Hudson book festival a community event

The Hudson School District and the Hudson Teachers Association pulled out all the stops for the district's first Children's Book Festival.

Volunteers included 85 teachers and staff from Hudson and surrounding districts. About 4,000 people attended the event, which featured 55 children's authors and numerous workshops on books, writing, cooking and storytelling.

The Hudson TA donated $1,000 to the festival and took out an ad in a local newspaper, listing ways to get children to read.

"This was a link with communities and schools to create and sustain a culture of literacy," said school literacy coach Lisa Dolan.

Dolan made presentations about the festival at faculty meetings in surrounding districts prior to the event. In follow-up classroom visits, she discovered that more than half the students in every class attended the event.

"Teachers, administrators and support staff worked closely with members of the community, local business and government to coordinate a truly remarkable opportunity for children to be immersed in a culture of literacy," said Jack Beyer, TA president.

Spotty Dog, the independent bookstore that sold books for the festival, has donated half of its proceeds to next year's event.

Brockport librarians win national award

Five teacher-librarians from the Brockport Teachers Association have been honored for innovative teaching of information literacy as a comprehensive K-12 program.

The World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award was given for the first time this year by the American Library Association. The Brockport educators are Kathy Jaccarino, Cathy Mangan, Marcia McCarthy, Suzanne Shearman and Ellen Zinni. The BTA is led by Neil Czerniak.

Students a cut above in supporting ill teacher

When students at Dundee High School found out that one of their favorite teachers and president of the 92-member Dundee Teachers Association, Maura Benincasa-Wolverton, had breast cancer and would lose her hair from the chemotherapy she needed, they cut to the chase.

Juniors Zach Carruthers and Matt Newton led a hair-cutting drive because, "We didn't want her to be alone, so we shaved our heads too, and raised money for breast cancer awareness."

One Saturday the entire Carruthers family and current and former students — all boys — had their heads shaved at the Carruthers family salon.

Several teachers and community members donated baked goods, drinks and pizza to sell as the hirsute youth awaited their chance to become freshly unadorned.

"It was a great show of community, teacher and school teamwork that raised more than $650," Benincasa-Wolverton said.

The lost locks didn't bring an end to the good work begun in the barbers' chairs.

Since then, the local union and school community have raised an additional $1,100 for breast cancer awareness.