From left, Trustee Todd Marquardt, Trustee Lesley Battaglia, Teacher Aide Michelle Phillips, Board President Matthew Chimera, English Teacher Stacey Pritchard, Big Picture Principal Kevin Kruger, NYSSBA representative Patrick Longo, Trustee Jennifer Morrow, Vice President Thomas Reigstad and Superintendent Sabatino Cimato.
The Big Picture Program was recognized by the New York State School Boards of Association for a special distinction that honors exceptional initiatives and projects across the state.
Patrick Longo, a representative from the New York State School Boards Association, presented Big Picture with NYSSBA’s “Champions of Change” recognition at the Board of Education meeting on February 8th. Through its Champions of Change Program, NYSSBA recognizes exceptional programs and projects across the state. Big Picture was chosen for this distinction as a result of a project called “Miles of Smiles.”
In May, students created a large quantity of yellow ornaments made of wood and hung them throughout the neighborhood. These handmade ornaments were adorned with a smiley face on one side and a positive, uplifting message on the other. Teacher aide Michelle Phillips first brought the project to classrooms at the Big Picture Program to lift spirits in the local community. They called this project “Miles of Smiles.”
The project received a great deal of attention in the Ken-Ton community and was the subject of many positive posts on social media, which prompted WKBW Channel 7 to report on the initiative as a feature story. The broadcast received statewide attention in NYSSBA's "E-Clips" email publication, which is distributed to school personnel and board members throughout New York State. It also caught the attention of NYSSBA officials who chose to award the Big Picture Program with its "Champions of Change" distinction.
Ken-Ton’s innovative Big Picture Program is a non-traditional high school program and the only program of its kind in Western New York. The Big Picture Program is distinguished by its small class advisories, individualized project-based approach to learning, and internship experiences. The program has been extremely successful guiding students to graduation over the past decade.
You can view the WKBW article on the “Miles of Smiles” project at the following link:
https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/sharing-a-smile
From left, Trustee Todd Marquardt, Trustee Lesley Battaglia, Teacher Aide Michelle Phillips, Board President Matthew Chimera, English Teacher Stacey Pritchard, Big Picture Principal Kevin Kruger, NYSSBA representative Patrick Longo, Trustee Jennifer Morrow, Vice President Thomas Reigstad and Superintendent Sabatino Cimato.
