Breaking tradition
Fredonia moves 2027 commencement to Friday
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The Fredonia Central School District has chosen to prioritize momentum over tradition with a shift for the end of next school year. The Class of 2027 Commencement Ceremony will be on the night of Friday, June 25, at SUNY Fredonia, rather than on a Sunday afternoon as in recent years.
Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox announced the change at a recent Board of Education meeting. He said that when raising the idea to the school community, the district received some backlash from people that were not as open to a change in tradition. However, the majority of the feedback the district received when pondering the shift was in favor of a Friday night ceremony.
Zilliox said that district administrators and staff felt that the "momentum" of the final week of school was dampened by the layoff between the final class dismissal to a Sunday afternoon ceremony. The district sought to move the festivities to Friday night instead in hopes of capitalizing on the excitement of the end of the school year.
Another aspect of the decision involved impending capital improvements to SUNY Fredonia, which initially made the district unsure of the availability of King Concert Hall in 2027. The district received word from SUNY Fredonia that the venue will be available for the ceremony to take place.
The recent Board of Education meeting began with a moment of silence for Joann Skinner, a former Teacher Aide, who recently passed away. Skinner spent a decade with the district from 1998 to 2008. Zilliox said Skinner was described as upbeat and always willing to help.
During the meeting, the Board awarded bids for music supplies for the 2026-27 school year to Sweetwater for $8,802.51; Music & Arts for $1,253.36; and Washington Music Center for $168.47. The Board also awarded four transportation contracts to First Student, Inc., for Summer School transportation varying in price from $305.35 to $444.61 per day depending on the destination.
In terms of personnel, Stacey Gorka was reassigned from the role of Library Teaching Assistant to Middle School Teaching Assistant. Diane Krystofiak was permanently appointed as a Teacher Aide. Joseph Lantz and Jolene Holliday were each appointed to the 12-month role of Clerk II.
Six per diem substitutes were approved by the Board, including recently retired Wheelock Teacher Ellen Foley, a former New York State Teacher of the Year finalist. Also approved as substitutes were Andrew Camp, Karen Clemens, Kayla Schauman, Laura Kszos, and Chloe Look.
Several Summer School employees were appointed to various roles, including Amanda Kent, Lindsey Moon, Emily Diamond, Chris Anderson, Elizabeth Hickey, Erin Lamp, Bonnie Burnett, Shannon Marsh, Beatrice Rosario, and Kayla Sullivan.
The Board also approved the 2026 fall season athletic coaches, with Keana Sherlock abstaining from the football coaching assignments due to her family connections, and Jerry Kinney abstaining from the coaches of the Trap program, of which he is a part of, and voting against the Varsity Boys Cross Country coaching appointment of Tom Stokes, which Kinney stated was not done as an objection to the coach's character.
Every proposed coaching appointment passed, with the entire Board voting unanimously in favor of every other appointment. Among the Varsity Head Coaches appointed for 2026 were Greg Sherlock, Football; Mason Redmond, Boys Soccer; Kyle Marvin, Girls Soccer; Amanda Krakowiak, Girls Volleyball; Tom Stokes, Boys Cross Country; Carol Zirkle, Girls Cross Country; Allie Saye, Girls Swimming; Jake Carrol, Girls Tennis; and Bonnie Burnett, Football Cheerleading. The district also finalized its instructional and team leaders for the 2026-27 school year.
The next meeting of the Fredonia Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the High School Library.