Chorley student honored for heroic action
MAY 2007—Christopher Torres (pictured at left with Principal Griffin) was honored by Principal Griffin with a certificate for his heroic action of dialing 911 when his diabetic mother was in need of medical help. Christopher helped to save his mother's life by calling for help quickly and calmly.

Christopher was featured in the Times-Herald Record for receiving special recognition from the Orange County emergency services and the school applauded him at their monthly assembly. A representative from the Attorney General’s office visited the school on June 21, 2007, to present Christopher with an award.

Bookies & Cookies event held at school
MAY 2007—Chorley Elementary School celebrated the fifth annual Bookies & Cookies event on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at the school. This event celebrated reading and throughout the day student in grades K-1 were visited by guest readers from the community and school district.

Library receives books courtesy of Target
MARCH 2007—In honor of Seuss's birthday which was Friday, March 2, Target 
sponsored special events and donated 
books to the library. The library received five new books plus materials to promote a love of reading among students.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Cat in the Hat. Target donated two copies of this popular title along with two copies of the ever-popular book Green Eggs and Ham and a copy of Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

At right Victor Cuto of the Middletown Target store with a display of Dr. Seuss books for Chorley Elementary School Library.

Students learn to ‘work it out’ through workshop
JAN. 2007—First graders at Chorley Elementary School learned how to “Work it Out” with some help from Barbara Driscoll (pictured at left) of the Dispute Resolution Center in Goshen. Driscoll conducted a conflict resolution 40-minute workshop for students at the school, teaching them the ABCs of getting along with others.

Driscoll teaches students in grades 1-12 how to manage their anger and learn to solve problems through a variety of different techniques. Some age-appropriate techniques for first graders include learning to count to ten to control anger, taking deep breaths or walking away from potential problematic situations Driscoll said, all of which were taught to students as part of the workshop in January. 

According to Paul Saladino, social worker at the school, this is the second year the workshop was conducted. “Through this effort, the Dispute Resolution Center and our school have developed a valuable community partnership.   Conflict resolution is an essential life skill that enhances a student's ability to effectively function and deal with real life situations,” he said. “Our continued focus on character education with our students is hoped to foster a clear understanding of citizenship as well as the intrinsic value of kindness and caring while living in the community.”

Some local business participating include: Orange County Youth Bureau;  Middletown HS National Honor Society; Middletown Elks Ladies Auxiliary; & First Presbyterian / Webb Horton Memorial Church,; Monroe Woodbury HS Student's Against Destructive Decision Making; DSS-Information Technology; FBI (Goshen); Orange County SS-Medicaid Unit; and Orange Ulster BOCES; among others.

Catskill Puppet Theater visits school
NOV. 2006—John Potocnik and Carol Mandigo, co-founders of the Catskill Puppet Theater, visited Chorley students on Wednesday, Nov. 15 as part of the school's Arts-in-Education programming.

Since 1979,  Potocnik and Mandigo have been touring internationally with their musical productions. Combining backgrounds in art, music, drama and American folk culture they are one of the nation's finest touring companies, receiving accolades from many premiere venues.
 

School hosts fall festival and parade
OCT. 31, 2006—Chorley Elementary School held its annual fall festival celebration on Oct. 31. Teachers and students alike got the chance to showcase their classroom work at the festival. Work was on display for parents to view and students also participated in a costume parade for parents at the school.

Art teachers receive Artsonia leadership awards

SEPT.2006—Danielle Strommer and Michele Perna, art teachers at Chorley, were honored by Artsonia for their commitment and leadership in arts education. Only ten school teachers per state were recognized across the nation.

Artsonia, the world's largest online student art gallery, presented Strommer and Perna the honor. The award recognizes the significant achievement in the area of technology integration within the school's art program and their involvement in encouraging arts education in the community.