ALBANY—Elementary schools in Cortland, Erie, Westchester, Steuben, Yates, and Nassau counties will receive The Business Council's 2004 Pathfinder Award in separate ceremonies in March. The award honors schools that show high improvement from one year to the next as measured by their students' scores on state tests. Twenty-four schools around the state will receive the award. See the complete list of winners on page 2, below.

The schools scheduled to receive the awards are:

Virgil Elementary School of the Cortland City School District in Cortland will receive its award at separate ceremonies Tuesday,March 9, at 2:15 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. Both ceremonies will take place at the school. The evening ceremony will take place at the Kaufman Center. For further information, contact school principal Lynn New at 1-607/758-4130. This school was selected from all public elementary schools in the state's judicial district 6, which includes Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties.

P.S. 80, the Highgate Heights School of the Buffalo City School District in Erie County, will receive its award at a ceremony Wednesday, March 10, at 10 a.m. The event will take place at the school. For further information, contact school principal Will Keresztes at 1-716/838-7473. This school was selected from all public elementary schools in the state's judicial district 8, which includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.

The Foxfire School of the Yonkers City School District in Westchester County will receive its award at a ceremony Wednesday, March 17, at 7 p.m. The event will take place at Saunders Trade and Technical High School in Yonkers. For further information, contact the director of public information, Jerilynne Fierstein, at 1-914/376-8092. This school was selected from all public elementary schools in the state's judicial district 9, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties.

The Casimir Pulaski School of the Yonkers City School District in Westchester County will receive its award at a ceremony Wednesday, March 17, at 7 p.m. The event will take place at Saunders Trade and Technical High School in Yonkers. For further information, contact the director of public information, Jerilynne Fierstein, at 1-914/376-8092. This school was selected from all public elementary schools in the state's judicial district 9, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties.

The Penn Yan Elementary School of the Penn Yan Central School District in Yates County, will receive its award at a ceremony Wednesday, March 17, at 11:20 a.m. and 7 p.m. Both events will take place at the school. For further information, contact school principal Matthew Herz at 1-315/536-3346. This school was selected from all public elementary schools in the state's judicial district 7, which includes Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties.

The Lindley Presho Elementary School of the Corning City School District in Steuben County will receive its award at a ceremony Thursday, March 18, at 11:10 a.m. The ceremony will take place at the school. For further information, contact school principal Thomas Tunney at 1-607/523-7252. This school was selected from all public elementary schools in the state's judicial district 7, which includes Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties.

The Ludlum School of the Hempstead United Free School District in Nassau County will receive its award at a ceremony Tuesday, March 23, at 9:30 a.m. The event will take place at the school. For further information, contact school principal Sandra Ashby at 1-516/292-7088. This school was selected from all public elementary schools in the state's judicial district 10, which includes all of Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Background on the Pathfinder Award: The Council awards the Pathfinder Award to two or more schools in each of 12 regions of the state. Winning schools are chosen by The Council based on a range of criteria, including improvement in scores and the number and percentage of students tested. In addition, at least half of a school's students must meet or exceed state standards on the fourth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) and math tests before the school can qualify for the award. Two awards are given in each of 12 different regions across the state. These regions are the state's judicial districts because those regions are the basis of appointments to the state Board of Regents. The program is in its fourth year.

Schools that win the award receive $1,000 for the school's programs and a trophy in recognition of the achievement.

Here is a complete list of the 2004 Pathfinder Award winners:

Employers that have supported the Pathfinder Awards include Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; Apple Computers; Buck & Pulleyn; CH Energy Group; ChevronTexaco; Consolidated Edison, Inc.; Corning Incorporated; Fleet Bank; Frontier Communciations; Golub Corporation; HSBC; KeyBank; KeySpan; Metropolitan Life; Pfizer; The Pike Company; The Pioneer Development Company; Racemark International; Security Mututal Life Insurance Company, and State Farm Insurance Company.

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