For 33 in Class of 2021, lessons in perseverance

The Salisbury Central School Class of 2021 posed in front of the school on June 16.
Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

SALISBURY — There was an abbreviated ceremony to recognize the Class of 2021 at Salisbury Central School on Wednesday, June 16.
Reflecting ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held outside, in front of the middle school building.
There were areas outlined in chalk on the pavement and grass for the spectators to place their chairs (brought from home). Most brought folding chairs of the camping variety, although one man was spotted toting a stack of sturdier, non-folding patio chairs.
The students began arriving at 4:30 p.m. for the 6 p.m. ceremony. They gathered together in small groups, laughing and joking and making last-minute adjustments to their outfits, until they were called inside around 5:45 p.m.
In the meantime family members arrived and settled in as best they could.
That spirit of making the best of a difficult situation emerged as the theme of the ceremony. Principal Stephanie Magyar told the students that the outdoor event, and the entire 2020-21 school year, was probably not what they expected, unless they had anticipated wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and shortages of toilet paper.
Sara Huber praised her classmates for “overcoming obstacles unlike anything we’ve encountered before.”
Tessa Marks said that as the students worked within the limits imposed by the pandemic, “We saw ourselves as people who could accomplish anything.”
Magyar said the difficult school year proved one thing about the Class of 2021:
“You will not forget the resilience and perseverance you have shown this year.”
Salisbury Central School Class of 2021
Jesse Windsor Bonhotel, Kobe Finch Stubbs Brown, Georgette Elizabeth Campagne, Daisy Guadalupe Chavez-Sanchez, Briana Louise Clark, Treasa Fominichna Connell, Ashton Ryan Cooper. Nathaniel Robert Divine, Diarra Bousso Fall, Fatou Ney Fall, Ellis Francis Guidotti, Lou Wilder Haemmerle-Parsons, Sara Kate Huber, Brandon Allen Madeux, Jacob Thomas Marcus, Sam Charles Marcus, Tess O’Shaugnessy Marks, Aiden Marcus Scott Miller, Jassim Ray Mohydin, David Sykes O’Neill, Mason Amos O’Niel, Serena Elizabeth Ratcliffe, Olivia June Robson, Annabel Elizabeth Ross, Wendy Michelle Santiago-Leyva, Taylor Lynn Swart, Gabriela Titone, Dominik Aloysius Valcin, Jayme Harrison Walsh, Jacob Christopher White, Elinor Anne Wolgemuth, Desiree Christina Wright, Michael William Wright
2021 Awards
Mathematics: Olivia Robson, Aiden Miller
Science: Jassim Mohydin, Briana Clark
Distinguished Writer: Sara Huber
Literary Excellence: Tess Marks
Music Awards
Chorus: Dominik Valcin
Band: Tess Marks, Jassim Mohydin
Visual Arts: Tess Marks, Gabby Titone
Roger Rawlings Award: Jassim Mohydin
Social Studies: Ellie Wolgemuth
Spanish: Tessie Connell, Sara Huber
Physical Education: Jesse Bonhotel, Lou Haemmerle
Ned Corkery Perseverance Award: Briana Clark
Caroline Kenny Burchfield Award (SOAR): Tess Marks
Alumni Award: Tess Marks
Hazel Flynn Memorial Award: Tess Marks, Jassim Mohydin
Presidential Excellence: Tessie Connell, Tess Marks, Jassim Mohydin, Gabby Titone, Ellie Wolgemuth
Learning Practices: Tessie Connell, Tess Marks, Jassim Mohydin, Gabby Titone, Ellie Wolgemuth
A water main under Indian Lake Road in Amenia sprays water after construction workers with C. Gallagher Contracting, of Brewster, New York, attempted to cut the pipe to replace a damaged section on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Crew members said high pressure in a pipe encumbers cutting, fills the hole with too much water, and could cause workers to be too wet for the extremely low temperatures.
AMENIA — Amenia's water system struggled under the stress of frigid temperatures on Tuesday, Jan. 27, as two leaks sprung from water mains in different parts of town.
An emergency break under Indian Lake Road required a section of pipe be removed and completely replaced. C. Gallagher Contracting of Brewster, New York, provided excavation and pipe repair services for both breaks.
The pipe was fixed by 9:30 p.m. and water service was restored to affected customers, crew members said.
Flow from the pipe had not slowed at 8:30 p.m. even after shutting one of the valves, crew members on site said. Representatives of VRI Environmental Services — Amenia's contracted water system operator — located other valves and fire hydrants to further reduce pressure in the pipe shortly before 9 p.m.

Pat Cusano, of North Salem, New York, assisted the Gallagher crew on Tuesday for two water main breaks in Amenia. The first sprung up on Depot Hill Road and was reported by resident David Intrieri at 8:45 a.m.
The Depot Hill Road leak was patched with a collar seal that wrapped around the leak. The crew put the collar in place around 2:30 p.m.
Cusano said the crew went immediately to the Indian Lake Road leak after that, but the first valve couldn't be located until roughly 7:30 p.m.

Imprecisely marked valves on a map of the town's water system caused significant delays in repairing the Indian Lake Road leak, crew members said. Water Committee Chair Bill Flood said VRI only recently took over managing Amenia's water system, and company representatives were still becoming familiar with the district's layout.
Cusano said locating the valves was further complicated by large snowbanks hiding the infrastructure.
VRI representatives said there is a break in Millerton as well, but the leak did not require immediate attention. Crews are expected to patch that leak tomorrow.

The breaks were caused by the extreme cold weather, crew members said. Cold temperatures can cause dirt to shift and contract, putting stress on pipes that are up to 30 years old in Amenia.
"There'll be more tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day," Cusano said. "It's just that time of year."
Snow covered Route 44/22 near the Maplebrook School campus in Amenia at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25.
Dutchess County officials issued a travel ban on all public roads from 5 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, to 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for much of upstate New York on Friday. Forecasts call for between 10 and 20 inches of snow across northeast Dutchess County.
Road crews across the region told The News that they are feeling prepared.
Visits to North East, Amenia, Washington, Stanford and Pine Plains revealed the salt is in good supply and the equipment is in good working order ahead of the storm.
Stanford Highway Superintendent Jim Myers and his crew were strapping plows to a truck in the town garage on Friday morning, Jan. 23. He said the Stanford road crew was as prepared as it can be, echoing a common sentiment among crews in the region.
"You just got to stay on top of it," Myers said. "Keep going."
County Executive Sue Serino said in a post on FaceBook that all non-emergency and non-essential travel is forbidden until 5 p.m. Monday. Only emergency personnel, road crew members, employees deemed essential for facility operation and news media covering the storm are permitted to travel during the ban.
All others are required to stay home. Pine Plains Highway Superintendent Carl Baden said that's the safest course of action during the storm.
"Just stay home," he said. "We can make it a lot safer for you if you wait."
Members of the North East Town Board discuss proposed zoning code revisions during a meeting at North East Town Hall in Millerton on Monday, Jan. 19.
MILLERTON — The North East Town Board on Monday, Jan. 19, adopted a series of detailed revisions to its proposed zoning code overhaul, incorporating feedback from county and local agencies as well as public comments.
Zoning Review Commission Chair Edie Greenwood and the town’s zoning consultant, Will Agresta, participated in the meeting as board members reviewed comments submitted by Dutchess County Planning, the North East Planning Board, the town’s Conservation Advisory Council, and residents who spoke or submitted written remarks during the initial public hearing on Jan. 8.
Board members addressed the comments line by line, approving changes that Greenwood described as largely technical in nature, including revisions to definitions that did not align with state regulations and clarifications intended to improve readability and consistency.
Greenwood said a red-line draft showing the approved changes alongside the original text will be prepared.
Among the more substantive revisions was the decision to impose an overall size cap on accessory dwelling units. The board voted to limit ADUs to a maximum of 1,200 square feet and specified that they must be accessed from an existing driveway on the property. Board members also discussed adding language to clarify how ownership through an LLC or trust would comply with the requirement that the property owner reside in the principal dwelling.
The board also approved allowing retail businesses and restaurants in the so-called Irondale District, a small commercial area encompassing seven parcels along Route 22 near Winchell Mountain Road and Irondale Road.
Other changes included:
– Replacing the term “farm” with “farm operation” for consistency with state law.
— Revising drive-through regulations to allow additional lanes for banks.
— Tying requirements for landscaped islands in parking lots to the size of the lot.
— Adding expiration dates for site plan approvals.
— Removing references to “cage-type poultry farms.”
— Requiring 10% of parking spaces in lots with 30 or more spaces to be “EV-ready,” meaning the necessary infrastructure must be installed, but not necessarily a charger itself.
— Standardizing safety and maintenance requirements across all parking regulations.
— Clarifying that parking structures may be built above or below grade.
— Allowing farm machinery sales and rentals.
Greenwood told The News she expects the red-line draft to be completed and submitted before the end of next week. The Town Board is set to continue the public hearing on the proposed zoning changes on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. at North East Town Hall.