SCHUYLERVILLE — For the past three months, the Schuylerville Central School District’s branding committee, made up of 13 faculty/staff members and two Board of Education members, has been meeting in an effort to create and establish a single district logo. Up until this point, the district had many variations of a logo, but no consistent, or uniform use of one K-12. 

Creating a branding committee was part of the district’s goals for the 2022-23 school year, in an effort to establish consistent use of the district’s logo on printed and digital materials, create letterhead and email signatures for district employees to use, and serve as a foundation for the redesign of the district’s website next school year. Each committee member offered valuable input and perspective that ultimately influenced the final product of the district’s new logo.

The new logo will be used in all branded materials (print and digital) moving forward, with different variations of the primary logo depending on the color of the background. Athletics and co-curriculars will still have use of the block ‘S’, in addition to the new logo.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District (BCSD) Board of Education has announced Dr. Gianleo Duca as the new Superintendent of Schools. He has most recently been serving as Interim Superintendent after being appointed in September 2022.

Over the last nine months the Board reviewed several options, and came to the conclusion that the best path forward is to select a leader with an established relationship with many district stakeholders, and a proven track record of success within the District. Dr. Duca has not only been successful in every previous leadership role he has held; he is also highly regarded by those he has worked with and supported in those positions.

“Our survey of staff, parents and caregivers, students, and community members provided the basis for a candidate profile looking for stability and longevity, continuity of curriculum, familiarity with our district and community, and excellent listening and communication skills, as requirements in our next leader,” said Board of Education President Jason Fernau. “Dr. Duca meets the criteria of that candidate profile”.

Dr. Duca holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History/Education from Western New England University, a Master’s Degree in Education from Salem State University and received Administrative Certification from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In December of 2019, he received his Doctorate Degree from The Sage Colleges, Esteves School of Education. He holds New York State Certification as a School District Leader and a School Building Leader. 

 “It is truly an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the Ballston Spa Central School District. It is a responsibility for which I am humbly grateful, and one that I do not take lightly. I have a strong sense of dedication and a tremendous respect for our students, staff, caregivers, and the larger community of Ballston Spa,” said Dr. Duca. “I take great pride in the excellent work that I have seen here over the past eight years. I am confident that together we will continue our work in developing innovative programming options while simultaneously meeting the needs of each of our students.”

Dr. Duca, who has been with the district since 2015, served as an Assistant Principal and Interim Principal before being appointed Principal in July 2018. He continued as Principal until September 2022 and was also serving simultaneously as the Coordinator of Secondary Special Education Services (during 2020 – 2022).

 Prior to his service at Ballston Spa, he held Social Studies teaching positions at South Colonie High School and Medford High School (MA). Dr. Duca currently resides with his family in Waterford.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Former Harlem Globetrotter Tay “Firefly” Fisher presented his Path to Greatness motivational assembly to Exceptional Learners Division students at three WSWHE BOCES Centers; Washington Street Teaching & Learning Center in Fort Edward, the Southern Adirondack Education Center in Hudson Falls and the F. Donald Myers Center in Saratoga Springs. He visited the centers on Feb. 2 and 3.

 Tay Fisher has a story that can relate to his audience, no matter their interests or life experiences. During all three visits, each audience member was captivated by his stories, photos and videos talking about his childhood, college life, travels with the Globetrotters and his family life now. He discussed perseverance, hard work, success, failure (a part of success) and chasing your dreams no matter how long it may take. 

 Fisher encouraged students to find their safe space, whether it’s at school, a friend’s house or the Boys and Girls Club, like he did. He talked about finding a place where a person can feel comfortable and have the support they need to make life goals come to fruition.  

His message was powerful, impactful and left the students full of excitement to always do their best. 

 Fisher, a 2004 graduate of Kingston High School, has springboarded his dedication, perseverance, and talent into a fantastic career as an internationally known player. 

He had to face many difficult obstacles on and off the court that led him on this unthinkable journey. Tay helped propel the Siena Saints to the 2007-2008 MAAC regular season, and postseason titles, and a stunning 83-62 upset of SEC power Vanderbilt in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, a game in which he was six-for-six on three-pointers. 

He shot an incredible 44.4 percent from three-point range that season as a senior and then was a 2008 Globetrotters draftee. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — When it comes to mental health, speaking up can often be difficult. 

Elaine Anton-Lotruglio, the founder of The Circle of Mothers Saratoga, knows this well. She established the support group following her own experiences as the mother of a child struggling with mental health.

“For me, it seemed like one day he woke up and he just said he didn’t want to live anymore,” said Anton-Lotruglio.

In the following years, her son attended a boarding school and a therapeutic wilderness program in Utah, before eventually finishing high school at what Anton-Lotruglio described as a “therapeutic boarding school.”

“He’s in a really good place, but it took a lot to get him there, and it was complete anguish for me, and his brother, and for my husband,” said Anton-Lotruglio.

Her son is doing well these days, she said, and is currently a junior in college. But the family’s experience empowered Anton-Lotruglio to try to make a difference for other families who may be going through similar experiences.

She attended a parent night led by a local mother who had lost her son to suicide, and came to a realization after several other parents spoke up about their childrens’ mental health struggles.

“It dawned on me that there are people like that hiding behind closed doors, because they’re ashamed, they don’t want other people to know they’re struggling,” Anton-Lotruglio said. “There’s so much shame around this that it’s just so upsetting, because literally that silence is deadly.”

Anton-Lotruglio booked a room in the basement of the Saratoga Springs City Library, officially laying the roots for The Circle of Mothers Saratoga. The support group meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m.

“There are guidelines, rules. There’s no advice given. Everybody shares time, no one person can dominate the conversation. We don’t judge, we don’t give advice, we just listen,” said Anton-Lotruglio. “No one has to speak if they don’t want to. If you just want to listen, that’s perfect too. Nobody has to divulge anything they don’t want to, but if they hear something that another parent says that helps them, perfect.”

While she said the group tends to be “really small,” in size, its impact seems to be large. Anton-Lotruglio said she receives messages nearly every week from parents who are dealing with mental health crises in their children. She stressed that, “Whatever’s said in the circle stays in the circle.”

She also stressed the importance of speaking up, saying that silence only leads to more deaths by suicide.

“If you are silent about suicide, deaths occur,” said Anton-Lotruglio. “That was really troubling for me. …If you’re silent about these things, the silence is actually what perpetuates adolescent suicide. Because people are afraid to talk about it, children die.”

Anton-Lotruglio said she loves “that people know I’m a resource,” saying she wished she had a similar support group when her son was struggling.

“I was so lost and so afraid. … I wish I had that at the time,” she said. “For me to be able to be vocal about it, and hopefully make it easier for someone else to have someone to talk to. … I’m so glad that I can do that, that I can be that.”

Anton-Lotruglio has held administrative positions at universities, and as a former Division 1 lacrosse player at Hofstra University, she has spent several years coaching lacrosse at a variety of levels, including helping lead the Saratoga Springs varsity girls lacrosse team to the Section II Class A Championship in 2018. 

Now, however, Anton-Lotruglio is back in school, with the goal of obtaining a PhD in social work. She said she is currently studying “the idea of a precipitating event that leads to an adolescent suicide.”

“Like, what happens that they decide that today is the day?,” said Anton-Lotruglio. “If we can identify that, if there’s a red flag. Something happens, a relationship breakup, or a bad event that occurs in a day. Can we identify that, and have that be a red flag, and then monitor a young adult more closely, so that we can prevent it?”

Despite her studies, Anton-Lotruglio stressed that the group is not therapeutic in nature, but instead simply a group of mothers supporting each other, saying, “It’s a mother’s group, not a therapeutic group.”

She also said she hopes to inspire others to share their stories, and feel comfortable doing so, saying we must “stop judging other parents because their kids are struggling.”

“By me sharing, I hope that I’m inviting other people to share, or to feel better about where they are, and know that they’re not the only ones,” said Anton-Lotruglio. “Other people are going through it, they’re just not talking about it. So I talk about it.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis or considering suicide, there is help available. Call 988 or text TALK to 741741.

SCHUYLERVILLE — For the next six weeks, all seventh and eighth grade Schuylerville Middle School students will participate in the fifth annual Ballston Spa Birdhouse Program, an opportunity to experience production woodworking on a large scale.

The initiative, supported by Arts and Science Creating Community, Inc. (ASCC), began with a lumber donation from Curtis Lumber, a sponsor of the project. Schuylerville Middle School Technology teacher Mark Belden and his students received a delivery of enough wood to build 300 birdhouses. Belden says the hands-on experience, at no cost to Schuylerville, will be invaluable.

“With the current cost of supplies increasing, this is huge for us,” said Belden. “Plus, I always talk to the students about opportunities for their futures, and now here is a local company coming in, encouraging careers in this industry. It’s awesome.”

“We have created this program to support the WorkForce initiative, to support the trades as a realistic option for students once they finish their education,” added ASCC Executive Director, Mark Blech.

Students helped unload the lumber off the Curtis Lumber truck and will get to work immediately, spending the rest of January and the month of February on the project. Once completed, the birdhouses will be distributed to community members to decorate and be put on display throughout the Village of Ballston Spa from May to October.

BALLSTON SPA —The Ballston Spa Central School District is fortunate to have TCT Federal Credit Union (TCT FCU) as a long-standing partner of multiple initiatives throughout recent years. 

Most recently, they provided support to the district with a $2,500 donation to be used toward the Scotties BackPack Program, Sponsor-a-Scholar program and toward Community Literacy efforts. In addition, TCT continually looks for ways to support BSCSD students and staff as well as recognize educators with the Teacher of the Week community program. The district expressed appreciation to TCT FCU at a recent Board of Education Meeting for their ongoing support.

SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville Elementary School’s Life Skills students hosted their 2022 Jingle Bell Shop, providing an opportunity for students in grades K-5 to order items for holiday gift giving. In total, more than 2,000 orders were taken for gifts.

Every class in the elementary school visited the Jingle Bell Shop in a three-day span. Amy Jordan’s students participated in production, inventory, customer service, stocking, re-stocking, sales, and bagging.

“Thank you to our Schuylerville Elementary students, staff and families for the continued support of our very successful Life Skills program,” said Mrs. Jordan. “My students continue to grow and learn each and every day thanks to the support from their community.  We’re happy to give back to such kind and caring people. Thank you!”

Along with providing enriching learning opportunities for the students in Mrs. Jordan’s class, $500 in profits from the Jingle Bell Shop were presented to Caring and Sharing and the district’s Backpack Program.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District has once again received support from Ballston Spa National Bank (BSNB) to fund the Ballston Spa High School Robotics Team’s participation in the annual US FIRST Robotics competition. 

The $6,000 in funding, combined with additional corporate sponsorships and team fundraising, will allow the district’s high school team to design and construct a robot according to this year’s specifications, participate in regional competitions, and continue to expand the robotics initiatives to additional students in the district.

“On behalf of our team at BSNB, I would like to congratulate the Ballston Spa Central School District and the other corporate partners for their efforts to develop this highly successful program,” said Chris Dowd, president and CEO of Ballston Spa National Bank. “Thanks to strong leadership and the active engagement of students, the program provides a meaningful and very effective complement to the educational infrastructure in this region.  For those not familiar with the program, I encourage attending a competition to see firsthand the energy generated and the impressive results of the students’ efforts.”

The district continues to focus on partnerships with business and non-profit organizations throughout the region as part of the Partnership for Innovation in Education program. The Ballston Spa High School Robotics Team uses the support they receive to mentor and sponsor three other STEM related teams in the middle school and high school, and to participate in regional competitions for 2022-2023.  

“Since sponsoring the first High School team in 2009, BSNB’s ongoing commitment has helped our program grow across the district and helped our students compete three times in the World Finals,” said Dr. Gianleo Duca, Interim Superintendent of the Ballston Spa Central School District. “The district would not be able to provide this opportunity for the current students involved on teams and the numerous alumni that have benefitted from the program without BSNB’s partnership and leadership through the years.” 

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 25 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 can learn 21st Century skills from professional mentors, 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.