School board elections will be held Tuesday May 18 during the annual school vote at Cazenovia High School.

Frederick M. Koennecke (Fritz)

Mr. Koennecke grew up in Cazenovia and benefited from an outstanding education in the Cazenovia Central School system. He left Cazenovia to attend the US Air Force Academy and pursue a career in the Air Force. During his military career, Mr. Koennecke served in numerous positions including Pentagon acquisition officer and flying squadron commander and he served in several combat operations including Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Mr. Koennecke retired from the Air Force in 2005 as a Lieutenant Colonel and returned to Cazenovia with his wife Elizabeth and kids Fritz and Hannah. He is currently a Program Manager at Sensis Corporation.

When asked why he’s running for a second term on the school board, Mr. Koennecke said “I believe I am well suited to represent you on the school board as we continue to plot our course for the future during these trying times. I’ve learned a lot during my first term about the issues that concern district members. I think we’ve made good progress toward addressing those issues, but we still have a lot of work to do. I enjoy listening to what you have to say and I hope you’ve found me to be an honest and forthright board member so far.”

Patrick Vogl

Pat and his wife Laura have been active residents in Cazenovia and in the Cazenovia Central School district for over 18 years. They have three children, Andrew (age 14), Jillian (age 16), both are students in our high school, and their oldest child Katy (21), is a junior at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Pat has Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Buffalo, along with a MBA in Marketing and International Business from Syracuse University. He also was Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve with the 405th Medical Group at McGuire AFB. Pat is employed with Bristol-Myers Squibb pharmaceutical company in their Virology division.

Pat has been very active in the Cazenovia Community. He is a member of High School PTA, and has volunteered as a coach for both youth football and baseball leagues. He was a member of the Caz Athletic Association, and served on the Board and as their treasurer. He also has served on the Board’s of Cazenovia Country Club, Syracuse Rotary Club, St. James Parish, along with currently serving on the Cazenovia School Board for the past six years, and the last two as the Board’s President.

In discussing his reasons why he wishes to continue as a member of the Cazenovia School Board, Pat stated, “the importance of providing a great school system is pivotal for the health, stability and growth of our community. I believe that we have to continually ask: how can we improve our academic and non-academic programs in this challenging fiscal environment and what do we need to do to improve our schools and grow each year?”

Pat stated that this can only be accomplished through great leadership from the school administration, school board, support staff, and most importantly through our teachers. He believes that “to continually strive for improvement, there needs to be more active dialog between the parents, community members, and school administration and board so that all stakeholders are working in unison so that the children in our district can reach their potential, and help them grow to become the next generation of leaders.”

“I believe it is imperative that this continued search for excellence in our schools be accomplished with utmost fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer. I look forward to this continued challenge and serving the Cazenovia community on the School Board, and I ask for your vote on May 18,” Vogl said.

Kathy Wooster Hahn

Kathy Wooster Hahn is a graduate of Cazenovia High School (Class of 1981), returned to Cazenovia in 1991, and has lived here since then. She has three children currently in Cazenovia Schools, Dylan (age 11) in the Middle School, Jay (age 13) and Becca (age 16) in the High School.

Kathy has a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse and a Bachelor’s degree from Bates College in Maine. She currently works for URS Corporation as an Environmental Compliance Specialist in their Environmental Services group.

Community involvement has always been a key focus for Kathy. She is currently the Religious Education Team Leader for St. James Church Parish Council, former religious education teacher (2nd and 7th grades) at St. James, past member of the Cazenovia Chamber of Commerce, previous Community Outreach Coordinator for Common Grounds, a former president and board member of the Onondaga Cycling Club, and previous volunteer with CAVAC. When her children were younger she was employed part-time as a substitute teacher for Cazenovia schools and spent many days substitute teaching in all three buildings.

Becoming a member of the Cazenovia Board of Education presents another opportunity for Kathy to serve the community. “I view my role on the Board of Education as one in which I can further assist in the growth of Cazenovia’s youth and enhance Cazenovia’s schools. Despite the small size, our school district has much to be proud of. We need to continue to maintain this and strive to achieve higher goals both academically and non-academically. Our student body is extremely talented; that talent represents the potential for our society’s future. A strong school environment can help that potential to flourish. ”

Kathy believes that the Board of Education, although not directly involved in the day-to- day activities within Cazenovia schools, can have far-reaching impacts on those activities.

“Having viewed Cazenovia schools as a student, a taxpayer, a parent, and a substitute teacher, albeit many years ago as a student, I have experienced many aspects of the school and can provide a well-rounded perspective to decisions the BOE must make.”