The Amherst Central Alumni Foundation, Inc. Grant Committee awarded $10,595 for requests submitted by faculty and staff for the 2025-26 school year. Grants were awarded in all four schools for academics, technology, sports, arts, and special education. Among the grants awarded were: Band/Orchestra trip, Varsity Boys Basketball trip, Mental Health Awareness tools, T-shirt workshop, Creation of a Yarn Club, Trip to Zoo, 1st Grade Trip to Science Museum, Literacy enriching tools, In-school visit by Seneca Tribe, In-school visit by Nickel City animal expert, Creation of “Windy’s Closet”.
Grants are fully funded by generous alumni donations and other fundraising activities. Grants are awarded for programs that are not funded by the school district budget and are selected based on the most students that will be positively affected. The Amherst Central Alumni Foundation, Inc. has awarded over $213,000 in grants over the past 20+ years. For more information, please visit our website https://www.amherstalumni.org.
We are in the throes of the Amherst Operetta’s Annual Patron Drive, which raises funds for the Operetta by selling ad space in the program. The Operetta is able to exist each year because of, essentially, only two revenue streams that make the show possible: Patrons and Ticket Sales.
Our Development Team is led by Mrs. Jessica McLaughlin, assisted by Ms. Danielle Rodgers.
Our patron goal is $20,000. Last year we surpassed this goal, having raised approximately $20,750 in ad sales. The remainder of the budget is paid for by ticket sales. I anticipate the CATS budget to be approximately $35,000 – $40,000. To give you an idea of a few past shows:
Phantom (the Operetta’s only other Lloyd Webber Musical) was still the highest to date at approx $57,000 in production costs.
Last year’s Les Miserables cost approximately $56,200.
The link below will take you to the Operetta’s Annual Patron Spreadsheet, where you can see all of the current patron subscribers and the last 7 or 8 years (see YEAR tabs at the bottom of the page). From this document, the staff keeps track of every ad sale, large or small, and works to develop the program that is distributed when the audience arrives for the performances.
Any and ALL patrons help to keep the production going strong, purchase materials for the set, costumes, company events, and even compensate the staff, which is NOT covered by the ACSD. As I always articulate, the Amherst Operetta is nearly self-sufficient, run like a professional theatre company that produces one major production annually. These funds also support the Music Department Scholarships at the end of the year.
Thank you for your help keeping this great Amherst tradition alive and well! Your help is needed! Please, feel free to reach out to a local business, your workplace, etc., and solicit a patron in support of the Operetta! No patron is too small or too large, and your help is the most important of all!
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to: Justin Pomietlarz, Producer/Music Director: Jpomietlarz@amherstschools.org or Jessica McLaughlin, Patron and Development Manager: blettj@gmail.com
Thank you so very much for supporting our Amherst students! The Amherst Operetta is the OLDEST High School Music Theatre program in Western New York 1950 – 2025 – an astounding
76 annual productions!
With sincere respect and appreciation, Justin T. Pomietlarz
_________________________ Note from Mrs. McLaughlin:
Dear Amherst Family and Friends,
This year marks the 76th consecutive year of Amherst Central High School’s long tradition of exceptional musical theatre productions. We are sure that this year’s selection of CATS will carry on this fine tradition!
These shows exist in large part because individuals in our community recognize the educational benefits and entertainment value of the musical theatre experience and contribute financially to help cover the costs of the production. There are many costs associated with putting on a Broadway quality show such as fees for a professional stage director and choreographer, royalty fees, printing programs, costumes, makeup, lighting and set design.
We have met with Mr. Pomietlarz, producer and vocal director, and set a fundraising goal of $20,000. In order to meet this goal we need your help! We only have a few weeks to raise funds for this production.
In this email, you will find the Patron Drive forms to share with your favorite businesses and family/friends. We are also sharing a list of the Patrons that have donated in the past. If you see an unclaimed patron that you would like to contact, please feel free to do so! We also hope to grow our patron list so that more businesses can help us reach our goal! Please contact either of us if you have any questions or to share your ideas on how we can make this year’s Patron Drive a huge success.
Survived by his beloved wife Elizabeth (Liza) of 64 years. Devoted father of David (Sheila), Scott and Victoria. Proud grandfather of Bruce, Kelley and Riley.
Richard was originally from Troy, Pennsylvania and remained very fond of his hometown his whole life. Obtained rank of Eagle Scout and attended Philmont & National Scout Jamboree of 1953. Graduate of Troy High School. Attended and graduated from Mansfield State Teachers College and received his masters degree from University at Buffalo. He had also obtained many post graduate credits from Canisius College and Buffalo State College.
His love of teaching high school English began in Warren, Pennsylvania. He then taught at Amherst Central High School for 30 plus years. Upon his retirement from Amherst, he continued his devotion to teaching for an additional 6 years at Holy Angels Academy. He left behind a legacy of multiple generations of students well prepared for careers and life.
Upon his final retirement he mastered the skills of fly fishing, enjoyed a lifetime of hunting, was an avid reader and could frequently be found cycling around Amherst. He also was a very enthusiastic fan of UB’s sports teams.
In accordance with Richard’s wishes there will be no services. Family to hold a private gathering at a later date.
To honor his memory donations can be made to Hospice Foundation, PO Box 590 Buffalo, NY 14240.
Note – above picture from 1965 Tower year book with Florence Sturgeon and Beverly Nopper (Meer)
Yuri Hreshchyshyn, 64, tireless volunteer, pillar of the local Ukrainian community
By Dale Anderson – Buffalo News | “You embody everything good about our community,” now-retired Rep. Brian Higgins declared in December when he paid tribute to Yuri Hreshchyshyn on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Hreshchyshyn gave his support, his sweat and his vision to numerous community improvement and development initiatives. He played his most prominent role, however, as a pillar of the local Ukrainian community.
The son of Ukrainian immigrants and longtime president of the Buffalo chapter of the Ukrainian American Congress of America, he diligently promoted Ukraine and its culture while developing affinities with the General Pulaski Association and other Eastern European groups locally.
He put together a Buffalo contingent to serve as international election inspectors in Ukraine’s elections in 2014 and again in 2019, when current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won.
“I got, as always, some friends interested in taking the trip with me,” Mr. Hreshchyshyn told an interviewer in 2019, “and this time around, it’s five of us.”
Following the Russian invasion in 2022, he led fundraising efforts and assembled numerous shipments of aid to the beleaguered nation. He also helped bring Ukrainian families here after they were displaced by the war. One of those families were his cousins. He arranged for them to live in his mother’s house in Williamsville.
For his efforts, the Ukrainian World Congress awarded him its St. Volodymyr the Great Medal in 2023 “for exceptional contribution to the development of Ukrainian life in the diaspora and the development of the Ukraine.”
He continued his efforts until shortly before he died April 8 at the age of 64 after a lengthy illness. He had organized a rally in support of aid to Ukraine in Niagara Square on March 3.
Expressions of appreciation for him and his work for Ukraine and the community poured in following his death.
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and State Sen. Sean Ryan hailed him as a leader on X, formerly Twitter. Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper noted on Instagram that he inspired many as a volunteer. On a memorial page, a friend wrote: “Yuri provided an unparalleled, tireless example of what it truly means to be of service to others.”
Born in Buffalo, Yuri B. Hreshchyshyn was the eldest of five children and the son of Dr. Myroslaw Hreshchyshyn and Lidia Warekha Hreshchyshyn.
His father, who came to Buffalo in 1957, was a medical scientist and professor of gynecologic oncology and obstetrics at the University at Buffalo Medical School. He introduced the use of chemotherapy in gynecological oncology in the U.S. in the 1960s.
His parents maintained close contact with relatives in their homeland and were active in the Ukrainian community locally. Mr. Hreshchyshyn and his siblings spent Saturdays as children in lessons on Ukrainian culture, language and dance.
He was a 1977 graduate of Amherst Central High School, where he was a member of the Computer Club, and earned a bachelor’s degree from UB.
He worked for a time as a paramedic for Gold Cross Ambulance Service. He later joined the staff of the Erie County Department of Social Services and became an inspector in 2007.
A South Buffalo resident with a home on the banks of the Buffalo River, he was an Erie County Democratic committeeman and was active with the Buffalo Cooperative Federal Credit Union.
The longest-serving director on the board of the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., he did volunteer maintenance work for 20 years and manned a payloader to install trees along the promenade leading to the terminal.
He also planted trees with numerous community groups, helped build community gardens and cleaned up vacant lots. He taught young people how to cut grass and trim shrubbery.
He had an abiding interest in civic initiatives. He contributed a design for expansion of the Peace Bridge, suggested a trolley route through the Cobblestone District using abandoned railroad tracks and advised officials on Buffalo’s Green Code.
Mr. Hreshchyshyn was a volunteer for the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, the East Side Garden Walk Committee and the annual Buffalo News Kids Day. He also was the contact for Buffalo’s two Sister Cities in Ukraine, Drohobych and Horlivka.
Survivors include three sisters, Marta Hreshchyshyn, Nadia McQuiggan and Kusia Hreshchyshyn; a brother, Adrian; his best friend, Allison Robinson; her children, Tyler and Alexis; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral liturgy will be offered at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, 308 Fillmore Ave.
Amherst Middle School is looking for Alumni to be Career Day Presenters on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
If you are interested, read the attached letter from the Amherst Middle School Career Fair Committee by clicking here. Please ignore the deadline date on the letter. More participants are needed.
Faculty and staff are always excited to have Alumni share their experiences with students.
Tiger Tracks 