by Phil Zema
On Friday, March 5, New York State Senator Roy McDonald visited the Berlin Junior/Senior High School. Berlin is part of McDonald’s 43rd Senate District, and during his visit, he toured the school, attended several classes and was treated with a lunch prepared by Diane Mosher’s catering class. During his tour, McDonald was intrigued by what the students were learning and was noticeably impressed with the faculty, students and facilities.
McDonald visited a number of classrooms. First, he attended a sixth grade science course taught by Bill Lawrence. An avid Yankee fan, the Senator was dismayed to see so many Red Sox followers. Yet he was captivated by the students’ science projects, which included a study on the material used to create Olympic swim gear. McDonald then attended a seventh grade English class, which was taught by Kristen Montgomery-Breh. When he entered, the class was reading quietly, seemingly unaware of the senator. The students talked about their books, and McDonald talked about the importance of reading. He said that no matter what career one chooses, strong reading skills will be imperative. Before going to lunch, the senator visited Christine Walsh’s eighth grade science class. Her students talked about their science experiments.
Berlin’s catering class provided a sit-down lunch for Senator McDonald, his staff and several School Board and administration members. In the same room, the cast from Huck Finn sang several songs from the play.
Before leaving the school, McDonald visited Jennifer Delia’s social studies classroom. Her students presented the legislator with an honorary plate.
Throughout his visit, the Senator complimented the school and took time to talk with any faculty or student who crossed his path.