Ripley Central School

RIPLEY — Ripley Central School is the latest school discussing what to do with elevated lead levels in its water.

Ripley Superintendent Dr. Lauren Ormsby reported at a recent school board meeting that only the results of lead testing for the baseball and softball buildings and the bus garage have been returned. Five out of seven samples from the sports buildings had elevated levels of lead, she said. However, the test was of the “first draw,” that is, water drawn immediately without flushing first. Since the fixtures in those buildings haven’t been used since May, the water tested has been sitting a long time, she said.

“It’s probably not the underground pipes, but the fixtures,” Ormsby said.

If the fixture is a non-drinking area, such as a hose bed, the district only needs to post a sign stating that this water is not for drinking, she said. The other areas will require testing of a “second draw,” that is, water that is drawn after a period of flushing.

Eleven samples were tested from the bus garage. Of these, only two tested at elevated levels of lead content, Ormsby said.

In other matters, Ormsby told board members that third- and fourth-grade students were at Chautauqua Lake Central School over the last two weeks for Young Playwrights. The Young Playwrights Program at CLCS is sponsored by the Chautauqua Institution, and it has several segments throughout the school year.

It provides an opportunity for area elementary students to learn the basic elements of playwriting, said Ormsby.

“It was a really great experience,” she added.

Ormsby also told the board that Ripley students received a visit from Olympic gold-medalist Emily Regan of Amherst. Regan was a member of the USA Women’s Rowing Team, which won Olympic Gold in Rio De Janiero, Brazil on Aug. 13.

The kids have been learning about rowing and reading “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics,” Ormsby said.

When Emily Regan arrived, “The kids were so excited. They were cheering her up and down the halls, shouting ‘Emily, Emily,'” Ormsby added.

Ormsby told the board that Regan came in with her gold medal, and she let each student hold it.

“It’s very heavy,” she said.

Regan talked to the kids about goal setting and overcoming obstacles.

Regan has been approached by an organization called Champions for Success, which will help her to mentor students, Ormsby said. Regan would like to continue working with Ripley School, she added.

Ormsby also gave the board a video presentation on the responses of the teachers after wearing their “student hats” on Oct. 20 and 21. With the assistance of EL Education school designer Cindy Rice, Ripley faculty and staff experienced a slice of an expedition in EL learning, Ormsby said.

The teachers came to a new appreciation of EL Learning, Ormsby said. At the end of the day, the teachers got together and several of them said they used to think EL education was only for certain subjects, but they now realized it involves all of them, she said.

“Cindy Rice will be back on Dec. 7 and 8 for the next step in the process,” Ormsby told the board. The teachers will take a survey and answer questions about how they feel about EL and what it actually means to become an EL school, she added.

“At the EL Education National Conference in Detroit, I was told that EL education is not an identity, it is a standard for which we strive,” Ormsby said. “Ripley Central School has a vision, and we have structures in place to support that vision. Our vision has three dimensions of student achievement: mastery of academic content, character, and high-quality work, (and) we have been working on these things for quite some time.

Ormsby noted that several of Ripley’s programs and practices support the district’s vision, including Crew, Student-Led Parent Conferences, Adventure (like Boys On the right Track and Girls On the Run), Celebrations of Learning, Character Education, Restorative Practices, Learning Expeditions, Innovative Programming (like Makers’ Lab and Eagle University), and Community Connections.

“Whether or not we become and EL Education-credentialed school, we have these supports in place to meet our vision,” Ormsby said. “The benefits of becoming a credentialed EL school is that we would get the tools to make us even better.”