Our Story
The Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District (commonly shortened to “Ken-Ton”) encompasses the vast majority of the Town of Tonawanda and all of the Village of Kenmore. With strong institutional traditions and a long and proud history going back more than 125 years, the Ken-Ton School District continues to define itself through the passion and dedication of its students, parents, staff, administrators, Board of Education, community, and alumni.
Ken-Ton has fostered a world-class teaching staff through an innovative and comprehensive framework of mentoring, coaching, and staff development. A significant number of Ken-Ton teachers have earned National Board Certification, which is considered to be the gold standard in teaching, and many staff have been distinguished at the regional level and beyond for demonstrating excellence in their professions.
The Ken-Ton School District prides itself on its exceptional K-12 music and art programs, a comprehensive framework for social-emotional success, and extensive high school offerings including the International Baccalaurate (IB) Program, CTE-certified Career Academies, Project Lead the Way pre-engineering curriculum, art career pathways, Honors/AP programs, and the innovative Big Picture non-traditional high school program.
Ken-Ton School District alumni include two national TV news anchors, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge, a former Skylab astronaut, the former president and CEO of Dunkin' Brands, and individuals who have achieved the highest levels of success in their careers, from professional athletes, actors, comedians, and musicians to business leaders, doctors, engineers, and educators.
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Wednesday, May 11th was a special day as the Kenmore East and Kenmore West Unified Basketball Teams came together for the annual East vs. West game. It was Senior Night for the Kenmore East team, providing an opportunity for the team to highlight and celebrate its graduating seniors, and Kenmore East senior Olivia Wood did a phenomenal job performing the National Anthem on violin.
Unified Sports brings together students of all different abilities to join together and use their own unique skills to contribute to the team. Unified Sports were first established in Ken-Ton last year beginning with the basketball program with bowling added this year as Ken-Ton’s newest Unified Sports program.
Please note that the 2022-23 Instructional Calendar has been updated to include open house and early release dates for the 2022-23 school year. You can find it at
www.ktufsd.org/calendar. Early release dates will be as follows:
9/28/22 (Gr. K-7)
11/30/22 (Gr. 5-7)
12/8/22 (Gr. K-4)
12/16/22 (Gr. K-4)
2/1/23 (Gr. K-7)
2/9/23 (Gr. 5-7)
3/27/23 (Gr. K-4)
5/12/23 (Gr. K-4)
6/6/23 (Gr. K-7)
The 2022-23 District Calendar booklet with detailed event/activity information will be sent home to families in August. Up-to-date online/Google web calendars will also be posted to the district calendar page at
www.ktufsd.org/calendar over the summer. Thank you!
The artistic talents of Hoover Elementary students were on display at a very special event on Friday, May 6th: the Hoover Art Show and Family Fun Night. Every student in school had at least one piece of artwork displayed for the event. Students and families were also able to come together and enjoy a variety of fun activities and games sponsored by the Home School Association (HSA).
The centerpiece of the event was a special "Glow Gallery" in the school's Wellness Room which featured "Under the Sea" artwork with select works from each classroom. These pieces glowed under black lights which created an amazing effect that dazzled everyone in attendance. Great job to everyone who was involved in coordinating the event, art teacher Jennifer Lynch and all Hoover students!
Thank you to everyone who voted in today's Budget Vote and Board of Education Election! Proposition 1, the proposed 2022-23 school year budget, was approved by voters (yes votes: 1,232 no votes: 332). Proposition 2, the annual bus purchase, was approved by voters (yes votes: 1,223 no votes: 325). There were also two terms on the Board of Education that will begin July 1, 2022 and end June 30, 2025. The seats will go to the two candidates who received the highest number of votes. The candidates who received the highest number of votes were Matthew Chimera, who received 1,354 votes, and Paul Spors, who received 1,290 votes. They ran unopposed.
For more information on the budget, propositions, and candidates for the Board of Education, visit
www.ktufsd.org/budget and
www.ktufsd.org/candidates.
Reminder: The Ken-Ton School District Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program (UPK) is extremely excited to welcome all incoming UPK students and families for an Open House tomorrow (Wednesday, May 18th) from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Hamilton Elementary (44 Westfall Drive, Tonawanda). Children are welcome to attend!
Hoover Middle School recently wrapped up this year’s Roller Coaster Club with a presentation in the school library where all working coasters were displayed, operated and celebrated. Videos were also taken of each coaster and shared during daily announcements. The club is led by Hoover Middle sixth-grade social studies and science teacher Tina Pilato. Students worked in groups of various sizes to design and build a functional coaster using specific materials. Through this process of planning, building, and decorating, students developed a deeper understanding of mechanical energy, problem solving, perseverance, and collaboration.
Hoover Elementary students recently had a wonderful time at the school's first all-school assembly in more than two years which featured a fun, fast-paced and extremely entertaining science-based program presented by Red Tie Variety. The program was made possible by a Young Audiences grant written by Fran Paskowitz. Music teacher Jill Cumbo and her students did a phenomenal job kicking off the assembly with a patriotic color guard followed by the introduction of the speaker by science teacher Anthony Orzel. Students were fascinated and engaged throughout the presentation and excited to be together as a united Gr. K-4 student body!
Please remember that the annual Budget Vote & Board of Education Election takes place today (Tuesday, May 17th) from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Hoover Middle School. Use the Sheridan Drive entrance. On the ballot is the proposed 2022-23 budget, annual bus purchase, and candidates for the Board of Education. All school district residents are encouraged to learn about the budget and vote. You can find more information on the budget, propositions and candidates at
www.ktufsd.org/budget.
Voters must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, and a resident of the district for 30 days prior to the vote. Those who are not registered to vote will need to complete an affidavit confirming that they are a qualified voter. Photo identification and proof of citizenship, age, and residency are required for those who are not registered.
May 15, 2022
Dear Ken-Ton Community,
It was with great sorrow that we learned of a mass shooting that took place in Buffalo on Saturday. We have never had such a terrible event happen so close to home. This unthinkable act also appears to have been motivated by hate, which makes it all the more difficult to cope with. Even if not directly impacted, we will have students, faculty, and staff who feel like they are, or could have been a victim.
All across the country, people are struggling to come to terms with this senseless tragedy and mourning the terrible loss of life. Arrangements have been made to have counseling and support services available in all of our schools beginning tomorrow, Monday, May 16th. We will do whatever it takes to support our students, families and staff during this difficult time. The services of our Family Support Center are also available to all students, families and staff. You can reach the center by calling 716-874-8510.
The Ken-Ton School District stands united in fierce opposition to violence, racism and hate. Our hearts go out to the innocent victims of this tragedy as well as their families and loved ones. We are here for each other and will remain united as one Ken-Ton family.
Sincerely,
Sabatino Cimato
Superintendent of Schools
The extraordinary artistic achievements of our Kenmore East students were celebrated on Thursday, May 12th during the school's annual art show.
Student artwork from this past year was displayed throughout the Kenmore East auditorium for the Kenmore East High School 2022 Arts Fest. There were contributions from all different grade levels and art classes, and our art teachers did an amazing job curating the hundreds of different pieces that were featured.
It was a wonderful way to celebrate the talents and hard work of our students this year!
The extraordinary artistic achievements of our Kenmore West students were celebrated on Thursday, May 12th during the school's annual art show.
Student artwork from this past year was displayed throughout the Kenmore West Library for the Kenmore West High School 2022 Art Exhibition. There were contributions from all different grade levels and art classes, and our art teachers did an amazing job curating the hundreds of different pieces that were featured.
It was a wonderful way to celebrate the talents and hard work of our students this year!
We are extremely proud to recognize dozens of students across the district who earned a place in the highly selective Erie County Music Educators Association (ECMEA) All-County ensembles. Acceptance into these ensembles is by audition only and participants represent the most talented music students in Erie County. Performances took place in March. Several Ken-Ton music teachers (Kristen Hill, Ciaran Krueger, Jill Neuhaus, Jessica Leary, and Elaine Grant) served as event chairpersons with Phil Aguglia serving as conductor of the junior high jazz band. You can find the full list here:
https://www.ktufsd.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=1&ModuleInstanceID=21332&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=51238&PageID=1
Additionally, four extremely talented Ken-Ton students will be performing in the Junior High Area All-State Band later this month: Alistair Gianni (Kenmore West), Bari Sax; Dylan Kociencki (Kenmore East), Tenor Sax; Owen Shotwell (Kenmore East), string bass; and Nolan Vitko (Kenmore East), Trumpet.