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Bethlehem Central honors students and coaches for state, regional and world-level achievements
Summary
At its end-of-year meeting, the Bethlehem Central School District Board of Education recognized dozens of students and volunteer coaches — highlights included an Odyssey of the Mind team advancing to World Finals and placing sixth, state-level placings in track and ultimate frisbee, a Unified Basketball final at MVP Arena, and several sectional and regional achievements across spring sports.
The Bethlehem Central School District Board of Education used its final meeting of the school year to recognize student teams, athletes and volunteer coaches across academic competitions and spring sports.
Rebecca (Becky) Bider, BCSD Odyssey of the Mind coach, told the board the program grew to about 70 team members this year and sent one team to World Finals at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa; that team placed sixth in the world in its problem division. "I am Rebecca Bider, and I am the BCSD Odyssey of the Mind coach," she said, recounting state and world competition results and thanking volunteer coaches and student helpers.
At the high-school athletics recognitions, Ezra Cotton, captain of the BCHS ultimate frisbee team, credited sustained team development and volunteer coaches for a second-place finish in the state and urged continued school support. The Unified Basketball coach, Nick Robbins, said the program fielded nearly 40 participants and won a close overtime final at MVP Arena. Boys track coach Andrew Rickert and girls coach Tucker Shlapakwitzki highlighted state qualifiers, including Calvin Howard (new school-record mile of 4:12.32 at the state meet) and Sophia Chromczak, who finished second in the state steeplechase for her class. Steve Smith, the varsity tennis coach, noted a 17‑2 team record, a sectional championship and a regional final appearance.
The board also recognized Shawn Mooney for long service as a teacher, coach and organizer of unified sports; the board and audience applauded his retirement.
Why it matters: the recognitions showcase extracurricular programming and volunteer coaching that support student development and community engagement. District leaders highlighted the role of volunteers and operations staff in hosting state events and tournaments.
Next steps: the meeting concluded with routine board business and announcements about upcoming events, including the class of 2026 graduation at MVP Arena on June 27.
