Camden Central School District -

Camden Elementary School is absolutely HOPPING for tonight's Fall Carnival! What a turnout! We'll have more pix to share soon!

Camden Elementary School Families: Today is the big day! We hope to see many of you at the CES Fall Carnival this afternoon!

A few folks from around the District were rocking their Camden GSA "Camden Pride" shirts to wrap up last week's Anti-Bullying Week observance!

Today, our new staff spotlight goes to a familiar face! Say hello to Camden High School alumna Katie Bliss! Katie is part of our team as a Reading Teacher at Camden Elementary School. She attended Utica University and SUNY Cortland. Katie has been teaching for fifteen years, and loves what the job brings on a daily basis. “There is nothing better than being able to work with kids every day,” Bliss said. “I love being able to watch them grow and being there to cheer on their successes, whether big or small.” She has worked in other school districts, but her love of the Camden community brought her career path back home. “I love working in my hometown,” Bliss said. “I have taught in other districts and I have yet to find a place as amazing to work in as Camden. We have an awesome community, educators, administrators, support staff, and kids.” When Katie is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, along with two Scottie dogs. She loves to read and watch sports. Welcome home!

CCSD Athletics has a new online home! Point your browser to https://www.camdenschools.org/o/ccsda to see the new version of the Camden Athletics Website! Many of our winter athletics schedules are already posted, and we will be adding plenty of content over the coming weeks, including the remaining schedules.

Congratulations to CHS Cross Country senior Jerome Seidl! While leading the Camden boys to a third place finish, Jerome captured the 2022 Tri-Valley League Individual Cross Country Championship as he won Saturday's race with a five-kilometer time of 16:56! He bested a field of 146 other runners on his way to victory. The Section III Championships will be held on November 5th at VVS.

Camden Elementary recently welcomed author Michael Patrick O’Neil to share his unique experiences with ocean life. He showed how following your passions can turn into an amazing adventure. His message of setting goals and following through were in perfect alignment with our character education focus on Self-Direction for October!

Look at the turnout from our Camden girls' wrestling "Try it Out" night! Adding to the excitement about this emerging sport is an announcement from NYSPHSAA from earlier this week. The association announced plans for a state-wide girls' wrestling invitational to be held in each of the next two years, with an eye towards making it a state championship sport soon. Currently, there are schools in four sections sponsoring girls' wrestling.

Pre-K Students from our CCSD Elementary Schools visited the Will's Cackleberry Castle Pumpkin Farm over the last two days!

CHS Senior Ivy Murphy was welcoming visitors to the Madison-Oneida BOCES Campus during last night's Open House! She was participating in the event as part of the MOBOCES Student Ambassador program. During her normal school day, she studies Cosmetology on the Verona campus. For more on the MOBOCES programs we participate in, including Career and Technical Education, visit moboces.org!

Continuing with our new staff introductions, today we’d like to introduce Amelia Berezein! She is a school social worker who is based at Camden Elementary School. Mrs. Berezein is a graduate of Cazenovia College and received her Masters of Social Work through SUNY Stony Brook. She has plenty of experience in the field in a variety of environments, but says she has found her place in education. “I have been working in different aspects of Social Work for 20 years, but working in a school has been my favorite,” Berezein said. “The best thing about my job is helping students and families get what they need to be successful. I love seeing the progress students make throughout the years and I love making connections that are meaningful.” Outside of school, she is a mother of two and loves spending time with her family and dog. She also enjoys kickboxing, yoga, and her Cricut machine. Welcome!

Students in Mr. David Stoelzel's Earth Science class at Camden Middle School recently completed a lab with their new topographical augmented reality sandbox. This provided students with hands on experience to solidify their learning! The concept for these sandboxes is simple, but effective. There is a camera and a projector positioned overhead. The camera can detect subtle changes in the distance a surface is away from the camera. As the sand moves, that distance changes, and the projected image adjusts to match the new shape of the sand.

McConnellsville Elementary School would like to say a very special "Thank You" to the McConnellsville Fire Department for visiting with students last Friday as part of Fire Prevention Week! The students were super excited to see the trucks!

Sectional Field Hockey score from last night: (4) Camden 5, (5) Homer 1 The Blue Devils advance to Sunday's semifinal match with Holland Patent. It will be held at VVS, and starts at 5 p.m. Admission will be charged. The following is the link to purchase tickets: https://section3.org/sports/2021/4/29/hometown-ticketing.aspx

Congratulations are in order for CHS Senior Joshua Salsman! Joshua was the September recipient of the Lake Delta Kiwanis Club's "Student of the Month" award. He received the honor alongside his parents, MOBOCES director of student affairs Rachel Helmer, and MOBOCES carpentry instructor Mr. Jim Farruggia. https://romesentinel.com/stories/snapshot-student-honored-by-kiwanis,146980?fbclid=IwAR1UZKoTfC_tPCwJeU9XFSTqriBdFuj2TqvbyxNqMwQnztxmYwhU91eUWX0 Congratulations!

Throughout the Fall semester, we're taking the time to introduce many of our new staff members to our community by spotlighting them here! Today, we'd like to tell you about Meghan Harosia (McCormick)! Mrs. Harosia is in her first year teaching mathematics at Camden High School. She graduated from Rome Free Academy, and went on to attend the University of Vermont and Utica University. Her favorite things about being an educator are building relationships with students, getting to teach something she enjoys, and continuing to learn new things. The welcoming atmosphere has also been a big benefit in her opinion. "The students, the teachers, the faculty, everyone has been so inviting and welcoming," Harosia said. "The start of the year has been great, and I am looking forward to many years at Camden. " When she's not showing CHS students the power of numbers, Meghan spends her spare time on family, helping her husband on the farm, and coaching. Welcome to the team!

The Camden Homecoming Festival organizers would like to take a moment and publicly thank a few members of our business community who went above and beyond to support our 2022 homecoming parade efforts!

Camden varsity field hockey hosts a Section III Class B tournament match today! Join us at the CHS stadium at 6 p.m. as the fourth-seeded Blue Devils match up with fifth-seeded Homer. There will be no admission charge for this first round game. It will also stream on the NFHS Network at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/camden-senior-high-school-camden-ny/gam077888861d Go Blue!

The Camden Athletic Department would like to congratulate Morgan Keil for competing in the NYS Girls Tennis Qualifiers today in Syracuse. While she did not advance on to the state level, she represented Camden with the highest standard of class. Great job to Morgan, and the rest of the Girls Varsity Tennis team on a great season!

Did you know that Girls' Wrestling is one of the fastest growing high school sports in New York State? Did you know it is also a rapidly expanding opportunity for participation in women's college sports, with programs recently forming at Elmira College and Utica University? The Camden Central School District athletic department wants to bring these opportunities to interested students. Girls in grades 7-12 who may be interested in forming a Girls' Wrestling program can learn more at an informational "Try It Out" night, which will be held on Thursday, October 20th from 6 pm to 7:30 pm in the CHS Wrestling Room and Main Gym. Prospective wrestlers can experience a sample practice session, meet with coaches, and receive more information about how they can get on the mat as soon as this season. Contact the Camden Athletic Office for more information!