SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Children’s Theatre (SCT) has big plans this summer for their brand-new space.

For the last 12 years, since they formed in 2008, the SCT has rented all over the city of Saratoga to rehearse – the senior center, the town hall, Saratoga Springs High School, and even traveling to Round Lake to perform. Their new, permanent space at 615 Maple Avenue has everything they need at one site: dance studios with a semi-sprung floor and full-mirrored walls, private lesson space, office space, and a black box theater. 

“It’s unbelievable,” said Leigh Berenis, Executive Director of the Saratoga Children’s Theatre, about moving into the new space. “I’ve been with the company for 6 years now, and it’s been at the top of my list. It’s kind of crazy taking on a huge space but it’s the dream.” 

They are past stage one of construction, and are fully moved in. To move on to stage two, which includes getting seating and lighting for the black box theater, they will need to keep raising money and finding grants. 

“We are a small nonprofit, and a big misconception with theater is that it’s a frivolous activity,” said Berenis. “But it’s so much more than that. It’s learning to public speak, to work as a team in an ensemble, learning in-depth about script analysis and character analysis, how to speak about and tap into your emotions. We work with so many underprivileged kids, and we don’t turn anyone away for a scholarship even if we don’t have the funds available, we will always figure it out.”

Summer Performances

SCT’s Summer Camp performances will be held in an open-air theater, under a large tent outside, that will be safer with COVID. The youngest at the summer camp, five and six-year-olds, do a basic song and dance performance every week. The 7-12 age group learn to incorporate more acting and performing techniques in their 30 to 40 min. performances, and the teens put on full-length shows.

Performances are rain or shine, bring your own lawn chair. You can get tickets at saratogachildrenstheatre.org. The schedule is as follows: 

July 9: How I Became a Pirate (12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

July 16: Pippin (7 p.m.)

July 17: Pippin (1 p.m. and 7 p.m.)

July 23: Frozen Kids (12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

Aug. 6: Dear Edwina Jr. (12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.) 

Aug. 13: Glee (12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

Aug. 20: Freaky Friday (7 p.m.) 

Aug. 21: Freaky Friday (1 p.m. and 7 p.m.)

The Community Market & Open Mic 

SCT has partnered with neighbors Artisanal Brew Works, Caffe Lena, RomCom Candles and 30+ other rotating local vendors for the first year of their outdoor Community Market. Community Markets and Open Mics will be at their new space (615 Maple Ave) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following Sundays: July 11, July 25, Aug. 8, and Aug. 15.

“We hope that we can help out the community and have people here using this space all year round,” said Berenis. “It’s been a tough year for everybody and since we have the space to have a market and draw people here to support every kind of business that we can possibly support, then we are going to do it. That’s what the idea was behind the Community Market.”

There is no fee to attend the Community Market or Open Mic. The Open Mic is a way for anyone to get out and perform – children and families, poetry, or bands, etc.

In addition, Warm It Up, A donation-based low-impact workout class will be held at 9 a.m. before the Markets begin. All you need to bring is a yoga mat or towel.

Interested in being a vendor, or want to sign up for Open Mic? You can find the link to the forms onlineat www.saratogachildrenstheatre.org, or email info@saratogachildrenstheatre.org. 

CORINTH — Cornell Cooperative of Saratoga County’s Farm to School program originally launched in 2018, with the aim to connect schools throughout NYS with farms and food producers within their community to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health, and promote regional food systems awareness. Saratoga Springs CSD was the only school to partake in the first year of the grant to wildly successful results. The positive commentary surrounding the program brought three more local schools. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and with a little creativity, the outcomes continued to be exceptionally positive. 

A favorite “game” the students like to play is the “Caught Eating Your Veggies” contest. Students respond well to the fun competition and strive to gain the most stickers to show they’ve eaten their vegetables.

Corinth Central School is one of the three new schools participating in the program. Through the collaborative efforts of the Pitney Meadows Community Farm, CCE Saratoga, and Corinth CSD’s very own Food Service Director, Lisa Tevendale, Corinth’s Kindergarten–Fifth graders competed for three days in May. Ms. Haack’s third graders received 66 stickers between the 15 students to win the contest. Each student received a Seed Starter goodie bag that included a “No Farm, No Food” sticker from the American Farmland Trust, assorted seeds from Pitney Meadows, Stewart’s single scoop coupons donated by the Corinth PTSA, and Lisa Tevendale contributed the seed starter kits.

The Farm to School Grant program has been widely well-received and will continue into the 2021-2022 school year. Contact Nicolina Foti, CCE Saratoga Farm to School Grant Coordinator, for more information at 518-885-8995.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Independent School (S.I.S) celebrated its first 8th grade graduating class on Thursday, June 17. This first group of Middle Schoolers started sixth grade at S.I.S in the Fall of 2018. During the ceremony, several 8th grade students gave speeches, and 6th and 7th grade students gave a choral reading of a poem that they wrote collaboratively based on Langston Hughes’ “I Dream a World.” The ceremony ended with the students singing the School Song with a special verse composed by the 8th grade. 

Graduates of the class of 2021 will attend Emma Willard, Eaglebrook Academy, Questar’s P-Tech Early College in High School program, the AIM Academy, Saratoga High School, Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake High School, Stillwater High School, and Queensbury High School. 

In an effort to leave behind a legacy, the 8th grade class raised money to buy more books for the new middle school library. The new library was built in conjunction with the Capital Campaign to build the new middle school. The 8th graders had a goal to raise $600, and together they raised over $1,000. That money was used to purchase many new books for the library. The students designed bookplates for the new books, wrote book recommendations, and created artwork for the walls, all of which will be cherished by many students in the coming years. 

Capital Region — Kelly’s Angels, the Capital Region charity devoted to helping local children and families facing loss or life-threatening illness, will award $24,000 in scholarships to 16 local high school graduates who have overcome significant adversity. 

A teacher, wife, and mom, Kelly Mulholland died in 2007 at age 37 after a long struggle with breast cancer. She left her husband Mark, and two children, Connor and McKenna, who were 7- and 5-years-old at the time. 

The Mulhollands formed Kelly’s Angels to honor her memory and her commitment to helping children and other families suffering through similar tragedies. Now in its 11th year, Kelly’s Angels provides grants to children who have lost a parent or sibling to cancer or other illness and families who are battling a life-threatening condition. Last year, Kelly’s Angels presented more than $70,000 in grants to local children and familiess.

The graduates of eight local high schools receiving $1,500 Kelly’s Angels scholarships each are: 

Queensbury High School:  Isabella Bennett (college TBD). Samuel Rowley (Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences).

Glens Falls High School:  Ella Kules (Nazareth College. Efthymios (Timmy) Antonelos (The College of Saint Rose)

Whitehall High School: Mya Touchette (Western New England University)

Stillwater High School: Jayna Patrick (University at Albany) 

Saratoga Springs High School: Jason Zheng (Yale University, Ciara Schoen (college to be decided), Cristina DeMeo (Harvard University) 

South Glens Falls High School: Ella McFadden (SUNY Adirondack), Henry Burch (Stony Brook University), Avery Willis (Cornell University) 

Hoosic Valley High School: Emma Carlo (Hudson Valley Community College), Jonah Smith (Hudson Valley Community College) 

Saratoga Central Catholic High School: Cailin Mercier (Hudson Valley Community College), Aiden Lambert (University of Central Florida)

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Spring’s Class of 2021 walked across the stage at SPAC in a traditional ceremony without COVID restrictions on Friday, June 25. 

At Saratoga Springs High School’s 148th commencement ceremony, 495 students graduated as the Class of 2021. They are headed to 164 different colleges and universities in 33 states over five different countries. Five members of the class have made the commitment to serve the country in the Navy, Army, and Coast Guard. 

The Class of 2021 President, Kendal McCloskey, opened the ceremony with cheers from the crowd early on in her welcoming speech:

“It was not so long ago that this moment, along with so many other senior moments, seemed unlikely to become a reality,” said McCloskey. “Through the hard work and dedication of so many citizens around the world, and our own perseverance and commitment, we are able to gather for this celebration together, in person, instead of a long line of slow-moving cars and the inevitable glitch of a Zoom call.”

Following an announcement from Governor Andrew Cuomo just over a week before the ceremony took place, students and guests no longer had to follow strict COVID restrictions and requirements. All were welcome to attend without a ticket, when previously each graduate was limited to two tickets for guests. There was no assigned seating in pods, no social distancing or capacity requirements, and no proof of vaccinations or negative test result required. However, masks were required to be worn by unvaccinated persons, per NYS Department of Health regulations. 

“Just a few weeks ago we were not sure if this celebration could be possible,” said Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools. “The dedicated members of our high school graduation committee have been working extremely hard for the past several months, exploring and planning every possible scenario for today.”

The graduation rehearsal on Tuesday, June 22 and the graduation ceremony on Friday, June 25 were the first times the Class of 2021were all together this school year. And there was a very popular word used amongst the speakers to describe the graduating class – resilience. 

“You have successfully navigated one of the most challenging times that public education has ever faced,” said Patton to the graduating class.

Graduates and faculty alike gave great thanks to the community in their speeches. 

“We will always be shaped by this community,” said Julian Silva-Forbes, Salutatorian. “That might be a 9th grade lunch table turning into a lifelong group of friends, a favorite elective turning into a college major, or a volunteering experience turning into a favorite career. The lessons we learned from each other and from our great teachers will always be a part of us.”

Silva-Forbes encouraged his peers to continue to create a community in the places they land after graduation. English teacher Jill Cowburn put together a video in which Saratoga Springs graduates from the last decade congratulated this year’s graduating class, gave them advice, and welcomed them to the working community. 

The Class of 2021 further showed their appreciation for the community by giving $500 each to the Class of 2022, 2023, and 2024, and $500 to the school newspaper, The Lightening Rod, as their Class Gift. On behalf of their peers, the Class Officers spoke on how they are hoping to “ensure that future generations of Saratoga Springs High School students can have as memorable of an experience as we did.”

Jason Zheng, Valedictorian, shared some of the fond and funny memories that the class had during their high school journey at Saratoga Springs, and as they matured into the leaders they are today.

“Look back to your childhood dreams, countless aspirations, and the ‘I want to be this when I grow up.’ Look back to any time in your life when you were truly happy and recapture that moment,” said Zheng. “Then set out on this new chapter of your life and accomplish whatever you told yourself you would accomplish when you were little – that is a true leader.” 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild has awarded $1,500 scholarships to five area high school seniors pursuing careers in healthcare: Cristina DeMeo of Saratoga Springs, Lauren Fowler of Malta, Ava Herzog of Saratoga Springs, Riane Richard of Clifton Park, and Alexis Sutphin of Queensbury. 

All were selected for their combination of academic achievements, community service, and a desire to pursue a career in healthcare. Four participated in SSOAR: Students Sharing Opportunities and Responsibilities. The summer volunteer program gives area youth an opportunity to gain firsthand experience by providing compassionate customer service in a healthcare environment. 

“These scholarship recipients are remarkable for their determination, dedication, and resilience. They exemplify exactly what we’re looking for in the next generation of healthcare providers,” said Terry White, Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild President. “We are honored to recognize and support their efforts – and play a role in helping them share their gifts with the community.” 

Cristina DeMeo, of Saratoga Springs High School, volunteered with SSOAR and at Glens Falls Hospital throughout high school. She participated in the Summer Fellowship Program of The RNA Institute at the University at Albany and used the knowledge she gained in bioinformatics to create an award-winning project, “A Differential Gene Expression and Alternative Splicing Analysis of ALS-Causing Mutations.” DeMeo will attend Harvard University.

Lauren Fowler, of Ballston Spa High School, participated in the highly selective New Visions Health Careers Exploration Program. She volunteered at an elder care facility and as a SSOAR volunteer in Saratoga Hospital’s Alfred Z. Solomon Emergency Center. Fowler will study nursing at the University of Vermont. 

Ava Herzog, of Saratoga Springs High School, was a volunteer with SSOAR, a junior volunteer at Glens Falls Hospital, a counselor at Camp Invention, and a volunteer at Double H Ranch. She was involved in biology research at Skidmore College and was named a Regeneron Science Talent Search for her project, “The Effect of Retinal Degeneration Mutation rd1 on Circadian Locomotor Activity and Nesting Behavior in Mice.” Herzog will attend Stony Brook University as a student in the Scholars for Medicine B.S./M.D. program. 

Riane Richard, of Shenendehowa High School, volunteered with a variety of community service organizations. Her most significant contributions were to Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany, where she helped visually impaired teens and children during group activities. She also organized video story times during the pandemic. Richard will major in biochemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

Alexis Sutphin, of Queensbury High School, volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and impressed Saratoga Hospital providers during her time as a SSOAR volunteer. One Saratoga Hospital physician cited Sutphin’s commitment, empathy, and positive attitude – wonderful attributes for a future nurse. Sutphin will study nursing at Adirondack Community College. 

Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild has awarded scholarships since 1990 to help high school seniors in the region pursue careers in healthcare. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Early College Career Academy (ECCA), a partnership program between the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES and SUNY Adirondack, held its Completion Ceremonies at the SUNY Adirondack Queensbury campus on June 10 and 11. Seventy-one students from 26 school districts were recognized in the company of family members, WSWHE BOCES and SUNY Adirondack staff and faculty, BOCES Board of Education members and honored award presenters. CDC guidelines were followed. 

This was the seventh class to complete this unique program that provides students with focused studies in the fields of Advanced Manufacturing, IT Computer Networking, Cyber Security, New Media, or Business Entrepreneurship. Students in the programs are exposed to the latest technologies used in these industries, earn industry-recognized certifications, and participate in work-based learning activities that include job shadowing, being mentored by an industry expert, and real-world industry challenge projects. In addition to acquiring job skills and industry knowledge, students also earn college credits toward an Associate Degree in Applied Science, while still in high school.   

Seven students that graduated were Year-5 PTECH graduates, and one student was a Year-6 PTECH graduate, meaning they started the program in middle school and continued all through high school. 

One student in the ECCA Class of 2021 will be joining the US Navy, another plans to pursue the US Air Force. Several students plan to continue their education at SUNY Adirondack. Others will enter the workforce or technical training, and the remainder of the class will continue their studies at Monmouth University, Siena, Grand Canyon University, SUNY Geneseo, RIT, SUNY Canton, Western New England University, University at Albany, and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. 

Dr. Kristine Duffy, President of SUNY Adirondack, welcomed the students to the ceremony. Michael Prutsman, Assistant Dean for Extended Programs at SUNY Adirondack, emceed and Kimberly Wegner, Lead Coordinator for Innovative Programs at WSWHE BOCES, presented many of the awards. Instructors gave the completion certificates out for each of their classes. 

Five student speakers were chosen by their classmates – Matthew Wildermuth (Queensbury, Advanced Manufacturing), William Persons (Bolton, Information Technology Networking), Aeryn Brewer (Corinth, Business & Entrepreneurship), Lucia Cucinella (Saratoga Springs, New Media in Saratoga), and Allison Lashway (Hudson Falls, New Media in Queensbury). All spoke about their experiences, and life-long knowledge and friends they gained from the program. A Citizen Award and an Outstanding Student Ambassador Award were presented to a student from each class. 

Four Maureen VanBuren Memorial Scholarships were also awarded to Lucia Cucinella (Saratoga Springs), Justin Garfolo (Saratoga Springs), Matthew Randles (Argyle), and Grace Valla (South Glens Falls). Each received a $1,000 scholarship for the “passion they have demonstrated to their field of study and their plan to further their education through college or technical school.” The scholarship is named after the late Maureen VanBuren, who was the Special Projects Administrator for ECCA. 

BURNT HILLS — This past Friday was a day of celebration for The Charlton School. As music students practiced under the pavilion for their Juneteenth celebration, art students received awards from Saratoga Springs Mayor, Meg Kelly. 

On Friday, June 18, seven high school students at The Charlton School received the first ever Legislative Artistic Awards. Mayor Meg Kelly and Mary Jo Bradley, Art Educator at The Charlton School, collaborated to choose the recipients who were being awarded for their contribution to the community through their art. 

The Legislative Artistic Award recipients were: Kieara Pierrot-Mastaitis, Anna Wickiser, Cadence Love, Zoe Cordero, Maya Clapp, Natalie Biganini, and Sage Alling. 

Each student painted a landscape scene using acrylic paint with a palette knife and/or brushes. Their artwork is currently on display in the Mayor’s Office and will be for the next three months. 

“I can’t tell you how many people have come into my office and complimented the artwork,” said Mayor Kelly. “The talent that has come out of The Charlton School is amazing.” 

The Charlton School is a residential therapeutic school, and so the awards ceremony was livestreamed for the student’s parents. Bradley says she has seen elevated joy and confidence in the students who were recognized for their art, and she was happy that their parents could virtually attend the ceremony to show their support as well.

“Each piece was a process,” said Bradley. “But, each piece is also a masterpiece.” 

Zoe Cordero, one of the award recipients, painted a cherry blossom landscape that is among the collection in the Mayor’s Office. 

“It wasn’t an easy piece for me, but it was something I worked really hard on. I learned a lot about color matching and used different techniques in each corner of the painting,” said Cordero. 

Mayor Kelly has been working with The Charlton School for a year and half already, helping students get internships and part-time work. Although Mayor Kelly will not be running for office next year, the awards will be ongoing. Before her term ends, she is hoping to get more of the student’s artwork displayed around the city; commenting that Saratoga Springs is an
art community. 

“Art is about communication,” said Mayor Kelly. “Art changes lives.” 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) awarded certificates and checks to winners of the New York State DAR Flag Essay Contest, the American History Essay Contest, and Junior American Citizen Contest. 

The Flag Essay Contest theme was “What the Flag of the United Stated of America Means to Me” and was eligible for any student in the fifth and sixth grade and attending public, private, parochial schools or those who are home schooled to enter. This year the chapter had over 60 essays entered. The winner was Meghan Kempf, second place went to Hudson Bauer, and third place went to Gabriela Schwartz. 

The American History Essay Contest theme was “The Boston Massacre” and was eligible for any student in fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade in public, private, parochial schools or those who are home schooled to enter. The winner was Conor Reilly. 

The Junior American Citizens (JAC) is a community service project. The JAC contest is open to all pre-school through 12th grade students in public, private, and parochial schools, and in sanctioned home study programs in the categories: gifted, general, and special needs. The winners collected food for people needing assistance. Each received a check, a Junior American Citizen Certificate, and a small goody bag. Co-winners were Sakthi and Surya Muthukrishnan. The co-winners read a short note to the members, thanking them for awarding them first place. 

“We are honored to recognize these talented students with their creative writing skills and doing community service,” said Chapter Regent Martha Chromik.

The National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, founded in 1890, is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR has over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. 

If you are interested in learning more about DAR membership, contact saratogadaughters1143@gmail.com. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs High School senior Julian Silva-Forbes has been selected as the 2021 Rodion Cantacuzene Scholarship recipient by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. 

The scholarship, awarded in a one-time amount of $1,000, is presented annually to a high school senior from Saratoga County who has demonstrated a record of academic excellence and exemplary service to the community along with a strong interest in pursuing future studies in history and/or the arts. 

Silva-Forbes will attend Columbia University in the fall.