Cassadaga Valley welcomes inaugural class for Den of Distinction

By Sara Holthouse October 9, 2026 3 min read

Pictured are the honorees for Cassadaga Valley’s inaugural class of the Den of Distinction during the recognition ceremony October 2. In the front row are Patricia Ackley, Bill Carlson, Brian Abram - accepting on behalf of his father, David Abram. In the back row is Donna Comstock - accepting on behalf of her father, Paul Cooley, Donald Hanby, Erika Filipek, on behalf of her father, Joe Annarella. Submitted photo

SINCLAIRVILLE -- Cassadaga Valley Central School is preparing to have its own wall of fame for people who have helped shape the district, calling it the school's Den of Distinction.

While the school district already has an athletic hall of fame, the Den of Distinction goes farther and accommodates everyone, with athletes included as well. The Den of Distinction was established to honor those who have graced the Cassadaga Valley school district with their contributions to the district and students. Unlike traditional halls of fame, the Den of Distinction will not only honor alumni but also staff and administrators who have dedicated their careers to the district. Over the years, the hope is that inductees will include teachers, principals, coaches, superintendents, athletic directors, dancers, athletes, scholars, musicians, actors, volunteers, leaders and philanthropists. The mission of the Den of Distinction is to honor excellence wherever it has appeared, and make sure these stories are remembered, to show students what is possible for someone from Cassadaga Valley.

The inaugural class for the Den of Distinction includes six members; Joe Annarella, Paul Cooley, Donald Hanby, Patricia Ackley, William “Bill” Carlson, and David Abram. Videos detailing each of these members of the inaugural class and their contributions to the district can be found on the Cassadaga Valley Den of Distinction Facebook page.

"When I arrived at Cassadaga Valley, one of our very involved community members swung by and said we really should have some sort of hall of fame, we should have some level of celebration of people who helped shape these walls, halls and our traditions," Superintendent Tammy Mangus said. "We started to engage in a process where they as an outside group came together and the school district partnered with them and we sought to commemorate people who have done just that; help shape the values and the systems and traditions at Cassadaga Valley."

On Friday, October 2, an induction ceremony was held to welcome in the inaugural class. Inductees or the family of the inductee if it has been awarded posthumously interacted with kids with similar interests or life paths as the inductees during the event, and the special event was held by the Den of Distinction committee, with everyone gathered at the district's Front Porch Promise.

"Any community needs to celebrate their past and how that has helped shape their current selves," Mangus said. "This event does just that."

The plan is for the Den of Distinction to become an annual thing, with the committee holding five meetings a year. One of those meetings is a call for applications and another is looking through the applications and voting on who will be inducted.

"Check out the inductees," Mangus said. "Cassadaga Valley is an amazing place to be, and it always was."

Cassadaga Valley welcomes inaugural class for Den of Distinction