Students compete in a Robot Rumble competition at Ballston Spa High School in 2023. Photo via the Ballston Spa Central School District.
BALLSTON SPA — FIRST Robotics teams from the Capital Region, other areas of New York, and Connecticut will meet at Ballston Spa High School on Saturday, November 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the Robot Rumble Off-Season Robotics Competition. This event is free and open to the public.
FIRST Robotics competitions combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 15 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. Through the program, students get to learn 21st Century skills; build and compete with a robot of their own design; learn to use sophisticated software and hardware; and compete and cooperate in alliances and tournaments.
FIRST Robotics teams from the Capital District have collaborated to organize this year’s event. The GLOBALFOUNDRIES/Town of Malta Foundation provided a grant that will allow the FIRST competition CRESCENDO field from last season to be brought to Ballston Spa High School for the Robot Rumble event.
Off-season competitions provide an opportunity for teams to have fun and recruit new students, industry mentors, and sponsors as they begin preparing for the FIRST Robotics Regional Competition. The 2025 season will kick off for the FIRST Robotics Competition teams in January with a regional event being held at the MVP Arena in March.
Robots Rescue will also be collecting non-perishable food items to be donated to local food pantries.
Schuylerville students participate in the 2024 Fun Run. Photo via the Schuylerville Central School District.
SCHUYLERVILLE — Three recent fundraisers held by Schuylerville schools netted tens of thousands of dollars for various charities.
Parents as Education Partners (PEP) concluded its 2024 Fun Run with a school pledge profit of $33,947. Grades UPK-5 participated in the school fundraiser to help PEP purchase classroom supplies, plan events, and buy recreational items such as sleds, outdoor play gear, and playground equipment.
The third annual Middle School Booster Bash raised $12,319. The money will be used for middle school field trips for grades 6-8. More than 70% of students registered to participate in the three-week long fundraiser and were awarded prizes throughout the initiative. A color run was held on campus to celebrate the conclusion of the school-wide endeavor.
The 2024 Kickin’ Out Cancer event raised $5,791. Various Schuylerville grade levels, offices, departments, and athletic teams donated hundreds of dollars of items to put together 31 raffle baskets for the fundraising effort. The culminating Kickin’ Out Cancer events were held on Oct. 7 during the boys and girls soccer games, and included a halftime walk, 50/50, and concession stand sales. During the day, a K-12 spirit day was held with students and staff wearing pink or Kickin’ Out Cancer apparel.
Class room tables and chairs with Paper documents of exam test on desk in examination school while blur asian girls students taking reading for testing in classroom school, Student uniform in Thailand
GANSEVOORT — David Torres has been combating absenteeism in Saratoga County schools for more than 30 years. In that time, he’s developed a one-word mantra that could be helpful to any educator hoping to keep kids in the classroom: relationships.
“I’ll say it over and over again: relationships, relationships, relationships. Building relationships, positive relationships, with students and their families,” Torres told Saratoga TODAY. “Gaining that trust with students and their families that you can trust someone from the school to help you out.”
Torres was an attendance supervisor in the Saratoga Springs City School District for 28 years. He now serves as the community outreach liaison for the Corinth Central School District. On Monday, he hosted a School Attendance Symposium at the WSWHE BOCES Student Support Center that focused on improving chronic absenteeism in Capital Region schools.
Torres said that in his many interactions with students from across the region, he’s encountered a number of issues that contribute to chronic absenteeism: bullying, boredom, mental health struggles, and medical problems, to name a few. But ultimately, each student, he said, has their own reason for avoiding school.
“Every family is different and we have these generic school attendance policies and they’re all well and good, but when it really comes down to it, each individual is absent for their reason. It belongs to them,” Torres said. “You’ve got to break it down and really gain trust with parents and kids.”
The New York State Education Department defines chronic absenteeism as a student missing at least 10% of school days within one academic year for any reason, including excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions.
Earlier this month, a report by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli stated that chronic absenteeism rates increased significantly as schools transitioned back to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic and remained high during the 2022-2023 school year.
“Chronic absenteeism has been linked to lower grades, lower standardized test scores, and increased risk of dropout,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “Students who chronically miss classroom time often fall behind. Reducing chronic absenteeism will be essential for turning around pandemic-era learning loss. School districts need to engage students, families, and their communities to address this troubling issue.”
Engaging students and families may be easier said than done, however, especially if school personnel lack the necessary experience for building the kind of relationships that can make a difference in students’ lives.
“It would be nice if the New York State Education Department mandated community outreach people so districts can get funds for that, but they don’t,” Torres said. “[Community outreach is] more difficult when you have to teach social studies, math, English, science, P.E., and other required subjects.”
Although the challenge of combating chronic absenteeism may seem daunting, Torres said significant improvements are being made in Corinth, which reached its goal of a 90% graduation rate in only two years.
In Saratoga Springs, data released earlier this year showed that chronic absenteeism rates among 1st through 8th graders declined from 17.8% in 2021-2022 to 15.5% in 2022-2023. Similarly, rates among 9th through 12th graders declined from 28.1% in 2021-2022 to 25.5% the following school year.
The district attributed the declining rates, in part, to the use of ParentSquare, a service that sends automated absentee notifications and allows parents to communicate directly with attendance clerks. In July of this year, the Schuylerville Central School District also began using ParentSquare.
“It’s not impossible to change behavior and change how people look at school education,” Torres said. “[One parent’s] kid went from 44 absences in first grade to having perfect attendance in second grade. It’s incredible. It’s very rewarding to hear from parents and from former students that when they were 16 or 15 or 14, I made an impact. Even though I might not have seen it then, I see it now when they are parents of their own kids.”
Former Skidmore professor and artist Regis Brodie, who passed away last week, is seen posing with some of his work. Photo via Brodie’s Facebook page.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Regis Brodie, a former art professor at Skidmore College who served in the role for 41 years, passed away at home on October 10 with his family by his side.
Brodie and his wife Becky (Wilhelm) moved to Saratoga Springs in 1969, when he began teaching at Skidmore. For 35 years, he was also the Director of the Summer SIX Art Program at the college. He retired from Skidmore in 2010 and was awarded the honorary title of Professor Emeritus.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1942, Brodie met his future wife Becky in 1958. They were married on July 4, 1964, while Regis was still a student at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He earned his B.S. in Art Education and his M.Ed. in Art Education from there in 1965 and 1966, respectively. He then went on to receive his M.F.A. from Tyler School of Art of Temple University in 1969.
In addition to his teaching career, Brodie was an accomplished artist whose work included award-winning paintings, sculptures, and vessels featured in museum collections throughout the world, including Museo de Ceramica in Barcelona, Spain; Musée National de la Céramique in Sèvres, France; Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, England; National Museum & Galleries of Wales in Cardiff, Wales; and Raccolta Internazionale D’Arte Ceramica Contemporanea in Faenza, Italy.
Brodie lectured extensively, appeared at both juried and invitational exhibitions, published numerous articles, had his work included in national and international periodicals, and authored the book “The Energy-Efficient Potter,” published in 1982.
“The difficult part of making art, or for that matter, seeking the best outcome in any activity, is being able to recognize the potential; the obscure as well as the obvious,” Brodie wrote in an artist statement for the Laffer Gallery in Schuylerville. “Seeing the potential is the genius.”
Brodie is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Becky; his daughters, Laura Ellor (Jay), Ellen Brodie, and Courtney DeLeonardis (Vincent); his son Bradford Brodie; and his grandchildren, Tyler Ellor (Kristen), Mackenzie Ellor (Gaetano-Junior Del Corpo), Dylan Ellor (Ashley), Madison Trapp; Skyler Trapp, Sydney DeLeonardis, Avery DeLeonardis, and Mason DeLeonardis.
“Regis was one of the most important individuals in crafting the level of achievement I could not have attained without him,” wrote former co-worker John Caputo in an online tribute. “His legend at Skidmore College will live for many decades, so deservedly. My thanks are mingled with sadness at not being able to interact with him in person again.”
“I loved his teaching style and his mantras, he was a true inspiration and a calming influence,” wrote former student Kate Sultan Vine. “He was an absolute legend in his time. So much so that I’ve now come back to ceramics after 20 years and can still hear his voice in my head and feel his influence on my work.”
“Regis was generous, loving, and deeply loved,” said Mary Kathryn Jablonski. “I was honored to work with him for nearly 10 years at Skidmore, where I witnessed his profound impact.”
“The 15 years I spent as your student were one of the peak experiences of my life,” wrote Amejo Amyot. “As I now teach clay, I can feel myself channeling your words and your devotion to beauty.”
Relatives and friends are invited to call from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 17 at William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes at 628 North Broadway in Saratoga Springs.
A Liturgy of the word will be celebrated at 11 a.m., on Friday, October 18 at St. Clements Church at 231 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs.
The Ballston Spa Fire Department stopped by Wood Road Elementary School last week to teach students about fire safety and fire prevention. Photo via Wood Road’s X account.
A giant inflatable cow visited the Schuylerville School District campus to promote the Mobile Dairy Experience exhibit. Photo via the Schuylerville Central School District.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The New York Animal Agriculture Coalition’s Mobile Dairy Experience exhibit spent two days on the Schuylerville Central School District campus last week, allowing students to learn about dairy farming, environmental sustainability, technology, and marketing. To promote the event, a giant inflatable cow visited Schuylerville as well.
Schuylerville High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) members directed and led presentations inside the Mobile Dairy Experience for their elementary peers. During the 20-minute walk-through, students learned about the dairy industry from calf to cow, as well as careers in agriculture. At the end of the 1,000 square feet exhibit, students visited a grocery store section with a cooler full of dairy products and interactive barcode scanners.
“They’re becoming exposed to a bigger picture of agriculture,” said Hannah King, Schuylerville FFA President, in a statement. “The Mobile Dairy Experience gives students a different perspective on the dairy industry: how these animals are living, what they are producing (including their milk and their manure), and what we do with that milk. The exhibit also has a section on different careers in agriculture, which I think is really great for kids to learn about.”
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and Assemblymember Matt Simpson also visited the Mobile Dairy Experience at Schuylerville and engaged with FFA student leaders.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — “Trucks & Treats,” a free Halloween event hosted at the F. Donald Myers Education Center in Saratoga Springs, will return this year on October 26, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Trucks from local businesses will roll down to the education center at 15 Henning Road in Saratoga Springs, gather in the parking lot, and give out treats to the public. Additional food items will be available for purchase.
Back hoes, excavators, dump trucks, cement trucks, a ladder truck, a tow plow, and tractor trailers, will be some of the many types of trucks on display. WSWHE BOCES alumni and staff will also participate by decorating their vehicles.
For more information about the event, email SBitzer@wswheboces.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Empire State University’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development recently held an Artificial Intelligence Awareness Week to teach faculty, staff, and students how to approach AI heading into the academic year.
“AI Awareness Week was created to foster deeper conversations and understanding about the role of AI in higher education,” said Melissa Wells, director of the center for teaching, learning, and faculty development, in a statement.
The week’s programming included different sessions on faculty and student engagement, ethics and data privacy, pedagogy, and research. Each session was chosen based on their direct impact with the academic community and the need for integration in each area. According to Wells, there was an average attendance of 133 people each session.
“These seminars and resources help demystify AI, allowing people to approach it with both excitement and caution, ensuring that it’s used in ways that enhance learning without compromising security, privacy, or academic integrity,” Wells said.
Empire State University is incorporating artificial intelligence into its programming in multiple facets throughout the academic year, featuring AI-oriented speakers at the upcoming Fall Academic Conference in October and bringing other speakers to the university community.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District is seeking donations and volunteers for the upcoming 14th annual Scotties Closet on Saturday, November 2 at the Middle School.
The district is seeking clean, gently used clothing that can be dropped off at any building, including the District Office, any time between October 7 and October 22, Monday through Saturday. Clothing sizes can range from infant to adult. Prior to dropping off, donations should be washed and sorted by size, with bags clearly labeled. Winter wear will be in high demand. Snow pants, winter coats, boots, and hats are always needed.
The district also needs help sorting and organizing the donated clothing during the two weeks leading up to the event, and on Thursday, October 31 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Anyone who has any questions or is interested in volunteering can contact either Christine Jones (884-7200 x4341, cjones@bscsd.org) or Deb Monroe (518-884-7200 x4339, dmonroe@bscsd.org).
