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).
Matthew Continetti, author of “The Right: the Hundred Year War for American Conservatism,” and Ruy Teixeira, co-author of “Where Have All the Democrats Gone?: the Soul of the Party in an Age of Extremes,” visited Skidmore College on Wednesday to discuss recent changes in American politics, as well as the upcoming presidential election. Photos provided by Skidmore College.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Two renowned political experts visited Skidmore College Wednesday night to discuss how America’s major political parties have changed and what might happen in the upcoming presidential election.
Matthew Continetti, director of domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, said the Republican Party “has been rocked over the last decade by the rise of the populist movement that did not exist within the institutional structure of the Republican Party until 2010.”
Continetti compared the Make America Great Again (MAGA) populist movement to the rise of conservatives that began with Barry Goldwater in the 1960s and was cemented with Ronald Reagan in the late 1970s. “MAGA is owning the Republican Party and if Donald Trump wins in November, there really is no going back,” he said.
Continetti said that the Trump MAGA movement has forced the Republican Party to become more centrist on a host of issues, such as abortion, entitlements, and foreign policy. Despite this, Continetti said the election results of 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 showed that Trump “is clearly bad for the Republican Party’s electoral chances.”
Ruy Teixeira, a former senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said the Democratic Party has been “steadily shedding working class voters and steadily gaining college educated, cosmopolitan voters.” Attempting to reclaim those working class voters, Teixeira said, would be a tricky proposition.
“If you’re really going to launch a populist appeal to the working class that is starting to move out of the Democratic Party, you would have to combine not only some sort of populist economic approach, but to get people to take it seriously, you’d also have to move to the center on cultural issues,” Teixeira said.
Teixeira spoke about the rising influence of young women in the Democratic Party, which he said may not necessarily be helpful electorally. “It’s going to push them on these sociocultural issues even farther to the left than they already are,” he said. “That’s probably not good for them, objectively, in terms of appealing to the median voter in the country as a whole.”
Continetti said that reputable polling data showed that polarization was a troubling issue on both sides of the political aisle. “As a consequence of this sharp polarization of the last generation, we have heated rhetoric, we have the idea that each election may be the last election in the United States,” he said.
Both Continetti and Teixeira offered some thoughts on how the upcoming presidential election might turn out, and how the results could impact the future of American politics.
“If Harris wins, Trump will say that the election was stolen and Republicans will believe him,” Continetti said. “Trump will say that the election was stolen because Democrats switched out the candidates after the primary had been closed.”
Teixeira said that if Kamala Harris wins, she’ll likely win by a narrow margin and be forced to work with a Republican Senate. If she loses, Teixeira said, Democrats may need to do some serious rethinking. “If they do lose, it’s going to be because they shed even more working class voters than they could possibly make up by doing better with college educated voters,” he said.
Regardless of the 2024 election’s outcome, Continetti was bullish on Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance’s future. “JD Vance is like Richard Nixon in many ways,” he said. “Richard Nixon was 40 years old when he was elected to the Vice Presidency and he was a major figure in American politics for the next 24 years. I think we could see that with JD Vance as well.”
The panel discussion, “Left, Right, & Center: American Political Parties & the Electorate,” was held at the Tang Museum and moderated by Skidmore Political Science Professors Ron Seyb and Natalie Taylor. The event was part of the college’s ongoing Election 2024 exhibition.
Spa Catholic’s Oktoberfest block party was held outside the school on Saturday, September 28. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic School raised $12,600 worth of renovation funds at their Oktoberfest block party last weekend. More than 250 tickets were sold.
The event featured drinks from Druthers Brewing and bites by Franklin Square Market. On the menu: German mac and cheese, perogies, and grilled Bratwurst. Revelers took home custom-made Saratoga Oktoberfest steins.
Photo of Saratoga Springs City School District employees displaying their certificates of appreciation provided by the district.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On September 26, the Saratoga Springs City School District celebrated employees who have devoted 25 years of service to the school community.
Those employees were: Michelle Baldani, Christopher Caro, Shelley Collier, Tina Damiano, Laura Downey, Amy Elsworth, Laura Endieveri, Michael Goodwin, Gregory Goering, Rana Hughes, Anthony Klick, John Kreis, Carl Luciano, Timothy McGuiggan, Lisa Nettesheim, Barbara Omaggio, Benjamin Peck, Susan Pennock, Jill Perry, Lynda Redman, Thomas Reilly, Tracy Sanders, Karen Swift, Debra Tallman, and Dawn Talley.
In recognition of their service, each individual received a certificate of appreciation and chose a book to be placed in one of the district’s school libraries.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Tony Krackeler, vice president of the Saratoga Springs School District Board of Education, said at a meeting last week that a new committee may be formed in order to study the zero-emission bus mandate imposed by the state government.
“It is still a complicated enough issue,” Krackeler said, “that the finance committee and business office feel it might be a good idea for the board to discuss the prospect of creating another committee to really look at the zero-emission bus mandate in a closer way, one that involves community stakeholders.”
Krackeler said it would be up for discussion as to whether the new group would be a district committee or a separate ad hoc board committee.
The bus mandate requires school districts to begin transitioning their transportation fleets to zero-emission vehicles in 2027. By 2035, all buses on the road must be zero-emission.
In February, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Business Robert Yusko said that electric buses cost around $400,000 apiece and that the district’s entire fleet includes more than 100 vehicles. In addition to purchasing the buses, Yusko said that “significant capital improvement upgrades” would be required to satisfy the mandate.
A Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs student during a trip to the Herkimer Diamond Mines. Photo provided by Discover Saratoga.
HERKIMER, NEW YORK — Sixth grade students from the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs celebrated the end of their Geology block with a trip to the Herkimer Diamond Mines in New York.
The children learned to identify the pocketed dolomite limestone and how to break it open, discovering various forms of these special quartz crystals, from drusy to pure Herkimer Diamond.
The Waldorf School emphasizes hands-on learning in low-tech classrooms and aims to enhance their intensive studies, or main lesson blocks, with relevant and engaging field trips.
A high school student receives a Starfish Award, shirt, and certificate as part of Coach Rich Johns’ two-day visit to the Bolton Central School. Photo provided by Coach Johns.
BOLTON LANDING — Coach Rich Johns, a former Saratoga Springs teacher and tennis coach for nearly four decades, visited the Bolton Central School recently to deliver his “Act With Respect Always” presentation to students of all ages.
The presentation is designed to build respect and leadership, teach positive and constructive behavior, and stop bullying before it starts.
As part of the program, teachers were encouraged to recommend one student from each class to receive a Starfish Award. The prize recognizes students who make a positive difference in their community with efforts that aim to build respect and leadership, teach positive behavior, and help stop bullying.
Each class also received their own “Act With Respect Always” banner to sign and display.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville Central School District has appointed a new Board of Education member: Shaun Cumm. Cumm is a former board member who will fill an open seat for the 2024-2025 school year.
The board had been working to fill a vacancy following the resignation of Michael Bodnar, effective August 31.
Cumm is a Physician’s Assistant at Glens Falls Hospital for Adirondack Cardiology. He has coached more than 40 youth/club soccer, football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. He previously served on the Schuylerville Board of Education from July 1, 2023 until June 30, 2024. He has three children in Schuylerville High School in grades 12, 10, and 9.
Cumm will serve as a board member until June 30, 2025. In May of 2025, voters will elect a person to fill the remainder of the seat’s vacancy, which will be two years.
