ECS Alumni Banquet Cancelled. Community Support Requested.
ECS Alumni Banquet Cancelled. Community Support Requested
Ellicottville Central School District has come a long way since the 1990’s when it used to be hallways that led to trailers for classrooms. Set up almost like a grounded Space Station, today’s ECS facility is light years different. Commonly dismissed as a small rural school, many are not aware of the caliber of students produced by Ellicottville. Every year students move on to compete in college athletics, attend Ivy League Colleges and Universities, step into the world of large agricultural production, Military and so much more.
The reason for producing such diverse students without being a “mega school” is their commitment to developing the student and their interests first. At Ellicottville Central School, you get a private school education for the cost of a public one. A large factor is class size; students get the attention and time dedicated to growing their values, interests and talents. This breeds a nurturing environment where they can grow into a contributing member of society. They do this without trying to change who the student is at their core. So much of the education system today wants everyone to fit into a few neatly packaged boxes, and at ECS, their faculty, board and tax base understand that each student is different; traditional models don’t always work.
As these students move on from ECS, there hasn’t ever been an outlet to keep Alumni connected. The Alumni Association decided it was time to develop a website where graduates could keep up with each other. This past spring, the Alumni Association launched its first-ever website, designed by PandaGoat Media website developer Mike Joslyn, in hopes to serve as a resource for alumni to share their successes post-graduation. By no small feat, the website also has every single ECS Yearbook available digitally for alumni and parents to browse. In addition to the new website ellicottvillealumni.com there is also a Facebook Page and a yearly Banquet open to all classes.
That yearly banquet was cancelled for 2020, like many other events this year. This banquet is extremely important in raising funds for two $1,000 scholarships, given yearly to graduating seniors. Alumni and current Mayor John Burrell told me, “We would love to expand our reach and fundraising capabilities. Maybe one day we will be able to give scholarships to the winners for each year of university, not just their first.” This means that fundraising needs to get creative and Mayor Burrell hopes that alumni will donate and share across their social media outlets to raise awareness. Links can be found on the website, for those wishing to show their support.
In closing, John left me with this anecdote: “Ellicottville really is a creme of the crop school district and we hope this website is the beginning of shining a brighter light on our alumni and their association.”