and warms up. I practice after I leave the meeting. Mrs. Posegate gives us 1-2 assignments over the week. Recently, she made a YouTube channel for the band students. So, I will practice with that and do the assignments. Her YouTube channel is fun and easy to understand. She also makes it so that you can play along/accompany her while we play. Overall, band is amazing, incredible, and so much fun, even virtually. I’m hoping to get back in person soon, but this virtual setup really works.
Recess By Cora Anderson, 4th Grade
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Familiar Words Comparing the two methods of learning- hybrid versus remote By Clara Walker, 8th Grade Familiar words. “Hello class, today we will be…” “Okay, settle down, everyone.” “We have to get started.” We have to get started. We had to get started. There wasn’t another choice. We had to take the risk. We had to begin the slow, painful process of reopening. And school seemed like a good place to start. The doctors said it was okay. The governor said it was okay. The plan moved forward. Some parents chose to keep their children home, to learn virtually. Other children asked to stay home. Some went in. Anyone in 6th grade or below, was either in full time or out full time. Anyone in 7th grade or above was either hybrid (two days in, 3 days virtual) or fully remote. Familiar words. “We are going to start a new…” “Read chapters 17 through 22 by next Wednesday.” “It’s going to be due on...” Due on… Due on September 14th. Two thousand twenty. The first day of school. And we were ready. Sort of. Ready to keep out the virus. Ready to protect the student body. Ready to educate the kids. ...right? First, we interviewed Henry Asbrand, a fourth grade student, who is in full time remote school. “I like being in [virtual] school,” he said, “I think it is pretty cool.” He later elaborated on that, saying that, “you get better at computer science and stuff, if you ever wanted a job in that…so you learn [more] from virtual school.” It was an extra plus that, “You don’t have to wear your mask all the time,” and “you don’t get to eat all the time at school and at home, you do.” However, virtual school has its own cons. He explained that “you are on a screen which can hurt your brain and your sight.” Evidently, virtual school ends at about 3:30 now, which is also different from previous years 2:45, but Henry seems to feel like his education is going well. He says, “I do not think we are falling behind, I think we are doing better...and are getting the same education as people in school.” He says he sometimes glitches, but it is reasonably good, which I think is what most students have experienced. Overall, it sounds like the elementary school virtual kids are doing alright. Should we swing over to check on some older kids? Familiar words. “I’ll see you on Monday!” “We’ll talk about this again when the class meets on Tuesday.” “Before class on Friday, be sure to…” I also interviewed Ruthie Flood, who is going into hybrid school. She says that she likes “going hybrid because you get in person time, and on your own time,” even though, “it can be annoying to wake up at 6:30 on days that I have to go to school and 8 on days I am virtual.” It seems that the smaller classes balance that out. “I love having smaller classes because you get more one-on-one time with teachers and it’s not as loud. Small classes means you can ask more questions
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and talk about the topic more because not so many people are talking at the same time,” says Ruthie. I also asked if she thought one learning style had advantages over the other. As a response, she wrote that, “I think that in-person has more of an advantage because the teachers tell us when we have quizzes and if something is due. Unlike when you are virtual, you can’t really do that.” Ruthie is a new student, and I asked if she has had a harder time making friends than she would have during a normal school year. “Actually, no,” she replied, “because I have less people in my class, I can get closer to them. I have a couple people who are in almost all of my classes with me. We talk about the classes and during study hall we almost always ask each other if we need help, or if they finished this or that for a class, or even work together on certain projects.” And, finally, the question we have all been waiting for, I asked if the school felt like it was COVIDsafe to her. “The school itself feels very COVID safe. Every time I enter a room, I see a teacher cleaning desks and people are always wearing their masks (with exceptions during lunch).” So, overall, hybrid middle school sounds pretty great. Let’s see how Lilly Covell, an 8th grade student learning 100% virtually, is doing. Familiar sights. A teacher bringing a student into the hallway to talk to them. People racing down empty corridors to try to make their final class. The sounds of laughter filling a lunchroom. The bored quiet escaping from any door that may have been left ajar. Sights that Lilly might miss, now that she is in 100% virtual school. “I wish I were hybrid, but I know it’s safer to be all online,” she said. “It’s harder for me to learn online, because I can’t really focus on anything,” she added. It sounds like the home environment is more stressful and chaotic, making it difficult to complete work. When asked if distractions made online-learning harder she said, “yes, my sisters come in my room all the time. Also, my cats are adorable, and I’m on tik tok too much.” So, the distractions make it hard to focus. Lilly said she liked the first model for 8th graders better, where everyone was 100% online. I asked if there were plusses to online school, but her response was, “the only plus to online school is that I don’t have to get up at 5:30 to get ready for school.” Overall, it sounds like hybrid might be the preferred option, even if it can be agreed upon that virtual school might be the safer option when it comes to protecting from COVID-19. I also interviewed Ms. Dawson, the eight grade math teacher, who began teaching the hybrid class, as well as virtual kids, three weeks into the school year. She says that teaching during the pandemic is “nothing like the normal times. The tech is so important.” She says, “It’s slower, when you’re having to type and respond to people, when normally you could just pass a paper back.” When asked to compare the first three weeks, (100% online for grades 7 and 8) to the weeks that followed, (a mix of hybrid and remote) she said, “There was the added challenge of we didn’t know each other yet.” She added, “you kinda didn’t know who the person was, if they were missing. So you didn’t really have an idea of why they could be missing, if it was a tech struggle, how to connect with them if they didn’t show up,” etc. “It was also kind of cool,” she said, “I had studied your School Tool pictures this summer, and then we had that time online together, and when we came back to school three weeks later, I didn’t have to learn any names, and I knew everybody…” She said that once they got to school, the first week was “kind of somber, and overwhelming.” I asked if she thought the hybrid students had advantages over the virtual students, she said yes, because, “if you have trouble with motivation, it’s nicer to show up two days a week and have that schedule.” Plus, there’s smaller classes, so everybody gets a more hands-on experience. (Of course, this is at the expense of teaching all of the children.) She also added that there are advantages of virtual school, such as having more free time, and flexibility. “I feel,” she said later, “that our school has done an incredible job [dealing with COVID]. I’m blown away by how much work has been done to make this feel safe.” She described that they were always wiping stuff down, wearing masks, and giving up things like lockers and bells to avoid floods of children filling up the hallway. Overall, our school has done a wonderful job protecting all of the students, while also educating the kids. Even the virtual kids mostly feel like they get a reasonable education and feel like they weren’t just forgotten. Overall, even though we made sacrifices, such as the familiar words we were so accustomed to hearing every day, we are all managing to do our very best to have the best possible of both worlds. When we do, eventually, go back to normal life and normal school, maybe we will appreciate those small things more—like teachers who occasionally hand out candy, seeing friends by our lockers, playing in the band, and seeing people’s mouths as they widen into a smile. Maybe everything will be okay. We just need to have a little faith.
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Fierce By Luci Caraher, 5th Grade This article is going to tell you about 5 women who have shaped the world and why all women are Fierce! The definition of fierce is having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness, but being fierce means more than that; it means being brave, strong and confident within yourself. Each of the women below possess this quality. #1 Angela Davis is a philosopher, author, academic, and an American political activist. Born in 1944, Davis lived in a neighborhood known as “dynamite hill.” It was called this because a group of racist men called the Klu Klux Klan often bombed the homes of black families who lived there. Davis attended Brandeis University where she studied philosophy. She was associated with many groups including the Black Panthers and always spoke up for what she believed in. As you can tell Luci Caraher and her mom, Kelly Angela Davis is truly FIERCE! #2 Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She was born on April 1, 1940, and died September 25, 2011. Maathai started the Green Belt Movement, which is an environmental group that has planted over 51 million trees. She was the first female professor in her home country of Kenya. To help create jobs for women, she simply planted a tree. That one tree turned into millions of trees. The government tried to stop her by arresting her and beating her but she did not stop. She was persistent and believed in herself. Most of all she never let fear get in her way. As you can tell she is truly FIERCE. #3 Dolores Huerta is an american labor leader and activist born on April 10, 1930. She co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez (now the UFW or United Farm Workers), which fights for equal rights and pay for farm workers. Huerta Cesar Chavez, and the United Farm Workers, led the 5-year Delano grape strike which successfully and nonviolently granted workers union contracts, better pay and protections. As you can tell Dolores Huerta is truly FIERCE. #4 Elizabeth Warren is an american politician, former law professor and the first female senator of Massachusetts. She was born on June 22, 1949. Warren inspired the positive use of the term “Nevertheless, she persisted” which now represents women fighting for equality even if they are silenced or ignored. She has written 11 books and over 100 articles. As you can tell Elizabeth Warren is truly FIERCE. #5 Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a justice of the Supreme Court and one of the first four women who have served or are currently serving in this role. She was born March 15, 1933, and died September 18, 2020. Ginsburg also wrote several books and was an advocate for women and girls. She never gave up. One of her quotes is, “Women belong in all places that decisions are being made.” As you can tell, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is truly FIERCE.
Have these women impacted your lives? I had the opportunity to ask this question to teachers Courtney Kempski, DaLaine Hodge and Jenna Stearns. Ms. Kempski says, “These women have impacted my life as true pioneers. They have shown courage and bravery in order to work towards equality for all. They are an example for me as a teacher to provide learning opportunities that not only challenge my students but help them rise above today’s challenges by thinking critically.” When discussing Dolores Huerta, Mrs. Hodge says that she “is quite inspirational, and does not use her hard life as an excuse not to fight for what she believes in.” Mrs. Stearns says, “these women were not only fighting for what they were fighting for but also against sexism.” My answer to this question is that these women did not fight for themselves, they fought for all women. They fought for me, so that I, too, can be FIERCE.FIERCE. Acknowledgments: Thank you to DaLaine Hodge, Courtney Kempski, Jenna Stearns, and Kelly Caraher! Also, thank you to the Troubadour for this wonderful opportunity! This article is dedicated to my mom for being my FIERCE Woman.
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Cooking for Kids! By Emeline Leslie Walker, 4th Grade Hi, and today I will be showing you how to make banana bread! It is a simple recipe, you can get a family member or a friend to help, but you could probably do it on your own. You will need a thing or two prepared ahead of time. First, you will need two slightly old bananas. That might seem weird, but it’s what the recipe calls for. The bananas should be brown on the outside and soft on the inside. Now, for the recipe! First you need to preheat your oven to 325 degrees, prepare a loaf pan by rubbing the sides with butter, and then dust the sides with flour, so that the bread does not stick. Next, you will need to add sugar. The recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, but in my opinion, that is too sweet, so instead I add ½ cup! So now you add the sugar, ¼ cup white sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar. Then, you will need to add either ½ cup butter or ½ cup margarine, your choice! Mix together the sugar and butter, and then add 2 eggs and mix again. Next, you will need to add ¼ cup buttermilk or sour cream (I have even used yogurt and it tasted delicious). Blend again, and then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blend some more! Now, it’s the weird part, so get ready! You will need to take the old bananas (peeled) and put them in the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. After this, you will need to blend yet another time! Next, you will need a small separate bowl for the dry ingredients (1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda) and blend. Chopped nuts or chocolate chips are optional. If you are using them, add them now (reserve ½ cup). Use a large spoon or a spatula to put the batter into the pan, then put the pan in the oven. You should let it bake for 45 minutes, then use a toothpick or a knife (stick it into the center of the loaf and see if it’s cooked through) to check the bread to see if it’s ready. If it is not ready, then By Stella Molino, 5th Grade put the pan back in the oven for 5 minutes. Continue doing this until done. When it is finished, take it out of the pan, and then let the banana bread cool for about 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy! This was my Grandma’s recipe, and she taught me how to bake it. I am so thankful for her help. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! If you try making it with a friend or family member the first time, try surprising them next time! Thanks for reading. Bye!
Welcome Back
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axãá yÜÉÅ à{x YÉâÇwtà|ÉÇ 2020 Community Service Scholarship Winners Clark Benjamin began in the Trumansburg school system in 1st grade. He was awarded the Key scholarship to Elmira College in his junior year which enabled him to begin his education there in Fall 2020. He was able to transfer 31 of the credits he earned through concurrent enrollment at TC3 in high school which will cut off a full year of college. Clark has always been interested in music and independently studied the fiddle for 10 years culminating in being chosen for the North American fiddlers Hall of Fame where he gave a concert and taught free classes to aspiring fiddle players. He also used these musical talents to provide free performances to help support the Trumansburg Music Boosters and to honor the bicentennial plaque dedication at the Trumansburg Town Hall. He began beekeeping as a hobby when he was 10 years old and it developed into a large-scale commercial beekeeping operation. He has used his beekeeping talents to help others get started in the business, being a go-to person for beekeeping questions and concerns. One of his teachers noted that he also donated pints, quarts, and gallons of honey to be sold as a fundraiser for the Class of 2020, and described him as displaying personal qualities of “kindness, poise and maturity, a sense of responsibility, and a commitment to making the most of his education.” He currently Clark Benjamin has approximately 450 hives and will send his first truckload of bees to California in February for almond pollination. Balancing college and his own business have proved difficult, but he is really enjoying the fruits (and honey!) of his labor. Clark is very grateful for his Trumansburg education and the opportunities he had there. Community involvement was always highly valued in Trumansburg and this motivated him to reach out into the community and assist others on a very personal level. I’m Nico Sawester, an appreciative recipient of the Trumansburg Education Foundation’s community service award. Due to Covid, as a 2020 graduate, I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to do much community service (or anything else) during the last several months I was in Trumansburg. However, prior to that my volunteer service was primarily in helping out with various PTO and TCSD projects at the schools. For example, I helped organize, set up, and advertise the fall clothing drive last year, planted flower bulbs on campus, and created items such as a cyberbullying display for the elementary school Tech Awareness Week. While at Trumansburg, I was near the top of my class academically, and also participated in baseball, jazz chorus, and the high school musicals and Nico Sawester plays. Outside of school, when I wasn’t working, I could be found doing parkour, skiing, skateboarding, or camping and swimming with my friends. I am now attending Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, studying Industrial Design in their honors program. I lived on campus this past semester, but most of my classes were still virtual so I’m considering doing next semester remotely from home. When at Jefferson, I tried to find some community service projects to become involved with, and one of the first activities I did find upon arriving there was to walk to a local community center with a small campus group in order to do some landscaping and gardening work. Regardless of whether I attend next semester remotely or in person, I’m very impressed with Jefferson’s Industrial Design program and look forward to continuing my education there. While the workload of college-level classes is much more demanding than in high school, I feel well prepared for the academic challenge and am grateful to TEF and Trumansburg CSD for helping me along in my endeavors.
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axãá yÜÉÅ à{x YÉâÇwtà|ÉÇ A Message from the President By Hayden Brainard The mission of the Trumansburg Education Foundation is to enhance educational and extracurricular opportunities in our school district, forge partnerships with friends of our school district, and raise funds and award grants to foster personal growth and encourage excellence. While our mission has become more challenging in the current environment, it has also become more important to our community. Our regular, routine, predictable path has been disrupted. We have an opportunity now to create a new, improved, innovative and dynamic path forward for our school district. We have been challenged to find new ways to accomplish our mission. You have helped us in this effort by continuing to support our teacher grants, wellness and professional development programs, Youth Art Month and our Art Auction (online of course), The Troubadour! and new programs in support of remote education. The challenges of 2020 are novel to us, but they have merely proven what we already know – Trumansburg is a resilient, giving and resourceful community. Hayden Brainard Thank to our partners – you - students, parents, educators, administration, board of education, Village of Trumansburg, Town of Ulysses, Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, Trumansburg Charitable Trust, the Fairgrounds, our many donors, and many others. The future of our school district will be better for our efforts during this challenging time. Go Blue Raiders!
2020 Grants
2020 Community Art Auction Success
The Trumansburg Education Foundation funds grants that support innovative educational projects in the Trumansburg school district and in the community. In 2020, we are pleased to have given support to the following, projects:
Oma’s Table, donated by Ellen Pennock Our annual community art auction took on a new format this year. We partnered with the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts and held an online auction in conjuction with an in-person art show. Together we raised over $5,200 to support programing in the Trumansburg community. Thank you to all those who participated.
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LETRS CuriosityStream Drone Elective Historic Wood Crafting Sitting Musical Theatre Arts Week Storytelling as a Pathway to Kindness Mr. Sandwich Reads Steam for TASP Ukulele Lending Library The Human Experience Stand Up to Racism