The Peru Gazette

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1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

4. MOTION/DISCUSSION:  To Accept Reports from all Departments: (Water/Sewer/Valcour; Highway; Town Clerk; Dog Control; Youth Department; Code/Zoning; Supervisor’s Report; Court; Website; JCEO; and Banking Reports) 

5. MOTION:  Approval of Minutes for the Public Hearing of August 28 and Regular Meeting of August 28, 2023.

6. Community Input. 

7. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  File Local Law #2 of 2023 to Exceed the Tax Cap (as a Precautionary Measure only). 

8. MOTION/DISCUSSION:  Telegraph Rd. Culvert Temporary or Permanent Repair.

9. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Accept Korn Drive Extension as a Town Road.

10. MOTION/DISCUSSION:  Accept 2024 Budget Workshop Schedule.

11. MOTION/DISCUSSION:  Call for a Special Meeting to Present the 2024 Tentative Budget.

12. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Approve Pre-payment of Soccer Uniforms from Finney Sports.

13. DISCUSSION:  Other Business. 

14. DISCUSSION:  Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

15. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Pay Bills – September 2023

16. MOTION:  Adjourn to Executive Session.

17. MOTION:  Return from Executive Session. 

18. MOTION:     Adjourn.

The Peru CSD Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Community Room. The meeting will be recorded and will be available on the District’s website at www.perucsd.org.

The meeting is open to the public and current District, County, State and Federal safety procedures and protocols will be followed.

Currently, two (2) public comment opportunities are planned as follows:

First public comment:  Related to items on the agenda.  Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.

Second public comment:  Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.

Individuals who are unable to attend the regular meeting in person may submit public comments by emailing perucomments@perucsd.org no later than 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, September 12^th.  Online comments are also subject to the conditions stated above.

Anticipated topics include:

• PACE Program
• 23-24 School Meal Rates
• Personnel appointments
• Start of the 23-24 School Year
• Capital Outlay Project/SEQR(A)

• The complete agenda will be available on the District’s website (perucsd.org).

Peru High School Principal Matt Berry (center) with Sweethearts & Heroes teammates Tom Murphy (left) and Rick Yarosh during a previous visit.

PERU, N.Y. –– Sept. 10-16 is National Suicide Prevention Week, and an amazing superhero without a cape will be in Peru to help students and educators kick off their new school year with HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist).

Pat Fish of Sweethearts & Heroes will work in the Peru Central School District on Monday, Sept. 11 and Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Sweethearts and Heroes is a student empowerment and empathy activation team that aims to prevent bullying and suicide, focusing on the basic components of social-emotional learning (SEL). Sweethearts & Heroes offers a profound, engaging signature presentation that calls for HOPE, Empathy and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build empathy; and BRAVES Buddies, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades.

The Sweethearts & Heroes team is Tom Murphy, Director and Founder of St. Albans, Vt.; Ret. U.S. Army Sgt. Rick Yarosh, a HOPE expert and motivational speaker from New York who was burned severely while serving in Iraq; and Pat Fish, BRAVES and Circle Leader.

Murphy has called Peru High School Sweethearts & Heroes’ “flagship school.” While in Peru on Sept. 11 and 12, Fish will facilitate Circle work and touch base with his BRAVES students about their spectacular, ongoing efforts with the multi-grade, anti-bullying program. (For more on Circle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q286yIL9L1E)

Under the tutelage of teachers Jen Guay and Lucas Perez, Peru students ran the Sweethearts & Heroes BRAVES program during the 2021-2022 school year under a Phase 1 course called “Leadership & Human Studies.” Nearly 75 students are now registered in BRAVES 101 and BRAVES 102, and one student is in BRAVES 103. According to Matt Berry, Peru High School Principal, more teachers and counselors are supporting the program, and a community project is a goal for this year’s BRAVES students.

Additionally, 400 of 564 Peru students surveyed last year participated in Circle. Berry and other school officials are noticing that the growth of Circle calls for a more systemic approach — but, simultaneously, they do not want to dilute the energy and enthusiasm surrounding Circle in Peru.

“We actually have a good problem to solve,” Berry said. “We’re getting great interest.”

Murphy added, “We’re ready to kick off the school year by cultivating compassion and empathy in Peru. We must stop students from making destructive decisions and help them treat each other with compassion, kindness and empathy. We make our messages sustainable in schools so that they also have an eventual and sustainable effect on the local community. The spider web effect is powerful and incredible, and there’s concrete evidence in Peru.”

To ensure such sustainability, Sweethearts & Heroes created The HOPE Classroom, a digital subscription service for various grade levels and school sizes. This value-packed offering can allow Sweethearts & Heroes to be in every school in the U.S. For more information, visit https://thehopeclassroom.com/.

Berry and his staff are delving into The HOPE Classroom. He said The HOPE Classroom is “tangible and usable, but not drowned in layers of curriculum.” He pointed to one particular unit — “Knowing Yourself” — and said teaching self-awareness at a young age is important.

“The HOPE Classroom is a great springboard for so many things — for students and educators,” Berry said. “It gives an instructor and a student tools to be on the same page, at the same time. I would love to hear someone say, ‘This is not important stuff.’ It’s a strong reminder about humanity and a necessary one.”

For more than 16 years, Sweethearts & Heroes has presented what Murphy calls “‘the ‘stop, drop and roll’ of bullying” to more than 2.5 million students in school districts from New England to Hawaii and north into Canada. Sweethearts & Heroes also tailors its presentations and workshops for businesses, non-profits and civic groups. Murphy said, “We go where we’re needed. That’s what heroes do.”

In 2021, Sweethearts & Heroes released 13 Pillows For Affective Teachers. This novel covers the themes of HOPE, Empathy and Action in the Sweethearts & Heroes curriculum. 13 Pillows is based on real students and teachers that Sweethearts & Heroes has encountered. Murphy co-wrote the book with Brian McKeon of New York. 13 Pillows is available on Amazon. Digital or printed copies are available upon request. The audiobook is on Audible. (On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13Pillows)

For more information on Sweethearts & Heroes, visit sweetheartsandheroes.com.

Or watch these short, impactful trailers:

•https://youtu.be/SWY6Lr3LWaY 

•https://youtu.be/RnNW42RPhpQ  

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetheartsandheroes/ 

On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmbRNNgpGWkMRIUxSS-bGg 

Another Albany man charged with murder after fleeing the Exit 36 truck stop incident

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More than 6,000 apprehensions in the Swanton sector over the last 11 months surpassing the last 10 years combined

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Plattsburgh is #2

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Police release more details into the crash that claimed the life of a Port Henry woman

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Giant craft and artisan fair, barbecue, games and rides at St. Augustine’s

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Clinton County Health Department details county’s first case and preventative steps

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The NYS Department of Education will survey school districts to distribute resources based on need

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Literacy New York, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing adult literacy announces the third annual Stop Reading Challenge. This statewide event takes place throughout September. The Stop Reading Challenge aims to raise awareness about the critical importance of adult literacy and recruit volunteers for this movement.

One way for everyone in NYS and beyond to get involved is to participate in the social media “You Are The Key” Photo Contest, sponsored by Key Bank, on September 8, 2023 to celebrate International Literacy Day. Literacy New York is hosting this open contest for anyone with a Facebook and/or Instagram account. The winner will be honored with their original photo printed on the 2023 commemorative T-shirts distributed throughout NYS! For more information and contest rules, visit www.stopreadingchallenge.org.

Kathy Houghton, Executive Director of Literacy New York, states, “The Challenge is a movement that has grown significantly and organically over the past few years. This year, we are partnering with regional literacy programs, organizations, legislators, businesses, universities and even a celebrity chef for Stop Reading Challenge events throughout the state. New this year is the introduction of the Stop Reading Challenge scholarship that we are introducing for the Fall 2023 semester—we’re very proud to create this opportunity for a deserving Utica University student!”

The “Stop Reading Challenge” in-person events will feature interactive activities, challenges, and connections to local adult literacy programs and local literacy data. Attendees will also have the chance to learn more about volunteer opportunities and ways they can contribute to the cause of adult literacy in their local communities. “We encourage everyone, from concerned citizens to business leaders, to join us at these events and online and become advocates for adult literacy. We can create a more literate and empowered New York,” added Kathy Houghton.

For more information about the “Stop Reading Challenge” events and Literacy New York’s initiatives, please visit literacynewyork.org.

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Free Family-Friendly Harvest Celebration at Essex County Fairgrounds

WESTPORT, NY- Celebrate the harvest season and learn about agriculture in the Adirondack region at the 2023 Adirondack Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 23rd from 12 to 5 PM at the Essex County Fairgrounds.

This free, family-friendly event features a large farmers’ market, local food trucks, a “Local Libations” tent, hands-on workshops, kids’ activities, a farm animal petting zoo, draft horse wagon rides and more. 

This year’s theme of the Adirondack Harvest Festival is “Local Fiber and Wool”- with demonstrations highlighting how locally harvested materials are transformed into functional everyday objects like clothing, baskets, paper, shoes, and much more. Attendees can also participate in hands-on workshops such as paper-making, hand-weaving for beginners, and botanical dying for an additional charge. 

The Adirondack Harvest Festival is unique in that it specifically highlights locally grown food and products and the farmers’ market this year will feature 30+ vendors. Local food and drink will be available for purchase from Crown Point Bread Co., Farmers Cone Creamery, Green Goddess Natural Market, Grilled Cheese Fundraiser for the Wadham’s Library, Orta Foods, Papa Duke’s BBQ, Ye Olde Phat Dragon Bakery, Rivermede Farm Market and Taste of Lahore. 

Inside the Local Libations Tent, Ausable Brewing Company and Oval Craft Brewing will be selling and serving pints of their local craft beers. Otter Creek Winery, which uses grapes sourced from the Adirondacks and other NYS locations, will also be vending their wines and wine slushies by the glass. 

There will be live music by Annie & the Hedonists, Crackin’ Foxy and Ploughman’s Lunch. Visitors can bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the music on the grass all afternoon. 

Kids’ activities will be offered continuously in the Young Farmers’ Circle, including face painting and fiber-related arts and crafts. There will be three free guided workshops for kids, including Finger Knitting, Natural Tie Dye, and Felted Soap. 

Champlain Area Trails also hosts a guided pre-festival hike at 10 am that begins at the Essex County Fairgrounds, loops through farmland and forest, then returns to the Fairgrounds so hikers can enjoy the Festival. This event will be hosted rain or shine! Participants are encouraged to bring cash to the farmers’ market. See other event details and FAQ atadirondackharvest.com/festival.

The Adirondack Harvest Festival is organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County’s Adirondack Harvest program and is free to attend and enjoy thanks to our generous sponsors, including the Adirondack Land Trust, Chazy Westport Communications & Westelcom, Champlain Area Trails, Cloudsplitter Foundation, Essex County Farm Bureau, Rivermede Farm Market, Sylvamo, The Town of Westport, and others highlighted on the Festival webpage.

Sign up here to receive email updates from Adirondack Harvest and more information about the Adirondack Harvest Festival. 

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Massive Forest Megaphone amplifies natural noise for deeper sensory experience

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