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Ballston Spa High School Planning to Add New Courses for 25-26 School Year

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Education.

BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa High School Principal Matthew Robinson discussed new potential courses for the 2025-26 school year, as well as the creation of a Literacy Lab, at the district’s January 22 Board of Education meeting.

For English Language Arts (ELA), 10th and 11th graders were surveyed to see what classes they might be interested in. Based on the results of that survey, new courses could include Film as Literature, Horror Genre Study, Exploring Banned Books, and Exploring True Crime. Classes that would be removed from the high school’s ELA program would include Best Sellers, Multicultural Literature, and Today’s Issues: Fiction and Nonfiction.

Robinson said the school would also be starting a Literacy Lab for incoming 9th graders led by teacher Annetta O’Connor. Robinson said the lab would be a two-year pilot designed to evaluate how the course is progressing before finalizing it.

“The goal down the road is it’s a 9-12 program,” Robinson said at the meeting.

The lab would focus on the basics and mechanics of reading and writing, which Robinson said teachers often don’t have enough time to focus on.

The school’s technology department is also expected to add an Intro to Video Production course to the 25-26 school year offerings.

Spa Catholic Hires New Chemistry Teacher

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

Photo of Lou Marino via the Saratoga Catholic Central School.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic School announced on Monday that it has hired Lou Marino as their next chemistry teacher, starting in September 2025. 

Marino is a certified chemistry and biology teacher who has dedicated 26 years exclusively to teaching chemistry. He’s a veteran of Guilderland High School, where he taught science classes and coached a variety of sports, including football, bowling, baseball, and softball. Marino holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY Plattsburgh and a Master of Arts in teaching from Union College.

B-Spa Science Olympiad Team Headed to State Competition

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.


Members of the Ballston Spa High School Science Olympiad team pose with their medals after competing in the Capital Region Science Olympiad Tournament. Photo provided.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa High School Science Olympiad squad recently placed 3rd out of 19 teams at the Capital Region Science Olympiad Tournament. The successful finish qualifies them for the New York State competition at LeMoyne College on March 21 and 22. 

Ballston Spa students won medals in 18 out of 22 events and finished first twice. The first-place medal winners and their respective events include Lucas Guest and Tina Marie Mullins in “Anatomy & Physiology,” and Kayleigh Cassels and Molly Kaatz in “Bungee Drop”.

The Science Olympiad tournament is a rigorous, academic, interscholastic competition that consists of a series of individual and team events. The events are balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers, and technology.

Blue Streaks Robotics Team Reaches Semifinals, Hosting Fundraiser 

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Education.


Photo via Blue Streaks Robotics.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs High School robotics team reached the semifinals in its first tournament of the year. The 2025 VEX V5 Robotics Competition was held on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus in Troy on Jan. 20 and featured teams from across Upstate New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

To help support their future efforts, the robotics program will be hosting a fundraiser at the Chipotle near the Wilton Mall. 33% of the proceeds from eat-in or pickup orders placed on Tuesday, Feb. 7 between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. will go to the robotics team. Online orders should use the code HH6JVXJ. Those making in-person orders should tell the cashier that they are supporting Blue Streaks robotics.

Schuylerville Teacher Earns National Board Certification

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

SCHUYLERVILLE — As Schuylerville School District educator Amy Steele-Whitney marked 25 years of teaching, she also achieved a prestigious honor: National Board Certification in the area of Early and Middle Childhood Literacy.

The National Board Certification process is known for its rigor and demands, requiring teachers to reflect on their practices and make adjustments that improve student outcomes.

“For me, this opportunity was refreshing and invigorating because it ignited in me the passion I had as a student teacher to learn and grow as an educator that works to do what is best for students,” Steele-Whitney said in a statement. “It really made me look at what I’m doing in the classroom and self-reflect.”

In New York State, only 2,378 teachers are Nationally Board Certified, and Steele-Whitney is proud to be one of them.

“It felt like a labor of love, but also a necessary step in my journey as an educator,” she said. “The process reignited my passion for teaching and learning and reminded me that no matter how long you’ve been teaching, there’s always room to grow.”

Tedisco Welcomes Saratoga 7th Graders to State Capitol

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.


State Senator Jim Tedisco with the 7th grade Maple Avenue Middle School class on the Million Dollar Staircase at the New York State Capitol in Albany. Photo provided.

ALBANY — State Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) welcomed 7th grade students from the Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga Springs to the New York State Capitol last week.  

Tedisco, a former special education teacher and ranking member of the Senate Education Committee, discussed the state budget process and what it’s like to be a state representative.

“I was very impressed with the questions and knowledge of state government that the Maple Avenue Middle Schoolers showed,” said Senator Tedisco in a statement.

How Gov. Hochul’s Proposed Cell Phone Ban Would Impact Saratoga Schools

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Education, Featured.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — New York Governor Kathy Hochul is advocating for a strict, new statewide cell phone policy that could go into effect as soon as August 1, 2025.

The “distraction-free schools” legislative proposal would, among other things:

Prohibit the unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day, including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods.

Allow schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day

Propose that $13.5 million in funding be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing smartphone storage solutions

In a January 23 Board of Education meeting, Saratoga School District Director of Program and Budget Integration Dr. Joseph Greco said that Hochul’s proposal recommends lockers be used for phone storage during school days, which means the district may not need to tap into the $13.5 million fund set aside for storage solutions.

“We have an ample supply of lockers here, so this may not have a budgetary impact on us,” Greco said, “but it’s certainly something we’re keeping a close eye on.”

Greco said that Saratoga schools would be required to report on their enforcement of the policy, including any disciplinary action that might be necessary. Schools would also be required to provide demographic information for any students subjected to phone-related disciplinary action. 

Bobby Yusko, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, said he believed that the chances Hochul’s cell phone policies will be enacted are “pretty high.”

The governor has allowed for some exceptions to the ban, according to Greco, including the use of devices (such as laptops or tablets) sanctioned by teachers for classroom instruction, and the use of devices needed for translation purposes. Students would also be allowed to have access to simple cell phones without internet capability, as well as internet-enabled devices that help manage medical conditions.

The “distraction-free schools” policy would be implemented in time for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.

“From parents and teachers, to social justice and law enforcement leaders, New Yorkers agree that our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. “Using the insights from my statewide listening tour, this comprehensive proposal to restrict smartphone use in schools will ensure that New York’s statewide standard for distraction-free learning delivers the best results for our kids and educators.”

Beagle School HostingCasino Night Fundraiser After Accident Damaged Building

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Education.


A pickup truck crashed into a building located at 107 Circular Street in Saratoga Springs last summer, causing The Beagle School to relocate one of its programs. Photo via the Beagle School of Saratoga Springs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A fundraiser will be held at the Canfield Casino to benefit the Beagle School in Saratoga Springs after the private preschool’s two-year-old program at 107 Circular Street was damaged by a drunk driving incident last summer.

At the end of June last year, police said that a Greenfield man crashed his pickup truck into the Beagle School location known as “Little Beagle.” The man was charged with a misdemeanor DWI, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident, among other charges.

No one was hurt, but the building itself sustained significant damage, forcing the school to relocate while the Circular Street structure is repaired.

 For more information on the Casino Night event happening on March 21, visit https://beagle-school.betterworld.org/events/beagle-school-casino-night.

Former Ballston Spa Educator andMalta Town Historian Dies at 82

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.


Malta Town Historian Paul Perreault delivers his “From Malta to the Moon” presentation at the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa on November 12, 2024. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.

BALLSTON SPA — Paul Perreault, a former educator in the Ballston Spa Central School District and Town of Malta Historian, passed away on January 10 after a brief illness at the age of 82. 

Perreault was born on July 28, 1942, in Cohoes. He graduated from the Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, Siena College in Loudonville, and The State University of New York at Albany. He was a teacher, elementary school principal, high school dean of students, vice principal, and principal serving both the Shenendehowa and Ballston Spa school districts from 1967 until his retirement in 1998.

He was the Town of Malta Historian from 2008 to 2023; a guide and board member of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark; and a board member The National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa. He also authored the book “Servants of God: The Luther-Mackay Family of Saratoga County.” In 2023, he was the recipient of the Saratoga County Public History Award for his “significant contributions in preserving, interpreting, researching, publishing, and promoting the history of Saratoga County”.

Relatives and friends are invited to calling hours on Saturday, January 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Armer Funeral Home at 39 East High Street in Ballston Spa. Memorial contributions in memory of Paul may be made to the Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum or the American Heart Association.

Skidmore Students Use Virtual Reality to Experience “Walden”

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.


Photo provided by Skidmore College.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College students in Assistant Professor of English Jamie Parra’s course on Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” are using virtual reality (VR) to experience the literary classic.

In the “Walden” VR game, students retrace the steps of American transcendentalist Thoreau — a naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher — during his two years spent living at Walden Pond from 1845 to 1847. They explore Thoreau’s cabin and the greater Concord, Massachusetts, area; participate in daily activities like tending to the bean fields and fishing; and experience the natural world as it was in the mid-19th century.

Emerging technologies and interactive play experiences are also being used to further learning in disciplines ranging from Health and Human Physiological Sciences to Asian Studies.