SARATOGA SPRINGS — On May 26, 2020, the Saratoga Central Catholic’s Varsity and Junior Varsity Baseball Teams took part in a virtual 5K run to benefit Kelly’s Angels Inc. The Saints were scheduled to have a baseball tournament to support Kelly’s Angels, but had to cancel due to COVID-19. During a Zoom meeting, the varsity players wanted to do one last project as a team to support the organization, and decided on a 5K charity run. The teams received pledges from family and friends and raised a total of $2,305 for Kelly’s Angels Inc. The mantra…Saints helping Angels. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Skidmore College community came together online to celebrate the creativity and resilience of the Class of 2020, whose final semester was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thousands of graduates, students, family members, alumni and friends from across the globe watched as Skidmore conferred 647 degrees in an unprecedented virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 30. The event was broadcast live from the Surrey-Williamson Inn on Skidmore’s campus, and streamed on Skidmore’s website and social media accounts.

The tribute included many of the usual components of a traditional Commencement ceremony — a touching rendition of Skidmore’s alma mater performed by Emma Berkowitz ’20 and Lindsay Walsh ’20; welcoming remarks by Jinan Al-Busaidi ’20, senior class president; a speech by faculty speaker Jennifer C. Mueller; and greetings from President Philip A. Glotzbach, who invited graduates to rise and move their tassels from right to left, symbolizing the conferring of degrees. 

But this year was also unique: Like educational institutions across the United States and the world, the College suddenly switched to online learning this spring. During the Commencement ceremony, graduates gathered with friends and family members in smaller groups as part of global social distancing efforts to contain the spread of the disease. 

Rather than walk across the stage at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), graduates, many wearing caps and gowns at home, were recognized during a live program. Diplomas were sent out by mail.

Praising the resilience of the Class of 2020, President Glotzbach noted there was no playbook for the pandemic, nor for life.

“We all had to make it up as we went along — rather like trying to keep an airplane flying while making emergency repairs. But you rose to the challenge. Along with so many people at our College, you displayed flexibility, inventiveness, perseverance and creativity,” the president told graduates. “Yours is arguably one of the most resilient classes in the College’s history — perhaps the most resilient one.” 

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District Board of Education recently approved a proposed budget of $93,258,635 for the 2020-2021 school year.

The adopted budget reflects a 1.3% budget-to-budget increase, and a 3.53% tax levy increase, with an estimated average of 1.2% tax rate increase across the district (actual tax rates are set in August). The approximate tax impact is a $52 increase for the average single family home assessed at $253,710. 

Voters in the district are encouraged to learn more about the proposed school budget by reviewing the information on the website or in the district newsletter, which is mailed to all district residences. In addition, residents may call the district’s budget hotline with specific questions for the Assistant Superintendent for Business at 518-884-7195, ext. 1320. Questions and comments may also be sent via the comments section on the district website. 

The annual statewide School Budget Vote and Board of Education Elections is being held by absentee ballot only. All registered voters will be receiving information on the process in the mail in early June. Ballots must be received in the mail, or in the ballot drop box, which will be placed at the entrance of the District Office at 70 Malta Avenue, by 5 p.m. on June 9, 2020. 

There are two full term, three year, board seats up for election this year, commencing in July 2020. Interested voters will select from the following candidates: Matthew Dreher, Rebekah Deuel-Jones, Susan Filburn, Lillian McCarthy, Susan Moore, David Newell, and Katie Whittemore. Board of Education candidates have provided video statements that can be reviewed on the district website. Additional candidate information is also being posted by the Saratoga County League of Women Voters.

Please see the district newsletter for additional information, visit the budget pages of the district website at www.bscsd.org/Page/13104 or call 518-884-7195 ext. 1320 for additional information.

Gallery: 1. Saratoga County 4-H Issue Leader Greg Stevens with 4-H Senior Caleb Wilbur.
2. 4-H Senior Libby Swatling with her brothers Wyatt and Zane.
3/Cover Photo. 4-H Seniors Kurt, Keith, Analiese and Karl Meidenbauer.
Photos provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — You might be seeing a few more signs around Saratoga County as 4-H is celebrating the hard work and accomplishments of 4-H Seniors. Saratoga County 4-H and 4-H Teen Council recently delivered yard signs to 30 4-H Seniors throughout the county. These members will also be recognized with a 4-H Senior Spotlight on the Saratoga County 4-H Facebook page.

Many of these members have spent more than a decade as 4-H members, and several have taken leadership roles in their clubs and the 4-H program as a whole. 

“These young people have worked so hard throughout their 4-H career, whether it is raising 4-H project animals, learning and building project skills, or becoming true leaders, we really just want to recognize that hard work and dedication. With the 2020 Saratoga County Fair being cancelled, we felt it was important to let these young men and women know how proud we are of their accomplishments,” said Leland Bunting, 4-H resource educator. 

Cornell Cooperative Extension and Saratoga County 4-H are excited to recognize and congratulate our Senior 4-H Members.

Sarah Johnson. Photo provided.

BALLTSON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District has selected Sarah Johnson as its new Malta Avenue Elementary School Principal. 

Johnson was appointed by the Board of Education at its May 20, 2020 meeting with a July 1, 2020 start date. She currently serves as the assistant principal for K-8 schools at Schuylerville CSD.

“I am incredibly excited to begin my role as Malta Avenue Elementary School Principal. It is truly an honor to join this excellent community,” Johnson said. “I share wholeheartedly in the district’s commitment to the well-being of our students and to provide all students with an excellent education. In the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to getting to know the Malta Avenue students, teachers, parents and community members.”

Her current responsibilities include planning, coordinating, and facilitating curriculum development and curriculum mapping for all grade levels and departments, K-8. She co-planned and co-facilitated the school’s Curriculum Review Committee. She also planned, coordinated, and facilitated professional development for all staff members, K-8, on Next Generation Learning Standards. Additionally, she has led professional development for special education and general education teachers on standards-based IEPs, research-based literacy instruction, accommodations and modifications, Response to Intervention, and
progress monitoring.

Ms. Johnson was previously a Special Education Academic Administrator at the Shenendehowa Central School District. Prior to becoming an administrator, she was a ninth grade special education teacher, spent time as an intervention and data coordinator and served as a learning specialist at a high-achieving public middle school in California.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Cornell University, a Master of Education/Special Education degree from Sonoma State University and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Rose.

At the culmination of a two month search process, she was selected as the next principal for Malta Avenue Elementary School. The process involved the review of over seventy applications, four rounds of interviews including a presentation to the Board of Education, and finally a discussion with the building advisory committee who made the unanimous choice.

“Despite the daunting economic and budgetary times that we are in, this is certainly a highlight for us as we are all genuinely excited for Sarah to join our team,” indicated Ken Slentz, Superintendent of Ballston Spa CSD.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — CoSN and EdScoop announced the edtech professionals selected for the 2020 NextGen: Emerging EdTech Leaders Program on May 19.

The program annually recognizes rising technology leaders in K-12 school districts across the United States who have embraced technological innovation to improve education outcomes. WSWHE BOCES is pleased to announce that Assistant Coordinator for Model Schools, Laurie Guyon, was among five educators chosen from a highly accomplished group of finalists nationwide based on their personal essays and the diversity of the populations they serve, among other criteria.

“The 2020 NextGen Program cohort consists of a remarkable set of emerging leaders with the hands-on experience and vision needed to ensure that technology makes a profound difference in education,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN. “We congratulate each of the winners, as well as all of the applicants, on their accomplishments. This is a new generation of leaders that will help us create a new learning reality.” 

The 2020 NextGen Leaders were honored virtually during the CoSN Annual Conference. 

The award comes at a pivotal time in remote learning. WSWHE BOCES has been supporting teachers with many aspects of this transition. It began with the WSWHE Model Schools team designing a resource website and continues with daily webinars and newsletters. 

Guyon has been helping teachers learn new ways to teach in an online environment.  It started with daily office hours to get teachers up to speed with EdTech tools.  The main goal was to help teachers with Google Classroom and Google Meet. Teachers have the opportunity to schedule individual time with her and many do daily. She and the model schools team shifted to offering daily technology-based webinars. 

“I love what I do,” says Guyon. “It’s a privilege every day to support educators in the creative learning experience. I am honored that CoSN chose me as an Emerging EdTech Leader for 2020.”

Since March 16, 1000 teachers attended at least one of the 100 training hours offered. The Model Schools program has hosted over 70 workshops. They have trained teachers on best practices on all aspects of the G Suite and a multitude of edtech tools.  The daily newsletters offer one location for access to important information. They get hundreds of hits daily. 

“It’s the teachers who come to my training, my workshops, and my webinars that inspire me.  We all want our students to be lifelong learners and our teachers are modeling this every day.”

“Laurie is a true leader in the area of educational technology. Her knowledge of various ed tech tools, combined with over a decade of classroom teaching experience allow her to connect with teachers and inspire them to explore new instructional possibilities. We are thrilled that her talents have been acknowledged on the national level by CoSN,” says David Ashdown, Assistant Director, Instructional Technology Programs at WSWHE BOCES.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Builders Association, Inc. is proud to announce that they have awarded two $1000 scholarships this year. One is the annual SBA Scholarship and the other is the annual “Bob Best” Memorial Scholarship.

Congratulations to Patrick Egan of Saratoga Springs. Patrick is a senior at Saratoga Springs High School and will be attending SUNY Oswego to study Construction Management. Congratulations to Sean Kempf of Saratoga Springs. Sean is also a senior at Saratoga Springs High School and will be attending Alfred State College to study Construction Management. 

The Saratoga Builders Association makes these student scholarship awards available annually to high school seniors or college students who are planning to pursue a career in the construction industry. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District has seven candidates running for the Board of Education 2020 vacancies. 

Each year, there are three BOE vacancies, each for three-year terms. On June 1, the candidates will discuss issues in a virtual forum from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. hosted by the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County. The discussion will be hosted on Webex and a log-in will be available on the school’s website with the ability to sign in as an attendee. 

The seven candidates running are as followed: Marissa Altimar, Erika Borman, Anjeanette Emeka, Scott Jackson, Tony Krackeler, Casey Putnam and Matthew Taylor. 

On May 1, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the 2020 school budget vote and BOE election will take place on June 9. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the executive order moved the vote to exclusively be done through absentee ballot. The following information is according to each candidate’s Facebook page.

MARISSA ALTIMAR
“I have lived in Saratoga Springs for over 2 years now. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, I started out as a single mother at age 22, and worked my way through college after my daughter was born so I could give her a better life, and serve as her role model. She now attends SSHS, and I couldn’t be happier that she is in such a remarkable school.”

ERIKA BORMAN
“My goals:  
• Improve our continuity of learning platform to reach all students during these challenging times. 
• Support policies that address equity in education, mental health and overall safety of our students. 
• Provide teachers with the resources they need to be successful. 
• Protect our education and sports programs. Encourage engagement with our entire school community”

Anjeanette Emeka
“Neighbors, I am finishing the third year of my first term as a board trustee for the Saratoga Springs City School District. It has been hard work, incredibly rewarding and I love it! I hope to gain your support”

SCOTT JACKSON
“I would be proud to serve and represent the SSCSD community if given the opportunity. It takes vision, effective communication skills and business and personnel experience to be a positive contributor to a school board. These are all skills that I use in both the USPS and the U.S. Army every day. All SSCSD students, families, and taxpayers deserve a unified school board that works together towards the future, with the goal of providing children the absolute best public school education and experience.”

TONY KRACKELER
“I think the coming few years are going to be uniquely challenging for our district as processes, procedures, and finances will change and be disrupted. I want to make sure we look out for the students, families, teachers, and staff who will be asked to do things differently in the years ahead but who will still need and deserve the levels of excellence and humanity that they are used to, and which our district continually strives to provide. I would very much like to use my long experience in both education and running a business in the service of an institution (American public education) that has given me and my children far more than I could ever repay.”

CASEY PUTNAM
“It is clear that the months ahead will require creative solutions to unprecedented financial, instructional, and logistical problems. I would like to be part of addressing these challenges in a way that keeps students moving forward academically and perhaps enhances their capacity for empathy, their stores of patience, and their ability to be flexible. I believe we have already seen this is possible from our educators, our students, and our community.”

MATTHEW TAYLOR
“I believe my perspective as a recent graduate is a great benefit and a voice that has never been but should be on the board. I look forward to listening to you and working hard to earn your vote on June 9 (via mail in ballot!).”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Eight middle school students attending Saratoga Springs School were honored in memory of Billy Wardell, a sixth grader who passed away in March 2016. 

The eight outstanding students were recognized for showing kindness, maturity, anti-bullying and helpful towards other students. The students awarded this year are: Jasmin Mercer, Alyssa Connors, Dylan Muller, Dylan Pincelski, Kari Reilly, Aubree Ketcher, and Josh Malo’Kai Merchant.

Each student receives a certificate and a $50 Target gift card to help purchase school supplies for the next academic year. Sherry Wardell, Billy’s Grandmother, said each year since they have given out $50 gift cards to students at the middle school. 

“The teachers pick out the students. They’re not the top of their class academically or all-star athletes, they are kids that the teachers have watched all year that have strived to help others…if they see someone hurting and get involved.

“Billy was against bullying,” Wardell said. 

Billy Wardell was a 12-year-old sixth grade student when he was killed riding an all-terrain vehicle on his father’s farm in Greenfield.

“It was truly very hard to get through and you still struggle with it,” Wardell said. She added: “people wanted to give some sort of a memorial and we didn’t know quite what to do. It was just one night – in the middle of the night – I felt God talk to me and tell me to do something at the school, to do a memorial,” Wardell said. 

Wardell spoke with Amy Totino, assistant principle, April 2016 about honoring students and that they had enough money through family, friends and a few construction companies in the area to give the gift cards to eight students. 

Wardell continued that they will continue to honor students until 2022, the year Billy Wardell would have graduated. For that year, Wardell plans to ask high school teachers to select two students who honor the memory of Billy and award each with a $4,000 check to the skill school or college of their choice. 

“I think I’m going to miss it after 2022 when we don’t do it anymore,” Wardell said. “People have been great. People have reached out and it just helps with the grieving. We have been blessed big time.”

GLENS FALLS — The sale of flavored e-cigarettes statewide and all tobacco sales at pharmacies ended May 18.

Governor Andrew Cuomo wanted to combat the use of tobacco and nicotine products, so he enacted a Comprehensive Tobacco Control Policy as part of the state’s fiscal year 2021 budget. Cuomo signed the budget on April 3 of this year.

The policy prohibits the sale or distribution of e-cigarettes or vapor products that have a flavor, unless approved as part of an FDA pre-market approval. The policy also restricts the public display of tobacco and vapor products near schools. 

The NYS Tobacco Control Program includes a network of statewide grantees, including Adirondack Health Institute (AHI), who works on Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities. Kelly Owens is the program manager of Clear the Air in the Southern Adirondacks and oversees AHI’s Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities. Owens and staff have worked to educate local communities about the need to protect children from tobacco marketing in places where kids can see it. She feels the law will help protect youth.

“Selling tobacco products in pharmacies has been sending a contradictory message…” Owens said. 

The mixed messages to clients by offering tobacco alongside products for illness either caused or worsened by smoking.

“We also know that flavors and e-cigarettes attract younger kids which causes them to become addicted. The law will really help protect kids from a lifetime of nicotine addiction.”

In a release from AHI, research has shown 40 percent of NYS high school seniors have used e-cigarettes, also known as “vaping.” Over 25 percent of all high school students have used e-cigarettes. Flavored e-cigarettes are known to attract youths and they become addicted to nicotine in return. 

“We are really happy that NYS was compelled to take action on this law and I really feel that without the flavor to attract youth, I think we will see the rate of e-cigarette use drop,” Owens said.

“This is a great step forward for New Yorkers’ health, including those who live in the Adirondack region where tobacco use prevalence is higher than most other areas in the state,” said Eric Burton, Chief Executive Officer, AHI in a release. “This legislation will have a major impact on helping individuals live free from nicotine addiction.” AHI administers the Clear the Air in the Southern Adirondacks initiative, which includes the Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities/Reality Check program.

For those who do wish to stop smoking there are different methods and options available. 

“Those who are addicted to nicotine through vaping or cigarettes or smoking, there is more support than ever,” Owens said.  “Folks can reach out to their healthcare provider, or they can call the quit-line and visit the website. “There is really a lot of support out there for people who really want to take that next step and quit.”

The New York State Smokers’ Quitline is 1-866-NY-QUITS and the website is nysmokefree.com. 

AHI is an independent not-for-profit organization licensed under the New York State Public Health Law as an Article 28 Central Services Facility. Since 1987, the organization has supported hospitals, physician practices, behavioral health providers, community-based organizations and others in the region in sharing our vision and mission of transforming health care and improving population health.