Our team was just awarded about $250,000 from Mayor Brown's Buffalo Building Reuse Fund to complete the design for the street, as part of $1.25 million awarded to our project, Genesee Street and Chippewa Street (see article link below).

We have a new name! The GED® name has been purchased by a publishing company (Pearson), and has become a registered trademark. This means that GED® must be represented by the registered trademark symbol whenever it is used in communications such as this article. So it was necessary to change our program name to something that wasn't owned.

 In addition, Pearson will make sweeping changes to the General Education test to be put in place January 2014. The good news is New York State opted out of Pearson's  plan, along with many other states. New York has been in negotiations with many companies to have a test written, and be phased in over the next three years. They just announced CTB/McGraw Hill, as the writer of the new High School Equivalency Diploma test, a blessing to our program because we currently use many of McGraw-Hill's cutting edge, research based resources in our classroom!

The equivalency test will still change in January 2014, as we have been advertising for the past year. This means any partial scores will definitely be lost. If you have taken the Official Test between 2002 and 2013, and passed all but one or two parts, your partial scores will only be good for the rest of this year. You will need to retake all five sections after January 2014.

What is exciting about the most recent developments is that Pearson was going to charge test takers $120 per test, have the entire test taken on the computer, and limit test centers to about 20 per state (NYS currently has 200 test centers). CTB/McGraw Hill is writing an assessment that will gradually be computer based, and still include the changes needed to align the test with NYS P-12 Common Core Standards. There will be a charge of $54 per test, but it hasn't been decided WHO will pay this fee. There are many questions arising since NYS has made their announcement. We will update you through Newsletter articles and the website, as we become aware of new information.

For more information read the actual news release on the NY State Education Department website please go to this web address: http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/HSEquivalencyDiploma.CTBMcGrawHil.htm

Beginning Monday, March 25^th there will be an Adult Education Teacher at the Allegany Adult Education Program (formerly GED®). Classes will be Monday through Friday 9am to 3:30pm.

Marjorie Andrews comes from the BOCES center, where she has been employed as a GED® teacher. We are very excited to have her join our team, and hope you will stop in to meet her soon!

Employment and Training Department, Allegany 3674 Administration Drive, Salamanca (716) 945-8146

We are in the middle of March Madness, which means when a horn goes off at the end of a postseason basketball game, things get crazy. In a way similar to college conference title games, high school playoff victories at this time of year mean that you will reach another level of the state tournament, that your season will continue while your opponent's will end.

When that horn goes off, madness follows. Players run onto the court. Teammates sprint into each other's arms. There are hugs between coaches and players and managers. And it is far from quiet.

And then there's Zed Williams.

Williams is the senior leader of Silver Creek, one of the state's best lacrosse players who is outstanding on the basketball court as well. After the Black Knights clinched their first trip to Glens Falls for the state final four with a regional victory over Mynderse at Rochester's Blue Cross Arena, he walked to the bench, put on an orange bracelet that a coach was holding for him, and spent a few minutes by himself before joining a quiet, meaningful celebration with his team.

The orange bracelet bears the name and number of Carney Johnson, No. 28, who was a lacrosse teammate of Williams' on the Six Nations Rebels, champions of the prestigious Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior B league. The Rebels won the title Aug. 10, 2012. Four days earlier, Johnson had taken his own life.

Williams has played with the memory of "C.J." all season.

"I carry it with me each and every day, when I wake up and when I go to bed," said Williams. "Or when I'm in school, writing things on my paper. It's a mental thing for me. He's not just with me, he's with all of us still. I had some pretty special moments with him in the locker room. I had the pleasure of sitting by him in the locker room, me, him and my brother Zack," who was two years ahead of Zed at Silver Creek.

"I guess you could say I've played with him [this season]. … I probably never said some stuff to him that I should have."

"Every game he's been like this," Silver Creek coach Rob Genco said of an emotional Williams after Silver Creek defeated Middle Early College for the overall Section VI Class C title. "Zeddie feels like he should have tried to do something … that if he only could have talked to him."

This is a special player, who has a special relationship with his coach. Genco met Zed when he was a fourth-grader in Genco's elementary school gym class. The teacher and coach has offered his help to his students: some school lessons, some life lessons.

Zed has been extraordinary in that he has not only sought out that help, but he has become a role model himself. When Genco made a concerted effort to sit at a lunch table with students with disabilities, Zed asked why. Then he decided that he, too, would join his coach and the students at the table. Actions like that have had other teammates and classmates following Zed's example.

"Then it's happening with other guys, because he's the answers to the test," Genco said. "They watch the way he acts. … He walks on someone else's campus and there's garbage on the ground, and he picks it up and carries it to throw it out."

Time out. This is where I had to cut off the coach's story to tell him one of my own.

After Silver Creek defeated Middle Early College at Buffalo State, I asked Middle College coach Randall Rich about Williams. The first thing he said didn't have anything to do with basketball.

"Today, as we're pulling up on the bus, Silver Creek doesn't see us. Zeddie Williams is the last one off their bus. He walks over to the corner, where there's a crushed can on the ground, just laying there. The dude picks it up, walks it over to a trash can, nobody's looking … and he throws it away. Talk about, 'Act like your grandma's watching - even when she's not - be a good person all the time.' … If you'd have to pick someone that you had to lose to, I'll take that loss all day."

Then Rich summed up Williams' effect on the game.

"He killed us. He killed us. Just destroyed us."

Williams certainly does that, but, like those postgame celebrations, he doesn't come out and hit you over the head with it. His gait, just like on the lacrosse field, is a calm, deliberate one as he dictates the pace of play and the positioning of the defenders around him. Instead of cradling a white ball in his short stick, he is bouncing a big orange one, with his off arm similarly locked in the right angle that will protect against a defender (while not getting called for a ward in lacrosse).

The 6-foot-2 senior has a strong, wide-strided dribble that enables him to get to the basket quickly, where he can score or find teammates - either inside (6-foot-7 sophomore Bill Brooks) or out (three-point shooting threats Steve Marcey, Kaine Kettle and Brennan White).

"He's a playmaker," said Kettle. "Teams are worried about him, double-teaming him, and it leaves us open."

I asked Kettle, who is a lacrosse standout as well, if that in both sports he is similarly trying to find the right spot on the field so that Williams will help set him up for a goal, or a basket. "Exactly."

There is an unteachable brilliance in the way he orchestrates on offense, in the same way he does on the lacrosse field, where as a junior he set the New York State points scoring record (surpassing Casey Powell). He will play lacrosse at national power Virginia.

"When you watch them play lacrosse," says Marcey, who plays baseball in the spring, "it's pass after pass after pass, then it's in the net, like tick-tack-toe, and that's the way we play on the basketball court."

Furthering the success is a trust among the teammates, all of whom are Seneca Nation members who live on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation. It is a genuine love for each other, one that is fostered unabashedly by Genco, one that has been returned by the community in this undefeated season, one of just two in the state.

When Silver Creek returned from Rochester, fire companies from Sunset, Irving and Hanover were among those who welcomed the Black Knights home. "The escort was a mile long," said Genco. "It started at Jim White Chevrolet and went past Tim Horton's to the Thruway.

"When we got here, there were 300 people waiting. We just opened up the cafeteria and had the whole town here just loving the guys up."

"Hopefully we can get it done," Williams said of the Black Knights' trip this weekend. "Everyone is proud. I'm sure it'll be upsetting if we don't, but that's not the most important thing … hopefully we can make them more proud."

At this point, I'm not quite sure if that's possible.

* Four of the five starting players from Silver Creek High School are enrolled Senecas including: Zed Williams, Brennan White, Kaine Kettle, and Billy Brooks.

CATTARAUGUS/ALLEGANY TERRITORIES - FirstEnergy, the operator of the Seneca Pumped Storage Project near the Kinzua Dam in northwestern Pennsylvania, lacks the necessary property rights to successfully operate the Project, the Seneca Nation of Indians asserted in an official submission filed on Monday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  The Seneca Nation made this submission in connection with the relicensing proceedings before the federal agency for the hydropower generation project.  The Seneca Nation and FirstEnergy are both competing for the federal license to run the facility.

 "FirstEnergy does not have and has never had the Seneca Nation's consent to use our sovereign tribal lands for power generation, " said Seneca Nation President Barry E. Snyder, Sr. "It's just another example of outsiders taking Indian property rights and using them for personal gain without properly compensating the Indians," said Snyder.

The Seneca Pumped Storage Project is located along the Allegheny River and Reservoir in the Seneca's Allegany Territory, southern New York, and northern Pennsylvania.  The Project pumps water from the Allegheny Reservoir to an upper reservoir and releases the water from the upper reservoir back into the Allegheny River and Reservoir, generating hydropower in the process.  The license of the current operator, FirstEnergy, will expire in 2015.  In connection with its efforts to regain the federal license, FirstEnergy is seeking to condemn the Nation's sovereign land rights as part of the regulatory process.  Under the Seneca Nation's 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, its lands are protected and not subject to ordinary condemnation for power development.

In 1938 and 1941, the U.S. Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build Kinzua Dam, which created the Allegheny Reservoir, for flood control and water quality enhancement in the Allegheny River Basin.  The dam was designed to flood 21,175 acres of land, including 9,978 acres of the Nation's lands in its Allegany Territory.  In 1964, the U.S. Congress authorized condemnation of limited easements for water flowage in some of these Nation lands for flood control and related federal purposes, but it did not include power development by a non-federal entity.

In 1965 the Federal Power Commission, FERC's predecessor, licensed the non-federal Seneca Pumped Storage Project to use the Allegheny Reservoir as its water source. The original recipient of the license in the 1960s, and now First Energy as their successor, did not seek or obtain from the Nation the property rights necessary for its operation.

"We are presently considering what remedies to seek for FirstEnergy's past and current unauthorized use of our lands and any potential environmental harm it has caused; fixing a wrong and taking back what rightfully belongs to the Seneca Nation," said Snyder.

The Nation holds its Allegany Territory under the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, which was signed by President George Washington.  

Similar to the popular Biggest Looser, 56, five-man teams from both Cattaraugus and Allegany, have been working to develop healthy eating habits and introduce a healthy approach to exercise into their daily lives. Each team member had to sign a waiver to be in the program requiring them to follow healthy-living decisions and not try and lose weight through drastic or trendy weight loss programs.

To date and in just two weeks, the teams have lost a collective total of 2,164 lbs., over one ton already!

Through a participation registration fee and donations, more than $14,000 in prizes will be awarded to the teams that lose the highest percentage of body fat, not the highest total of lost pounds. This allows the teams to compete on a level playing field depending on the female/male make-up of each team. The individual who loses the highest percentage of body fat will receive a cash prize. Participants are weighed in every Monday.

Under the guidance of Tani Wojcinski in Cattaraugus and Andrea John in Allegany, teams and/or individuals are taking advantage of the many exercise and personal training programs offered at both of our recreational centers. Each team was inspired to come up with its own name to empower them on to victory. Just some of the team names include: "Dude, Where's my Gut?," "Idle on the Couch No More," "Love Handlers," "Tootsie Rolls," "Veggie Butts," "Back Fat Warriors," "The Muffin Tops," "Cornbread Crew," "Waist Removal," and  "Mission Slimpossible."

The Seneca Nation Weight Loss Challenge program will also be sponsoring the first Seneca Diabetes Foundation (SDF) 5K in March to celebrate their success. The date is Saturday, March 9. Registration will be from 9am-10:15am, with the race beginning at 10:30am. A $10 donation fee will be required with proceeds to benefit SDF. A healthy lunch will be provided and the first 30 paid registrants will receive a race t-shirt. Contact Tani Wojcinski (716) 532-4900 Ext.5704 for more information.

- President Barry E. Snyder, Sr. 

Seneca Weight Loss Challenge participants burning calories during Water in Motion class that takes place at the CCC on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

CLASSES NOW FORMING

Sponsored by SNI EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING DEPARTMENT

There are excellent employment opportunities in Western New York for individuals that are certified as Nursing Assistants/Home Health Aides.

Students receive 140 hours of instruction in the class-room, laboratory and clinical experience.

Funding is available for those who qualify.

For more information, see the flyer or call Employment & Training (716) 532-1033

Financial Aid available to eligible candidates.

Call Employment & Training Today!

Cattaraugus: (716) 532-1033

Allegany: (716) 945-8120

1) Supervisory Committee (2)

2) Credit Committee (2)

We would like to take this opportunity to ask for your interest in serving as a member of a committee appointed by the Board of Incorporators.

Recruiting volunteers to serve on a committee is one of the responsibilities of the board of incorporators. Whatever your reasons for wanting to serve, the survival of the SNI FCU depends on community people like you. Please consider the following reasons why you should volunteer:

• Service
• Fulfillment
• Career development
• Professional growth
• Social contact
• Status
• Control
• Activity

To apply, fill out this Volunteer Application Form (note on page 3 - notary required) and return it along with your current resume to:

Economic Development Specialist
Community Planning Development Department
12837 Route 438
Irving, NY 14081

A prerequisite for board members is that the Federal Credit Union Act requires the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) ensures that all prospective officials, committee members and employees be subject to credit checks and background investigations. NCUA requires assurance that the management team and committee members will have the time and ability to serve. We need people to step forward who are honest and of good character. NCUA also needs to be reassured that the committee team be committed to dedicate their time and effort needed to make the proposed federal credit union a success.

We look forward in hearing from you and if there are any questions regarding the nominating process, please feel free to give me a call at 716-532-4900  ext. 5447. Thank you for your time and cooperation. You will be notified by mail from NCUA after we submit the completed NCUA form 4012 and resume.

Gasa′kneh Sga:d, 2012

Find the Newsletter at the link below.

Saturday, October 6, 2012
Blue Cross Blue Shield Bulding
Buffalo, NY

Join the Seneca Nation Team by contacting one of our Captains.

Cattaraugus Captain: Lori Crassi (532-8223 ext 5235)
Allegany Captain: Andrea John-Ortego (945-5894 ext 5236)