GLENS FALLS — Roseann Anzalone, Executive Director of the Tri-County Literacy Center, has announced that the organization has been awarded a grant for their Literacy in the Libraries Integration Project from the Adirondack Foundation’s Generous Acts Program. This project will allow Tri-County Literacy Center (TLC) to offer no-cost literacy tutoring services to adult learners in a number of Adirondack communities.

Marilyn Bien, Tri-County Literacy Center Board Chair states, “TLC is so grateful to the Adirondack Foundation for their support of adult literacy. TLC will now have the ability to expand our adult literacy tutoring services and programs into the underserved areas of the North Country. Providing improved literacy skills will, in turn, improve the employment and economic opportunities for our learners in the Adirondacks. These improved opportunities are vital to the continued growth of the communities we serve.” 

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. There is a strong correlational relationship between educational attainment and employment; the most educated people in the United States tend to experience the lowest levels of unemployment and earn the most money, as reported in data published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Roseann Anzalone, Tri-County Literacy Center Executive Director states, “Partnering with small town libraries and other social service organizations allow us to make a greater impact on our community. Individually we can provide partial solutions or patches but together we can create a total pathway for someone to work toward a better life. Cooperative efforts are the key to a successful future and we are grateful to the Adirondack Foundation for encouraging and fostering these partnerships. They are a gem in a region known for taking care of their own.”

Tri-County Learning Center was founded in September 2020 to improve lives by fostering literacy skills among members of the community through practical, learner-centered education. They provide adults in Warren, Washington, and Saratoga counties with necessary resources and skills to advance the achievement of literacy goals while also providing opportunities for independence and economic mobility. To learn more about Tri-County Literacy Center and its programs, visit trilitcenter.org. 

Support for this work is provided by Generous Acts at Adirondack Foundation – a force for good that pools gifts from generous donors who love the Adirondacks and care about our communities. Adirondack Foundation enhances the lives of the people in the Adirondacks through philanthropy. To learn more about Adirondack Foundation and Generous Acts, visit adirondackfoundation.org/GenerousActs. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Maple Avenue Middle School has announced this year’s recipients of the Billy Wardell Memorial Fund. 

The Billy Wardell Memorial Fund, set up by Billy’s grandmother Sherry Wardell, has selected eight sixth graders from Maple Avenue Middle School to receive this year’s awards. Billy Wardell was a sixth grader at Maple Avenue Middle School when he passed away five years ago in an ATV accident. The Billy Wardell Memorial Fund has been able to award eight Maple Avenue sixth graders each year for the past five years with a Target gift card to help offset the cost of next year’s school supplies. 

The sixth graders awarded this year are: Jayden Wiley, Taydem Watson, Emilia Acquavella, Olivia Cowieson, Matthew Jeffers, Bella Edwards, Levi Layden, and Caylee Faulkner. 

The characteristics teachers look for when selecting the recipients are students who carry the same kind and caring characteristics as Billy. 

“We specifically ask that it goes to a student who is a true mentor to other students,” said Sherry. “Someone who will step in to stop bullying. That’s what Billy did.”

Next year will be the last year of the Billy Wardell Memorial Fund, and it will be moving to the high school to award two seniors $5,500 towards a skill school or college of their choice. Billy would have been a senior in 2022, and next year’s recipients would have been his classmates. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District is still accepting registrations for the Universal Pre-Kindergarten program for the 2021-2022 school year. To be eligible for the program, children must be four (4) years old on or before December 1, 2021, and must reside in the Saratoga Springs City School District. For more information, visit www.saratogaschools.org/upk. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Independent School (S.I.S.) provides education to students in Pre-K through eighth grade. Enrollment has begun for the 2021-22 school year. From Monday, June 7 through Thusday, June 10, S.I.S. will host Open House Tour Days. 

During the Open House Tour Days, prospective families will have an opportunity to meet Lisa Brown, Head of School, as well as other faculty and staff. Members of the faculty will take families on private tours of the campus, either in-person or virtually, discuss the curriculum, and answer questions about the school. 

Advanced registration for tours will be required and reservations can be made online or by contacting Collen Fortune, Admissions Liaison, directly at cfortune@siskids.org or 518-583-0841. S.I.S. will also schedule tours with families on any other day that is convenient.

For more information and to register, please visit www.siskids.org/admissions/open-house.cfm. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Carey Anne Zucca, a demonstrated high-impact fundraiser in the field of higher education, has been named the new Collyer Vice President for Advancement at Skidmore College. 

In this role, Zucca will provide strategic leadership and direction for all aspects of the College’s fundraising and alumni engagement efforts and will serve as a key member of the President’s Cabinet. She will lead more than 50 employees within the Office of Advancement, including Development, Alumni Relations and College Events, and Advancement Services. 

Zucca has served as Senior Executive Director of Development and Alumni Affairs at University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering since 2015, and has been a leader in stewardship and fundraising efforts at the university since 2007. 

Zucca’s accomplishments at the University of Pittsburgh include achieving a three-year fundraising average of $14 million for the Swanson School of Engineering; securing an eight-figure gift to fully endow the Pitt EXCEL Program for underrepresented minorities; supervising and working closely with development and alumni affairs, marketing and communications, and corporate foundations teams; and managing alumni events. 

Zucca holds a Master of Public Policy and Management degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public & International Affairs, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 

She was chosen from a strong field of candidates in a highly competitive, national search led by Isaacson, Miller. She will assume her new position at Skidmore on July 1. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs High School celebrated their seniors last week as they handed out yearbooks and caps and gowns. 

On Wednesday, May 26, volunteers set up a drive-through celebration from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the front circle of the high school. Seniors, some who decked out their cars with graduation decorations and the names of the colleges they will attend in the fall, entered from the West Avenue entrance to be the first to pick up the 2020-2021 yearbooks and their caps and gowns for graduation. 

Drive-through or drive-by parties and celebrations such as this have become a popular way to celebrate special events during the pandemic while remaining socially distanced. 

“With all of the lockdowns and missed events due to COVID, the administration and the parents wanted to give our 2021 seniors a celebration to mark their achievements and celebrate their success,” said Traci Jersen, parent of one of the seniors. “A special thank you to the Saratoga Springs Police, Fire Department, Principal Tsao, teachers and high school staff, and parent volunteers for making this a fun day that we hope will become an annual event.” 

Organizers also wanted to thank Stewart’s Shops, Price Chopper, Saratoga Water, and Walmart for their donations.

On May 20, the Saratoga Springs High School Graduation Committee announced that one graduation ceremony will be held for the Class of 2021 on June 25 at 9 a.m. at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). A limited number of guests will be allowed per graduate. The Graduation Committee made the following statement, that can be found on the school’s website along with any updates regarding the event. 

“We appreciate the assistance that we have received from SPAC with the goal of offering the most meaningful graduation ceremony for our students. We are working diligently on the details and will be sharing them as information becomes more finite. All of our plans are being made within the current regulations and may be subject to change. We appreciate your patience as we plan forward.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Over 115 music students from the Saratoga Springs City School District participated in a “Practice-A-Thon” this past spring. Students asked family and friends to make monetary pledges based on the number of hours they practiced. A total of $8,600 was raised for Franklin Community Center, Inc. and Saratoga Performing Arts Center. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College conferred 570 degrees to the Class of 2021 during in-person Commencement Exercises that celebrated the senior class’s resilience.

The ceremony – celebrated at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 22- brought with it the assurance of a traditional academic ceremony, but also reflected the challenges of the times. 

Wearing caps, gowns, cords, and stoles, most of the 371 graduates to receive Bachelor of Arts degress and 199 recipients of Bachelor of Science degrees attended to receive their diplomas in person. At the same time, in line with the careful measures that allowed Skidmore to offer in-person learning throughout the 2020-21 academic year, graduates wore specially designed masks and remained socially distanced throughout the celebration. 

Family and friends of the graduates were able to view the ceremony via a livestream on the Skidmore homepage, and some opted to attend an in-person viewing party held at Saratoga Springs City Center or a Zoom watch party that appeared on the large screens at SPAC, to replicate the presence of loved ones for the graduates.

Cornel West, one of America’s leading public intellectuals, and Janet Guthrie, the first woman ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, received their honorary degrees from Skidmore virtually. 

This year’s Skidmore Commencement was the first led by President Marc Conner, who has successfully steered the College through the pandemic during his first year in office. 

The event featured many elements of a traditional Skidmore Commencement, such as a processional accompanied by bagpipers from the Schenectady Pipe Band, and a moving rendition of Skidmore’s alma mater performed by seniors Jonathon J. Goff, Thabi Khumalo, Atticus Rego, and Destiny Donelson. 

The ceremony also included a special video tribute and an in-memoriam degree for senior Samantha Sasenarine, an English major, Educational Studies minor, and a strong advocate for inclusivity and diversity who died on Feb. 5. A tree was also planted in her memory during Senior Week. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Community Care Pop-UP project started by Youth² – Youth Helping Youth, a volunteer group in Saratoga Springs, was met with huge success over the past two months. The March  “Warm Socks and Toothbrushes” Drive, followed by the April  CDTA Bus Pass Donation Drive were the initial two Pop-UPs that marked the beginning of a community oriented, hands-on way to help the Saratoga region and beyond.

Thanks to the generosity of the many donators that took the time to drive by with a supply of donations, Youth² managed to collect over 1,000 pairs of socks and an equal number of toothbrushes. The SNACpack Program distributed these items.

The April Community Car Pop-UP, the CDTA Bus Pass Donations, didn’t disappoint. Almost $1,100 worth of CDTA Bus Passes (139 passes) of differing amounts were donated. The community was very generous in seeing that deserving people needing transportation assistance for doctor’s appointments, vaccinations, job interviews, and getting to work could do so. The helping agencies of Shelter of Saratoga, Saratoga County Mental Health – Youth and Family Services Team, Franklin Community Center and Lifeworks (EOC) will be giving them out.

May’s Community Care Pop-Up Event was “Toilet Paper Towers.” Future Pop-UP Events include June “Tomato, Tomoto, Tomorrow” Cherry Tomato Plant Giveaway, July  Feminine Hygiene Drive, August School Supply Drive, and a “Songs for Social Action” Concert at Caffe Lena with Canadian Road Poet, Scott Cook, to instill movement for social justice. 

For more information visit www.youthsquared.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — June Regents Exams are fast approaching, and for the second year in a row there are new exemption requirements that students and parents should be aware of. 

In 2020, New York State received a waiver from the federal government that allowed them to cancel all standardized tests, including the Regents Examinations. The United States Department of Education (USDE) has announced that it will not grant a blanket waiver for 2021 state examinations. 

Therefore, the NYS Board of Regents has reduced the June Regents Examination period to include only the four core exams that are required by federal standardized testing law. These exams are: English Language Arts, Living Environment (Biology), Algebra I, and Physical Setting/Earth Science. Regents Exams that were cancelled include: Global History & Geography, U.S. History & Government, Geometry, Algebra II, Chemistry, and Physics. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) will not be administering any Regents Exams in August 2021. 

However, students are not required to take any of these four Regents if they are passing the corresponding course; they will receive the “C19EX” designation/exemption on their transcript for that Regents Exam. As per NYSED guidelines, grades on any of the four exams will not factor into a student’s course average, and the tests will not affect graduation requirements. Saratoga Springs City School District stated the following about the new requirements: 

“We feel it is important for students to obtain a measure of their learning from their school year and we encourage students to take these exams if they are enrolled in the course. Students will not be penalized for not taking the Regents examination, nor will not taking an exam have an adverse impact on graduation requirements or diploma types.”

Although these specific exemptions are due to current circumstance, New York State had begun an assessment of graduation requirements last year, before the pandemic put it on hold. The discussion is planned to resume this summer. 

Exam dates and times are set by the NYSED for all students and there is no online option. The exam schedule for the Saratoga Springs City School District is as follows:

June 17: English Language Arts @ 8 a.m.

June 22:  Living Environment (Biology) @ 8 a.m. 

June 23: Algebra I @ 8 a.m. 

June 24: Physical Setting/Earth Science @ 8 a.m. 

Saratoga Springs students who chose to take the exam will have a choice whether to include the score on their transcript. The request for having the numeric Regents score shown on their transcript must be placed in writing to Kathy Hopper at SSHS, k_hopper@saratogaschools.org by July 9, 2021.