| NCZ Spring Scholarship Luncheon |
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The North Central Zone of the Retired Educators of
New York (RENY) will hold a Scholarship Luncheon on
Thursday, June 11, 2026 at the Hilton Garden Inn,
1290 Arsenal Street, Watertown.
Registration and social time will start at 10am
followed by a brief business meeting and
introduction of our 2026 scholarship winners. Please
come and meet Cohen Hunter, a graduating senior from
General Brown Central School, and Ronald Zehr, a
graduating senior from Belleville-Henderson Central
School. These outstanding students will be presented
with this year’s NCZ Scholarships for Future
Educators. These $1,000 awards are given in
partnership with the Northern New York Community
Foundation.
The Hudson-Kramer Award for Professional Educators
will also be presented at this luncheon.
A buffet luncheon will be served at 12 noon. After
lunch, renowned North Country artist, John Morrow,
from Ogdensburg will show some of his artwork and
talk about his career journey. Mr. Morrow is well
known for his paintings of the St. Lawrence River,
the Adirondacks, and Amish scenes.
Registration forms for the luncheon will be mailed
to members. Paid reservations are due by June 5th.
Any retired educator or school staff retiree who is
not yet a member of RENY is welcome to attend.
For reservation information, please e-mail Alicia
Bach at
abach@twcny.rr.com For membership
information, e-mail Jackie Maloney at
jcqlnmaloney@gmail.com.
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| Hudson-Kramer Award Winner |
The North Central Zone
of the Retired Educators of New York (RENY)
announces Kaylee Hall-Bethel, Watertown City School
District, as the winner of the 2026 Hudson-Kramer
Award for Professional Educators.
One of the objectives of RENY is to work toward the
advancement of education in our state and country.
This $2,000 grant is given to an active teacher or
administrator to use for an innovative project in
the classroom, school or district. The Hudson-Kramer
Award is designed to help fund a project or program
which could not otherwise be included within the
school’s budget.
Kaylee Hall-Bethel, a resource consultant teacher at
the Case Middle School, works with 7th
and 8th grade students receiving special
education services. She intends to use the grant to
purchase two Flex-Space Write & Wipe mobile tables.
These instructional tables will allow students to
write directly on the surface while solving problems
collaboratively. These mobile workspaces will allow
for flexible grouping and movement within the
resource room. They will help increase student
participation and promote confidence and academic
growth.
On June 11th, Ms. Hall-Bethel will
be presented with the 2026 Hudson-Kramer Award at
the NCZ Scholarship Luncheon at the Hilton Garden
Inn in Watertown. |
RENY-NCZ Officers for 2025-2026 |
|
A new slate of officers was elected for 2025-2026 at our
Fall Business Luncheon on Wednesday, September 18, 2025 at the
Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal Street, Watertown |
 |
|
From left to right: Elwood "Woody"
Lyndaker, Secretary; Patricia Newell, 2nd Vice-President;
Toni Gigliotti, First Vice-President; Rick Morris,
President. Missing from photo is Treasurer, Barbara
Cole-Russell. |
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| Go
Take A Hike! |
On June 17th, NCZ members and friends set out for a day of
waterfall hiking in the North Country. David
Schryver, co-author of Waterfalls of New York
State and five other books on waterfalls in the
North Country, led this band of adventurous souls. David
designed the day to include selected waterfalls in
Lewis County and also several in Oneida County.
With
temperatures in the low 60s, the hikers felt
energized and ready for exploring, The first nature
stop was Roaring Brook Lower Falls outside Lowville.
From there, the group moved on to Roaring Brook
Falls on the Glendale Road. Lush green foliage and
the sound of rushing water greeted the explorers.
They viewed beautiful sights such as Swans Falls and
Hidden Falls.
|
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The group is shown above in Otter
Creek State Park with Eatonville Falls in the
background.
Some of the waterfalls had unique
names such as Fish Creek Falls and Singing Waters Falls.
The majestic beauty of Sugar River Falls at Talcottville was an impressive sight.After a busy
morning, the group stopped for lunch at Capri
Pizzeria in Boonville. The lunch was tasty, and the
company was jolly. In the afternoon, the adventurers
entered Oneida County. They attempted to view New
Bakers Falls, Lansing Kill Falls, and Lock 64 Falls.
The overgrown trail made these wonders inaccessible
for now.
They were able to view Pixley Falls. Due to
the recent drought, however, there was only a
trickle of water instead of a mighty rush. Such is
nature ... always changing, always interesting.
On the journey
home, the group stopped at Mercer’s Dairy outside
Boonville for their traditional ice cream treat.
This feature of each outing is a delicious way to
relax and to reflect on the events of the day. Under
the leadership of David Schryver, NCZ members and
friends had an opportunity to witness the beauty of
the North County. The tranquility of nature has a
way of restoring one’s soul. This day filled with
excitement, wonder, and friendship was no exception.
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Winners of the
RENY NCZ 2026 Scholarships for High School
Seniors |
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The North Central Zone (NCZ) of the Retired
Educators of New York (RENY) and the
Northern New York Community Foundation
(NNYCF) are very pleased to announce the
winners of the 2026 Scholarship for High
School Seniors.
| Cohen
Hunter lives in Watertown and
attends General Brown Central High
School. He is the son of
Jennifer Dean and step-son of David
Dean. He plans on attending
SUNY Brockport in the fall majoring
in Secondary Mathematics. |
 |
 |
Ronald Zehr is the son of Sarah
and Gregory Zehr of Henderson.
He attends Belleville-Henderson
Central School and plans to attend
SUNY Potsdam in the fall, majoring
in Secondary Social Studies. |
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RENY-NCZ on Facebook |
 We
are now on Facebook ... click on the logo to access
our group. |
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