April 25, 2013 Vol. 4 No. 8

Providing local news and information to the Woodbury community

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WHAT’S UPOpinion 2

CommunityFree gun locking devices 2Village Board meeting 3M-W H.S. Varsity Hockey Team

Celebrates 4

News“…Political agenda – egregious

lies…” DiGeronimo 5Proposal for the 2013

Orange County Legislature 6Court to hear allegations

against DiGeronimo 6

CommunityWoW Craft Fair Fundraiser 8District Pinewood Derby 8M-W Garden Club Plant Sale 8M-W Roller Hockey 9St. Patrick’s 2013 OC CYO

Bantam Division Champions 9March Mixer MWTA’s Event 10

Health & WellnessRelatives As Parents Program 10

VeteransPost 779 members get help 11

Faith 12

History 13

Campus CommentaryWhen Robots can Read 14

School Calendar 15

Sudoku 15

By Benjamin Meyers

Friday a week ago, John Burke, Town of Woodbury Supervisor and Orange County legislator, Roxanne Donnery ap-peared in a hearing before Judge Fran-cis Nicolai. A lawsuit has been initiated by the Village of Kiryas Joel to prevent Burke and Donnery from impeding their water pipeline project that runs through the Town and Village of Woodbury.

Both Burke and Donnery have raised awareness last week that although Or-ange County Executive Ed Diana gave permits to KJ to construct a pipeline, Kiryas Joel has yet to receive the other most important permits.

They are drilling a new well that the Village of Woodbury claims will have a great negative impact upon the Village of Woodbury’s water supply. KJ must receive a permit from the state’s Depart-

ment of Environment Conservation for operation of this new well. And another just as important permit is required in order for KJ to connect to New York City’s water supply pipeline. This per-mit comes from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Michael Queenan, Mayor of the Vil-lage of Woodbury warns that if DEP refuses to grant KJ a permit to hook into the city’s pipeline, “Guess where KJ will obtain their water? It will draw heavily from Woodbury’s source. And think of what their continued building expansion will do - increasing their fu-ture need for water!”

Supervisor Burke hopes that Judge Nicolai will halt KJ’s pipeline con-struction soon. “This new KJ well concerns us very much.” he said.

Above: Over 70 Woodbury residents protested the continuation of KJ pipeline into Woodbury because the new water source negatively impacts their community.

Inset Left: Supervisor Burke being interviewed by TV News reporter.

Inset Right: Town of Woodbury Supervisor John Burke is visibly unhappy with KJ pipeline construction as it has begun its way into Woodbury. Assemblyman James Skoufi s has been fi ghting for Woodbury’s right as a community to safeguard its water supply.

Photos by Ben Meyers

KJ Water Pipeline Continues

April 25, 2013 WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM2 Community

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Supporter Renewal

Our new 2013 Subscription Campaign“We STILL need you so we can grow!”Last February we related James Montgom-ery Flagg’s “Uncle Sam” published in Leslie’s Weekly on July 6, 1916 to our need for reader support. The slogan was “I want you!” (for the U.S. Army), and we unasham-edly borrowed and modifi ed it into “We want you so we can grow!” The Woodbury Gazette is your only local publication that truly covers Woodbury organizations and events.

You responded last year in a way that kept us going. Many have writ-ten encouraging notes enclosed with your checks - thank you!

Our 2012 goal was to obtain the U. S. Postal Service designation as a “periodical”. This may change because the U.S. Postal Service is undergoing major changes. We are not sure at this time whether the op-portunity still exists to lower our mailing rate. The recent mailing rate increase was over ten percent for us. During 2012, newsprint (paper) and printing costs jumped twenty percent.

Please consider our 2013 annual subscription fee of only $30 for a whole year as a Voluntary Subscriber. We still ask, “Will you help us “so we can grow”? If you cannot afford the new rate, fi ll out the form and send it to us anyway. We thank you in advance!

We are pleased to let you know that the Woodbury Gazette was ac-cepted last September at its Fall Convention as an offi cial member of the New York Press Association.

EDITORIAL

Purging a cancer and then healing the body…Knock, knock…Hello! Are you listening?

Our graphic designer accuses me of not knowing how to write short articles. She’s right!

A lot is happening now. Most important to this editor is what has been

happening at Monroe-Woodbury CSD…Board of Education lawlessness! Flagrant disregard of par-ents and taxpayers!

Lawsuits! I’d like to know the extent of legal fees which have been paid to fi re “evil” employees. How much to defend DiGeronimo (who says he is used to being sued often) against recent charges of ma-nipulating education for special education children, and, illegally divulging identities of these kids. Read recent articles for details.

There is no room for his dictatorship. He is the cause behind his M-W’s dysfunctional board.

You, my reader, can change all of this for the better. School District elections are coming next month. I urge all of you to vote this man out of offi ce.

Then a new president must be elected by the board. I can think of no better person than Dr. John MacDonald!

This editorial is not political! It is not about the budget! It is about purging a cancer and then heal-ing the body.

Free gun locking devices to Town of Woodbury residentsFor additional information contact PoliceOfficer John Bourke at 845-928-2341 The Town of Woodbury Police Department, in conjunction with Project Child Safe, will be distributing free gun locking devices to the Town of Woodbury residents.

Project child safe is a program whose purpose is to promote safe fi rearms handling and storage practices among all fi rearms owners through the distribu-tion of safety messages and gun locking devices all over the United States. This program is being funded by a U.S. Department of Justice Grant.

“The goal of this program is to reduce the risk of fi rearms-related injuries and deaths”, Woodbury Police Offi cer John Bourke said. “These usually occur when an individual, often a child, fi nds a loaded and unsecured fi rearm in the resi-dence. “An unlocked gun is an invitation to tragedy”.

Essential Information- The free fi rearm safety kit, which include a gun lock-ing device, can be obtained by stopping In any time at the Woodbury Police De-partment, located at 386 RT 32 in Central Valley. The number of fi rearm safety kits is limited and they will be distributed on a fi rst come, fi rst serve basis.

This program is only open to Town of Woodbury residents and business owners. For additional information, please contact P.O. John Bourke at 845-928-2341

WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM April 25, 2013 3Letters to the editor

The recent article regarding Alethea Shepperly’s lawsuit against Monroe-Woodbury’s BOE president DiGeron-imo comes as no surprise to those of us who have tried to expose the bankrupt and injudicious behavior exhibited by this man. If true, the allegations in the lawsuit raise DiGeronimo’s actions to a diabolical new high. Apparently not content to ruin the lives of certain em-ployees whom he does not like, he has extended his pernicious infl uence to af-fect the rights of children and parents.

So! Is DiGeronimo a unique bird, or are there others like him back at the nest? There are others. The central of-fi ce administrators, Mehrhof, White, and Monahan are co-conspirators, who are aware of his actions while

maintaining a conspicuous silence. The miserably inadequate oversight by a dysfunctional board of educa-tion has allowed DiGeronimo to rule as the Kim Jong-un of Orange County school board members.

Additionally, there are others im-plicated in the suit, including doctors, lawyers, and other employees. Each and every one of these individuals has perhaps broken laws designed to protect students and parents. There needs to be a full investigation of these allegations by the State Education Department and the judicial system. In the meantime, someone needs to rein in DiGeronimo.James Rathbun

DiGeronimo’s actions - a diabolical new high…

Community

Village Board meeting By Desiree Potvin, Clerk for the Village of WoodburyWoodbury - Summary for the Village Board Meeting held on April 11, 2013

Public Hearing - Fiscal Year 2013/2014 Preliminary Budget: A public hearing was held to entertain public comments on the adoption of the 2013/2014 bud-get. Mayor Michael Queenan stated a very reasonable and responsible budget has been prepared for the 2013/2014 fi scal year. He explained the decreases to be realized in each individual fund, noting the only areas that will have an increase is Consolidated Water, which increased 50% (but there is a proposal to increase water rates to help fund the area better for next year) and the new-ly formed Brigadoon Sewer tax area which will be taxed for the fi rst time, and includes two years (2012/2013 and 2013/2014 fi scal years). He stressed that the budget is very tight and cuts were made wherever possible. Many increases were uncontrollable (gaso-line, electric, insurance costs, health-care premiums and retirement costs for employees, contractual expenses, etc.). He acknowledged the Board members and Department Heads for their par-ticipation in the budget process and then asked if anyone from the public had any comments. No member of the public spoke. Trustee David Sutz stat-ed he was involved a little bit with the process and acknowledged it is quite a process. He thanked the Department Heads for understanding the need to keep the budget as low as possible.

He also thanked Mayor Queenan and Village Clerk Desiree Potvin for their work on the budget. The Board then adopted the FY2013/2014 budget. Resolution – Election Date/Times: The Board adopted a resolution establish-ing the 2013 General election date. All residents registered to vote will do so at the Highland Mills Firehouse/Village Hall community room located at 455 Route 32, Highland Mills, New York on June 18, 2013 and the hours will be 6:00AM to 9:00PM. Trustee Crouse noted that he believes opening the polls at 6AM is a response to com-ments made by the community.Schedule Public Hearing – 2014 OCCD Grant Program: A public hearing will be held on April 25, 2013 at 7PM to entertain public suggestions for proj-ects to be applied for funding through the 2014 Orange County Community Development Grant.Recognition of HM Fire Company Slate of Offi cers: Mayor Queenan noted that the following slate of offi -cers were elected by the Highland Mills Fire Company on April 2, 2013: Doug DeSisto, President; Tim Bellow, Vice President; Scott McClennan, Jr., Trea-surer; Rich Jackson, Recording Secre-tary; Pete Prior, Financial Secretary; Dan Ward, Captain; Timothy Ryan, Jr., Lieutenant; Chris Burke, 1st Lieutenant and Bob Kauer, 2nd Lieutenant.

Apart from the polarizing and un-needed rhetoric, Mr. Levy performs an important service here. The leg-islature must address these issues promptly. It would be far preferable for it to adopt proper districts than for a federal court to do so. If there can-not be two elections, one this year and one next, as the legislators were told could be done by their counsel, this

makes re-convening imperative now, and adopting maps which respect the Voting Rights Act and one person, one vote requirements. Michael Sussman

Mr. Sussman refers to Mr. Levy’s letter date April address to Orange County Legislature, and News Media of Orange County. The topic is re-districting.

Mr. Levy performs an important service

Spring is Here – Time to Get Your

Permits Permit fee is $5.00 and a $50.00 refundable deposit is required In 1998 the Town Board adopted a local law that requires all residents to obtain a permit to conduct a garage sale (aka yard sale, driveway sale, estate sale, etc.). The permit fee is $5.00 and each property/resident is permitted to have two sales per year. A $50.00 refundable deposit re-quired to be posted to ensure that any sign erected throughout Town are removed. If they are not, the $50.00 is kept to cover the cost of having a Town employee remove the signs. The local law also dictates the hours that a sale is permitted: Monday – Saturday your sale can be 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM and on Sundays it can only be 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM. If you are having a block or community sale each property/resident participat-ing must obtain a permit but only one $50.00 deposit is required. If one person is hosting the sale on their yard and neighbors are selling items there, each participant is required to obtain a permit. Permit applica-tions are available on the Town’s website, www.townofwoodbury.com under the Town Clerk’s section. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Town Clerk Desiree Potvin at 928-6829 x7 or by e-mail at dpotvin@woodburyny.us.Desiree Potvin, Town Clerk - Town of Woodbury

Woodbury Community Ambulance Blood Drive Sunday, April 28th, from 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Central Valley - The Woodbury Community Ambulance and the NY Blood Center will be holding a Blood Drive on Sunday, April 28th, from 0800 to 1400 at their building at 376 Route 32 in Central Valley. Should you have any questions, please contact Hannah Hasin (hannahthasin@aol.com) or Kaitlyn Lee mailto:klee2393@yahoo.com).

Except for his fi rst sentence, I agree entirely with Mr. Sussman here. Some-thing needs to be done NOW and not cost the taxpayers of Orange County more money in legal challenges down the road.

Part of my rhetoric was due to the statements some politicos made to me that my original alternative proposals could be viewed as a racist attempt at “stacking” as well. When doing my analysis previously, it was based on keeping towns and villages as whole as possible and not caring one bit about “Republican”, “Democrat”, or ethnic/racial demographics.

I would prefer to live in a non-parti-san, color-blind county, but I guess that is not the case. Hence my compromise proposal! Most Democrats can sup-port it as the stacking issue is removed,

and most Republicans should support it for keeping communities like Ches-ter, Blooming Grove, Wawayanda, Minisink, Crawford, and Cornwall whole (when they are not currently).

And my last two proposals, the one from yesterday and the one from March 20th/21st, allow all current county legislators to defend the same district numbers they currently repre-sent. How can we not get a majority of legislators to vote for that?

I will gladly host, or attend (in order to supply my expertise on the voting district census numbers), any bi-par-tisan meeting to get this resolved. Or just fi gure it out without my help, but get a legitimate redistricting plan ap-proved ASAP. Let’s stop stalling, and resolve this NOW.Sincerely, Mark Levy

I agree entirely with Mr. Sussman - Something needs to be done NOW

April 25, 2013 WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM4 Community

By Debbie Vobroucek Monroe Woodbury High School’s Varsity Ice Hockey Team players and their fami-lies celebrated on Friday, April 12, 2013 at a dinner at the Falkirk Estates in Cen-tral Valley. The players were presented with awards by Coach Paul Bacsardi, Jr. and Assistant Coach Paul Bacsardi. The keynote speaker at the dinner was Town

of Woodbury Police Offi cer Joseph Pan-zica, a former Monroe Woodbury Hockey Team player in the 1980’s. The players were enthralled as Offi cer Panzica spoke about his experiences on the hockey team and how it has positively impacted his life. The team’s annual yearbook was un-veiled in the form of a 2013-14 16-month photo calendar with player tributes and

advertising by many businesses from the Monroe and Woodbury areas. The year-book was dedicated to Team Manager Joe Bernardo of Highland Mills. “The dedi-cation means more to me than I can ever express…I want to thank everyone for the privilege of being part of your lives… I get to watch young boys develop and be-come young men ready to graduate and face the world and the pride that I feel for

them is the same that I have felt for my own children” said Bernardo. Senior Achievement Awards were pre-sented to players Danny Vobroucek of Highland Mills, Zach Earle, Brian Mul-ligan, Mark Tooma, Greg Helbeck and John Dunn, all of Monroe. Special awards were presented to players Brian Mulligan for “Most Valuable Player” and Greg Hel-beck for “Most Improved Player”.

Monroe Woodbury High School Varsity Ice Hockey Seniors at their annual dinner. Left to right: Danny Vobroucek of Highland Mills, Zach Earle, Brian Mulligan, Mark Tooma, Greg Helbeck and John Dunn, all of Monroe. Photo by Debbie Vobroucek.

Monroe Woodbury H.S. Varsity Hockey Team Celebrates at Awards Ceremony The yearbook was dedicated to Team Manager Joe Bernardo of Highland Mills

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Woodbury Police now offers a Confidential Tips Line Phone number 845-928-2344 - Reports remain Confi dential

The Town of Woodbury Police Department now offers a confi -dential tips line to report any crime or suspicious incident that occurs in the Town of Woodbury. All information that is report-ed will remain confi dential and will not appear in any written report. The confi dential tips line phone number is 845-928-2344. Please include any names, addresses, telephone num-bers, and the license plate numbers of all vehicles involved. Once again any information given will remain confi dential.

Sgt. Kevin Phillips says, “The Woodbury Police Department would like to remind all residents that if you see something sus-picious, say something! We appreciate your continued support.”

WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM April 25, 2013 5

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By Benjamin Meyers

Central Valley - This month’s Board of Education meeting began with board vice president Erich Tusch in-terrupting the proceedings by asking board president Michael DiGeronimo, “are we being sued?”

He went on to say there is no men-tion of a recent lawsuit or other recent accusations on the agenda. DiGeron-imo quickly responded we have not been served yet. We don’t know if we are being sued.”

Theresa Budich asked for clarifi ca-tion, “So, you have not offi cially been served?” DiGeronimo replied “We have been advised by council not to discuss it. After that comment DiGer-onimo, Erich Tusch, Eleni Carter and Natalie Brooks spoke at length with Dr. DiGeronimo’s approval on that very subject.

During the discussion Mrs. Budich questioned why the board was dis-cussing this at all. She reminded Di-Geronimo that he instituted very strict rules when he took over as president of the BOE fi ve years ago and required strict adherence to agenda items. This topic was not on the agenda. He did not respond. Mrs. Budich replied that rules should be applied equally and consistently.

The next item on the agenda was questions and comments from inter-ested citizens. Cathy Volpe Wasser-man was the fi rst to speak. Mrs. Was-serman is the parent of three regular education students in the M-W School district.

Although DiGeronimo had remind-ed the audience that only three min-utes are allotted to each speaker Mrs. Wasserman reminded him that he had made an exception to his rule in the past. Three other speakers gave their three minutes to Mrs. Wasserman which gave Mrs. Wasserman a total of twelve minutes to speak.

Mrs. Wasserman read excerpts from a notarized affi davit written by an M-W taxpayer, Mrs. Rebecca Thomas. That affi davit is now part of a lawsuit that was fi led by Mrs. Alethea Schep-perly, who is a Monroe-Woodbury ad-ministrator, in the Supreme Court of Orange County. It names DiGeronimo as BOE president, DiGeronimo as in-dividual, Mr., Erich Eulau, and Mrs. Christine Ricker, who are employees of the District.

Mrs. Wasserman read several quotes from Mrs. Thomas’ affi davit. One such quote was “I knew about im-proper involvement of persons in the District in the discussion and manage-ment of classifi ed special education students and their confi dential infor-mation,” Wasserman went on to read

... “DiGeronimo, met with Eric Eulau and Christine Ricker at his home on weekends to discuss specifi c students and to assert his power to infl uence their educational plans.”

Mrs. Wasserman demanded an-swers of DiGeronimo in a series of questions:

“What gives him the right to act in-dependently?” and, that according to education law and the District’s own policy he is only a BOE remember when he is part of the entire board duly called into session.

“Who gave him the right, power and authority to determine a child’s medical/educational condition” and, whether he believed they would ever learn or improve?

Mrs. Wasserman spoke of the many families that have reached out to her but who would not come forward be-cause they were were afraid of retribu-tion, and, that their children’s programs would be cut or their regular education students would be threatened.

Wasserman challenged, “So I ask the eight board members. What are you going to do about the unethical and illegal actions stated in this affi -davit – which is a public document? Who is going to look at the alleged wrong doings of Mr. DiGeronimo and what is the board going to do about this?”

She ended with “And I ask where has the school’s superintendent been while all of this was happening!” The Superintendent of Schools, Ed Mehrhof, was silent.

The rest of the board meeting cen-tered on a discussion regarding the agenda item 2013-2014 Superinten-dent’s budget. Although it was the “superintendents budget” Mehrhof did not speak. BOE president DiGer-onimo presented the budget.

BOE member Theresa Budich asked pointed questions regarding the still unresolved fund balance. Mrs. Bu-dich had asked for an accounting of the monies held in each fund. The to-tal was $11 million.

Mrs. Budich stated that last year the Comptrollers’ Offi ce sited the District for an excess fund balance of over $14 million, and last year’s budget that had an over amount of an additional $2 million. Budich asked where was that $5 Million. There was one specifi c fund that caught Mrs. Bu-dich’s attention. The reserve fund for unemployment!

Mrs. Budich pointed out that the District had $1.2 million in the reserve fund. She asked Jeff White, Assistant Superintendent for Business, what the District had averaged in the past fi ve years for payouts on unemployment insurance to school employees. After

a lengthy pause, Mr. White said that the district had averaged $100,000 per year. Mrs. Budich then asked why they were then withholding $1.2 million in reserves since the District only uses one tenth of that each year. Mrs. Budich suggested that even if the school held $500,000 in reserve it would still have $700.000 to use; either re-instate some of the programs that the District cut, such as intramurals, Expand, Odyssey of the Mind, clubs at the high school and bus runs - or the school could re-turn that money to the taxpayers. Mrs. Budich did not receive an answer.

At the end of all board meetings each member has an opportunity to speak. Mrs. Budich asked the pub-lic to please consider running for this year’s Board of Education’s three open positions.

Mr. Chan challenged the editor of this paper without stating a name. He was referring to an article written in Woodbury Gazette’s last issue. This editor had questioned DiGeronimo about his pick of BOE member Mrs. Natalie Brooks to be Chairperson of the upcoming school budget and board

member election, citing the fact that Mrs. Brooks is being investigated by the Commissioner of Education about the last election’s improprieties. Ob-viously, Mr. Chan didn’t like a BOE member being questioned.

The fi nal word was had by DiG-eronimo; he proudly stated that he’s been sued 9 times since taking offi ce. He intimated that lawsuits are not a big thing to him. He went on to say that this is the beginning of an elec-tion campaign and this is all political.

Reference:1. The lawsuit was fi led by Mrs.

Alethea Schepperly on April 11th in the Orange County Supreme court and was a public document at the time of the BOE meeting

2. The editor of the Woodbury Ga-zette gave the docket number to the school District’s clerk Leah Maher after she said that she was not aware of a lawsuit.

3. The editor of the Woodbury Ga-zette investigated but could fi nd four lawsuits fi led against DiGeronimo and four pending appeals with the commissioner of Education.

“…Political agenda – egregious lies…” DiGeronimo BOE President says, “I have been sued 9 times…” intimates he is used to it.

April 25, 2013 WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM6 News

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By Mark Levy

The Orange County Legislature Dis-tricts have to be reapportioned and re-aligned due to changes in the growth of Orange County’s population as of the 2010 United States Census results. I have taken the information from the New York State LATFOR website, as well as the US Census map website, to determine and propose how each of the current 21 OC Legislature districts can be reapportioned and realigned, with the goal of keeping towns, cities, and villages in our county as intact as pos-sible. This is based on the total 2010 Orange County amended population of 371,284 (the county and town/city pop-ulations are amended for state and lo-cal redistricting purposes in New York State for prison populations). Each dis-trict should represent approximately 17,680 people within a 5% variance.

Unlike my last previous proposal on March 21st 2013, which has been ignored by most of the Orange County Legisla-ture and all the media except the Wood-bury Gazette newspaper, my April 15th proposal now fulfi lls the liberal Demo-

crat goal of having two minority districts being created in the area of the city of Newburgh. According to newspaper re-ports in the Times-Herald Record and the Mid-Hudson News, the entire Democrat caucus of the Orange County legislature DID NOT support the Pillmeier-Bonelli plan because this stated Democrat goal for two minority districts being created out of the city of Newburgh.

What concerns me most about the Mid-Hudson News report found at: www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2013/April/10/OC_redistrict-10Apr13.htm, is that if nothing is done before this election cycle – the current districts which are now, thanks to the 2010 US Census, in violation of the “one man, one vote” principle, will be illegally used for the 2013 election season. And these will likely be challenged with more costly legal battles for Orange County taxpayers after the election.

With that in mind, my April 15th proposal does create a new “Hispanic District”, which will be a major por-tion of the 15th Orange County Legis-lature district, besides maintaining the current “African-American” Orange

County Legislature 4th district. I am NOT a proponent of racial

politics, when it is played by mem-bers, or advocates, of either political party. So I propose this compromise solution, which is stated below. I have not had time to ask the kind and help-ful people at The Center For Research

Regional Education and Outreach at SUNY New Paltz, for a new “coun-ty-wide map” visual of my proposal. But only districts 4, 6, 9, 15, 16, and 17 have changed versus my proposal on March 21st (shown below): This data with its maps are posted on www.woodburygazette.com.

A “Two-Minority District” Proposal for the 2013 Orange County Legislature “I am NOT a proponent of racial politics” – M. Levy

Court to hear allegations against DiGeronimo An unusually expeditious action taken by court! Schepperly’s new lawsuit will be heard on May 14

By Benjamin Meyers

Goshen, NY - In an action not often seen, the Honorable Judge Robert D’Onofry of the Supreme Court in Orange County, in an al-most unprecedented move, expe-dited a hearing of the case brought against Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education president, Dr. Mi-chael DiGeronimo and others named in the suit.

The suit was fi led for Alethea Schepperly by her attorney Jona-than Lovett on April 11 in Orange County Court. It is a separate ac-tion from another case that began last year which was fi led against Schepperly by the M-W BOE. She is the defendant against two accusations, one of which claims that she wrongfully altered a spe-cial education student’s Individual

Education Plan. Judge D’Onofry heard appeals to this case earlier this year and is expected to rule on it soon.

Of interest is that the new law-suit, as part of separate claims, in-troduces new evidence pertinent to the current case. It states that Mrs. Schepperly was a target of DiG-eronimo and the allegations sug-gests that the District’s complaint was constructed to frame Mrs. Schepperly for DiGeronimo’s and school superintendent Mehrhof’s own purposes. In an affi davit, Di-Geronimo described Schepperly as one of four “evil” persons that he was trying to eliminate from District employment.

The hearing date is scheduled for May 14 and 1:30 P.M. in the Orange County Surrogate’s Court. 30 Park Place in Goshen.

WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM April 25, 2013 7Community

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Relay For Life“Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back” Monroe Woodbury High School on June 8, 2013 From: 12 noon - 12 midnight. Please join a team or register your own to support this Ameri-can Cancer Society Event.

Log onto www.relayforlife.org/monroewoodburyny for more infor-mation.

18th Annual Woodbury Open - Friday, June 7Falkirk Golf Club Smith Clove Road, Central ValleyCentral Valley - Attention All Golfers! You are invited to participate in this im-portant event. Your host is the Woodbury Community Association, a 501-C-3 Organization whose mission is to raise money by means of individual dona-tions, corporate sponsorships, fund raising efforts and to redistribute those funds in ways that benefi t the community of Woodbury. The monies raised are used to fund the WCA scholarship fund as well as our many community donations throughout the year including Toys for Tots and the Food Pantry.

Don’t Golf? Can’t golf that day? What better way to show your support of this worthwhile community event than to participate as an event sponsor. Dozens of community members and local/regional businesses will be present this day. The opportunity to expose your business to this captured audience will be on hand. DON’T MISS THE CHANCE!

Sponsors will receive recognition throughout the event, including: event/loca-tion signage and an announcement at the Award Reception.

Award Reception will commence at approximately 2:30pm.The deadline for all sponsorships is June 1, 2013 to insure we can get signs

made up.$165.00 Per Golfer ($175.00 after 6/01/13)

CALL: CHARLIE KNUTH (845) 781-3084Includes: Continental Breakfast, Golf, Luncheon, Refreshments, Shirt, and Awards Dinner, Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Hole in One Contest

YMCA Mohegan Sun Casino Trip Enjoy a day at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Ct. June 17, 2013

Round Trip Transportation: The bus will depart from SOFY at 8:50AM and ar-rive back to the Y that evening at approximately 9PM after a 5 hour casino visit. Ages 60 plus can report to the Summer Coat Check for a free gift while supplies last. Receive discounts of 20% at most stores. All will receive a $15 food vouch-er and a $15.00 Free Bet. Trip Fee: $30.00 - Anyone age 21 & older is welcome to participate. Need not be a member of SOFY to participate.

To register: Sign-up with payment at the front desk or by mail. Names of all participants must be included for insurance. Example: Cannot register for 5 without providing each name.

For further information: Call SOFY Monroe at (845) 782-9622, or, ymcase-niorliaison@yahoo.com; South Orange Family YMCA, 45 Gilbert Street Exten-sion, Monroe, NY

�My son, hear the instruction of thy father,

and forsake not the law of thy mother. ~Proverbs 1:8�

April 25, 2013 WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM8 Community

District Pinewood Derby held at St. Pat’s Right: Kevin Steinhauer Sr. presenting Grand Champion Trophy to Brayde Weymer who won over 143 other racers in the 2013 District Pinewood Derby that took place on April 5th. Photos provided

Below: John Simons-Charter Organization Representative,Pack 148; Menno Poutsma-Committee Chairman,Pack 148; Kevin M. Steinhauer Sr. Heritage District Cub Scout Program Chairman and Scoutmaster Troop 149.

Women of Woodbury held Craft Fair Scholarship Fundraiser “We thank all who donated to this important fundraiser!” – Susan Vrana, Chairperson W.O.W.Women of Woodbury wishes to thank all those who donated to the Craft Fair, Scholarship Fundraiser on April 20th: Mario’s Restaurant, Hair It Is, Jay’s Deli, Jimmy Nails, Smith, Seaman, Quackenbush Funeral Home, The Skincare Center, Printing Plus, The Wellness Center, Kevin J. O’Connor, CPA, Brookside Grill,

William Cavanagh, Laura Stevens, P.T., Falkirk Estate & Country Club, Bum-ble-Fly Café, The Dug Out, Not Just Bagels, The Art Studio, Dan’s Barber Shop, Palaia Winery, Debbie’s Cake Pops, Artist Bobbie Stockbower, Premier Jewelry, Tupperware, Purses by Donna, Avon, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Soothing Escents,

Alley Cat Jewelry, FooFooTuTu, Chocolates by Vanessa, Sweet E-Claires by Taryn, Flowers by David Anthony, Woodbury Common, Su-san’s Creations & all the WOW mem-bers who donated their time & effort.

Please support these local Business-es, Donors and Vendors who have sup-ported Women of Woodbury, without them we would not have a Scholarship Fund. Thank you, Susan Vrana,

Right: Gifted local artist Bobbi Stockbower exhibited her well know paintings of Woodbury themes. Here she holds a beautifully painted fl ower.

Below: The WOW Craft Fair was well attended by many artisans as well as specialty baked goods, jewelry as seen here and wellness providers such as Wellness Springs.

Photos by Ben Meyers

Monroe-Woodbury Garden Club Plant Sale Saturday, May 11th 8:00 A.M. until noon St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Join us at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church parking lot, 21 Still Road, Monroe from 8:00 am -12:00 pm,

Featuring fancy hanging baskets, unusual planters, perennials and annual

fl owers and vegetables. All plants are locally-grown in Orange County.

Come early for best selection and answers to gardening questions.

WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM April 25, 2013 9Community

By Ben Meyers“Monroe Roller Hockey is a great example of the town, the Parks Commission, and the volunteers working together to provide opportunities for our community. Monroe is blessed with one of the most beautiful parks in Orange County and I’m very pleased to see MWRHL collaborate with the Parks Commission to create this program for children and adults.” Monroe mayor Jim Purcell was clearly happy when he made this statement.

Saturday afternoon cleared up after a cool morning and was good spring start to the MWRHL season. Todd Holbrook and wife Kim who owned Lady Fingers in Monroe, are eager as they take over the All Star Café’ at Smith Clove Park. Todd explained that the Café not only will serve up traditional hot dogs and burgers, but he and Kim are expanding into salads, wraps and other delights as visitors spend more time in the park. Kim will continue to supply fi ne baked goods from the Café. Their sons Matthew and Colin are in the Learn to Skate program so this will keep the family together for the summer.

Joe Cromwell is a veteran player of fi ve years and is involved with coaching the travel team with Coach Tom Budington. His sons Joey and Christopher are players as well as their dad. Asked what he likes about roller hockey, he replied, “It’s a lot of fune, and I like to see kids who are fi rst timers progress and get better, and better. The kids make a lot of friends and start hanging with each other and they come to the house a lot. I like that!”

Here is what happening at the rink as reported by Pat Brown.

Adult Division Revamped TNT and Redmen Lead The Way Into Spring Season. The Fall/Spring Adult League runs one continuous season from September through

June. There is a 3-4 month winter break between seasons. The full season usually con-sists of 25 games, excluding playoffs.

TNT (The New Team) has become an annual championship contender after struggling in their rookie season. After missing the playoffs for 8 consecutive years the Redmen ac-quired some new talent, notably former MW HS stars Julian Carney, Nick Belloise, and Ken Schermerhorn Jr, the son of referee Ken Schermerhorn Sr., and are now chasing TNT for the top spot in the standings.

Standings as of April 14Sunday April 14 schedule was highlighted by a rare TNT loss. TNT was visibly frustrat-

ed and tempers fl ared which resulted in some unusually heavy work for the referees. Two players were given multiple game suspensions for behavior unbecoming to gentlemen.

Thursday April 18 With both teams using substitute goalies, the Blades suffered an upset loss to the Cy-

clones. The fi nal game of the night was a father-son event as Sharks veteran Don Beeler and sons Mike and Rob battled the Stars Peter Lanaro Sr and son Peter Jr. Mike Beeler started the scoring with a slapshot from the blue line and his brother Rob slipped in an-other goal. The Sharks greater bench strength prevailed.

It is good to see Bob Andreas of the Stars playing again after suffering an ugly facial injury several weeks ago. Bob says there is a good aspect to the injury as the laceration inside his mouth forced him to give up chewing tobacco. Bob has worn several different face shields since the accident but can’t fi nd one that suits him. So the local sporting goods stores are also profi ting from his mishap.

Sun 04/14/13 8:00 TNT 1 Silver Bullets 6 Sun 04/14/13 9:00 Stars 1 Blades 3 Sun 04/14/13 10:00 Black Dogs 5 Sharks 6 Sun 04/14/13 11:00 Cyclones 3 Redmen 8 Thu 04/18/13 7:30 Blades 4 Cyclones 5 Thu 04/18/13 8:30 Black Dogs 7 TNT 3 Thu 04/18/13 9:30 Sharks 3 Stars 0

Youth Division The Youth divisions play two seasons - Fall and Spring - with championships in each

of those seasons. MWRHL has long been a feeder program for the MW ice hockey teams (modifi ed and varsity) and we are always pleased to see the MW ice hockey play-ers come back to MWRHL for the spring recreation season.

The 17U division played an exhibition game. The White team jumped to an early

lead in the fi rst period. However, they stopped playing defense in the second period, leaving White goalie Ryan Fischer standing alone like a campfi re surrounded by hostile Indians. The Purple team won 9-6.

In the 14U division the Crusaders beat the Bull Dogs 4-0. Bull Dog goalie Sean Li-peri had an excellent game with 21 saves, but needs more help from his teammates.

In the 10U division the Flyers logged a 3-0 lead over the Blackhawks in the fi rst period. The Blackhawks rebounded, with Ethan Abrahams scoring a hat trick (3 goals) and an assist. Final score was Blackhawks 10 - Flyers 6.

Left: Left to right, Joe Mancuso, Former Monroe Mayor and current Monroe Joint Parks Commission (MJPC) member, James Purcell, Monroe Mayor;Pat Brown, MWRHL Referee; Tony Cardone, MJPC Chairman; Steve Pearlman, MWRHL coach and former MWRHL Treasurer; Brandon Pearlman, MWRHL 17U player

Above: Coach Ken McKeon instructing the 14U Crusaders before their opening day victory.

Photos by Ben Meyers

M-W Roller Hockey season begins

St. Patrick’s 2013 OC CYO Bantam Division Champions

Back row - Pictured Back Row (Standing) Left to right are: Sean Heppes, Eugene Heppes (Coach), Joseph Harvey, Thomas Concannon, Michael Fuchs, Anthony Campione, Jason Dimura, Mike Dimura (Assistant Coach). Bottom row left to right are Connor McSherry, David Sawoska, Eric Shippee, Sean Watkins, Michael Grove (not pictured Assistant Coach Walter Harvey). Photo by Jeanne King

April 25, 2013 WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM10

“It is an honor to receive this critical funding, because it will enable us to assist many deserving kinship fami-lies in Orange County,” commented Brenda Reynolds, Relatives As Par-ents Program Coordinator with Cor-nell Cooperative Extension Orange County. She was referring to a re-cently conferred three year federal grant designed to provide education and supportive programs to grand-parents and other relatives who are raising children – known as “kinship families.”

The New York State Kinship Navi-gator program, operated by Catho-lic Family Center in Rochester, NY, was one of seven sites nationwide awarded a federal grant from the US Children’s Bureau under their Child Welfare/TANF Collaboration in Kin-ship Navigation Programs. They, in turn, identifi ed Extension’s Relatives As Parents Program (RAPP) as a partner to deliver services to kinship families in this area.

“We at Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion are thrilled to have been chosen

to participate in this multi-county project” said Reynolds, “Our fi fteen year history in the fi eld of kinship care, coupled with our ‘best practice’ kinship programs and collaborative working relationship with the Or-ange County Department of Social Services, Family Court, County Government agencies and family and youth serving agencies have helped to make RAPP a perfect project part-ner.”

“Relatives are often best suited to give children, whose birth parents are unable to care for them, the love, sta-bility and support they need to grow and thrive,” Reynolds continued, “The funding we have been awarded will help provide important educa-tional programs for relative caregiv-ers that cover parenting, fi nancial, health and legal issues, as well as supportive programming for youth, such as our upcoming Teen Leader-ship Summit in Frost Valley.”

This project partnership targets families with children in private and voluntary kinship care who are eligi-

ble for temporary assistance or those who are “engaged” by the local child welfare agency. Of special note are relatives who are contacted by Child Protective Services and assume care of children, without initiation of a

dependency proceeding. “Training for professionals who

work with kinship families will also be a focus for this initiative” said Reynolds, “That will allow RAPP to expand the reach of our services.”

Relatives As Parents Program Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County receives critical funding

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March Mixer was MWTA’s 2nd Annual EventHeld at Round Hill House in Washingtonville – honored was Dawn Jordan as Teacher of the Year

By Darrell McElroy, Executive Vice President Monroe-Woodbury Teachers’ Association

On March 13, 2013, the Monroe-Woodbury Teachers’ Association held its Sec-ond Annual March Mixer. This year the mixer was held at Round Hill House in Washingtonville, NY and what a lovely venue for the event. At the mixer, the MWTA honored its Teacher of the Year, Dawn Jordan (Pine Tree Elementary) and its Teaching Assistant of the Year, Betty Ross (Pine Tree Elementary). In ad-dition, new teachers and those teachers who earned tenure were recognized and given small gifts from the MWTA. Faculty from around the district attended to celebrate the accomplishments of all of these talented educators.

One of the things that makes this evening even more special is the Tricky Tray raffl e that is held to raise money for the MWTA Scholarship. Each year, the MWTA donates over $8,000 a year to graduating seniors. The MWTA solicited many donations from 47 local businesses. The generosity of these businesses and the faculty who attended the mixer helped to raise $1,430 that evening in support of the MWTA scholarships for our students.

Here is the list of those local businesses that donated and we would encour-age you to support them: Mali’s, Mendoza’s, Annie’s Nail & Tanning Salon,

Betty Ross Decorating, Bags, Boca’s, Bourgeon Bros., Bryan’s Dog House, Bumble-Fly, Café Fiesta, Captain’s Table, Come Craft With Me, Cosmo’s, Cyrus Jewelers, Edible Arrangements, Fran’s Hallmark, Gold’s Gym, Green-ery Plus, Harriman Army-Navy, Har-riman Clothing, Hudson Street Café, Jewelry Box, La Vera Cocina, Lowe’s, Mansion Ridge Golf Course, Massage Envy, Mélange Spa, Monroe Jewelers, Nina Belle Spa, NY Hot Dog, Planet Pizza, Rambler’s Rest, ShopRite, Sim-ply You, Skin Care Studio, Something Sweet Dessert Café, Speedy Auto Care, Star Wine & Liquors, The Hair Bar, Therapeutic Massage, Thirty One Basket, Ultra Diamonds, Vera Brad-ley, Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, and YMCA.

The MWTA is proud to support our students as they prepare for college and we are very grateful for the sup-port from our local community. An event like this mixer would not be as successful without the support of our local community. And I truly believe that by partnering to help students we are all an exemplifi cation of our mot-to: “Together We Succeed.”

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WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM April 25, 2013 11

By Ben Meyers

Woodbury American Legion Post 779 began preparing this past weekend for Memorial Day. Each year, a week before the Memorial Day Parade, veterans at the post pay homage to deceased veterans by inserting more than 700 small American fl ags next to their gravestones. For a number of years Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have turned out to lend a hand because it takes a while to place700 fl ags.The Cemetery of the Highlands which is next to the Highland Mills United Methodist Church always extends so much help to Post 779 as they and the

Post continue on with a long tradition. Joanne Sullivan, Director – Cemetery of the Highlands takes the lead every time. Through the years bronze fl ag holders have been worn and weath-ered to the point that it has become hard to identify veterans’ graves. This year, weeks prior to putting out the fl ags, a new idea immerged to solve the identifi cation problem. Mrs. Sul-livan was able to source and provide grey PVC to the local Post. She pur-chased enough length of pipe so that 700 eighteen inch sections were cut and put into the ground making the graves easy to fi nd, and, the fl ags are now also easier to position.

In addition to her pro-active work, the members of the Woodbury Commu-nity Association volunteered to show up. With mallets and other tools in hand, aided by Scouts, they inserted the new holders. These new fl ag hold-

ers will also be more robust as mow-ers and trimmers maintain grass by the memorial stones. The next activity for the Post will be in May when fl ags are positioned at the grave sites.

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Post 779 members get Community help Woodbury Community Association members volunteered and showed up with mallets in hand.

Left: Woodbury community companions gather together as American Legion Post 779 is supported by Woodbury Community Association volunteers and Boy Scouts for a project at The Cemetery of the Highlands.

Above: From left: Post 779 vets Jerry DeSisto and Phil Morello are joined by WCA members Pete McGoldrick, Woodbury Mayor Mike Queenan, and Neil Crouse, President WCA. Photos by Ben Meyers

April 25, 2013 WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM12

Central Valley United Methodist Church12 Smith Clove Road, Central Valley, NY 10917www.centralvalleyumc.comPhone/fax: 845-928-6570Pastor: Reverend Jessica L. Anschutz

All are welcome to join us!Worship: Sundays @ 9:30 amChildren’s Sunday School @ 9:45 amFellowship Hour: Sundays @ 10:30 amPrayer Group: Wednesdays @ 9:30 amAdditional fellowship and service opportunities for all ages.Come join us as we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God!

Highland Mills United Methodist Church654 Route 32, PO Box 611, Highland Mills, NY 10930www.highlandmillsumc.orgE-mail: info@highlandmillsumc.orgPhone: (845) 928-6177Pastor: Reverend Darlene Resling

Worship: Sundays @ 9:15 amSunday School @ 9:15 amMen’s Bible Study: Saturdays @ 8:30-9:30 am

Monroe Temple of Liberal Judaism314 N. Main St., Monroe, NYTelephone: (845) 783-2626 Rabbi Garry Loeb; Cantor Elana Schwartz

Worship ScheduleFirst Friday: an eclectic, intergenerational Shabbat experience for young families, singles, couples, and empty nesters. Held the 1st Friday of each month, it usually begins at 6:30 pm with a picnic or pot luck –dinner, and is followed by an hour of interesting activities. An hour-long Kabbalat service then fol-lows at 8:00 pmKabbalat Shabbat Services: Friday evenings at 8:00pm. Shachrit Service: 10:00 am Saturday morning (unless otherwise specifi ed), including Saturdays on which there is no Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Tot Shabbat Service: 3rd Saturday of the month at 9:00 am.

St. Patrick’s Church - Highland Mills448 Route 32, Highland Mills, NY 10930www.stpatrickshm.org

Mass ScheduleSaturday Vigil: 5:30 pmSpanish Mass: 7:00 pmSunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am & 12:00 pmWeekdays: Monday thru Saturday 9:00 amHoly Days - See Bulletin

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Pastor Barry Richie

Choluteca, Honduras - Last week we fi nished the churches in the mountains. Doors and security win-dows are completed so they can now put items in-side. Saturday will be the fi rst service in Colonia in a new building and Pastor Green will be the fi rst one to preach in it. Pastors have been fi ve years preaching under a tree there and Blanca, Omar’s widow, will be there; so it should be sweet. Omar preached under the tree for several years before he passed. There’s a full schedule of preaching this week and we will see if we get through it all. On our schedule are the Mili-tary, public School, fi rst church service at Colonia, outreach evangelism, mountain top and beach front baptisms. Might be preaching and baptizing with a mountain church on the beach over in Nicaragua…if we can get everyone across the border. Always “if” and always “trying” in Honduras…

As I was driving through town I saw a hand paint-ed Mona Lisa. For the steep price of $200 you could have an iconic famous artwork hanging on your

wall…a deal compared to the other one…, I just smiled and thought this has to be in a sermon illus-tration, just don’t know how yet.

Lisa has had a rough couple of weeks and it is still not over - her allergic reactions to cashew trees burn-ing. She had to go to hospital two times for treat-ment and IV’s. Plus Cindy fell and needed stitches in her knee.

The drilling head is still down in the hole. I stopped by Monday on my way to the capital (Tegucigalpa). They were digging a pit to hold enough water to use to try and open the hole again. It has collapsed in on itself. Weee! So much for a cheap well…. But hey they got the transmission back in the rig… so the rig can drive out. It was a very steep incline to where they are drilling.

We went to preach at one of the military posts yesterday and we’re going to another today. Pastor Green preached and followed up with Marc Anto-nio. Numerous soldiers stood and made decisions for Christ. As Pastor Green’s group went with Lisa through the market and handed out tracts, they had

people coming to them asking for the tracts.As Christians we often look at the news and world

and think the LORD has to return soon. And I do believe this, …but as bad it is might seem in some places to Christians, as long as there is still a hunger and thirst for God in the world, as long as the fi eld is still “white unto harvest” somewhere, the LORD’s return will tarry…Until the last precious glory for God is mined by the cross of Calvary; from the mountains of free willed human iniquity…and the cross makes it obvious that God will spare no ex-pense in this endeavor, and He will persevere till all Glory due Him has been harvested. Amen!

Editor’s note: More than a few years ago, the editor accompanied a local pastor and another friend to work with Barry Richie in Choluteca, Honduras. Our mission was to take clothes, diapers, hygiene items, vitamins and other necessities for children and adults at the Lighthouse and in surrounding barrios close to the church, Iglesia Bautista La Cruz. Pastor Ritchie keeps friends updated on his blog. If you are led help this ministry! Go to www.childrenslighthouse.blogspot.com/ for more information.

Mining with the Cross“Omar preached under the tree for several years before he passed.”

Oldest standing Jewish dwelling in North America Gomez Mill House is re-opening on May 5, 2013

We are delighted to announce the re-opening on May 5, 2013, of the Gomez Mill House for a full season of programs and tours following repairs and restora-tion at the site due to damage by Hurricane Irene in August 2011.

The Gomez Mill House is the oldest standing Jewish dwelling in North America and home to noted Revolutionary Patriots, artisans, and social

activists. It is located off Route 9W in Marlboro in Orange County.

In 1714 Luis Moses Gomez, who as a child, had fl ed with his family from the Spanish inquisition, purchased 6,000 acres of land along the Hudson Highlands where several Native American trails con-verged. On the southwestern corner, he built a fi eld-stone blockhouse trading post into the side of a hill along a stream that became known as “Jews Creek.”

The great walls of the trading post - which are about two feet thick - survive, as do two original fi replaces and evidence of the limestone fl oors that covered the ground of the main room. The main resources of timber and lime drove the industry he and his son Daniel conducted on the property. The trading post served to provide basic commodities to other local residents, settlers traveling north and the few remaining Native Americans still trading along the Hudson River.

The most famous owner in the 20th century was Dard Hunter, renowned craftsman and paper histo-rian who, just prior World War I, built a paper mill on Jew’s Creek in the shape of an English country cottage complete with a thatched roof. Students from all over the world came to learn from him as he made paper by hand, cut and cast type and hand-printed his own books. The Gomez Foundation for Mill House restored Hunter’s Mill and the mill dam and bridge in 1997, which in 2010 underwent a sec-ond major restoration.

For information contact Ruth K. Abrahams, Ph.D. Executive Director, Gomez Foundation for Mill House, 15 West 16th St.. 6th Floor New York, NY 10011. Phone 212-294-8329

Source: www.gomez.org

WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM April 25, 2013 13History

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James Beckwourth, one of only a handful of early moun-tain men to emerge from the system of slavery, is born in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

The exact year of Beckwourth’s birth is in dispute. Some historians suggest it may have been 1800 rather than 1798. The uncertainty arises both from Beckwourth’s notorious reputation for exaggerating and rewriting his own history, as well as the humble circumstances of his birth. The child of a white plantation owner and a black woman who was probably his slave, Beckwourth was born into a society that paid little notice to children born of black mothers.

During his childhood, Beckwourth may have been a slave. However, by the time he reached adulthood in St. Louis, Missouri, his master had apparently manumitted him and he was regarded as a free black man. In 1824, he joined William Ashley’s third and most arduous fur-trapping expe-dition to the Rocky Mountains. Beckwourth received a crash course in the dangers of mountain life, just barely manag-ing to avoid death by freezing, starvation, and Indian attacks. Despite the risks, Beckwourth enjoyed being a mountain man, and he spent the next several years as a free trapper.

Trapping in the Powder River country of Wyoming, Beck-wourth began to forge a close alliance with the Crow Indi-ans. Sometime between 1826-1828, he abandoned Ameri-can society altogether and joined the Crow people. The Crow had long been friendly with trappers, and they appar-ently welcomed Beckwourth into their society. Beckwourth learned the Crow language, customs, and ways of living, and he married at least two Crow women and fathered several children. Beckwourth later claimed that he became a power-ful chief among the Crow, though historians have questioned whether this was another of his exaggerations.

In the mid-1830s, Beckwourth left his adopted home with the Crow and joined the Missouri volunteer mili-tary force as a scout. He saw action in the Seminole War in Florida, fi ghting under General Zachary Taylor. Beck-wourth left the army in 1840 and spent the next decade wandering around the West, occasionally making some quick cash by stealing horses. Eventually settling near Denver, Colorado, Beckwourth continued to work peri-odically as a civilian scout for military parties. In this capacity, Beckwourth had a role in the infamous Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, but how much Beckwourth knew about or participated in that inexcusable massacre of Indians is still disputed.

He dictated his autobiography to Thomas D. Bonner, an itinerant Justice of the Peace in the gold fi elds of Califor-nia, in 1854-55. After Bonner “polished up” Beckwourth’s rough narrative, The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth, Mountaineer, Scout, and Pioneer, and Chief of the Crow Nation of Indians was published by Harper and Brothers in 1856. The book apparently achieved a certain amount of popular success, for it was followed by an English edition in the same year, a second printing two years later, and a French translation in 1860.

Beckwourth’s role in American history was often dis-missed by historians of the late nineteenth and early twen-tieth Centuries. Many were quite blatant in their prejudic-

es, refusing to give any credence to a “mongrel of mixed blood.” And many of his acquaintances considered the book something of a joke.

But Beckwourth was a man of his times, and for the ear-ly fur trappers of the Rockies, the ability to “spin a good yarn” was a skill valued almost as highly as marksmanship or woodsman ship. And while Beckwourth certainly had a tendency to exaggerate numbers or to occasionally make himself the hero of events that happened to other people, later historians have discovered that much of what Beck-wourth related in his autobiography actually occurred.

Truth is often something much bigger than merely the accuracy of details. And to discover the truth of what life was like for the fur trappers of the 1820’s, the Crow In-dians of the 1830’s, the pioneers of the Southwest in the 1840’s, or the gold miners of California in the 1850’s, you can fi nd no better source than the life of Jim Beckwourth.

An often-told story has it that when the book appeared, a group of miners who were well-acquainted with Beck-wourth commissioned one of its members to pick up a copy while on a trip to San Francisco. But the man, being careless, got a copy of the Bible instead. In the evening, he was requested to read aloud from the long-awaited book, and opening it at random, he hit upon and read the story of Samson and the foxes.

“That’ll do!” one of the men cried. “I’d know that story for one of Jim’s lies anywhere!”

Not long after the Sand Creek Massacre, Beckwourth again abandoned Anglo-American society and returned to the Crow tribe. As with his birth, the details of Beck-wourth’s death are uncertain. Some accounts say he died in 1866 among his adopted people, and they laid him to rest in Crow fashion on a tree platform; others indicate he may have died near Denver in 1867.

Source: History.com and www.beckwourth.org/Biograph

April 25, 1831A play lionizing Davy Crockett opens in NYC, 182 Years ago

The play The Lion of the West opens in New York City. It was the fi rst of many plays, books, and movies celebrating Davy Crockett.

Born in 1786 in Tennessee, Crockett grew up in a poor family that hired him out as a cattle drover at age 12. He eventually settled in middle Ten-nessee, where he became famous for his skill as a professional hunter. The forests of Tennessee were still dense with game at that time, and Crockett once killed 105 bears in a single season.

After a stint fi ghting Indians with Andrew Jackson, Crockett began a career in politics, eventually becoming a Tennessee state repre-sentative in 1821. As a state legislator, Crockett was a strong advocate for the rights of squatters who were claiming land on the frontier without legal permission. At the same time, the political fortunes of his old commander, Andrew Jack-son, were on the rise. When Jackson became president in 1828, he pointed to Crockett as a symbol of the frontier egalitarianism he believed should be adopted throughout the nation.

In 1831, the play The Lion of the West opened at New York City’s Park Theater. Starring the popular actor James Hackett as a legendary frontiersman named Colonel Nimrod Wildfi re; the play was a thinly disguised and highly ex-aggerated account of Crockett’s life. Two years later, the play was followed by an equally larger-than-life biography, Sketches and Eccentricities of Colonel David Crockett of West Tennessee.

After Crockett died at the Alamo in 1836, his posthumous transformation from mortal man to mythic martyr was almost inevitable. A bogus 1836 autobiography portrayed him as an American Hercules and established many of the tall tales that would remain forever as-sociated with his name. In the 20th century, Crockett’s fame waned for a time, but Walt Disney revived the legend. In 1954, Disney began producing a series of movies and televi-sion programs featuring the actor Fess Parker as Crockett. The series was a ratings block-buster, and it led to the largest media-generated commercial craze up until that time. Children across America clamored for coonskin caps, powder horns, books, and records so that they could be just like their idol, Davy Crockett.

April 26, 1798James Beckwourth early Mountain Man born, 215 Years ago

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April 25, 2013 WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM14

A couple of weeks ago, The New York Times covered a story about a software in-vention that would allow student essays to be graded by an automated system. Founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, EdX is offer-ing its free software to any

institution, which uses artifi cial intelligence to instantly assess student short answer and essay responses. Though this innovative technological development clearly amazes, it has gotten quite mixed results amongst academics.

EdX supporters promise major benefi ts. For pro-fessors it eliminates hours worth of grading work, allowing them to redirect their attention to other benefi cial initiatives. Students also receive instant feedback on their papers, which has been shown to improve learning. Additionally, the software allows users to resubmit their assignment again, in the hopes of achieving a better grade after learning from pre-vious errors. Finally, the enabling of mass grading compliments the recent growth of open entry online courses. Without the restraints on class size imposed by limited classroom space and time restrictions for grading, online courses can further education for a

potentially infi nite audience. Of course, protestors argue that computers can-

not replace the importance of professor feedback. According to the New York Times article, a group of educators have organized to form the Profession-als Against Machine Scoring of Student Essays in High Stakes -Assessment, claiming that “computers cannot ‘read.’ They cannot measure the essentials of effective written communication: accuracy, rea-soning, adequacy of evidence, good sense, ethical stance, convincing argument, meaningful organiza-tion, clarity, and veracity, among others.”

Regardless of the specifi c course subject, in most cases constructing a coherent, well-written essay is often as important as demonstrating mastery of the specifi c material. Without feedback from a profes-sor based on a holistic assessment of one’s paper, students may be hindered in the long run as they develop their writing skills. Furthermore, as such software becomes more and more integrated into society, the rise of programs and tactics to “trick” these automated graders, could lead to cheating or shortcuts on assignments.

However, even more concerning is the discon-nect between students and teachers that may arise from the usage of this technology. Though per-haps not as vital in massive online courses, de-veloping positive relationships with professors is

important for college students. Professors will fail to engage with their students’ work, which could contribute to a sense of anonymity amongst stu-dents. Furthermore, professors who wish to fol-low “old school” tactics by reading student papers may be disadvantaged when compared to teach-ers who have much more time to dedicate to les-son preparation or relevant research. Finally, for college students who spend thousands of tuition dollars and endless hours on papers, having a pro-fessor who is an expert on the subject grade their work seems only fair.

Though improved technology does provide bene-fi ts, they cannot be assumed to outweigh the costs. Quicker grading from professors is always appre-ciated by students, but the price of waiting several weeks for thorough feedback is far better than in-stant feedback in a larger class where students may feel anonymous and unengaged. Personally, I do not believe I would be the writer I am today if the constructive criticism I have received over the last decade came from my computer screen instead of passionate teachers.

Laura Bakst is a 2011 Graduate of Monroe Woodbury High School and a 2012 Fulbright King’s College London Summer Institute participant. She is a prelaw sophomore at Cornell University, studying Industrial and Labor Relations. She can be reached at LBB59@Cornell.edu.

Campus Commentary

When Robots can ReadThough improved technology does provide benefits, they cannot be assumed to outweigh the costs.

By Laura Bakst

SCHOLARSHIPS

Women of Woodburywill be offering Scholarships to

graduating students, who

live in the Town of Woodbury. Applications for this scholarship will be

available at the following: Monroe-Woodbury High

School, Cornwall High School & John S. Burke

H.S. guidance offices and at the local libraries:

Central Valley & Highland Mills branches.

For more information & qualifications please call

845-928-9007 between 3-5pm weekdays, leave a message.

ConstanceGalberd

MemorialScholarship for Nursing

Now Available for currentor former graduate

of Monroe-Woodbury HighSchool seeking a career in nursing

Administered by the Woodbury Historical Soci-ety, honors Constance Galberd, a fondly remem-bered and valued member of the Society whopassed away in 2008.The Constance Galberd Memorial Scholarshipseeks to recognize and encourage a current orformer graduate of Monroe-Woodbury HighSchool who intends to pursue a degree in nurs-ing. By doing so, the scholarship will strive toperpetuate Constance Galberd’s deep devotionto, and lifetime achievements in, her chosenprofession of nursing. Students interested in applying should contactthe M-W High School Guidance Department, orthe Woodbury Historical Society at 928-6770; or928-2613; or 928-9249. Applications are alsoavailable at the Central Valley and Highland MillsPublic Libraries.

Applications are now available for the2013 Kirk Memorial Scholarship,sponsored by the Woodbury HistoricalSociety. Candidates must be currentHigh School Seniors who reside in theTown of Woodbury. Application forms and instructions areavailable from the Guidance offices atthe Monroe-Woodbury, Cornwall, andBurke High Schools, the HighlandMills and Central Valley Public Li-braries, and directly from the Wood-bury Historical Society for studentswho are home-schooled.For further information and applica-tion materials on the Kirk MemorialScholarship, please contact Bob Curtisat 928-2613, Fred Lindlaw at 928-9249, or the Woodbury Historical So-ciety at 928-6770.

Kirk ScholarshipApplications

Now Available.Must be current High

School Seniors who re-side in the Town of

Woodbury.

WWW.WOODBURYGAZETTE.COM April 25, 2013 15

Woodbury GazettePO Box 511, Highland Mills, NY 10930

E-mail: editor@woodburygazette.com advertising @woodburygazette.com info @woodburygazette.com

www.woodburygazette.com

Established April 1, 2010 • Benjamin Meyers - Editor and Publisher Layout and Design • STP Graphics, Sindi Price

The Woodbury Gazette publishes every other Thursday.

READER NOTICE:Editor’s Note: The views expressed in the various columns in this publication are those of the writers and not of the newspaper.

The Woodbury Gazette will never knowingly accept any advertisement or informational article that is illegal or considered fraudulent. The Woodbury Gazette cannot be held re-sponsible for any negative consequences that occur because of readers doing business with these advertisers.

Advertisers are not responsible for typographical errors. The Woodbury Gazette is not responsible for any errors and subsequent consequences of those errors.

The Woodbury Gazette reserves the right to reject of modify copy or pictures and to cancel an advertisement at any time.

All artwork, layout and design remain the sole property of The Woodbury Gazette.

Reproduction in whole or any part of any advertisement is strictly forbidden.

Submissions: The Woodbury Gazette welcomes readers to submit photos and press releases for possible publication. The Woodbury Gazette is not responsible for submitted materials and will not return submitted materials. We are not responsible for typographical errors.

The publisher is not responsible for typographical errors, nor the omission of copy in adver-tisements. In the event of an error, the Woodbury Gazette will furnish a letter to be posted stating the correct price or subscription. The liability of this newspaper will be limited to the actual cost of the space in question on the fi rst insertion only, provided that the pub-lisher is notifi ed of the error within three business days of the publication date.

The Woodbury Gazette is delivered free to Town and Village of Woodbury residents and is available by subscription outside our circulation area for $45 per year.

SUDOKUHow to Play: Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 cube contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusive with no repetition.

4 7 2 5

6 9

2 6 9 4

7 9 8 5

6 5 9

5 3 2 7

4 1 9 2

2 8

4 7 8 3

PleaseRecycle

Community

School CalendarApr. 2013

Thursday, Apr 25, 2013NYS Grades 3-8 Math TestingSpecial Meeting-& BOCES Budget Vote-Prob Staff Rev5:00 PM, Education CenterHS BLCRoom 130, 2:30 PMHS National Music CompetitionBoston

Friday, Apr 26, 2013NYS Grades 3-8 Math TestingHS National Music CompetitionFamily Swim7:30 PM - 9:45 PM, Middle School

Saturday, Apr 27, 2013HS National Music Competition

Sunday, Apr 28, 2013Family Swim1:00 PM - 3:45 PM, Middle School

Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013Family Swim7:30 PM - 9:45 PM, Middle School

Wednesday, May 1, 2013BOE - DLC MeetingRoom 130, 6:00 PM, High SchoolDLC Meeting6:00 PM, High School Room 130MS PTA Elections9:30 AM

Thursday, May 2, 2013K-8 Bus Safety Poster JudgingMiddle SchoolSC BLC7:45 AM

Friday, May 3, 20134th Quarter Mid-PointDistrict Art ShowScholarship Art Auction:Clocks-5:00pmEmpty Bowls-5:30pmChairs-6:30pm5:00 PM - 9:00 PM, High SchoolFamily Swim7:30 PM - 9:45 PM, Middle SchoolOCMEA All-County Junior High Festival

Saturday, May 4, 2013OCMEA All-County Junior High Festival

District Art Show10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, High SchoolMW Crusader Relays8:00 AM - 7:00 PM, High SchoolSAT I & SAT II Exam8:00 AM - 1:00 PM, High School

Sunday, May 5, 2013District Art Show12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, High SchoolFamily Swim1:00 PM - 3:45 PM, Middle School

Monday, May 6, 2013District Art Show7:00 AM - 1:00 PM, High SchoolSchool Transportation Personnel Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week

PT Gr 5 Panoramic Picture9:30 AMMS Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orch/Chorus7:00 PM

Tuesday, May 7, 2013Family Swim7:30 PM - 9:45 PM, Middle SchoolNM Staff Appreciation

HS Freshman Band/Orch/Chorus7:00 PMSE PTA7:00 PM

Wednesday, May 8, 2013BOE - Public Budget Hearing6:00 PM, High SchoolCV PTA10:00 AMNM PTA9:30 AM

Thursday, May 9, 2013PT Plant Sale

HS Symphonic Band/Orch Concert/Treble Chorus7:00 PMPT PTA7:00 PMSC PTA9:30 AMSEPTA5:30 PM, High School

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