Seven Valleys holds second Rotary Interact Club Student Induction

Congratulations to the 17 students from Seven Valleys New Tech Academy in Cortland who were inducted into the Rotary Interact Club on Jan. 13. This is the second induction ceremony held at Seven Valleys. The club now has 31 students committed to volunteering in their community.
 
Rotary Interact is a community service organization that offers opportunities for students to do meaningful volunteer work. The “Interact” stands for International Action and serves as a symbol of the impact the club has on not only the immediate Cortland community, but also the international community. The partnership with Seven Valleys and Rotary Interact Club started in fall 2018 and was initiated by Seven Valleys Spanish Facilitator Maria Gimma through the Cortland Breakfast Rotary. At the recent ceremony, Gimma talked about how the organization helped her as a 12-year-old girl from Columbia by paying for her education. Encouraged by the organization’s support, Gimma decided to bring the Rotary Interact to Seven Valleys.
 
On Jan. 13, the new inductees were warmly welcomed into the Rotary Interact Club by current members, including Cortland Breakfast Rotary Club President Don Richards, District 7170 Interact Club Chair Martin Winsor, and Cortland Breakfast Rotary Member Jeremy Boylan.
 
Boylan presented an overview of the organization and highlighted the projects members from Seven Valleys have worked at, including the Election Day/ Pancake Day, River Clean Up and Adopt a Highway, Pumpkinfest, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, and more. Two students from Seven Valleys – Brennan Mahon from Onondaga Central School District and Ethan Westbrook from Homer CSD – shared their experiences from these events during the presentation. Both students reflected on how their time with the Rotary has helped them feel that their voices have been heard, while learning something new about the people in their surrounding community.
 
Boylan concluded his presentation by thanking the students, past and present, for their willingness to join the Rotary Interact Club.
 
“A lot of people say they like to give back to the community, but you guys are actually out there and you’re doing it,” Boylan said.
 
Following Boylan’s presentation, Student Club President Megan Porter took to the podium to reflect on all that the club has accomplished during its short tenure. Since September, students in Rotary Interact have been busy giving back to the community by participating in a total of five projects, already far exceeding the two projects they are required to complete each year. As a group, Porter shared that they have earned a total of 1,724 volunteer hours. With this success in mind, the group hopes to participate in an international project next year.
 
Congratulations to the newest Rotary Interact Club members!

Newly Inducted Members Jade Barber, Homer Isabella Barrows, DeRuyter Cody Bell, Homer Brigid Comerford, Cortland Kennith Craft, Cincinnatus Justin Dermott, Homer Seth Faircloth, Cortland Carrick Knarr, Homer Victoria Lent, McGraw Alyssa Marshall, McGraw Paris Rosario-Dube, Cortland Nicholas Ryan, Cortland Gatlin Stark, Cortland Taylor Tinker, Cortland Zachary VanEtten, Homer Greta Williams, Cincinnatus Dylan Wood, Homer

Returning Interact Club Members (Inducted January 2019) Charles Bibick, Tully Michaela Eichorst, Cincinnatus Mitchel Elston, Cortland Evelyn Hull, Homer Jasmyn Harmin, Cortland Peyton Lucas, Cortland Brennan McMahon, OCS Allison O’Mara, Cortland Megan Porter, Cortland Marissa Reynolds, Cortland Cassandra Snyder, Cortland Maddison Tobin, Cortland Ethan Westbrook, Homer Chloe Zeeuw, Cincinnatus