SARATOGA SPRINGS ­— On Tuesday, December 8, residents in the Saratoga Springs City School District approved The Legacy Project, a $129.7 million capital project referendum for improvements and renovations to all eight school buildings and the transportation facility. The final tally came in at 1530 votes to 364 votes. 

Once officially approved by the Board of Education, the Legacy Project will fund improvements to the buildings by prioritizing safety and security, educational spaces, energy and operational efficiencies.

“The District would like to thank the community for their support of this long-term investment in our schools and facilities.  I appreciate the feedback and collaboration of District stakeholders and the community during the last four years of the Legacy planning process,” said Dr. Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools.

To learn more about The Legacy Project, go to www.saratogaschools.org

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Paul Tonko, one of just a handful of engineers currently serving in Congress, announced Dec. 8 his Artificial Intelligence Education Act passed the House as part of this year’s final National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 335-78. 

The bipartisan legislation would establish grants and other support to be administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help K-12 students develop artificial intelligence (AI) skills, experience and a deeper understanding of the ethics and social implications of this emerging field. 

The original idea for the bill was presented to Tonko by then – Shaker High School senior Nathan Wang, who is now a freshman studying biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

“We have only begun to scratch the surface of what AI can do to revolutionize our health care, manufacturing, technology and other fields that will drive America’s 21st century economic and technological growth,” Congressman Tonko said, in a prepared statement. 

“I was excited to receive this recommendation from Nathan Wang, who was a Shaker High School senior at the time, to expand K-12 training in AI education,” Tonko added. “I’m proud to say we introduced and advanced a powerful piece of legislation to deliver on Nathan’s vision. I remain hopeful that this inspiring bill will be signed into law this year, thanks in large part to the tireless work of our Science, Space and Technology Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, and I urge my colleagues to continue to support our efforts to open the doors to AI education to all of America’s students, educators and schools.” 

Tonko’s AI Education Act would ensure that artificial intelligence education is accessible to K-12 students, increase awareness of potential ethical, social, safety, and security risks of artificial systems, promote curriculum development for teaching topics related to artificial intelligence, and support efforts to achieve equitable access to K-12 artificial intelligence education.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — For the 15th consecutive year, the Skidmore College community has come together to assist local residents and families through the Skidmore Cares community service program. 

This year, Skidmore faculty, staff and students donated nearly 3,000 food items and more than 3,400 school supplies and personal care items – including 2,130 face masks – for Saratoga County community organizations. In addition, monetary donations to Skidmore Cares and community agencies totaled nearly $800. 

To help ensure the health and safety of all involved, the annual campus-wide event was modified this year, encouraging individuals to drop off donations at outdoor locations on campus in early November. 

Skidmore employees organized and delivered the contributions to 10 local community service agencies: Shelters of Saratoga, Franklin Community Center, Mary’s Haven, Saratoga Economic Opportunity Council, Wellspring, Corinth Central School District, Saratoga Springs City School District PATHS, the Latino Advocacy Program, the Salvation Army and Saratoga Center for the Family. 

The donations come at a critical time for local residents and agencies facing challenges created or intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Founded in 2006, Skidmore Cares has now raised more than $122,000 for community causes and distributed nearly 60,000 food, personal care and school supplies items. 

Color Saratoga Springs’ history any way you’d like to see it. 

Local landmarks, people, and places are featured in “The History of Saratoga Springs, NY Coloring Book,” recently released by local artist Mary Frances Millet. 

Drawing off the success of “The History of Schenectady, NY Coloring Book,” published in 2017, this second book (in what Millet plans to make a series) includes 60 hand-drawn illustrations of iconic Saratoga scenes. 

“The series is a way to tell people what we have here. There are facts on each page because I wanted to make it like a history lesson that would be fun and interesting for all ages,” she said. 

Mary Frances Millet. Photo provided.

DID YOU KNOW?

Mary Frances Millet’s coloring books are a snapshot of our shared history. 

It’s a history that held some surprises for Millet, who is a third generation Schenectady native that has also spent a lot of time in Saratoga Springs.

“Saratoga has more than just horses and springs. It was the first and best in a lot of areas, including the Grand Union hotel, which was the biggest and best hotel of its kind in the world!”

Among some of Millet’s favorite facts include, that: 
• Saratoga was the birthplace of Dr.  Simon Baruch’s research institute. He was the father of hydrotherapy and started his studies in Saratoga in the 1800s. 
• The carousel in Congress park has real horsehair on its horses’ tails. 
• The “Saratoga porch” is a structure with three stories and balconies on each level. 
• The Old Daley Inn is the oldest building in Saratoga Springs. 

A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST
Millet, who is also a caregiver and former occupational therapist, said that in addition to the relaxation and enjoyment that families can get from coloring the pictures, this book is also a great tool for a historical “treasure hunt.”

It has something for everyone.

“It’s a trip down memory lane. For those who are older and have dementia or Alzheimer’s’, it can help bring back the memories they may have thought were lost,” said Millet. 

It took about six months for Millet to draw the pictures for this latest book, which were then laid out by graphic designer, Dianne Stage Fowler. 

Both of her coloring books are available on Amazon and at Northshire Bookstore. 

Find Mary Frances Millet’s art and silk scarves at Thistle Be Perfect, 19 Glenridge Road, Suite A, Glenville. See all of her work and purchase directly from the artist by visiting her website maryfrances.faso.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Independent School (S.I.S.) recently held two reimagined annual school events to keep traditions strong despite it being an unusual school year. 

“In a year with so much uncertainty, we want our students to continue to feel the strong sense of community that defines life at S.I.S.  Reimagining our annual school events is a powerful way to accomplish this,” said Lisa Brown, Head of School. 

Two of the annual school events recently held at S.I.S. were Field Day and the Vocabulary Parade.    

This year’s Field Day, for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade, was held on Friday, October 23 and consisted of socially-distant and safe activities such as hula hoop rolling, mini hurdles, potato sack races, and more.   

At their October 30 Vocabulary Parade, the students dressed up as a vocabulary word and paraded the halls of S.I.S. to show off their costumes.  Since they could not visit The Home of the Good Shepherd (as they normally would), this year they collected candy to donate to the Schenectady Street Soldiers. 

Other annual school events being reimagined this year are the Kite & Flight Festival, Thanksgiving Feast, Grandparent’s Day, Big Night Out Annual Gala, and more.

Now that the first quarter of the school year is coming to a close, districts across the region are making changes to their instructional models and giving parents the option to switch how their children are currently learning. 

CUSTOMIZING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Each school district has taken a different approach to hosting in-school learning while also maintaining the option for students to opt-out completely from their in-person or hybrid options and be fully-remote learners. 

Staying flexible enough to adapt to these uncertain times has provided our public-school students the opportunity for a customized learning experience.

REMOTE, YET REACHING OUT
As they come to the close of their first marking period, the Ballston Spa Central School District has an average of 24 percent of their more than 4,000 students who are fully-remote. 

“Each week it changes. There was a three-week period where we had 100 appeals from parents to move their students to fully-remote learning,” said District Superintendent Ken Slentz.

Ballston Spa’s hybrid setting has been organized based on the number of students they can accommodate in their buildings and on the buses. Currently, all grades are remote on Fridays and on days when enough in-person educational space isn’t available. 

Grades K-5 are in-person Monday – Thursday, grades 6 – 8 are divided by alphabet (with half in-person Monday and Tuesday and half in-person Wednesday and Thursday). The high-schoolers, grades 9 – 12, are in-person every other week (with grades 9 and 10 in-person Monday – Thursday one week and grades 11 and 12 the alternate week). 

“It’s so new, we really don’t have ‘best practices’, but we do have ‘promising practices’ in place. One of these is that on Fridays we reach out to our remote learners who haven’t been participating in the way we need or want them to. Our counselors are using this time to get connected to the extent that we can,” said Slentz.

READYING FOR THE WINTER
This week, it was announced that the New York State Public High School Athletic Association has delayed the start-date for “low-risk” winter sports including bowling, skiing and boys swimming/diving and may not allow “high-risk” sports such as basketball, ice hockey and cheer/dance this season. 

Additionally, it was announced that out-of-state holiday travel will require the proof of two negative COVID tests or a mandatory 14-day quarantine before students are allowed back at school for in-person learning. 

“Parents are very well informed and I do expect, as the numbers of infections continue to rise and parents are hearing that there’s not going to be sports, to see there are more opting for fully-remote in the coming months,” said Slentz.

For everyone at school, the district continues to emphasize the importance of adhering to the health protection procedures they’ve put in place. 

“Particularly with the virus growing in-state and in the country, it’s just not the time to relax procedures. We have to maintain healthy habits and remain disciplined,” said Slentz. 

Ballston Spa will no longer switch-off accepting appeals to change student learning models on November 20. Parents can take advantage of their new rolling appeals deadline until at least December 18th. If they’d like to change their child’s learning model, they can contact their building’s principal or go to www.bscsd.org for more information.

Schuylerville — Two additional students at Schuylerville High School have tested positive for COVID-19, causing the school to enact to a fully-remote learning model until Friday, Nov. 13. 

Students will continue to follow the regular bell schedule and calendar. This decision was made in an effort to reduce further exposure and spread as a result of these positive cases.

Since learning of the positive cases, the district has been working in conjunction with Saratoga County Public Health Services to conduct contact tracing. 

As a result of the student exposures, nine faculty/staff members and 49 students have been quarantined by the Department of Health. During the high school’s closure, building disinfectant cleaning practices will continue.

Free breakfasts and lunches will still be available to all students daily. 

For more information, go to www.schuylervilleschools.org.

Ballston Spa — The Ballston Spa Central School District received $8,500 in contributions during a Board of Education meeting this week to help support student and community services.

The TCT Federal Credit Union donated a total of $5,000. Of those funds, $2,500 will be used to for the Scotties BackPack Program, Sponsor-a-Scholar, and Community Literacy initiatives. The remaining $2,500 will help buy student science kits. 

The Ballston Spa Elks Lodge #2619 contributed $3,500 to the Scotties BackPack Program. The Scotties BackPack Program provides food to students who may otherwise go without. 

The Scotties BackPack Program offers weekend meals to more than 180 students in the district. The program is funded by grants, individual and corporate donations. 

For more information about the Scotties BackPack program, visit www.bscsd.org/backpack or call 518-884-7195, ext. 1369.

In a school year like no other, where our lives and learning systems have been thrown into disarray, the Saratoga Springs City School district got creative about reorganizing their staff to meet the needs of this new normal.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
The key for the district to move forward in these uncertain times has been to proactively identify innovative ways to utilize their existing resources and staff, said Maura Manny, Saratoga School City District Director of Community Outreach and Communications.

One of their main strategies has been to reallocate elementary teachers to serve as virtual instructors. Because the district has adopted a hybrid model of education this year (which also includes the 20 percent of students who have elected to learn remotely), they now have 23 classroom teachers who are now teaching virtually. In November, families will have the option of changing how they’ve elected to approach learning however, so the number of remote learners may soon change.

Another change on the horizon will involve the 4th grade students, who are now on a schedule that has them learning in-person two days a week and remotely for the remaining three days.

The district is planning to switch to a full five days of in-person instruction for these students. To accomplish this, they anticipate hiring additional temporary teachers in the coming weeks. These teachers will still be required to have all the appropriate certifications and credentials as tenured teachers. 

REVOLUTIONARY MEETINGS & SPACES
The educational model that Saratoga Springs has adopted has come with challenges, but also has its advantages. 

To adhere to social distancing protocols, staff interviews are held remotely.  Their hybrid schedule, combined with more parents and guardians providing transportation for their children, has eliminated the need for the district to hire additional bus drivers. 

School spaces will also continue to evolve to accommodate the 4th graders returning to a full-week of in-person learning. Non-traditional communal spaces will be transitioned into classrooms. 

SUBSTITUTE SHORTAGE STILL A LOOMING PROBLEM
Even before recent changes, all of the school districts in the area were seeing a shortage in substitutes. The problem of filling substitute vacancies has now expanded, with openings existing in a number of staffing positions. Teachers, monitors, aides, and other opportunities are all available. 

Partnering with the WSWHE BOCES to help address this need, a virtual information session will be held for interested candidates on Thursday, November 5th. Learn about the school districts, open substitute positions, and how to apply to be a substitute. Session times are 12 pm -1 pm OR 3 pm-4 pm. Pre-registration is required. For more information, go to  www.wswheboces.org/page/substitute-information-session.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Charlton School of Burnt Hills has announced a record $200,000 grant received from the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund. It is the largest cash gift a charity has made to the school’s long-term fundraising plan called the “Next Chapter.” The donation will help fund renovations to a historic chapel that has served as a therapeutic arts space since 2014. The renovation project, the first step in a 20-year plan to reshape the school’s campus, began in June 2020, and will be completed this year by Schrader & Company Construction Services. The updated arts center will include a new kiln room and handicap accessible bathroom, new energy efficient windows and doors, new lighting, electrical, heating, and cooling systems, and new flooring and cabinetry. 

Alex Capo, Executive Director of The Charlton School, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund for their tremendous generosity. In return for this significant gift, we are proud to name our new therapeutic arts space The Sarah B. Foulke Arts Center. We will also establish an annual Sarah B. Foulke Art Award; it will be given to an outstanding art student at graduation and will encourage future generations of Charlton School students.” 

Anthony J. Izzo, speaking on behalf of Suzan Nolan and Lyn Murphy, two other advisors to the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund, which is administered through The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, explained the impetus for the gift. “Sarah Blackwell Foulke, a long-time Saratoga Springs resident and an attorney who practiced in Saratoga County, was a kind, giving, compassionate, and courageous woman who loved the arts and her community. She felt women deserved better opportunities in this world than they have. After touring the school and reviewing its mission, we decided that The Charlton School would be a good fit with Sarah’s interests in supporting the arts and opportunities that empower women and girls. We knew that naming the Arts Center in Sarah’s honor would create a long-lasting legacy to her spirit and passion for helping girls achieve great things and become their best selves. In this way, through The Charlton School, Sarah’s name will always be associated with enriching young students’ lives.” 

Executive Director Capo added, “Our goal has been to transform the chapel into a space conducive to the intense emotional work necessary for a quality therapeutic arts program. This 50-year-old chapel building has been in dire need of updating. With the Sarah B. Foulke Charitable Fund donation and the fine craftsmanship that the team at Schrader & Company has brought to this project, we can redesign the space to fit those needs.” 

About The Charlton School 

The Charlton School, located at 322 Lake Hill Road in Burnt Hills, was founded in 1895 by John S. Hawley, a successful NYC business owner. He donated the land and $25,000 to open the Charlton Industrial Farm School for Boys destined for a criminal life due to neglect and poverty. In 1938, the Farm School building burnt to the ground overnight. The farmland was maintained for the next 17 years. In 1955, a new building was erected, and the doors opened to young women. The Charlton School began their mission of providing education and a home for young women within the Social Service System. 

From those early beginnings, The Charlton School has emerged as a therapeutic learning community offering the right treatment in the right environment for students who struggle with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or complex traumas. The Charlton School also sees students who exhibit school refusal, fragility, or withdrawal; students lacking in self-esteem, motivation, or social skills; or students who are struggling with relationship or identity issues. 

The Charlton School strives to create a safe and nurturing environment that fosters growth in their students and empowers them to succeed educationally and emotionally throughout their lives. 

For more information on The Charlton School or questions on how you can contribute to their “Next Chapter” of growth, visit TheCharltonSchool.org.