West Side schools ahead of state with cell-phone policies

Erin Clifford, principal of the West Buffalo Charter School, with a cell-phone home

 By Alexander Miley

Violence is on the rise, students' test scores are dipping, and students are just not paying attention in schools. Many believe these situations can be attributed to the increasing use of cell phones in schools.

Teachers and administrators do not want them in the classroom, it is a distraction, but students want to be on their phones and parents want to be able to contact their kids in case of an emergency. This is a struggle that schools have been dealing with for years. 

In New York State this is becoming a big topic of discussion as there is a bill that will be debated in the Senate in January that will ban smartphones from schools. Flip phones will still be allowed so parents can keep in contact with their kids. 

According to govtech.com Gov. Kathy Hochul went on a listening tour across New York to get input from teachers and parents about the potential bill. 

New York State United Teachers is in support of this bill with  85% of NYSUT members supports banning cell phones and personal electronic devices for the entire school day with approved exceptions. 

Schoharie Central School District, west of Albany, banned cell phones along with ear buds and smart watches two years ago and district officials have seen a decrease in violence and increased academic scores.

West Side schools have their own policies. 

At West Buffalo Charter School, from kindergarten to eighth grade, has a no cell-phone policy. Students have two choices: either put them in their locker or put them in a cell phone home, which is a locked-up transportable box, that travels with the students from class to class in case they need their phone due to an emergency. 

There are medical exceptions to this policy, such as for diabetic students who use a phone to track their levels. 

“I think that the students are doing well without having their cell phones attached to them,” Erin Clifford, West Buffalo Charter principal, said. 

If parents need to contact their children, they are allowed to contact the main office, and the administration will get a hold of the student. This calmed down a lot of parents who were worried they wouldn't be able to contact their children in the event of an emergency.

Clifford is not totally on board with the looming cell phone ban because she believes that it is important for students to have access to their phones in case of emergencies.

At Lafayette International High School, students are allowed to have their cell phones but are only allowed to go on their cell phones at breakfast from 8 - 8:20 a.m. and during their 30-minute lunch period. Individual teachers are allowed to collect students’ phones at the beginning of class periods if they choose.

There are exceptions to this rule for emergencies but if you’re caught abusing it then you lose that ability.

This is a new policy that was just implemented this year and there is an adjustment period for the students as many people are addicted to screen time, but overall, it has had a positive impact.

“The teachers feel heard,” Walter Diaz, assistant principal of the Lafayette International, said.

Diaz, who made the jump from teacher to assistant principal this year understands the struggle of teaching students who are constantly being distracted by their cell phones and supports their new policy.

Buffalo Holiday Market moves to West Side

 

The Richardson Olmsted Campus is set to host the annual Winter Market, previously held on South Park Avenue across from the Buffalo Creek Casino, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 29 to Dec. 22. The new location allows for a more spacious and comfortable shopping experience. It is expected to hold 70 vendors at a time and rotate around 500 total vendors for the season.  The Buffalo Holliday Market hosted its first-ever Falliday Market at the Richardson Campus for five days in October. Co-owner Jillian Cannan estimated that around 85,000 to 90,000 attended the event overall. At the same time, about 150 vendors participated in the event. By Evan Harrington

Olmsted Conservancy prepping parks for winter weather

 

 

Maisy Bennett cleans up some brush as part of Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy's clean up in preparation of the winter season. Director of Engagement and Inclusion Zhi Ting Phua said that the conservancy has been putting its focus clearing  trails of fallen branches from trees as well as any other objects that can become a hazard when walking on these trails that can become slippery. She said protecting plants and trees by covering them up to avoid any sort of frost from the low temperatures is important as well. The conservancy is asking for volunteers to help with the cleaning efforts. Phua is confident in the conservancy's plan to protect the parks ahead of winter. By Antonio Calderon

 

Events help Forest Lawn mark 175th year

As Forest Lawn Cemetery celebrates 175 years, it invites the public to reflect on a century and three-quarters of local history and stories. Tour guide Jane Hopkins, left, introduces visitors to the upcoming Founders of Forest Lawn Trolley Tour, which will traverse the 269-acre property. The tour aims to share stories of notable permanent residents, honor the cemetery's connection to Native land and highlight the beauty of the burial ground. Founders of the Forest Lawn Trolley Tour will take place at 10 a.m., Nov. 8, beginning at 1411 Delaware Ave. The final trolley tour, Legends on the Lawn, will be held beginning at 10 a.m., Nov. 15. Other events include the Erie County American Legion Veterans Day Ceremony, 9 a.m., Nov. 11 By Caleb Babula

Scientists see tiny fish as big deal in waterway health

Bird Island Pier figures into the project to increase emerald shiners population

By Matt Szucs

            A new initiative spearheaded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers will help the Niagara River and Lake Erie sustain their ecosystems by providing one of its smallest fishes, the Emerald Shiner, a fighting chance against the current and help them make their way upstream.

            The project plans to build metal attachments known as baffles for 700 feet along Freedom Park’s seawall, passing under the Peace Bridge and continuing on towards Bird Island Pier.

            The construction opportunity was granted to BIDCo Marine Group by the Army Corp of Engineers for $11.8 million. BIDCo is an aquatic-based local construction company, that will design and construct the baffles.

            Mark C. Judd, the president and founder of BIDCo,  said work will being in the spring and continue to a 2026 completion.

            Over the years the seawall along Freedom Park has been hardened, a term referring to the fact that over the years any rocks, trees or plants have disappeared resulting in nothing in the way to slow down the current as it flows.

The emerald shiners come downstream from Lake Erie in the spring to lay their eggs. At the end of summer the newly born shiners ideally swim back upstream from the Niagara River to Lake Erie, but due to the hardening of the seawall the current has become too strong for most to make it. The dwindling number of shiners that can make it will have a severe impact on the local ecosystems if left alone.

The baffles, which will be trapezoid shaped metal structures filled with concrete, will counteract the hardened seawall and help slow down the flow allowing for the majority of the emerald shiner population to return upstream and continue their cycle.

Ten prototype baffles designed by University at Buffalo researchers were put into place along the seawall in 2022. This initiative was funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for $1.6 million the Army Corps of Engineers found that these designs successfully slowed the current of the Niagara River by 0.4 meters per second, an amount that on a large scale would slow the stream enough for the emerald shiners to pass through.

Through Buffalo State University the Great Lakes Center  has studied the emerald shiners  with funding from the US Army Corps of Engineers. It conducted the first major study into emerald shiners to better understand just how important the tiny fish is to the ecosystem of the local lakes.

The project was led by Dr. Alicia Pérez-Fuentetaja and lasted from 2013-2018. Much of the initial research into the migration cycles of emerald shiners involved figuring out just how important these fish are for the Niagara River.

Professor Randal Snyder, co-principal investigator, called the shiners are a “keystone” species, a building block at the bottom of the food chain that many forms of local wildlife rely on from larger fish to birds.  

The Great Lakes Center concluded that “A collapse in this species would have negative repercussions to their predators, sport fish and birds that depend on this resource. The impact would be felt by the public as well: sport fishermen and bird-watchers, nature lovers and river users.”

The Niagara River is currently listed as an EPA Area of Concern.

 

 

Help beat high food prices with homesteading

 The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) Development Coordinator Ben Bachman says there are simple steps for homesteading and how important homesteading can be in an urban environment like the West Side. The idea of homesteading and cultivating your own food has become a popular hobby for many urban residents. With grocery prices increase at a high rate many people are finding ways to grow their own food, raise chickens or small animals in their backyards, and canning at home. Urban farms like MAP host events to help promote homesteading, like a recent one called Seed Extravaganza.        By Rylee Shott

The bridge is in, now on to other updates at Wilson Park

 The pedestrian bridge in Ralph Wilson Park has now been fully erected over the I-190 to connect the park with the lower West Side.  The bridge, which was built in Italy, traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and up the Erie Canal to where it sits today in Ralph Wilson Park.  Gilbane Building Co. was the primary construction company on the $110 million bridge project. Parks Department Deputy

Commissioner Andy Rabb, left, along with head project manager for Gilbane, Sean Najewski, right, said that the next phase of getting the park ready for the public is to install softball and baseball diamonds, and a soccer field.  Although the bridge is in place, the park will not be fully open until next year.  Other plans for the park include planting gardens, and utility and drainage work. By James Tammaro