The Gowanda Board of Education approved several personnel moves at a recent meeting.

GOWANDA — A member of the Gowanda community will conclude their time as an educator at the Gowanda Central School District later this year.

Elementary Teacher Crystal O’Connor recently submitted a letter of resignation for the purpose of retirement from the Gowanda Central School District after 33 years of service. The letter of resignation was accepted by the Board of Education at its recent meeting.

“I have appreciated the opportunity to work with the children of the Gowanda community for 33 years. As a community member of Gowanda, I am proud to be able to say that my daughter received a good educational foundation here at GCS for her career path,” O’Connor stated in the letter of resignation. O’Connor also noted “valued relationships with colleagues from all three buildings” fostered through the Gowanda Teachers’ Association.

Superintendent Dr. Robert Anderson said of O’Connor’s retirement, “I want to congratulate her and thank her for numerous years of service to the District. She’s been a very valuable colleague and, really, a friend over these years.”

As one educator is set to leave the District, another will be joining it. Emily Driscoll was appointed as an Elementary Teacher, effective April 8. Driscoll, an Angola resident, holds initial certification in Childhood Education Grades 1-6 and Early Childhood Education Birth-Grade 2. Driscoll received a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University at Buffalo and a Master’s Degree from Niagara University in Education. Driscoll previously taught at Delevan Elementary School.

The District also appointed two new Substitute Teachers, Mindy Doktor and Stephen Kozak, along with two new Substitute Cleaner/Custodians, Hailey Fisher and Keyona Alexander. All four appointments were made effective this month.

In other personnel moves within the District, Ashley Wright and Erin Browning were appointed as Teacher Mentors for the 2023-24 school year, as needed. Alyssa Schmidt was approved to serve as a Student Teacher alongside Gowanda Middle School Teacher Renee Seneca.

Specific to athletics, Ross Olszewski was approved as a Modified Boys Lacrosse Coach, while Jonathan Gill was approved as a Volunteer Assistant Lacrosse Coach.

Anderson also thanked several community organizations for their donations to various teams and organizations at the District. Among those benefiting from recent donations include The Thrifty Panther store, the Gowanda Baseball Team, the Gowanda Boys Lacrosse Team, and the Gowanda Girls Lacrosse Team. Multiple members of the Board of Education also expressed their gratitude for the donations.

In other news, the District awarded the base bid for its 2023-24 Capital Outlay Project to Numarco, Inc., in the amount of $74,000 for plumbing services. The bid was one of three bids received by the District, and was considerably lower than the other two bids. Mollenberg-Betz, Inc., submitted a bid of $94,500, while D.V. Brown submitted a bid of $110,000.

Anderson also noted that progress has been made in recent weeks on the emergency pool repair project, including tiling and drainage work. The pool is still on schedule to be open for the start of the next school year.