Hosted by the PRIDE Team and Interact Club, the event helped students feel welcomed, excited, prepared, and informed for the year ahead. Students explored displays from FHS clubs and community organizations while enjoying food, games, prizes, free school supplies, and plenty of fun at the dunk tank!
Faculty and staff also recognized students who demonstrated the characteristics of PRIDE, strong attendance, and outstanding effort by presenting them with special tickets for a chance to send one of our volunteers into the tank.
Thank you to the PRIDE Team, Interact Club, faculty and staff members, student volunteers, club representatives, community organizations, and everyone else who helped make today’s Bash a wonderful way to begin the school year!
NEW FACES AT FREDONIA
ELIZABETH KOWALSKI
What subject will you be teaching and at which school?
7 Grade Math, Middle School
Where did you attend high school? College?
Maryvale High School, Canisius College
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
Dancing, Watching Football, Hanging out with my family, anything involving Disney!
Do you have a favorite sports team(s)?
Bills and Sabres
What are you most excited about for this coming school year?
I am very excited to meet all my new students and share my love of math. I’m looking forward to making math meaningful and engaging while helping my students build confidence in their abilities. As a new teacher at Fredonia Middle School, I’m also excited to learn, grow, and become part of the school community.
What would you like our community to know about you?
I have been teaching for 16 years in various districts. I have taught math to students in grades 3rd through high school. I am very passionate about getting all students to succeed in math. I also love the Bills so much, and my dream is to meet Josh Allen and Dawson Knox!
NEW FACES AT FREDONIA
LAURA BURNSIDE
What subject will you be teaching and at which school?
School Psychologist - Elementary/Wheelock
Where did you attend high school? College?
Fredonia High School/SUNY Geneseo undergrad/University at Buffalo grad school
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
Golf league with my husband, Shopping/Thrifting, Reading, Spending time with friends and family
Do you have a favorite sports team(s)?
Buffalo Bills
What are you most excited about for this coming school year?
I am so excited to be returning to my home district to support our youngest learners!
What would you like our community to know about you?
I am in my 20th year as a school psychologist. I am a Fredonia graduate and parent to two middle schoolers in the district. Proud to be a Hillbilly!
https://www.observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2026/09/fredonia-senior-gets-glimpse-into-u-s-capitol/
NEW FACES AT FREDONIA
HANNAH RICH
What subject will you be teaching and at which school?
Chorus/General Music, Middle School
Where did you attend high school? College?
Webster Thomas High School, SUNY Fredonia
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
Traveling, exercising, and baking
Do you have a favorite sports team(s)?
Buffalo Bills
What are you most excited about for this coming school year?
This year, I am most excited to connect with students, colleagues, and families. I can’t wait to make and share some wonderful music together!
What would you like our community to know about you?
I love meeting new people! If you recognize me in/out of school, please introduce yourself! I feel very grateful to be beginning my career in such a welcoming district and community, and can’t wait to meet everyone.
NEW FACES AT FREDONIA
JOHN FELDMANN
What subject will you be teaching and at which school?
Speech Therapy at Fredonia Elementary
Where did you attend high school? College?
I attended Silver Creek High School and Fredonia State for my undergraduate and graduate programs
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
I love to read, bake, travel, play the piano, and love to be active outside- hike, kayak, snowboard
Do you have a favorite sports team(s)?
Football- The Buffalo Bills, Soccer- Manchester United
What are you most excited about for this coming school year?
I'm very excited to start working in the Fredonia school district. Most of my professional career until now was in healthcare, working with adult patients. So I am excited for the change to the school district, working with children, and to use therapy skills that I did not use in that setting.
What would you like our community to know about you?
I have many fond memories from my time at Fredonia State and look forward to making many new memories in the community now that I am working at Fredonia Elementary.
Happy Labor Day to all of our hard-working Fredonia families!
NEW FACES AT FREDONIA
AJAY CYBULSKI
What subject will you be teaching and at which school?
2nd grade/Fredonia Elementary
Where did you attend high school? College?
Lake Shore High School | SUNY Brockport for Sport Management and Communications | Masters in Elementary Education from SUNY Buffalo State
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
Working out, rating chicken wings, reading, enjoying time with friends and family, mens league sports, watching sports
Do you have a favorite sports team(s)?
Diehard Bills and Sabres fan
What are you most excited about for this coming school year?
I am most excited about growing with my class and making an impact on each student. I also look forward to creating memories that will always make me appreciate my first year at Fredonia.
What would you like our community to know about you?
I would like the community to know that I am committed to being a difference-maker at Fredonia. Also, I want the community to know that I will find the best chicken wing in Fredonia, and I am open to recommendations!
NEW FACES AT FREDONIA
DAWN STEWART
What subject will you be teaching and at which school?
Family and Consumer Science/CTE, Fredonia Middle
Where did you attend high school? College?
Lancaster High School/ Buffalo State University
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
Reading and Crafting
Do you have a favorite sports team(s)?
Buffalo Bills
What are you most excited about for this coming school year?
Getting to know the students and teaching them life skills that they will use throughout their life.
What would you like our community to know about you?
I have been teaching life skills for the past 12 years, helping others develop the confidence, knowledge, and practical skills they need to navigate everyday life. I am also a proud mother of two adult children, an experience that has taught me the importance of patience, resilience, compassion, and lifelong learning.
The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the High School Library.
NEW FACES AT FREDONIA
ELIZABETH NAU
What subject will you be teaching and at which school?
12:1:1 Special Education 1st Grade Elementary
Where did you attend high school? College?
Lake Shore High School, Keuka College for my Bachelor's and WGU for my Masters
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
I love to read, watch football, travel, and spend time with my family. I am a big Disney lover so I also enjoy visiting Disney!
Do you have a favorite sports team(s)?
The Buffalo Bills!
What are you most excited about for this coming school year?
I am most excited to help students grow and learn while also learning from them myself. I am excited to create a positive learning environment full of fun.
What would you like our community to know about you?
I am a new teacher, but I have lots of ideas and plans! I was a TA before this position, and I have learned a lot from that experience and can't wait to bring that knowledge into my classroom.
Two days down, and the 2026–27 school year is officially underway!
It may have been a short first week, but our schools were filled with plenty of smiles, learning, laughter, and excitement as students and staff settled back into their routines.
For our youngest learners, these first days mark the beginning of another year of discovering, growing, and making memories. And for the Class of 2027, they mark the beginning of one very special final year at Fredonia.
From our elementary classrooms to our seniors, we loved seeing our Hillbillies back together again.
Here’s to a great start — and to all the moments still to come this year!
The Fredonia Basketball Program will be hosting an open basketball “Drills & Skills Clinic” for any boys or girls interested in Grades 2-8, starting Tuesday, September 8th, at the Wheelock Elementary School Gym.
This weekly clinic will take place on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6:00-7:30 p.m. There is no cost to participate, and you do not need to attend each session to participate. Participants will focus on learning the game of basketball with an emphasis on skill development and game participation. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Bertrando: nbertrando@fcsd.wnyric.org
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
The Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Friday, August 28, at 7:30 a.m. in the District Office for the purpose of hiring.
We are happy to welcome our newly hired faculty to Fredonia CSD. We are excited about their contributions to our school community over the next 10 months. Welcome aboard! Please look for more information about each individual in the near future.
Wheelock:
Haleigh Miller - Pre-K General Education/Special Education
Elementary:
Laura Burnside - School Psychologist
Ajay Cybulski - Grade 2
John Feldmann - Speech Therapist
Cayla Jenkins - Special Education
Lizzy Nau - Special Education
Middle School:
Paige Bernhardt - CTE
Gabby Domenico - Special Education
Leah Dylag - Music/Strings
Liz Kowalski - Math
Patricia Noel - Science
Kayla Orbaker - Spanish
Hannah Rich - Music
Dawn Stewart - CTE
Ava Waterman - Science
High School:
Alec Chambers - Math
Kayla Orbaker - Spanish
Parking lot striping at the Wheelock Campus will be happening tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience. Please obey any cones or other barriers set up for worker safety.
HOST FAMILY NEEDED (Courtesy Post)
Pia is a 16-year-old student from Anglet, a town in southwestern France. She is cheerful, curious, and outgoing, and enjoys being active, spending time with others, and trying new things. Soccer is a big part of her life, and she currently plays for the Biarritz Football Club. She enjoys almost all sports! Music is also a big part of her life, and she listens to all types of music. She also loves to cook and bake, especially cookies and lasagna for her family.
Pia is responsible, organized, and independent. She spent five years in scouting, where she learned the importance of teamwork, service, and community. She also babysits regularly for a family with four children. Pia has traveled quite a bit with her family and lived in Spain, where she learned Spanish and Catalan. She also spent six weeks in Minnesota last year, which helped spark her interest in participating in the Rotary Exchange Program.
Pia is excited about the opportunity to be part of an American family, join our community, and experience our culture and traditions. Her outgoing personality, maturity, curiosity, and willingness to try new things will make her a wonderful exchange student!
If you're interested in becoming a host family, please contact Diane Hannum, Rotary Club of Dunkirk-Fredonia Youth Exchange Co-chair, at 716-969-4483.
The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium.
Check out recent news stories featuring our staff, students, and the district as a whole:
https://www.observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2026/08/cybulski-jenkins-are-newest-fredonia-teachers/
https://www.observertoday.com/life/sunday-lifestyles/2026/08/nccf-announces-service-learning-grants/
https://www.observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2026/08/familiar-faces-among-fredonias-new-hires/
https://www.observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2026/07/breaking-tradition/
https://www.observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2026/07/fredonia-hires-new-assistant-principal-music-teacher/
https://www.observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2026/07/brisky-carmello-retire-from-fredonia-schools/
