Sports

from page 11 ideas regarding how to bring awareness, acceptance and inclusivity to sports, clubs and other school-related activities. The day was broken into three components, the upcoming Special Olympics event, inclusive youth leadership, and whole school engagement, which the Special

“Bill Merchant is one of those rare individuals whose professional competency extends well beyond the parameters of his job description and who willingly takes on with great delight an extraordinary number of tasks usually performed by staff, consultants or contractors,” commended Jack Braunlein, executive director of the D&H Canal Historical Society. “Despite the seemingly impossible workload, Bill always presents a refreshingly positive attitude and cheerful demeanor that makes working with him a true pleasure.”

RV Honor Roll, Junior High Marking Period 2

Merit Roll

Grade 7 Aliya Albert, Ayanna Brodhead-Wiggins, Adrienne Castro, Joseph Davies, Evan Fitzgerald, Jalyssa Garcia, Tanner Girau, Orion Gray, Logan Hasenflue, Daniel Koch, Michael Lightstone, Dillon Malenski, Christian Miller, Jayden Redding, Konrad Sawka Hamaguchi, Abigail Sciarrino, Lola Sherwood, Rita Warren, Violet Yonnetti

Grade 8 Connor Beechel, Lucas Bowers, Adda Lee Braselmann, Logan Burkins, Carlos Camacho-Johnson, Kyla Carr, Rebecca Carroll, Frank Coddington IV, Shaun Dolan, Katrina Domitrovits, Alexis Dougherty, James Erichson, Isabel Gonzalez, Alyviah Green, Jack Jacobson, Madysen Kiersted, Taiyo Kizawa, Joshua LaPierre, Alana LeBlanc, Lola Malenski, Jonathan McMahon, Isaiah Mercado, Eli Olen, Andrew Quick, Maxwell Santiago, Emma Schwall, Adriana Slater, Jasmin Smith, Taraji St. Fleur, Ayden Towne, Karl VanValkenburgh, Madeline Williams, Payton Worden

Honor Roll

Grade 7 Jaxson Bauer, Jeremiah Bauer, Charles Bissell, Lillian Brewer, Cillian Carroll, Connor Chapman, Olivia Clark, Clayton Gordon, Jackson Davenport, Audrey Dennin, Antonino Faso, Cole Ferris, Izzbella Gibson,

Olympics defines as “awareness and education activities that promote inclusion and which reach the majority of the school population.” The discussions carried out under each component were all rooted in the goal of promoting meaningful inclusion.

The event taught students social and emotional learning skills, built character, and forged relationships among students from around the area. RVHS students Alex Deitch, Charlie Scully, Julia Deyo and Joana Kohler were in attendance, along with teaching assistants and Unified

High Honor Roll

Grade 7 Alaycia Coddington, Goldy Conlin, Madelyn Cowburn, Tobin Ermer, Emma Goodin, Stella Greco, Molly Hasenflue, Jacob Heyl, Peyton Kastanis, Lyla Lemister, Hokai Liu, Connor Murray, Waverly Rubin, Samantha Schneller, Ella Schoonmaker, Madison Shanley, Elouise Shea, Nathaniel Stupple, Isaac Tucker, Natalia Wisneski

Grade 8 Hayden Bauer, Hannah Chapin, Lauren Ivan, Aubrey Jagodzinski, Yarema Kurkevych, Brooke Martire, Helena Molitoris, Hannah Nawrocki, Madison Pfaff, Penelope Roosa-Dunphy, Greta Sutherland-Roth, John Sweeney

Scholar kudos

The following students were named to the dean's list at Rochester Institute of Technology for the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year: Luke Studt, of Kerhonkson, who is in the physics program, and Will Wright of Stone Ridge, who is in the electrical engineering program. Full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students are eligible for dean's list if their term GPA is greater than or equal to 3.400; they do not have any grades of "Incomplete", "D" or "F"; and they have registered for, and completed, at least 12 credit hours.

Emerson College student Kylie Wright, of Accord, earned dean's list honors for the fall 2022 semester. Wright is majoring in communication disorders and is a member of the Class of 2025.The requirement to make dean's list is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher for that semester.

Silas M Schwartz, of Rosendale, was named to second honors on the Clark University dean's list. This selection marks outstanding academic achievement during the fall 2022 semester. Students must have a GPA of 3.8 or above for first honors or a GPA between 3.50 and 3.79 for second honors.

Basketball coaches Marianne Hawryluk and Eliana Barnum.

“The Rondout Valley participants were very impressive and well-spoken during the conference,” said Hawryluk. “They shared their experiences participating in Unified Basketball and Special Olympics, and a sense of belonging and acceptance was the resonating theme shared.” For more information, visit specialolympics-ny.org/ event/hudson.

My Uncle Bob is an unusual person. At 90 years old, he is a fantastic driver. I feel completely at ease riding in the back of his nineteen-ninety-something Toyota Avalon—a car so old it has ashtrays in the armrests. Active and able, he can fix furniture, restore bicycles, and even repair machinery. In his 70s, he took up stained glass. To date, he has made hundreds of pieces and can still cut, grind, and solder with precision.

On a visit out west last September, I was eager to see the massive Arts and Crafts building where he spends much of his time. I had wanted to make this trip for a while, not only to get to know my uncle better, but also to learn more about my family. My paternal ancestry has always felt like a queer, blank space in my identity. My father’s father died when I was very young, and his mother and sister both passed before I was born. My dad doesn’t like to talk about his parents, and I respect his choices. Nevertheless, I wanted insight into who my grandparents were and what their lives were like. The one person who could tell me was Uncle Bob.

Our first day together was delightful. My uncle has a great sense of humor and a knack for storytelling. He painted a vivid picture of my grandparents, savvy designers and business people who worked for the erstwhile garment industry giant, Leslie Fay, and who also owned their own dress factory. Gaps in my knowledge began to knit together as we shuffled through photographs, including professional portraits of my grandmother taken in her prime. She was beautiful, stylish, and confident –not to mention smart. She managed the cutting room and was indispensable to the family business. After years of wondering, I finally had the information I craved.

The following morning, we toured the Arts and Crafts building. The number of studios it contains is staggering. There is a ceramics studio, a looming room – even a lapidary. My tour eventually concluded in the shop reserved for stained glass. As Uncle Bob presented me with a dove he had recently finished, a small epiphany bloomed in my mind. Maybe I too could learn this skill … someday. With no tools or prospective teachers on the East Coast, I tucked the thought in the back of my mind where I assumed it would remain.

Quite unexpectedly, I ended up in California again three months later. When I rang Uncle Bob to arrange another visit, my little epiphany of a few months back popped to the forefront of my brain. “Do you think you could teach me the basics of stained glass?” I asked. Of course, he agreed. I was ecstatic.

In the workshop, I was enamored with the process. The scoring and snapping. The slow work of shaping each piece until it harmonizes with the whole. He also showed me how to approach the hiccups that invariably arise during a project. I paid attention to the way he tackled problems. If there wasn’t a tool for the job, he made one. If there was already a tool for the job, he came up with a better one.

A month later, I came back to work on a more difficult composition – a feather.

“Last time you went through steps A, B, and C. This time you’re skipping D through J and going right to K,” said Uncle Bob as he examined my plans. Rather than discourage me, he nodded and let me have at it. To my surprise, I pulled it off. That night, I went back to my hotel room and immediately began refining my template. An afternoon of slicing and honing had taught me much. A tighter design would mean less puttering on the grinding machine. I spent the evening contentedly tracing and snipping shapes out of oak tag until I was satisfied with my blueprint. My happiness was indescribable.

On the long drive home, I realized something. My grandfather had been a pattern-maker. My father and uncle had been pattern-makers, taking their own turn at Leslie Fay in the 1970s. I understood then why I love creating designs and solving puzzles. Why I enjoy working with my hands. The craft of stained glass has allowed me to participate in a shared tradition of sorts. It has given me a new sense of place – a context for who I am. They were pattern-makers. And so am I.

Thanks, Uncle Bob.