Sackets Harbor Central School wins statewide award

By REENA SINGH
TIMES STAFF WRITER

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

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SACKETS HARBOR — Sackets Harbor Central School may be small, but according to Cornell University, it plays a big part in the community.

The school won the university’s first Community Vitality Award. Superintendent Frederick E. Hall Jr. said he received a picture of the award via email Wednesday. The award was presented at the Rural Schools Association conference July 9, but Mr. Hall said he was unable to attend and did not receive formal notification until this week.

Cornell’s New York State Center for Rural Schools webpage congratulates the district and the community for being chosen in the award’s inaugural year.

“The honor is bestowed on a district as recognition for vitality in the community for which they serve,” Mr. Hall said. “It’s very exciting for our community.”

Mr. Hall named countless reasons the district could have had a leg up on other schools statewide.

“In this community, we believe it’s important to work together,” he said. “We don’t want to waste things.”

Mr. Hall was asked to marshal the Can-Am Festival parade in the village last weekend. The students have been involved in parades and village beautification regularly.

“It provides them with ownership with what they have at Sackets Harbor,” Mr. Hall said. “We have this little gem at Sackets Harbor. We can’t forget that schools are a perception of our communities.”

He said the town of Hounsfield and the village are equally willing to help the school and the students. Both have worked to repair sidewalks in the summer and plow snow in the winter.

“It’s just one of those things you can’t put into words,” he said. “It’s like when you can walk down the street and name names of everyone.”

Rural Schools Association presenter John W. Sipple, Cornell University associate professor of development sociology, was unavailable to comment.