Mr. David Thering was a long time Social Studies teacher at Minerva Deland who became famous for his mantra such as "Excuses are the nails that build our house of failure." Listen to hear the backstories on his pearls of wisdom, his keys to teaching success and why he loves Fairport and will stay here until his "demise"!
CORRECTIONS: The freshman class raised about $1,500, not $15,000. Mr. Thering earned his masters degree from Nazareth.
On the night Kim took her nine month-old daughter, Vivian, to the hospital, she thought it would be just a quick stay. She never imagined that she and her husband would learn that their baby had Type 1 Diabetes - extremely rare in such a young child. Find out:
- The process of diagnosing Vivian with Type 1 Diabetes
- What day-to-day life is like for their family
- How she uses frosting to help Vivian
- Kim's advice for parents who are advocating for their children - but keep running into roadblocks
- How Kim co-founded Parents Helping Parents - and is making a difference in Monroe County and New York State.
Angie was always curious about her mother's ancestry. Her mother was adopted at the age of five and never knew the identity of her own parents. But after December 8th, 2009, when Angie's mom passed away from cancer at 5 am - and then Angie's own first child was born before the day ended -- she became determined to discover who she was and who was a part of her daughter's heritage.
Find out:
- How she identified and located her relatives
- How she's dealt with some family members rejecting her
- Why meeting new relatives is like "going on a first date"
- What to do if you uncover some "skeletons in your family tree"
- How she thinks her mom would react to all of her efforts
Casey Daggett is one of Fairport's strongest mothers! Two years ago, her daughter, Zoey, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and they have been fighting for Zoey the whole time. Hear all about:
- The whirlwind experience of learning Zoey had cancer
- Their experiences seeking treatment (including traveling to Germany)
- How Casey's bodypump group helps her cope with stress
- How they've handled having tough conversations with Zoey
- What she loves about Zoey
- Her expert tips of how to survive a hospital stay with kids
Coach Don Santini (Class of '57) is the amazingly successful coach who lead the Fairport Football Team to seven Section 5 Class AAA Titles between 1975-1992. Find out:
- The ONE game he would like a "re-do"
- His personal game day rituals
- How do get kids "fired up"
- What's his ringtone today . . .
- Why he thinks he retired too early
Thank you to TK's Pizzeria and Fairport Brewing Company for sponsoring this episode!
Maureen Aguglia was an award winning bartender and restaurant manager when she had a near death experience that motivated her to completely change her life. This episode is PACKED with inspiring and interesting stories from Maureen's life!
Find out:
- How a trip to her dentist almost turned deadly
- How Maureen copes and thrives with dyslexia
- What she did when her 5th grade teacher said she would never graduate from high school
- Maureen's experience with a sudden brain surgery
- How she "held it together" as a single mom
- Life behind the scenes of the fancy/flare free-pour bartending world
When Nate Romagnola (FHS Class of 1999) took a summer job mowing lawns and tending mausoleums, he never dreamed he would end up as the Vice President of White Haven Cemetery someday!
Find out:
- How a city planner became a burial planner!
- Why planning a funeral is a lot like planning a wedding . . .
- Latest burial trends (yes, it's a real thing!)
- How Nate deals with the solemn nature of his job
- Why Nate's extended family is EXTRA close . . .
- The "most popular" spot at White Haven Cemetery
Thank you to The Inn on Church for sponsoring this episode!
Modern Lodging with a Nod to History
Dave Paddock was the principal of Fairport High School from 1995 - 2008 and quickly became known as a beloved administrator who connected with students and the community.
Find out:
- Why his own high school experience was traumatic
- Why he decided to learn the names of the entire graduating class each year
- Dave's experiences being a principal in the immediate aftermath of Columbine
- How to discipline with love
- What started Brotherhood and Sisterhood week
- Why he retired
Thank you to The Inn on Church for sponsoring this episode!
Modern Lodging with a Nod to History
Tim Slisz is one of those people quietly working behind the scenes, influencing so many aspects of Fairport life. He works at Johanna Perrin as a sixth grade teacher, serves as a Village Trustee and is active in Church of the Assumption. He's everywhere!
Find out:
- What he thinks grades tell you about a student
- His dreams for the Village of Fairport (if money were no problem)
- How he became a foster dad to several different children over the years
- What it's like to run for public office
I'd like to thank Blaze Lacrosse for sponsoring this episode.
Blaze Lacrosse - #1 in Club Lacrosse since 2000!
Tim Soudan grew up playing lacrosse in his backyard with a stick his parents finally got him for Christmas in seventh grade. After playing in high school and college, he made Team USA and won the World Championships in 1994 and 1998. He played lacrosse professionally for the Boston Blazers, the Rochester Knighthawks and the Rochester Rattlers. He is a lacrosse legend!
After retiring from professional lacrosse, Tim became a physical education teacher at Minerva Deland and is the current coach of the Rochester Rattlers, as well as the assistant coach of the boys team at FHS.
Hear all about:
- Tim's time as a stock-broker and why he switched jobs
- How many years it took him before he shot his first deer
- What his college professor thought after seeing one of his fights playing on the local news
- How Tim was stopped all the time at Wegmans in high school
- Why Tim loves Fairport
You can check out Tim's wikipedia page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Soudan
Max Erickson moved across the country this year to Fairport. What's it like to move to Fairport as a junior in high school? Hear all about:
- What helped make Max's transition to Fairport so much easier
- How the first day of school went during lunch
- What he thinks about FHS
- His advice for anyone moving anywhere!
Sean McCarthy (FHS Class of '98) went to college to become a social studies teacher. Never did he imagine he'd plunk down all his savings and start his own tent and event company years later! Find out all about:
- The biggest thing that goes wrong at weddings
- The advice he'd give everyone when planning a wedding
- How he feels about working with his wife and family
- How McCarthy Tents and Events transforms Instgram dreams into reality
Pam Renfro and Angela Herrald were neighbors chatting in their driveways before they decided to dive into a new venture: Open a Bed and Breakfast in the village of Fairport! Hear all about:
- How a former youth-minister and an athropologist make the perfect team
- The "Harry Potter Room" under the stairs
- The vast amount of historical records about the house
- Original features of the home on stunning display throughout the Inn
Just in time for Halloween - Ron Roberts previews some of the ghost stories of the Village of Fairport. Hear all about:
- Which historical home might host thirty different spirits!
- How Ron found out about all these stories
- How to get a spot on this FREE Ghost Walk before the season ends
- If Ron believes in ghosts . . .
Amy Joslyn (Mrs. J) wanted to be the first female president, and then a criminal lawyer and a host of other things before she started working in the children's section of a library and realized that it was "magical"!
Hear Mrs. J's journey of becoming a librarian, tips for reading with kids, her loooooong commute, what makes her cranky, and her favorite books!
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The Fairport Brewing Company (FBC) transformed the corner of Church and Main Streets into the coolest place to be any night of the week! Drive by and you'll see a food truck and hear great tunes from the live music out on the patio. Behind all of it is Tim Garman -- owner of the Fairport Brewing Company!
Hear all about:
- The ghost that haunts the FBC
- What makes FBC a farm brewery, not a micro brewery
- How all the beer is made right in the Village of Fairport
- The Kickstarter campaign got Tim Garman started
- His proudest moments with FBC
Marty Cardona might be the busiest woman in Fairport! Hear all about:
- How she became an adoption case worker and helped place over 2,500 children with adoptive couples
- How a magazine article started her on her own journey of adopting two children from Korea
- What kept her sane while raising six young kids
- How adoption proceedings have changed over the years
- How Rochester is the #2 city in the country for adoptions from Korea
- Her latest work with Bill and Joanne Cala in Africa
And so much more! Fairport is lucky to have Marty Cardona!
It's summer camp time, and this episode we hear from Fairport alumn, Chris Dudley, about how he went from going to sleep-away summer camp as an eight-year old kid, to working as a counselor and eventually continuing his career at the YMCA today!
It was so awesome to hear how Brotherhood & Sisterhood Week, working at The Lampion at FHS and teachers like John Baynes and Bob Shaw influenced him along the way to pursue a service-minded career!
Fairport alumn, Brian Lilly (class of '98), STILL holds the record for the mile at FHS! After an impressive career competing in nordic skiing at some of the highest levels, including the Olympic Training Center, two Olympic Trials, the Junior World Championships, and the US Military Biathlon, he retired in 2003 and expanded his career to coaching.
Hear all about his experiences including:
- A sweaty hat that has been handed down through FHS track athletes for over 20 years -- and how one mom finally broke down and washed it in the early 2000s
- How his athletes' successes are some of his proudest moments
- What it means to be a good coach
- What it's like being a stay-at-home dad
Everyone loves seeing the revolving Christmas tree on South Main Street each Christmas season. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about this Fairport icon, including:
- Why Pete Hartman built it for his prom back in the 1950's
- How he keeps the wires from getting tangled
- Exactly how fast it revolves
- Why his house was painted pink for decades!
Who drops out of college, competes on Star Search back in the 80s, writes a song about mashed potatoes and ends up being a beloved Fairport Principal?! Rich Greene!
Hear about his personal journey as well as the background behind how Jefferson Avenue won the Spirit Award at the Homecoming Spectacular Event last October. SPOILER: He thinks he cheated a little bit . . .
April Jordan has perfected the art of foraging for food along the Erie Canal. Want to know how which part of a cattail you can eat? How to make acorn flour? Where to find the best berries? Should you eat ferns raw or cooked? Listen and find out!
SPOILER ALERT: You know that bambooish looking plant? You can eat that too!
Everyone loves seeing the Fairport Crew Club out on the canal! What started as handful of teenagers in 1999 has grown to a team of over 100 kids! Hear all about:
- How the canal water is PERFECT for crew (who knew?!)
- How Bruce Weick gets the inside scoop about when the canal will fill in the spring
- If ducks get in the way
- The HUGE winter training facility in the Country Club Plaza
- Indoor rowing tanks!
Ever wanted to do something completely different with your life? Julie Stolze was a stay-at-home mom, until her youngest was in 8th grade, and then decided to try something totally new! Hear all about what surprised her about owning a small business, how she unwinds in her little red convertible bug (!!!), the people who cheered her along the way and her most unusual flavor of peanut butter!
In Episode Two, I chat with Fairport resident, Christina Bancroft. She and her husband struggled with infertility for eight years before undergoing a frozen embryo transfer using donor eggs. Hear all about their journey from fertility treatments arriving at their doorstep, to what kept them strong and sane during those years, and how they eventually ended up at a clinic in Washington State.
Get your tissues ready for the moment when after eight years of waiting, Christina finally hears a nurse say "Congratulations, you're pregnant!" and she drives to her husband's police station to give him the news.
*My voice is slightly quiet in this podcast, but you can hear Christina loud and clear - which is great because she has one amazing story!