Cohen Middle School

06/22/2026

June 22, 2026

2-Hour Delay due to power outage at Cohen Schools on Monday June 22, 2026

Good morning, everyone!

Families, students, and staff, we are so sorry for the delay today; the start of our last week of classes for the 2025-2026 school year! Calling a 2-Hour Delay at the last minute is never a decision we want to make. We appreciate everyone’s ability to adjust the many plans this morning as we dealt with a power loss at the Cohen Complex.

The basic details from this morning were that we had a power failure of undetermined nature at the Cohen Complex around 6:25am this morning. Our Buildings and Ground staff attempted to reset the power and were unable to after several minutes. As you likely know, we cannot have students or staff in the buildings without power. As the minutes ticked towards the first students being picked up for school by our buses, and the power was still not coming back on, it was determined we needed to move to a 2-hour delay. That decision was made at approximately 6:45am and notification protocols were engaged.

We have since been able to restore power to move forward with school today and we believe we have identified the source of the power outage, and it is being addressed.

We are sorry for the inconvenience that this has surely caused for the morning routines for families and students, as well as our staff.

Thank you to our building staff as they have readjusted end of year activities for today. Thank you to our Transportation, Buildings, and Grounds staff for their work in adjusting this morning as well!

We now look forward to a great last week of school with its many end-of-year activities, culminating with our High School Graduation this Friday!

Have a great week everyone!

Mike Gill, School Superintendent

06/17/2026

Come join our team! 🧡💙

06/04/2026

Dear Cohen Campus Families and Supporters,

Thank you for your flexibility, patience, and support during dismissal today. We greatly appreciate everyone's willingness to quickly pivot from our normal dismissal procedures for walkers and pick-up students.

This afternoon, our School Resource Officer (SRO), along with the outstanding Elmira Heights Police Department and support from neighboring law enforcement agencies, responded to an unexpected visitor—a curious black bear roaming near our campus facilities.

Shortly before dismissal, our furry friend decided to explore the area around our playground and bus port. While the bear remained outside of our fenced areas, it became interested enough to attempt a closer look by climbing part of the fence. Our fearless SRO helped encourage the bear to continue its journey back toward the woods and away from our schools.

While our young bear friend did appear to follow the Cohen Cougar Code by using the sidewalk when crossing the road, we felt it was best not to let them participate in dismissal activities any further!

But honestly, who can blame the bear? We do have some of the best schools, students, and staff around!

In all seriousness - following this close encounter, and out of an abundance of caution, we made the decision to transition dismissal procedures to parent or designee pick-up, eliminating the need for students to walk through the neighborhood while the area was being monitored.

We want to thank our students for their cooperation, our families for their understanding, and our staff for their adaptability. Thanks to everyone's teamwork, dismissal was completed safely and smoothly.

We would also like to extend a special and heartfelt thank you to our School Resource Officer, the Elmira Heights Police Department, and all of the law enforcement agencies that responded and supported our campus today. Your professionalism, quick response, calm presence, and commitment to keeping our students and staff safe are deeply appreciated. Simply put—you are the best!

We appreciate your partnership and are grateful for a school community that always comes together when needed—even when the situation is a little more "bear-y" unusual than expected!

Sincerely,

Michael F. Gill, School Superintendent

05/27/2026

The Cohen Outdoor Classroom is back! Thank you Jameson Duggan, Zach Sternfels and the Junior Rotarian Students for your vision and efforts in bringing back this amazing space! CMS is proud of you!!!

05/25/2026

Wishing our school community a safe and meaningful Memorial Day as we reflect with gratitude. ❤️🤍💙

05/20/2026

Modified track had their final meet at Moravia last night. This was a relay only meet where all of the kids got to be in a different relay. The favorite event was anything but a baton event - as the pictures show 😎 congratulations on an awesome season, Spartans! And thank you Coach Sadler and Coach Kohler! 💙🧡

05/13/2026

Congratulations to the newest members of Cohen Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society! These students show excellent examples of the Spartan Way, demonstrating respect, responsibility, trustworthiness and citizenship. Way to go, Spartans!

05/03/2026

Celebrating our 8th graders at the annual semi-formal! 🪩 thank you for an awesome time, Spartans. This group of kiddos will be missed next year! 💙🧡

05/01/2026

See available positions at https://olasjobs.org/elmira-heights-csd

04/02/2026

Elmira Heights is Hiring!

Elmira Heights CSD is Hiring! Elmira Heights Central School District is actively seeking a qualifi...