SWCS Update: By Rebecca Feldman Hard work and dedication seem to be traits that run through all of the students at Southwestern. Through extracurricular activities, educational opportunities, and even out of school events, everyone is able to show that hard work does pay off. Last week, the Southwestern school district had two snow days, which fell on critical rehearsal days for the cast and crew of The Addams Family. Thursday the 16th was opening night, but with not having been able to practice the two days prior, everyone was slightly skeptical. Nobody knew exactly what to expect, but Chris Butler, lead role, had this to say: “No matter the circumstances, we push through. A little snow never stopped SW! We’re going
Showtime
“Hard Work Pays Off”
to perform better than ever before.” And that they did. Opening night went better than they could have ever hoped for, as did the Friday and Saturday shows. With a happy/sad type of feeling, they put their all into their Saturday show, knowing it would be their last for this year. The senior performers were especially teary-eyed during the cast party held in the high school after the show. Although the musical season is over, it was definitely another fantastic show in director Mrs. Beichner-Miller’s book. Another example of hard work paying off is the yearbook committee. After months of long hours spent working on making this the best book ever, the deadline has finally approached. By the end of this week, the entire book will be completely finished and the rest of the student body will
be able to see the masterpiece it has become. It shares the stories of every event that took place during the 20162017 school year, which are precious memories that the yearbook will help everyone remember forever. With April looming just around the corner, college is at the top of every senior’s priorities. Students are beginning to find out if they have been accepted to the colleges they have applied to. After twelve years, the time to figure out the future has finally arrived, and although it can be stressful, excitement is buzzing. There are a lot of students at Southwestern who deserve to be rewarded for all of their hard work and dedication. It is important that students continue to be applauded so that they never stop working for their goals.
March 23 - 29, 2017 ~ The Ledger ~ Page 3
THE WHITE CARROT WINE PAIRING DINNER
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Lakewood Tentative Budget Village Faces Challenging Fiscal Year Ahead
The Village of Lakewood Mayor, Cara Birrittieri has filed the 2017-18 Tentative Budget with the Village Clerk. This year’s tentative budget reflects an incredibly difficult fiscal year for the village. The village has lost over two million dollars in assessments, and all departments have requested increases, though many non-essential funding requests were not granted. The Tentative Budget sets a tax rate at $7.72 per thousand, up from the present rate of $7.15 per thousand. “This is a start and it’s about as bare bones as possible, without eliminating essential village services and important community needs. No major department received
full funding in this tentative budget.” The largest portion of the budget increase is with unionized police contract salaries, along with the almost 10% increase in costs this year for police retirements vs. what is forecasted for next year. Also, this budget includes a shared service item, a fuel storage tank to be shared between the Southwestern Central School system and the village. A grant application is planned to offset this cost, however, with or without the grant, this project will eventually reduce gasoline and diesel costs for all of the village’s departments. All utility costs have also
increased, and the village has taken on added debt with the purchase of a state of the art pumper truck and new ambulance for the fire department, plus a new DPW dump truck. “We have seen a significant drop in the village’s total assessments, and many increased expenses. This is a tentative budget, & will require the entire board to weigh in before it is finalized. I expect changes to be made,” said Mayor Birrittieri. A public hearing on the budget is planned for Apri1 10, 2017 . Lakewood Board of Trustees meeting. The budget is subject to board approval, and must be adopted by May 1, 2017.
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