From the time students at Burton Street Elementary School sing their first musical note in first grade, until the time they graduate their senior year, their musical careers will be documented in the form of portfolios, according to Cazenovia Central School Fine Arts Department Chairman Peter Ciarelli.

Teachers at the elementary, middle, and high schools are now recording on tape student performances, including non-school based performances such as All-County and All-State. "By the time they graduate they will have a complete scrapbook of their musical careers at Cazenovia Central School," Mr. Ciarelli said.

In addition to the music portfolio, student art work is being stored in much the same way. Digital cameras are being used to take pictures of student art work in the first, fourth, and seventh grades. Students who choose to continue taking art courses subsequently will have those efforts added to their portfolio which will likely be stored on a CD rom.

"The portfolios show the progress students make as they move through their art and musical careers at Cazenovia," Mr. Ciarelli said. "They also provide parents and students something they can take home and revisit during and after their high school careers."

While the development of the fine arts portfolio project has been a major undertaking this year, it has been an exciting year thus far in other areas as well. One of the highlights for the department this year was the performance of the high school's mixed chorus at the Civic Center in early November where they participated in a Veterans' Day Tribute Concert with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the West Point Glee Club. Joining the Cazenovia group at that convert was the Oneida High School Choral Group. Following that performance, the Cazenovia and Oneida groups once again teamed up with the Syracuse Symphony for a concert at Watertown High School.

* One of the goals of the fine arts department for the year is the writing of a brochure which explains the art elective options at the high school. Work is continuing on the brochure which will be valuable asset for both parents and students as they plan future course work. A brochure for music performing groups is already available

* Participation in the school district's musical groups continue to be extremely strong as more than 100 students are involved in the district's strings program, more than 200 students in grades five through 12 are involved in the instrumental band program, and more than 250 students in those same grades participate in the district's choral program. Mr. Ciarelli said the growth in the district's strings program has been significant in both the quantity of students and the quality of performance.

* Roughly 30 percent of all students in grades 9-12 at Cazenovia high School are enrolled in the school's art elective program.

* Through the efforts of the Society for New Music, renowned composer Rob Smith, visited Cazenovia Schools this fall and will be returning this spring where he will sit in on music additional music classes.

* At Burton Street School, plans are being finalized for the arrival of the Empire Opera Theater. Elementary music students are also working to increase their reading and writing skills through the use of Orff instruments and singing. Various visual artists will also be visiting Mrs. Damon's art classes throughout the school year.Mr. Ciarelli said students leave the elementary school music program excited about the opportunities to pursue music further at the middle school level.

* Earlier this year, the Junior High Drama Club's performed the musical "Annie" to a sold out high school auditorium. Not only was the performance first rate, student participation was high and the enthusiasm for this year's show means good things lie ahead for the future of the Junior High Drama Club. The performance of "Annie" was produced by Leslie Moore and Colleen Anna.

* With auditions behind them, the high school Drama Club has begun rehearsals for this year's performance of "42nd Street." The show will be performed on Friday-Saturday, April 7-8 at 8 p.m. The dress rehearsal will be held on Thursday, April 6. Tickets will go on sale during the month of March.

* If you have attended the high school concert at the Civic Center in the past, you will want to mark your calendars for Sunday, June 4. The concert features each of the high school musical groups as well as various solo performances. Additional details and ticket information will be announced later this spring.

Perhaps the best way to describe the Career and Technology Department at Cazenovia High School is diverse.

The department, which includes Agriculture, Business, Technology, and Family and Consumer Science, offers a variety of course options for a wide cross section of students. It's that kind of diversity that makes teaching in the department enjoyable for B.J. Palmer who teaches in the Family and Consumer Sciences program. "Our classes bring together a lot of students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to get to know one anther and work together," she said. "The students develop an appreciation for individual differences and make new friends they may not have ever had if they didn't take the class."

Students who take classes in the Career and Technology program may obtain a Regents Sequence in three or five unit sequences beginning in the ninth grade. For example, a five unit sequence in Foods would include Culture and Foods, Foods I, Foods II, Foods, Health and Fitness, and Gourmet Foods.

In addition to offering Regents opportunities, students may also take courses in the Career and Technology program as electives. One of the most popular courses among students choosing that option is the Gourmet Foods class where students learn basic food preparation skills, develop an understanding of nutrition, as well as some basic kitchen competencies.

Another option for students taking classes in the Family and Human Services sequence is the opportunity to earn credit through Onondaga Community College for the Child Psychology II class. Last year five students in the program exercised that option.

For those students who successfully complete the work, the program's "Cooperative Work Program" becomes an option. The program, which is open to students in 11th and 12th grade allows students to actually go into the classroom where they gain valuable work experience before going off to college or joining the work force. This past semester three students took advantage of the program by working at Burton Street Elementary School.

The Cazenovia Central School Enrichment Committee is enjoying an exciting year of enrichment activities at all three buildings. Following is a list of some of the events and programs that will be coming to Cazenovia schools in the months to come:

* A meet the author program will be coordinated by Middle School Librarian Margaret Little later this spring for students in grades five through seven. Author Cynthia deFelice will be making various presentations to students in those grades.

* "Building a Community of Readers" has been an ongoing enrichment effort coordinated by Margaret Little and Nancy Kolwaite at the Middle School throughout the school year. The program which involves parents, teachers, school and public libraries and businesses in a partnership to encourage reading. In October, a panel discussion comprised of librarians from both the school and community libraries, as well as reading specialists and a representative from Waldenbooks was held as part of this initiative.

* At Burton Street Elementary School, Beth Reger has recently begun a Literature Club program for students in grades three and four. This program is an after school activity which will strive to develop a love for reading among students.

* During the month of March, Middle School teacher Janet Britton will conduct a tetrahedron kite making activity. The program will be for sixth graders and will approach kite making using mathematical concepts.

* An activity titled "The Mathemagical Show" will be offered for students in grades three, five, and six during the months of February and March. The program will be coordinated by Mrs. Britton and will prepare students to conduct a magic show which highlights math concepts.

* Lorraine O'Connor, who teaches fourth grade at Burton Street Elementary School, will be coordinating "Cazenovia Lake Week" during the week of May 1-5. The week long program for fourth graders will educate students about water resources in Cazenovia.

* Middle School teacher Margaret Davis will be coordinating a presentation this spring for fifth graders titled "Anne Frank: Through the Eyes of a Friend." This presentation portrays a friend of Anne Frank and tells her story through a mixture of love performances and recorded media.

* Middle School social studies teacher Nicole Pauley will be coordinating an actress's portrayal of Elizabeth Blackwell and the women's rights movement in Central New York. This activity is currently scheduled for May 3-7 and will be presented to seventh graders.

* Mary Damon, Burton Street Elementary School's art teacher, will be organizing a visiting artists series for students in grades one through four during the months of January, February, and March. Artists will not only show how they do their craft but also spend time helping students with their own efforts.

* Rachel DeVries, a professional poet will be visiting the Middle School from March 20-24. During her visit she will be discussing the motivation behind creative writing and facilitating the writing efforts of fifth graders. This program will be coordinated by Margaret Little.

* Sharon Wahl will be coordinating a Middle School program titled "Students Speak Out" during May and June. The program, designed for fifth, sixth, and seventh graders will encourage students to present written works to their peers at an assembly.

* Students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve will be taking part in a canoeing activity on Cazenovia Lake during the month of May. Students will receive instruction in canoeing techniques by a trained instructor. This activity is being coordinated by Maureen Carroll, director of physical education.

In addition to those upcoming activities and programs, the Enrichment Committee has already underwritten the cost of several other events. Those include the summer program "Discovery University " which was directed by Pam Ryan; "Junior Summerfame," a week long summer instrumental music program conducted at BOCES and directed locally by Kathy DiNardo; "SummerStage" which was coordinated by Colleen Anna and awarded three seventh graders the opportunity to participate in a week long theatre program at BOCES; and a program titled "Nature Drawing on My Side of the Mountain which brought artist Cynthia Page to the Middle School to demonstrate techniques used in preparing illustrations for publication. That activity was coordinated by Mike Burns.

For further information regarding the Enrichment Committee you may contact Peter Ciarelli at Cazenovia High School at 655-1370.

All CCS sixth graders are currently participating in the annual Drug Quiz Show, a drug prevention and education program that has won many local and statewide accolades. Co-sponsored locally by the Middle School PTA and the ADAPEP program, the Drug Quiz Show gives students an opportunity to work together in teams to learn information about various legal and illegal drugs, to study healthy alternatives to drug use, to review decision-making steps, and to discuss positive ways to manage stress in their lives.

The game show format provides a medium for presenting the information and for reinforcing concepts that are intended to help students resist negative peer pressure. Competition is spirited among teams in the various homerooms, and students assist with scoring and monitoring the games. Classroom teachers are a vital part of the program as well, as they provide study time and supervision of the games.

Each year, the school champion represents CCS at the Madison County Playoffs with the possibility of earning their was to the Eckerd Drug Quiz Show's NYS Regional competition as well.

The "2000 Games" are being very generously sponsored by the Middle School PTA which has provided prizes for all participants, a trophy which will be displayed each year in the winning homeroom, and T-shirts for our winning team to wear at the County Playoffs. Many thanks to the PTA for their support of drug abuse prevention!

Questions or comments about the Drug Quiz Show can be directed to Mr. George DeHaas, ADAPEP Counselor for the District at 655-1301.