2/17/2023 - Whitesboro High School Renaissance Club Hosts Winter Academic Rally

Whitesboro High School is making sure that academic excellence does not go unnoticed.

On February 17, the Winter Renaissance Rally was held in the high school gym for students who had at least an 80 average in each of their classes during the second quarter. The 436 students who met the criteria were recognized and rewarded with pizza, nachos, a sundae station, drinks, prizes and music.

“The mission of our program is to recognize, reward and celebrate academic excellence,” said David Jecko, advisor of the Renaissance Club and math teacher at the high school. “We strive to increase student performance and foster a partnership between Whitesboro High School and our community.”

Tony’s Pizza, located on Whitesboro Street in Utica, and Big Jay’s Pizzeria, in Marcy, provided the pizza at a discounted rate. Stewart’s Shops donated the ice cream and toppings for the sundae station; Dean’s Concessions (Lisa and Tim Dean) donated the nachos and cheese; Keurig/Dr. Pepper (Charlie Canestrari) donated Snapple; Alder Creek Beverages (Regina and Paul Rayhill) donated bottled water and high school principal, Jeff Kuhn, secured additional funding for gift cards that were raffled off to qualifying students. The gift cards were purchased from local businesses that supported our program in the past. In total, sixty prizes were given away during the event.

A big thank you to John Harmon (NYSCOPBA Vice President) and the Whitestown Youth Optimist Club for their monetary donations which helped fund the rally. Over forty teachers along with the Optimists volunteered their time during the rally to check students in, scoop ice cream and serve pizza and nachos. Without all of their assistance, it would not be possible to run the event.

Congratulations to all of the students who qualified, and in many cases, exceeded the standards set by the Renaissance Committee. The spring rally is scheduled to be held May 19 at Wadas Field.