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.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — After 30 years, the Academy for Lifelong Learning has left its host and sponsor Empire State College. SUNY ESC and the ESC Foundation Board recently voted to dissolve the relationship as of Dec. 31, 2022. 

The Academy is now incorporated as Academy for Lifelong Learning Saratoga Region, Inc. and has ventured out as its own nonprofit organization, fulfilling the vision of being the premier non-credit adult learning center in Saratoga and surrounding counties through inclusive educational and social opportunities that enhance the lives of more and more adults as they age.

The Academy continues its mission of providing lifelong learning for adult learners in the Saratoga Region and beyond. Look for the Academy’s winter course information on the new website at www.allsaratoga.org. Courses start this week.

Check back for information on upcoming spring courses in March for noncredit classes starting mid-April. The Academy is currently looking for community classroom space to hold some of its spring courses.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Public Library (BSPL), The Friends of the Ballston Spa Public Library, and the BSPL Board of Trustees, announced they have received a $100,000 award from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, to support a new reading room addition as part of the library’s master plan.  

The project will bolster the Library’s public spaces and programming to better serve the public, according to a statement issued by the library, and is expected to result in an increase in the number of public programs offered and in the number of programs hosted at the library by partner groups. 

The Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust was established to benefit nonprofit scientific, medical, educational, cultural, religious, and charitable organizations by funding projects and programs in memory of the Trust’s founder, Alfred Z. Solomon.

SCHUYLERVILLE — National Milk Day is observed every January 11th, celebrating the first home delivery of milk inside sterilized glass bottles sealed with waxed paper back in 1878. This year, King Brothers Dairy of Schuylerville has made its own special delivery to celebrate the day. 

Along with mascot Queenie, the Schuylerville-based dairy delivered over 4,000 bottles of their award-winning milk to schools in the Saratoga Springs City School District. 

“Queenie greeted students getting off the bus,” said Jan King, one of two King brothers. “She brought 4,000 bottles of chocolate milk and 200 bottles of 2% milk for the kids.”

Last autumn, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets awarded King Brothers Dairy gold in the Fluid Milk category for Small Processors and gold in the Chocolate Milk category for dairies of all sizes at the New York State Fair. 

“This has been a great opportunity for King Brothers Dairy,” Jan said. “It’s the first time we have ever been able to partner with a school district to have an event like this. The team loved seeing how excited the students were to receive the milk. And the cafeteria staff had just as much fun!”

The milk was provided at no cost to the students. In addition, school cafeteria staff wore custom “Legen-Dairy” t-shirts to honor King Brothers Dairy and National Milk Day 2023.

Sarah Zdobnikow of the King Brothers Dairy team also participated in the celebration. 

“It’s so rewarding to see the kids eager to get one of our bottles of milk,” she said. “Many students already know and love us, while for others, this was their first time trying us out. One of my favorite moments was when a student thanked me as they walked by with their milk, adding ‘this chocolate milk is so good!’”

Eric Bush, the School Lunch Director for the Saratoga Springs City School District, was happy to see how the students reacted to the event. 

“Everyone, from leadership and teachers to the students, were thrilled to have King Brothers Dairy on-site for National Milk Day,” he said. “This event was a huge success, and we would love to collaborate with the Dairy to have their milk and Queenie return to our schools for future events.”