By Rikki Cason<br><a href="mailto:rikki.cason@journal-register.com">E-mail Rikki</a>
MEDINA — Starting a new tradition at school board meetings, the Medina Central School board will now recognize a student and or staff member at its monthly gatherings.
“We want to recognize those individuals, both students and staff, who’ve done extraordinary things and achieved things of prominence,” said Superintendent Neal Miller.
The Medina Mustang Marching Band was first to be recognized. The band was honored for winning the Small School 1 State Championship. Medina took home the Governor’s Cup at the 36th annual New York state Field Band Championship Nov. 1 in Syracuse.
“We are so proud of this group,” Miller said. “They were incredible. You would not have believed the work these young people did.”
Presenting them with a certificate, Principal Wes Pickreign commended the students for sticking together and winning the state championship. He said that every year when the band competes, he wants them to win, but never as much as he did this year.
“My hat is certainly off to them for all they’ve achieved this year and all they’ve done,” Pickreign said. “I couldn’t be more proud of a group of people.”
Director Cheri Wopperer said that when she and assistant director Jim Steele first found out in June that they would be taking over, they had doubts. She said that being such a huge program, many students, parents and community members had concerns and hesitations.
“We didn’t know it was going to happen,” Wopperer said. “We worked really, really hard. We got to championships and the chips fell where they should have. We couldn’t have been any prouder. I can’t even explain the feeling I had when we found out we won. The kids worked so hard.”
In other board news:
• The school board heard a brief update on the 2010-11 budget. After learning of the $1.6 billion that was cut out of school funding in the state, Interim Director of Financial Services Sharon Zacher said Medina may lose $948,000.
“Budgeting is well under way,” said board President Maureen Blackburn. “We’re working diligently to meet the needs of our community.”
On a positive note, Zacher told the board that the 10 percent delayed payment and 10 percent STAR payment, which were held in December and January, were released to the district Tuesday. The district lost $206,000 from the delayed state aid payment and $100,000 from the STAR payment.
Contact reporter Rikki Cason at 798-1400, ext. 8227.
