School district dedicates "alumni Atrium"

WARWICK-On April 26, the Warwick Valley School District dedicated its new Alumni Atrium at the Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center located in a wing of the Warwick Middle School on West Street Extension. During various renovations and alterations over the years, the district rediscovered many old class and team photographs dating back as far as 1899, through the early 1900s and up to the 1950s. The photographs n beautiful, formal studio portraits n were framed and a permanent display was created in a gallery-type setting. The pictures were unveiled during a ceremony attended by the Board of Education, school administrators, Superintendent Dr. Joseph L. Natale and more than 40 Warwick alumni, some of whom attended Warwick schools as far back as the 1930s. "It is my hope today, as we dedicate this Alumni Atrium to all of you," Natale said, "that tomorrow's students who pass through here will feel the connection to their past through you and your experiences and stories. That is what makes Warwick a great community and a great school district." He then introduced Kurt Emmerich, member of the class of 1973 and current school board president. Emmerich spoke about the board's desire to foster the connection between the community and the school district. "This event is a starting point in that direction," he said. The schools superintendent then unveiled the framed studio photographs from the school district's earliest days. After the unveiling, guests looked at other photographs while they enjoyed refreshments and the music of "Synergy4," a string quartet of high school orchestra students Hemangi Shah, Emily Smith, Emily Moore and Katie Burnell, led by music teacher Keely Gould. The collection of vintage portraits can be viewed at the Alumni Atrium in the Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center at the Warwick Middle School. If you would like to be included in future alumni events, contact Dorothy Wilson at 986-3010.