The Spinning Wheel: 

• 34 years teaching K-12 Physical Education ( taught in every building in the district )
• 34 years of coaching….( Field Hockey, Basketball, Softball and Track.)

Fondest Teaching Memory:  The most classic memory I will never forget actually happened during an observation.  I had a class of first graders sitting in a circle in the middle of the gym.  I was quizzing the students on the rules in physical education class.  I called it the “ do’s and don’ts” of PE.  Each student raised their hand and offered some great answers.  Then one young man with the biggest smile on his face

Throughout March, students in my 7^th grade Introduction to Foreign Languages classes participated in a French Food Service Project, made possible by an OTA mini grant. Students researched recipes from French-speaking countries and then prepared a dish for the class to enjoy. Each class voted on the best dish, based on its taste and ability to serve a group of forty people. Christine Downs, OCS School Lunch Manager, visited both classes and taught students how to convert a recipe for four into one that would serve forty. Victoria Langling, Co-Founder & Director of the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen

Hundreds of books donated by OTA members this year were given away to the general public at the annual Woodstock Elementary School PTA yard sale. Each book was stamped with the greeting:  "A gift for you from the Onteora Teachers Association."  Shoppers were also given homemade, leather bookmarks and magnets, both imprinted with OTA.  Great PR!

After many years at Onteora, it's time for me to retire.  I would like to thank the children, families and my colleagues for teaching me a few key lessons:

• that Respect is the key ingredient in any successful school community;
• that children are first and foremost, members of families;
• that attending school is as much about young people establishing and maintaining healthy relationships as it is about academics; 
• that the students of today are the taxpayers of tomorrow and we will rely on them to be competent citizens; 
• that every child deserves to be taught in the way that he or she learns, to the

On May 15th the students in Ingrid White's and Jane Wolfrom's classes released the trout they raised from eggs into the Stony Clove Creek.  We were able to take a field trip in the fall to the New York State Hatchery in Livingston Manor and pick up 200 eyed brown trout eggs for each class.  Over the course of the year students were responsible for caring for them, checking water temperature, and learning about the creatures they eventually released into the wild. We also incorporated many art projects, as well as a visit from Ira McIntosh and his program called "Twist and Trout." We sang, we

The competition took place on May 28^th in the middle/high school library.  The three competing teams were cheered on by classmates, parents, and several middle school staff as they answered a slew of jeopardy-style questions about ten different books from this year’s list.  The line-up included award winners such as The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman; The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by Joyn Boyne; Counting by 7s, by Holly Goldberg Sloan; and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”

Despite tough competition and a close finish, Team “Vermcious Knids” was victorious, receiving Barnes and Noble gift cards