Roxbury

By John Bernhardt
Kendal Sprague is peaking at the right time. Roxbury’s pitching ace fired a pair of shutouts last week as the Rockets blanked Hunter-Tannersville 17-0 and 19-0. The wins improved Roxbury’s record to 10-3.
Sprague flirted with no-hitters in both contests. The hard-throwing senior right-hander retired the first 14 Wildcat batters she face on Friday, losing a perfect game when Kaitlin Jaeger beat out an infield single toward third base. Jaeger would be Hunter’s only base runner.

By John Bernhardt
Runs came in bunches Thursday in the fifth inning of Roxbury’s baseball opener. Visiting Stamford plated four runs in the top of the inning to build an 8-3 lead, but Roxbury rallied to score eight times in their half of the inning. The eight-run explosion provided just enough Rocket power as Roxbury held on to register an 11-10 season-opening win.

Two infield errors and a walk spotted Stamford two runs in the first. Roxbury scored two runs of their own to even things up in their first at bat of the season.

Battling back

By Joe Moskowitz
The past was great, but Roxbury’s future might be just as bright or even brighter. The hamlet is in the midst of a major revitalization. And, it’s more than just a coat of paint here, a roof repair there. There are now more than a half-dozen new businesses that are opening or expanding in the hamlet. MARK Project Executive Director and Roxbury resident Peg Ellsworth says it took decades, but is happening right now.

Martin Lerner, who has an art gallery on Main Street, is opening a gift store and a coffee shop.

By John Bernhardt
After 30 seasons on the sidelines as a high school softball coach, you couldn’t blame Roxbury coach Jane Ware if the game was feeling a little old as she prepared for yet another season. Not a chance. Ware brings a love of the game and a youthful eagerness into the spring each year, and this March is no different.

Roxbury Central School has released its second period honor rolls.

Superintendent’s List

Grade 4
Jaden DeMaio and Catherine Jankowski.

Grade 5
None.

Grade 6
Rose Battista, Jackie Blanchard, Emma Hynes, Anthony Perazone, Brendan Reidlinger and Cristian Spariosu.

Grade 7
Christine Ianniello.

Grade 8
Samantha Vickery.

Grade 9
Molly O’Brien.

Grade 10
Michaela Jordan, Allyce McIntosh, Jessica Moore, Shannon Sprague and Lacey Stewart.

Grade 11
Emily Arvanete, Joseph McAfee and Joshua Riley.

Grade 12

Roxbury — The Roxbury Central School and the Roxbury Teachers’ Association have agreed to terms for a three-year contract beginning July 1, 2013.

The agreement, which was finalized on February 7, calls for an annual salary increase of 1.6 percent plus $200 for each teacher, along with an annual increase of one percent in the amount of the health insurance premium paid by the teachers.

RCS Board President Ed Fersch stated that he was pleased with both the agreement and the fact that it had been reached so quickly.

By Brian Sweeney
Math students in Greg Funck’s classes at Roxbury Central School are improving their skills by an innovative teaching tool that has them doing math problems on their desks. Literally.

Over the Christmas holiday, unbeknownst to students (except one who assisted with the project), Mr. Funck orchestrated a project that turned all the desks in his classroom into erasable “white boards.” Now, students work out math problems on their desks, making calculations on school equipment that has traditionally been used for unauthorized classroom doodling.

By Brian Sweeney
Roxbury Central School is among the districts that have been awarded a Virtual Advanced Placement (VAP) Grant.

The New York State Education Department grant offers funding that allows students to participate in online Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
There are several major goals for the VAP grant:
• To improve targeted access to virtual AP courses and increase AP opportunities for low-income students;
• To provide professional development to teachers, administrators and technical staff with regard to development, instruction and support of VAP courses;

By John Berhardt
The Mountain Division tightened in Delaware League boys’ basketball when Roxbury split two contests as South Kortright and Gilboa crept closer to the first-place Rockets. Heading into last night’s action, Roxbury was atop the standings at 4-2 with SK and Gilboa a whisker behind at 4-3. Roxbury hosted South Kortright last night but the results of that key match-up could not be received before the Catskill Mountain News publishing deadline.

By Joe Moskowitz
Roxbury’s Rich Ellsworth decided it was time to switch from soffits to sushi. A career carpenter, Ellsworth has a new line of work, and it was right up his alley. Literally.

It’s “ate-o-ate.” That’s pronounced “8-oh-8. It is a gourmet restaurant on wheels, or to put the delicacy wagon less delicately, a food truck. The first day of business, Ellsworth had it parked in his own driveway in Roxbury, but he plans to take the truck wherever business beckons.