Betty Conger: Groton’s newest distinguished graduate

The year 2020 would have marked Groton High School’s (GHS) 15th  annual Banquet of Academic Excellence, at which GHS alumni are inducted into the Groton High School Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame.

This prestigious award was created by the Groton chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) 11 years ago to pay tribute to the accomplishments of one or two alumni each year. The recipients are invited to attend the annual banquet to receive their award and serve as the keynote speakers and are commemorated in the halls of the school with a permanent plaque outlining their achievements.

As was the case for almost everything last year, the school was unable to hold the event, despite the fact that NHS was poised and ready to induct Elizabeth “Betty” Tompkins Conger, having received 18 nomination letters in support of Conger’s candidacy.

It was decided that it would be best to just wait for 2021 with the hope that Conger could receive her honor in style. It was worth the wait, and on June 2, Conger was officially named the 2021 Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame inductee.

Village of Groton Mayor Christopher “Joe” Neville gave a heartwarming introduction for Conger, and Groton NHS President Framke Vitale presented her with the physical plaque that will hang on the Wall of Fame in the high school.

“Over the years, I have had the privilege to come here to present awards from various community organizations to worthy Groton students,” Conger said as she began her keynote speech. “To be here as an honoree is a very humbling experience.”

Conger, who is a 1960 graduate, went on to say that she is “the second generation of four to attend Groton schools. This school prepared and inspired me to stay here for a lifetime.”

Conger said that she has “seen Groton prosper and grow, then falter, and now it’s growing again, especially the school with the STEAM Lab and now the EMS program coming.”

The accomplishments and involvements that have culminated in Conger being given this distinction are too numerous to name, but the following are some highlights.

Careerwise, Conger served as a certified senior professional in human resources at Northeast Dairy Herd Improvement for 26 years and as faculty support at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management for 12 years, retiring in 2008, yet sometimes returns to assist with special projects.

Conger is a 44-year member of the Groton American Legion Auxiliary and was awarded an honorary life membership in 1998. She has previously served as president of the American Legion Sixth District of the State of New York, president of the Groton American Legion Auxiliary and as an instructor and associate dean for the American Legion Auxiliary College.

For 21 years, Conger has served as a member of the Groton Village Board of Trustees — including stints as police commissioner and park commissioner — and as representative for the village of Groton on the Tompkins County Council of Governments.

One of Conger’s favorite positions is her service as the local chair of Girls State for the past 25 years, a program that instructs high school juniors in creating their own mythical 51st state involving all levels of government.

Conger also serves as a member of the joint town and village Recreation Committee and of the Groton Youth Commission, sings in the Groton Community Choir and is very active in the Groton Alumni Association, for which she has served in various officer roles through the years.

All this only scratches the surface of how deeply involved and embedded in our community Conger is. The underlying theme of her entire speech at the induction ceremony was not about herself but instead aimed at encouraging the students and others in the audience to get involved.

Conger extolled the benefits of running for local public office, volunteering for the joint Youth Commission and the Groton Recreation Committee, planting flowers with the Beautification Committee, joining the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Groton Rotary and getting involved in “our wonderful community of churches and community service groups.”

Conger also spoke highly of the fire department, the Friends of the Groton Public Library and the library’s Board of Trustees.

“There is something that keeps me here,” Conger concluded. “It must be in my DNA, that volunteering is my calling. If love of community and a volunteer spirit is what you have, staying here is a great plan. It really is a great place to live.”

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or 607-227-4922. 

In brief: 
 
National Honor Society inductees 

Immediately following the Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame induction of Betty Conger, the Groton chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) inducted 14 new members into its ranks: Elisa Allen, Natalia Bell, Lucas Darling, Alyssa DeForrest, Eric Deuel, Mackenzie Hamilton, Austin Hunt, Jillian Lucey, Mattison Lucey, Dianna Niño, Thomas Pinkowski, Devyn Roberts, Mason Slade and Kayla Todd.

NHS adviser Scott Montreuil also gave recognition to the NHS seniors who will graduate this year: Jacey Hatfield (outgoing NHS treasurer), Kaija Hoyt (Class of 2021 salutatorian), Cheyenne Hunt, Bryanna Jacobs, Michaeline Lauchle (outgoing co-vice president of NHS), Kalib Manning, Jackson Slade (outgoing co-vice president of NHS), Framke Vitale (outgoing president of NHS), Tenley Webb and Bowen Zheng (Class of 2021 valedictorian).

Cultural responsiveness training at GCS 

The Groton Central School District will jumpstart its Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning (CLR) professional development training for the 2021-22 academic year by hosting a guest speaker for its entire staff at the end of this school year.

Superintendent Margo Martin is excited to welcome Sharroky Hollie, who is a national educator who provides professional development to thousands of educators in the area of cultural responsiveness.

The goal is to provide faculty and staff with the skill sets needed to introduce pedagogy that better meets students where they are at culturally and linguistically.

Throughout the CLR professional development, teachers will be exposed to four broad categories of pedagogy as they progress through the training: responsive classroom management, responsive academic literacy, responsive academic vocabulary and responsive academic language.

As a result of this yearlong professional development, teachers will gain greater skills in differentiating their lessons to meet student needs, utilizing an approach that goes beyond the lens of academic
performance.

Pool opening soon 

The Groton Memorial Park pool will be opening the week of June 21. Pool is open to Groton residents and guests only. Member registration is required and can be completed on site. Registered users from 2020 are still registered for 2021. All current COVID-19 guidelines will be followed.

Open swim will be from 1 to 5 p.m. daily, lap swim only from noon to 1 p.m. daily. Swimming lessons are still uncertain at this time and will be based on staff availability and COVID-19 guidelines.