SARATOGA — Summer may be ending soon, but the Scouting year never ends. From the July Bike Rodeo to racing cars at a January Pinewood Derby, elementary grade Cub Scouts have year-round fun with friends while learning a wide range of skills.
Young men and women in Scouts BSA Troops also enjoy year-round experiences both indoors and outdoors throughout their middle school and high school years. There are a number of active Packs and Troops in the area.
To learn more about a unit near you, go online to beascout.org or contact John Koch by emailing saratogascouter@kochny.com for more information. Adventure awaits – start your Scouting journey!
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Amplify Horse Racing, a nonprofit promoting education and careers in the thoroughbred industry, will be hosting five days of educational tours at Saratoga Race Course, in collaboration with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.
The Amplify Saratoga Tours are great for middle, high school, or college students who are looking to explore careers in this vibrant sport, learn more about the horses and people of racing, and ways to be involved.
The tours will begin at 8 a.m. and include a visit to the stable area to watch morning, training, learn from industry professionals, and visit a barn. There will be a break for lunch, and then the tour will reconvene at the races to visit the saddling area, learn more about industry jobs and thoroughbred aftercare, and watch the races. The tour will end around 4 p.m.
It is free to register and will be limited to eight registrants per tour. Open to ages 12-15 (parents and guardians are welcome to participate). Available dates are Aug. 11, 13, and 15.
SARATOGA COUNTY — The Saratoga County Agricultural Promotion Committee announced the winners of the Sundae on the Farm Agriculture Scholarship. The award was handed out at the Saratoga County Fair during the conclusion of the 4-H Dairy Show. Peter Bardunias, Senior Vice President, Community Advancement for The Capital Region Chamber, and member of the Agricultural Promotion Committee presented the awards. The scholarship is intended to alleviate costs associated with further education endeavors in the agriculture industry.
Hannah (Lainey) Koval: Lainey grew up on Koval Brothers Dairy Farm in Saratoga County, and whether it was showing her cows at the fair, helping her parents in the barn, promoting local dairy products, or being a part of her local 4-H or FFA program, Lainey was always submerged in agriculture. She attends Cornell University for Agricultural Science with plans to concentrate in Business Management so she may, hopefully, return and work on her family’s dairy farm.
Michael Theobald: Michael came into the world of agriculture later in life through a flower nursery in Saratoga Springs. The owners themselves had an overflowing passion for the nursery business, which watered his own growing love for Agriculture. The experience helped him settle on pursuing an education in agriculture. He is attending SUNY Morrisville with his major in Agricultural Science.
Blake Wadsworth: Agriculture was the base of some of Blake’s earliest memories. His day-to-day has always revolved around agriculture; from feeding calves to watching his dad milk cows before school in the morning. He is attending Cornell University. When not in school, he spends much of his time working on local dairy farms doing herd work.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Youth² – Youth Helping Youth has partnered with Rebuilding Saratoga to host a charity drop off event to support safety in our local community. The event “Emergency and Safety Kits” will be on Friday, Aug. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. at 112 Spring St. parking lot (entrance off Court St.)
This is Youth²’s 6th Community Care Pop-UP event. A station will be set upto receive donations of kitchen fire extinguishers, 10-year smoke detectors, CO2 detectors, night-lights, first aid kits and travel hand sanitizers. The Pop-UP will happen rain or shine and will be a COVID-safe drop-off.
Rebuilding Saratoga is an organization that provides critical home repair and accessibility modification for low-income Saratoga County homeowners. For more information about Rebuilding Saratoga visit www.rtsaratoga.org.
Youth² is an organization based in Saratoga made up of both youth and adults working together to improve the lives of people around the world. Youth² provides financial and thoughtful support to youths and helps them turn their social action ideas into an impactful reality, both locally and globally. For more information visit www.youthsquared.org.
GLENS FALLS — Tri-County Literacy Center is excited to announce that they have received start-up funding for their reorganization project from The Glens Falls Foundation.
This funding will enable Tri-County Literacy Center (TLC) to help community members improve their lives by fostering literacy skills through practical, leaner-centered education. TLC provides adult learners in Warren, Washington, and Saratoga Counties with necessary resources and skills to achieve their literacy goals, which provides opportunities for independence and economic mobility.
TLC is an offshoot nonprofit organization created in September 2020 after the recent dissolution of Literacy New York Greater Capital Region. The new organization is headquartered at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls.
According to the most recent study completed by the National Center for Education Statistics: 14% of the Warren County population has difficulty understanding print materials and 23% have issues with basic math; 19% of the Washington County population has difficulty understanding print materials and 30% have issues with basic math; 11% of the Saratoga County population has difficulty understanding print materials and 17% have issues with basic math.
BALLSTON SPA — This year, the Ballston Spa Teachers’ Association is proud to award $6,500 in scholarships to five graduating seniors in two categories.
The BSTA Field of Education Scholarships was created in 1960. The intent of this scholarship is to recognize and support students who plan to attend an accredited college or university in order to pursue a career in education or an education related field such as guidance, social work, or psychology. The current amount of this scholarship award is a one-time payment of $1,500.
This year’s recipients from the Class of 2021 include: Ava Durfee, who plans to attend Marist College to study Elementary Education; Amelia Edmunds, who will attend SUNY Oneonta to study Early Childhood Education; Corinne Pepper, who will attend Monmouth University to study Physical Education; and Anna Pilkey, who plans to attend SUNY Cortland to study Adolescent Education: English.
The second scholarship is the Community Service/First Responders Scholarship which was created in 2018. The intent of this BSTA Scholarship is to recognize and support students who have demonstrated that they are community oriented and plan to attend an accredited college or university and enroll in a program of study with the intent to pursue a career related to being a First Responder.
The applicant must have a record of service related to serving the community of the Ballston Spa Central School District. This includes service as a First Responder and/or other similar experience which demonstrated safety or putting the safety of the community first. The amount of this award is a one-time payment of $500. This year’s recipient is Steven Bowers, who plans to attend Onondaga Community College to study Fire Protection Technology.
Congratulations to these well deserving students! Since 1960, through the generous donations from the active and retired BSTA members, the Ballston Spa Teachers’ Association has awarded $123,400 in scholarships to graduating students from Ballston Spa High School.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Medical Society recently recognized the winners of its annual scholarship program. The scholarships are awarded each year to graduating high school seniors in Saratoga County that are planning to pursue careers in health-related fields.
The ceremony took place at Longfellows Restaurant in Saratoga Springs. The $1,000 Ted Gallagher Award was given to Ava Herzog of Saratoga Springs High School. The $500 Carl Silverman Award was given to Isabella D’Amato of Waterford-Halfmoon High School. The $250 Honorable Mention Award went to Cody Belden of Schuylerville High School.
At the ceremony, Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) presented each of the students with a citation of recognition from the New York State Assembly.
SARATOGA COUNTY — Adirondack Trust Company stepped up to make partial or full remote learning in the wake of COVID-19 easier. Thanks to their sponsorship, over 3,560 students and teachers at 18 schools in Saratoga and Warren counties will have free access to Banzai. Banzai is an award-winning online financial literacy program and content library of articles, calculators, and personalized coaches. All of these resources are available to students at home or in the classroom via any device that can access the internet.
“Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program. Kids get their own accounts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life,” says Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. “But because Adirondack Trust Company is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it’s important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world…”
Banzai students will know how to track where their money is and what it’s for, recognize financial trade-offs, build a budget, and more.
Banzai resources are used by over 75,000 teachers across the U.S. The courses align with New York’s state curriculum requirements, making the program a fun way for students to gain vital financial literacy skills. Teachers interested in using the Banzai program with their classes can visit adirondacktrust.teachbanzai.com or call 888-8-BANZAI.
For more information about Banzai visit teachbanzai.com. For more information about Adirondack Trust Company visit adirondacktrust.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Four Ballston Spa fifth grade students were recognized at the annual 5th Grade Moving-Up ceremonies at their elementary schools before the summer break.
One student at each school was presented with the Maurice “Christopher” Morley Literacy Award. This award initiative honors the legacy of Village History Consultant Mr. Morley and is awarded to four students moving up from the elementary schools in the Ballston Spa Central School District to the Middle School who have demonstrated exceptional determination and perseverance on the road to reading. This award includes a recognition certificate along with a gift certificate to a local bookstore.
The 2021 award recipients include Quinn Dewey from Milton Terrace Elementary, Noah Fitzgerald from Gordon Creek Elementary, Zakkai McZeal from Wood Road Elementary, and Madison Denney from Malta Avenue Elementary. The award is supported by the Rotary Club of Ballston Spa and presented annually by each Ballston Spa elementary school principal.
BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa National Bank recently welcomed the arrival of three student interns at their Corporate Offices in Ballston Spa.
Yangling (Harrison) Huang of Fuzhou, Fujian in China will be interning with the retail banking department. Huang, a senior at the University at Albany, plans to graduate in May 2022 as a double major in actuarial science and studio art along with a minor in economics.
Anthony LaBarbera of Haverstraw, will be interning with the marketing department. Going into his junior year at Siena College, LaBarbera plans to graduate in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing along with concentrations in market research analytics, digital marketing, and marketing communications.
Kellyn Briggs of Rexford will be interning with the loan servicing department. Going into her senior year at Siena College, Briggs plans to graduate in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in management along with concentrations in applied leadership, strategic communication, and strategic human resource development.
The year-round paid internship program has been active at BSNB since 2013. Positions are open to undergraduate students entering their junior or senior year, and are pursuing degrees in marketing, business or finance. Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. The interns are responsible for a wide variety of tasks and are expected to work up to 16 hours a week during the school semester and full-time during breaks and over summer vacation.
