MONTICELLO - On Thursday, Sept. 2, a crowd gathered at the Emma C. Chase Elementary School to dedicate a tree in memory of Chris Sorensen. Chris, the son of Legislator Alan Sorensen and Monticello Central School District’s EPIC Program Manager Jane Sorensen, attended the Chase school as a child and worked in the school’s Empire after-school program, where he was well-loved by staff and students alike.

“The beauty of Chris’s tree being at Chase is that he called it his second home and he looked forward to coming here every day,” Jane Sorensen said. “Every day he talked to me about the students he would be working with – whether it was working in robotics or playing with students out at the playground and being a kid a heart – he would just say “that’s my family.”

“Very often in the afternoon while he was working, he would take students out in the back here to play,” Chase Principal Bill Frandino said. "Our wish is that this tree blossoms and grows and serves as a living tribute in Chris’ memory.”