WVCSD EdTalk & Photo of the Week: February 4, 2026

When winter hits Warwick, our community feels it – on the roads, in our neighborhoods, and certainly across our school grounds. The January 24-26 snowstorm was no exception. It brought heavy accumulation, unpredictable shifts in the forecast, and the kind of logistical challenges that test even the most experienced professionals.

I am proud to say that our Warwick Valley Central School District Buildings & Grounds Department once again demonstrated the expertise, commitment, and teamwork that keep our schools safe, accessible, and running smoothly for our students, staff, families, athletes, and visitors.

This department is responsible every day for maintaining all district buildings, district grounds, and athletic fields. They support HVAC, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems; and ensure a safe, healthy learning environment through comprehensive preventative maintenance. They also support all after‑school activities and community use of facilities – work that extends far beyond snow removal and into year‑round stewardship of our district’s infrastructure.

During the storm, one of the most challenging aspects was the timing of when to clear the grounds to ensure the district’s schools and properties are well prepared for students’ safe arrival well before they come in. With shifting forecasts and fluctuating snowfall rates, the team needed to balance when to deploy staff. There’s no sense bringing in a crew if there's nothing to plow and bringing them in with 18 inches to plow doesn’t work efficiently either. That meant watching satellite data and adjusting plans hour by hour.

The team reported on Sunday at 2 p.m. and worked straight through until about 9 p.m. that night to get the first heavy scraping done. Then they were back on campus at 6 a.m. Monday, working another eight to nine hours to stay ahead of the accumulating snow.

Nearly the entire crew reported for this storm – approximately 20 staff members, including custodians, maintenance workers, the entire grounds crew, and even specialized personnel like our electrician. At one point, 11 plows were running simultaneously across district properties. In addition to plowing, the crew shovels the stairways, sidewalks and entryways. And, before everyone arrives, we throw salt on these surfaces as well as dropping salt with plow trucks in the parking lots to keep everyone safe.

And, when it was all over and students and staff were in school, the team immediately began pushing snowbanks back with the loader, creating space for the next potential snowfall. That foresight prevents future disruptions and keeps our campuses functional and safe.

Their work is strategic, methodical, and collaborative. What stood out most to our school building leaders during this storm was the sheer dedication of the Buildings and Grounds staff. I share our building leaders’ pride. We are incredibly fortunate to have a highly skilled, highly committed Buildings and Grounds team – professionals who show up early, stay late, and perform physically demanding work under tough conditions, all in service of our students, staff, and community.

We are equally fortunate that our Board of Education supports the staffing and planning that allow us to handle major operations in house, saving significant taxpayer cost and ensuring rapid, reliable response when storms hit.

I would be remiss not to include the efforts of our Transportation Department. Besides ensuring student safety by keeping our entire fleet of buses in tip-top performance shape every day, our crew of six mechanics also springs into action when the weather acts up. They’re also joined by a handful of our bus drivers who sign up at the beginning of the year to be part of the snow removal team. Together, they report for duty when bad weather strikes—many even on weekends—to ensure the district can keep moving safely.

The mechanics and drivers work together to make sure ice and snow is meticulously removed from any buses parked outdoors, and that the transportation garage itself is fully accessible. They clear and treat the bus and transportation employee parking lots, and do the same for employee walkways around the facility. They dig out the gas and propane pumps so that the vehicles can stay fueled up and ready to go. And their hard work continues after the snowfall stops, as the mechanics arrive early on weekdays when temperatures are frigid to start the buses and make sure there are no dead batteries.

Needless to say, each task is critical to maintaining safe, reliable transportation for students and staff. Like our Buildings & Grounds team, their dedication and coordinated efforts during severe weather demonstrate the department's commitment to keeping Warwick Valley's schools operational no matter the conditions. Thank you, to our Buildings & Grounds and Transportation Department teams. Your work is essential. Your commitment is extraordinary. And your community is grateful.

Here are some highlights from our schools this week:

Park Avenue Elementary School
This year’s One Book, One School effort as well as our annual PTA Read A Thon began. The One Book, One School initiative focuses on having families read to their children and connecting our community through books. When children experience an adult reading to them, they learn to read more easily and become better readers in the process, when they experience a community sharing a story, they enjoy reading more. This year’s book is Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows. The PTA Read A Thon also serves as an opportunity for students to choose their own reading materials, independently read in class, or at home and earn acknowledgements. Both events officially end on Friday, February 6.

The second annual Wildcat Wellness Challenge officially begins next week. The purpose of this PTA sponsored event is to get students thinking about positive ways to do the things they love to do, eat the things they love to eat, and use their minds and bodies well, all while having fun and sharing our great ideas with one another. The challenge will extend through Thursday, March 5 and include the following weekly themes:

• Feed the Belly: Reinvent your favorite snack to make it healthier; Come up with a new snack sensation; Share your favorite healthy recipe.
• Move the Body: Find a new way to exercise using items you already have at home; Share your favorite sport or activity; Invent a new game to get you and your friends moving.
• Quiet the Mind: Share a favorite meditation or mantra; Invent a new relaxing game to play with your family; Tell us how you calm your mind after a busy day.
• Turn off the Screens: Build something from found objects; Share your favorite pretend-play or outside games; Invent a new board game or activity of your own.

Weekly winners will be drawn by lottery each Thursday, and each winning idea will be shared on the PTA’s bulletin board or through Google Classroom for fellow Wildcats to try. At the end of the month, all weekly winners will be entered into a final lottery for a chance to win the healthy and fun grand prize.

Sanfordville Elementary School
Sanfordville kicked off its PARP event (Pick a Reading Partner, a national PTA initiative) with an engaging and educational presentation by Snakes N Scales. The presentation featured several animals, including an alligator snapping turtle, which can live up to 200 years. Students also learned about a Burmese python, which was 8-9 feet long at the time of the show but can grow to be 20-30 feet. Another animal was the blue-tongued skink, a lizard that mimics a venomous snake to deter predators. This event served to launch the PARP initiative, where the entire school will read the same book, Zoey & Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro, over the next three weeks. As part of PARP, students will read with partners at home and at school and participate in several activities, such as making science goggles, completing travel science journals to diagnose issues with their magical creature plushies, and enjoying a rice crispy pajama day. Thank you to Mrs. Cancel and her team of volunteers that helped plan and organize this year's events.

Mrs. Esserman’s and Mr. Hernandez’s students focused on non-fiction writing this week, emphasizing essential research skills. They learned to gather verifiable facts from reliable sources like library books and Pebble Go. Organized into collaborative table groups, students researched specific animals, synthesizing individual findings to collectively record the most important facts on chart paper. Many groups enhanced their presentations by drawing detailed, labeled illustrations of their animals, combining research with artistic expression. This comprehensive project taught students how to process, organize, and present non-fiction material clearly and engagingly.

Warwick Valley Middle School
Despite the freezing temperatures outside, the warmth and excitement inside the WVMS cafeteria were undeniable as students were treated to a rock and roll themed assembly. Each grade level enjoyed a 20-minute mini concert performed by our talented Guitar Club, led by advisors Brett Algera and Ed Mesic. The event offered students a lively mid-week boost and a preview of the club’s full scale performance at the end of the week.

Eighth graders kicked off the day with high energy favorites like Ace of Spades, Paranoid, and Head Over Heels, setting an electrifying tone. Fifth grade students followed, enjoying an upbeat mix of Come Together, You Belong With Me, and A Thousand Miles. The sixth grade audience rocked out to A Thousand Miles, Life Could Be a Dream, and Losing My Religion, showcasing the group’s versatility in both classic and modern hits. Seventh graders closed out the rotation with their own powerful lineup, hearing performances of Come Together, Ace of Spades, and Head Over Heels. With every set, the cafeteria transformed into a mini concert hall, filled with cheering students and impressive musicianship from our young performers.

The Guitar Club continues to give students an opportunity to showcase their musical talents on non-traditional band and orchestra instruments, including electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals, highlighting the creativity and spirit that make WVMS such a vibrant community.
 
Warwick Valley High School
As seniors begin preparing for life beyond high school, an important focus at this time of year is planning how to fund their post-secondary education. This week, our Guidance Counselors visited social studies classrooms to connect with seniors and provide valuable information on accessing and applying for the wide range of scholarship opportunities available. These classroom visits helped ensure students are informed about key resources, important deadlines, and next steps, while reinforcing the strong support systems in place to guide them through this critical transition.

Many of these scholarships are generously funded by members of our local community who believe deeply in investing in our youth and supporting their future aspirations. Each year, more than 150 scholarships are awarded, with amounts ranging from $100 to $10,000, making a meaningful impact as students pursue their post-secondary goals.

In addition, Media Center Specialist Mrs. Davis supports students throughout the application process by making herself available to review applications, assist with organization, and help students present their best work.

We are proud of the dedication our students demonstrate as they take these important steps toward their futures, and we are grateful to our guidance team and Media Center staff for their continued advocacy and support. We look forward to celebrating our scholarship recipients on May 28 at our Annual Senior Scholarship and Awards Night, where we will honor the achievements, perseverance, and promise of the Class of 2026.

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Photo of the Week

Since mid-October, Park Avenue Elementary School students in Ms. Kowalczyk’s Historical Figures Living Wax Museum Club have met weekly to prepare for a culminating presentation in which they embody a historical figure of their choice. Last week, these historical figures came to life as students shared their stories with third- and fourth-grade classes.