Island Dispatch, 2004-11-26

              Island DISPATCH  Kelly Wins 'PPK' Page 15 www.wnypapers.com See Us On The Web Spotlighters Shine Page 3 - Founded 1944 • Complete Community Coverage 60 Years As the Voice of Grand Island Award Winning Newspapers The Official Newspaper of the Town of Grand Island and the Grand Island School District Phone:( Meaghan is 'excellent,' breathing on her own by Karen Keefe and Tamika Adams Meaghan Grotz is "doing excellent ," according to her uncle, Dan Drexelius. The double lung recipient, age 17 and a senior at Grand Island High School, is recovering from surgery at Presbyterian Hospital, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her uncle said she is out of intensive care, "breathing 100 percent on her own" and receiving therapy. "Her doctors are real happy," Drexelius said. "She is doing a lot better than anticipated." He said the therapy is to help her to go from the inactivity presurgery to being able to do everything a normal person would do. Meaghan's own lungs were weakened by Cystic Fibrosis and she waited about seven months for the call that a donor was found. That call came on Nov. 3. Making Progress The original prognosis was that she would spend 12 to 18 weeks in the hospital after the surgery. Her uncle said that seems to be just about on track. He said Meaghan started out walking just a little bit, and has now progressed to walking around the whole hospital floor. On Nov. 15, Meaghan's mother, Kate Grotz, wrote on the official Web site, "Yesterday was a big day. Meaghan walked the halls of the third floor - once without oxygen. Needless to say, she was beaming! Doctors (are) all very pleased where she is at. ... Big thing is to keep walking!" "Her spirits are excellent. She's an awesome girl to begin with," Drexelius said. "Her goal is to get out of the hospital, and she would even like to return to school this year. "Meaghan can't wait to get to be normal again," he said. "The doctors are talking about getting a day pass where she can leave the hospital to go visit family. Eventually, she will be able to stay at a hotel and see doctors and therapists daily." Drexelius is planning to make the trip to Pittsburgh this week. Meaghan's parents, Tim and Kate, are with her now, as is her grandmother, Joan Drexelius. VFW Presentation On Tuesday, the Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 9249 presented an $800 check to Drexelius that they raised for "Meaghan's Miracle," to help with her medical expenses. The auxiliary held a chicken dinner fund-raiser in June. Meaghan has received hundreds of cards, letters and e-mails from friends and people across the community. Her uncle said that Beryl Kinney of Grand Island has been a mentor for Meaghan through some difficult times, "She has been just awesome. They've got a connection going on there." He said friends from school have been very uplifting, as well. Drexelius said people have been calling and wanting to donate money to help with his niece's medical expenses. Non-tax deductible donations can be made payable to "Meaghan's Miracle" and mailed to: HSBC  Grand Island Blvd., Grand Island, NY 14072. Tax deductible donations should be made payable to: Kathie Blake of the Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 9249 hands a check for $800 to Dan Drexelius, uncle of doubie-iung transplant recipient Meaghan Grotz, to go toward "Meaghan's Miracle," the fund set up to help the Island teen with her medical expenses. The auxiliary held a chicken dinner fundraiser this past June. Shown, from left, are Diana Demarco, Samantha DeMarco, Liane Dahlberg, Sue McMahon, Drexelius, Pat Kratz, Blake and Rosemary Wojick. (photo by Tamika Adams) Middle School testing shows English deficiency by Karen Keefe With the exception of Connor i Middle School's English Language I Arts report, Grand Island schools j are doing well by the federal educa-1 tion standards set in the No Child (Left Behind Act of 2002, it was j revealed at Monday night's School s Board meeting. Each of the four j schools measured earned a rating of J "School in Good Standing," and the ! district earned the same accolade in 3 an accountability report issued last month. However, "No Child Left Behind" has at the core of its reform philosophy a goal of proficiency for each and every student. The fact that a few Middle School students were left behind in language arts skills is more than a statistical blip to School Board member Neil Seaman. "That is a big deal," he said. Seaman wanted to know what the district could do for academically at-risk middle school students four years later when they face the rigorous new state standards for high school graduation. A child's performance on the eighth grade English Language Arts test is viewed as a predictor of success oh the high school English Regents, one of five state tests each high school student must pass to graduate. Close to reaching goal Karen Karmazin, assistant superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, who made the presentation, said the district has only one sub-group in the student population that has a sizable impact on results. That is "students with disabilities," because Grand Island has such small populations in the other subgroupssubgroups Of "ethnicity," "limited English proficient" and "economically disadvantaged." Karmazin said the Middle School came very close to reaching the goal. But it received a "no" for adequate yearly progress because one Special Education student received either a "1" instead of a "2," or a "2" instead of a "3" out of a possible "4" in the language arts assessment. An achievement level of 3 or 4 means the student is meeting or exceeding state standards. Therefore, the Special Ed subgroup of 32 continuously enrolled students did not pass muster, and the ELA final determination also was a "no" for the Middle School. But Karmazin said the Middle School did "exceedingly well relative to other middle schools in Erie County and Western New York." She said the problem area "is an opportunity to look at what we're doing in terms of literacy and take it as an opportunity for growth." "A lot of people are nervous and continued on page 2 «g= continued on page .2. jzs* At a Glance Monday Connor Middle School Poinsettia Pick-up Day 1100 Ransom Road 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday. 'Make Your Own Graham Cracker House' Presented by Explore & More Grand Island Memorial Library 171.5 Bedell Road 6:30 p.m. For more information call 773-7124. For a complete listing of area events, visit NFP's Web site at www.wnypapers.com WffEfTWlTPffli"""Find out everything you need to know about natcmrt ! iS^S^!* Itiilliml Frontier Publications of Events J mm '' " ' m'm '"■ ' b r-, rm  I ■_- VQLIa lifjfcJtlfffJl lk\\Wf(¥f\\fflJ{lWli *4BP?iyß[ Island Dispatch -Grand island PennySaver«Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune • Lewiston-Porter Sentinel j 119 |H|C WnSOQmM9 S. hMiMIIMiMMUiUMJ. O^TvSSBI*