Below were the remarks delivered by Mexico Board of Education President James Emery as the Board of Education honored Mr. David Maidens as the district’s Proud to be MACS honoree for April 2026 at the March Board of Education Business meeting.

Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of recognizing many of MACS’ outstanding staff. Two of the most notable staff members happened to be members of our fine arts department. In my mind, they stood out because of their outstanding talent, their passion, their ability to instruct and inspire, and their gift of connecting or bonding with their students. Those staff members were Jim Palmetese and Barb Sheldon. I believe tonight’s Proud to be MACS recipient David Maidens, Mexico High School Art, Design, and Photography instructor possesses many of those same qualities and, because of them, had a similar impact on his students and colleagues that Jim and Barb had on theirs.

Dave moved to Palermo from the North Syracuse area when Dave was in 5th grade.

In Middle School, Dave played in the marching band and played in the Palermo Little League.

In High School, Dave was in the Mexico Matadors marching band, played football, and participated in Outdoor Track where he did the jumps - long, triple and high.

One highlight from high school centered around his track career when he ended up winning a meet against rival APW. The meet was tied and came down to the final event - the long jump. Dave’s competitor from APW had a better jump until Dave’s last jump, when Dave was provided with extra motivation after seeing a friend displaying affection toward Dave’s girlfriend. Using this jealousy fueled inspiration, Dave made the winning jump. Ironically, the win came against legendary APW coach, Grant Decker, who Dave would later work with. Much to Dave’s delight, Coach Decker did not hold a grudge for this defeat.

Another highlight from high school is described in Dave’s nomination form. It reads, “When looking at the 1985 Yearbook, there was a page with a picture of a painting - “The Pride of the Orange” with a tiger. Apparently Athletic Director Sparky Rector decided that MACS needed something that it lacked for a long time - a mural on the entrance to the gym (the 1965 gym). So, Sparky assigned the project to Dave and Dave George. While this a side note, this is who Dave Maidens is - he gets things done right.”

Dave graduated from MACS in 1985 and would attend SUNY at Oswego where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with an Art History minor.

One highlight of his college years is that he participated in the SUNY Exchange program his junior year in London, England. Not only did he take in all that London had to offer, but had a lasting memory of living only a few steps from an apartment where Beatle John Lennon once resided.

Ironically, Dave returned home from this semester abroad on Pan Am Flight #103. If this flight sounds familiar, it is because one year later that flight would end in tragedy over Lockerbie, Scotland when a terrorist bomb exploded.

Following his graduation from SUNY at Oswego, Dave subbed at MACS in many different academic areas - gym, English, and, of course, art. Dave would also work one year as a security guard at the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant. Fortunately for MACS, Dave resisted the monetary enticement of working in nuclear power.

Instead, Dave enrolled in a Masters of Science and Teaching program at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The MST program was a two year program that was condensed into one year and certified Dave to teach K-12; this was a unique certification. Because of this broad certification, Dave gained experience teaching at all three levels - elementary, middle, and high school.

In 1996,Dave was hired by CiTi BOCES for Commercial Art and Graphic Design Instruction. Dave remained at CiTi until he became a victim of program cuts.

In order to make ends meet, Dave taught Art and Design to prisoners at the Oswego County Correctional Facility while still working as a 1/2 time instructor and security at CiTi. He also taught Arts and Crafts to the elderly at the Rochester Jewish Center and worked three summers at Onondaga Community College in its Summer College/Kids Classes.

In 2006, Mexico High School Principal Judy Belfield hired Dave to a position at MACS replacing his inspiration, Jim Palmetese. Together with Barb Sheldon, this dynamic duo would continue Jim’s legacy of an art department of accomplishment and student success and student engagement.

Besides instructing, Dave involved himself with several athletic and co-curricular activities.

Concerning athletics and serving as an example of one of Dave’s virtues -commitment, Dave coached indoor track and field. In those days, meets were staged at Syracuse University’s Manley Field House. As great a venue as Manley was for basketball before the JMA Wireless Dome, it was limited for indoor track and field. This meant Dave had to spent two nights per week at Manley because boys meets were one night while girls meets were another. Keep in mind, these meets occurred during the winter, so it was quite the investment of time on his part.

Concerning co-curricular activities, Dave became co-advisor for the MACS National Art Society and MACS Yearbook Advisor. The latter holds a special place in my heart as I was Editor-in-Chief of my class’ yearbook. I know how much time and effort the advisor has to contribute to making the “Mexiconian” a success. Every year, there is a new staff that Dave has to deal with and train. Plus, Dave contributes a tremendous amount of his time taking photos of the various student activities for the yearbook. I think anyone that has a yearbook created during his tenure would agree that his yearbooks not only capture a year at MACS but are truly works of art for their quality, design, and layout.

These examples barely scratch the surface of Dave’s contribution to MACS over his 20 years. In fact, former colleague Barb Sheldon informed me in a recent phone conversation that most people have no idea how much Dave has done for this District. To support Barb’s observation, here are a few words written by a former student, a colleague, and his current principal.

The former student and now MACS administrator is Shawn Parkhurst. Shawn writes, “I’ve had the unique privilege of knowing Mr. Maidens for over 20 years - as a student, a colleague, and now as an administrator - each role has only deepened my appreciation for the impact he has had on our school community.

  As a high school senior, I wasn’t particularly interested in art and had little experience in that area. When I needed a half-year elective, Mr. Maidens encouraged me to take his photography class. I went in unsure of what to expect, but quickly found myself engaged in a way I hadn’t experienced before. Even during a time when many seniors are already looking ahead, he created an environment that made you want to be present. He helped me see what it truly means to be an artist - paying attention to detail, perspective, lighting, and turning something ordinary into something meaningful. More importantly, he built relationships and created an experience that students genuinely looked forward to each day.

As I transitioned into a colleague and later an administrator, that same authenticity and support never changed. Mr. Maidens has always been someone you can count on - whether it was capturing incredible moments for our programs, contributing to the yearbook, or simply going out of his way to support others. He has consistently gone above and beyond, not for recognition, but because of his pride in our school and his commitment to our students. Mr. Maidens’ dedication, creativity, and genuine care for others have left a lasting mark on generations of students and staff. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the Proud to be MACS award as he begins this next chapter.”

Colleague Brittany Malone writes, “I am truly grateful to have Dave by my side at the high school for the past six years. When I transitioned from the middle school, Dave immediately welcomed me and offered his support. What stands out most about Dave is his selflessness - he is always willing to drop everything to lend a helping hand. His phone is constantly ringing, and there is never a shortage of people stopping by to seek his expertise, yet he somehow manages to get everything done with care and dedication.

Dave’s impact can be seen throughout the high school. As a guiding force behind the Mexiconian yearbook, he uses his photography skills to capture students in every aspect of school life, from classrooms to athletic fields. Students genuinely enjoy talking with Dave and always feel valued in his classroom.”

Finally, Principal Chris Soluri writes, “Mr. Maidens’ career at Mexico High School has been defined by creativity, passion, and an unwavering commitment to students. As a dedicated Art teacher, he inspired generations of learners to see the world differently, encouraging self-expression, curiosity, and confidence. His classroom was a place where imagination thrived and every student felt valued, supported, and challenged to grow.

Beyond the classroom, Mr. Maidens’ years as Yearbook Advisor reflected his selfless and tireless nature. He spent countless late evenings covering games, mentoring budding photographers, and guiding students through the responsibility and pride of telling their school’s story. His patience, enthusiasm, and eye for detail helped students develop skills that extended far beyond high school, leaving a lasting imprint on Mexico High School’s traditions and memories.

Above all, Mr. Maidens has been known for generosity of spirit and commitment to doing what is right for kids. He consistently went the extra mile offering guidance and advocating for students each year to ensure students could walk across the stage and experience success. His legacy is one of service, compassion, and dedication, and his impact will continue to be felt throughout Mexico High School for years to come.”

One might think from the above sentiments that Dave’s life is “all work and no play.” However, I can assure you that Dave has enjoyed his share of fun.

One of his outside passions is music. He showed me a list of entertainers that he met over the years that included Del Shannon, Johnny Cash, Dave Matthews, and Willie Nelson. Dave listed many others but, being an old guy, these were the entertainers that I recognized.

Another passion is racing that was developed in the late 1980’s by visiting the Oswego Speedway. In 1999, he became a crew member for Andy Noto’s team. (Andy, by the way is now an engineer for General Electric in its nuclear division.) Today, Dave serves as a crew member for dirt track racer, Chad Phelps on a team that enjoys occasional success despite not having the resources of other racing teams.

Besides meeting famous entertainers, Dave met several stars of the racing world like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., and Jeff Gordon.

As for Dave’s favorite part of his job, Dave stated that he loved doing his job and that he can’t believe that he gets paid for doing it.

As for his favorite memory, it involved a coaching accomplishment from December of 2011. Apparently, at one of his track meets, Mexico only fielded some 12 athletes and arrived later than desired due to a bus breakdown, so the team had little or no warmup. They left without learning the results from the meet. At a subsequent meet, Mexico and another team, which had more depth and advantages than Mexico, were called to the podium to receive their placement plaques from the preceding meet. As the coach from the other team reached for the 1st Place plaque assuming they had won, the league official stopped him because it was Mexico that had been victorious. This was a “David vs. Goliath” moment that Dave never forgot.

And so Dave, for getting things done right, for following in the footsteps of your mentor, Jim Palmetese, for being Citi’s loss but our gain, for building relationships and creating experiences that students genuinely looked forward to each day, for being selfless and always willing to drop everything to lend a helping hand, for inspiring generations of learners to see the world differently, encouraging self-expression, curiosity, and confidence, for creating a classroom where imagination thrived and every student felt valued, supported, and challenged to grow, for spending countless late evenings covering games, mentoring budding photographers, and guiding students through the responsibility and pride of telling their school’s story via the Mexiconian yearbooks, for being known for generosity of spirit and commitment to doing what is right for kids, for doing all of this but still finding time for fun, but, most importantly, for all that you have done for this District that we may never have heard about, it is long overdue that we, the Board, recognize you as our Proud to be MACS recipient for April 2026.