The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Alumni Association honors Canastota grads
The Canastota Alumni Association’s 137th annual banquet honored and recognized graduates and alumni.
CANASTOTA, N.Y. » The Canastota Alumni Association hosted more than140 alumni and guests at the 137th Alumni Banquet at The odore’s Restaurant on June 23.
Among those in attendance were JacklinG. Starks, the recipient of the Vincent V. Albanese Alumni Achievement Award and Nathan Arrria, who was the 12th Canastota Alumni Association’s scholarship winner. Also in attendance was Salvatore (Sam) Cesario, president of the Senior Class and this year’s Valedictorian.
Starks has served as district superintendent of Madison-Oneida BOCES since 2003, leading an organization of 750 employees that serves nine area school districts and, through various partnerships, provides educational services to children and adults in three counties. In her work, she provides assistance and guidance to local school superintendents in the areas of finance, instructional programs, new laws and policies, facilities, curriculum planning and technology. Starks has experience in superintendent search consultation, labor negotiations, budget development, program development, community group facilitation and effective operation of student services. She also serves as a liaison to the State Education Department for local districts and for the BOCES itself, works closely with elected officials from the region, serves on multiple state-level committees, collaborates with other leaders and leads education reform efforts for the region.
Starks, a lifelong Canastota resident, spent several years of her career in education working in the Canastota Central School District before joining MOBOCES. She served as an assistant principal and principal of South Side and Peterboro Street elementary schools, and also as assistant principal at Roberts Street Middle School. Starks completed an administrative internship as the assistant director of Pupil Personnel Services in Canastota, and she also served as a district- wide speech/language pathologist for five years.
Over the years, Starks has served on a number of community organization boards, including: Madison County Promise, Madison County Workforce Investment Board, Oneida County Youth Bureau, Morris ville State College Baccalaureate Nursing Program Advisory Board, the Madison County School Services Partnership, and the New York State Council of School Superintendents. She also served as the chairperson of the District Superintendents’ Technology Committee and co-chairperson of Educational Leadership Mohawk Valley. She is a past recipient of the Canastota Alumni Association’s Educator Award and the Oneida Rotary Club’ s Bill Fariel Award for Excellence in the Workplace and Community, and she was inducted into the Canastota Central Schools Wall of Distinction in 2012. In 2016, the Chief School Officers in the region awarded her the inaugural Devoted Service Award for her leadership, professionalism, and continued support for students. In 2018, she received the Oneida-Madison-Herkimer School Boards Institute’s Distinguished Service Award for her lifelong commitment to education.
Starks holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from SUNY Brockport, and a master’s degree and certificate of advanced study in Educational Administration from SUNY Cortland. She completed the Central New York Superintendent Development Program at SUNY Oswego and holds permanent certifications in School District Ad- ministration, K-12 Reading Teacher, and K-12 Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped. She has also served as an adjunct instructor at Utica College and SUNY Cortland.
Starks is the daughter of the late Donald and Angeline (Guifre) Starks. She has one daughter, Kristen, also a Canastota alumna, who lives in Canastota with her husband, Justin, and their three children, Lucianna, Joseph, and Cole, who attend Canastota schools.
President Elizabeth Garofalo-McKenney presided over a brief business meeting presenting the 2018-2019 Association’s Officers and Directors, and also presented the Class of 2018 as the newest alumni. Vice President Douglas Gustin acted as Master of Ceremonies and graduates of classes from 1941-1948 and the 50 year class were recognized, followed by the Roll Call of Classes executed by Jane Hicks. Stephen Tornatore revealed the names of the new inductees to the 2018 CCS Wall of Fame to be honored at a later date.
The singing of Canastota Central School’s Alma Mater, led by Lynne Ahnert signaled the closing of the banquet. Pastor William Wilcox delivered the Invocation at the beginning of the event and concluded the program with the Benediction.