Nayana Shankar from Saratoga Springs helps present trophies to the women’s singles finalists at the US Open Tennis Championships in New York City. Screenshot via the ESPN broadcast.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Nayana Shankar, a nine-year-old tennis player at the Saratoga Regional YMCA Wilton Branch, made an appearance at the US Open Tennis Championships in Queens last weekend when she helped present the trophies to the women’s singles finalists.
Following the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula (a Buffalo native whose parents own the Buffalo Bills), Shankar carried out the trophy awarded to the second-place Pegula. Former tennis player and ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernández introduced Shankar as a “future American tennis champion.” After Shankar brought the trophy to the podium, tennis legend Billie Jean King appeared to tell her that she did a “good job.”
Jed Murray, the Saratoga Regional YMCA’s director of tennis, said Shankar was nominated to participate in one of the the United States Tennis Association’s Orange Ball Early Development Camps. While there, Murray said, she showed “exemplary behavior” and earned a chance to present a trophy.
“It was a pretty amazing experience,” Murray said. “She was still pretty shocked that she got to be in that position where the whole stadium is seeing her and they announce her name like that.”
Despite her recent brush with fame, Shankar was back at the YMCA on Tuesday to continue honing her tennis skills.
Photo of Ballston Spa High School Athletic Director Dave Sunkes receiving the 2018 Wellspring Changemakers Award via Saratoga.com.
ALLSTON SPA — David M. Sunkes Jr., the Ballston Spa High School Athletic Director, died suddenly last weekend. Sunkes had served the district for more than two decades and was mourned by former students and community members when they learned of his passing.
“This loss has deeply affected our Ballston Spa community, and we are struggling to come to terms with this tragic event,” wrote Superintendent of Schools Gianleo Duca in a letter. “I know that some of you had a close relationship with Dave, and his presence in our schools and at our athletic events will be deeply missed. We are all stunned by the news of this loss.”
“Dave had provided a steady hand in especially the rebound of Scotties Athletics post-Covid shutdowns, and I know without a doubt he had a front-row seat for today’s Ballston Spa Football game at Brewster. He will be greatly missed,” said Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi in a Facebook post.
Superintendent Duca said that the district would be honoring the Sunkes family’s request for privacy, and thus did not immediately provide further information about the unexpected loss.
Sunkes is survived by his wife Carrie and three sons.
Following the announcement of Sunkes’ death, there was an outpouring of affectionate tributes on Facebook.
“I probably wouldn’t have graduated high school without his help; he was a role model to so many young men and women,” wrote Devin, a former student. “Anyone who ever played for him knew how much he loved us; what a tremendous loss for Ballston Spa.”
“Mr. Sunkes was a true ally to me, and my entire family,” wrote Riley. “He treated me like gold, and never judged me once for who I am. He was kind, compassionate, and fair. He was a wonderful asset to our community, and the world. May he find peace, and his family as well. May they heal in due time, and cherish his loving memory.”
“Our two youngest had Coach Sunkes guiding them in school, the gym class, and in football,” wrote Jeff, a parent of Ballston Spa students. “His motivation driven by humor or timely sarcasm was instrumental in shaping our children. I know this news will devastate many and my heart goes out to his family.”
Sunkes was the recipient of the 2018 Wellspring Changemakers Award. He was credited with bringing the “Coaching Boys Into Men” program to Ballston Spa schools. The program promoted respectful behavior among student-athletes with the goal of preventing abuse, harassment, and sexual assault.
A mass of Christian burial for Sunkes will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Friday, September 13 at St. Mary’s Church on Milton Avenue in Ballston Spa. Burial will follow in Ballston Spa Cemetery.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help Sunkes’ wife Carrie and his three sons. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than $20,000 had already been raised. To make a contribution, visit http://bspa.news/sunkes.
Rustic Pizza & Eats photo provided by Brian Brumley.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — An award-winning pizza recipe created in the 1950s has been resurrected at Rustic Pizza & Eats, which opened in Saratoga Springs in July.
“As much as I did not want to get back in the restaurant business, I’m doing it for [my mom], for her family,” said Rustic Pizza owner Brian Brumley.
Brumley is the former owner of Spring Street Deli, which he ran for nearly three decades before deciding he wanted to scale back. “I put 28 years of my life into it,” Brumley said. “It was very good to me. I just felt like it was time to sell and move on, create something a little smaller”
Brumley downsized with Olde Saratoga Miniature Golf, which is located right next to Rustic Pizza. The mini golf course famously hosts “Puff Puff Putt” events that allow adults 21 and older to use marijuana while aiming for a hole-in-one. But the call to carry on his family’s legacy compelled him to open up a pizzeria next door.
Brumley’s grandfather opened a restaurant in Amsterdam, New York in the 1940s, then turned the business over to Brumley’s uncle, Tony Centi, in the 50s. Centi created a pizza recipe that was named “Best in the Great Northeast” for multiple years. He sold his famous pies at the Crystal Bar & Restaurant. But in 2013, Crystal closed, and it seemed as if the recipe would be gone forever.
Brumley said his mom, the last living sibling of his uncle, wished that the recipe would survive. And so Brumley opened Rustic Pizza after securing the recipe from a cousin.
Brumley said his mom is “ecstatic” that new generations will be able to enjoy the Centi family’s creation. “It’s an honor to be asked to carry on the tradition of such a great legacy,” he said.
Brumley classifies the pies as “bar pizza,” which has a crust akin to Chicago-style in that the sauce and lightly browned cheese go to the edge. Culinary magazine Bon Appétit describes bar pizza as recalling “a pre-gourmet pizza era.”
“[The recipe] really is unbelievable, and I’m not just saying that because it’s my family,” Brumley said.
Rustic Pizza & Eats is located at 556 Maple Avenue in Saratoga Springs, next to Olde Saratoga Miniature Golf.
Gateway House of Peace celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Photo via gatewayhouseof peace.org.
BALLSTON SPA — A decade ago, Gateway House of Peace opened the doors of its two-bed resident home with a dedication to provide a safe, comfortable, caring residence for terminally ill patients in need of a home during their final days.
For residents, it is a peaceful, healing place where people and their families are provided compassionate and dignified care that supports the natural processes that occur in the final days of life. For those who work at the home, spending time with a person in the final days of their natural lives inspires life lessons of their own to carry onward.
“It’s not something to be afraid of,” said Kathleen Graham, a volunteer member of the care staff. After becoming caregiver to her husband, who passed away six years ago, Graham says, “I felt like I was called to do this kind of work. And I’ve learned just to love people. Just to be there for them. To help them understand what is going on and to let them know I’m there to help them and love them and be with them.”
To Teresa Kessler, a licensed practical nurse of 20 years, it is a place where healing takes on an expanded definition.
“For those with experience in working to help heal people, it is a different kind of healing involved,” Kessler says. “When you’re a nurse, the idea of healing means recovery. To get people better. Success is when someone is well, and they go home. With hospice that definition is kind of turned on its head. We aren’t looking any longer at the body recovering, but the healing still happens, and it happens for family members,” she says.
“This idea of tending to the person – it’s not about the machines, it’s not about the paperwork or rules-and-regulations per se, it’s more about: What does this person need as far as care, and how do we best give that to this person in this particular time in their life?”
Gateway House of Peace was founded by Joni Hanchett who incorporated the community support home for end-of-life care following her life’s desire to serve those in need, and after dedicating many years of volunteer work in hospice care. The Ballston Spa home was remodeled to offer ample space for families and friends to gather, a fully equipped kitchen for home cooked meals, and bedrooms designed with both privacy and accessibility in mind.
“I think my own formation happened in grade school and high school – I went to Catholic schools that influenced me to seek performing service in the community; to have a vocation not just a job,” Kessler says. “Those of us who work in hospice have come to an understanding that’s a little outside the mainstream. For myself, I tend towards a Buddhist philosophy – the idea of the acceptance of suffering, and understanding what that is. It very much normalizes the process of what death is. And in the journey to that, being available for people to have a safe place to talk about some of these things that are very difficult should they want to. We get to know them. We get to know their family. It’s a privilege.”
Gateway House of Peace does not receive any funding from the government or insurance reimbursements, relying solely on the grace of the community through donations, memorials, fundraising, grant writing, bequests and gifts. The organization’s 2024 Butterfly Ball held earlier this year raised more than $70,000 to support the mission of the home. The organization also stresses that volunteers are the heart of the home, and that anyone interested in seeking volunteer opportunities or other information may do so via their website at: https://www.gatewayhouseofpeace.org/.
“I have a really strong feeling to be able to help people,” Graham said, “to help them pass peacefully and to be there for the families also.”
“My intention is to provide an environment for someone to be their true self and have an accepting place of whatever it is they need and whatever it is they’re going through,” Kessler says, adding a quote by the late spiritual teacher, psychologist and writer Ram Dass.
“One of my favorite quotes by him is: ‘We are all just walking each other home.’ And I think that sums it up quite beautifully,” Kessler explains. “We’re walking with this person, and we’re just walking them home.”
Photo of an under-construction St. Mary’s School playground by Jonathon Norcross. Photo of Charlie the therapy dog via Saratoga Central Catholic School. Photo of the newest Saratoga Springs School District educators attending New Teacher Orientation last month via the district.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — By the time you’re reading this, the 2024-2025 school year will have already begun. Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, and Schuylerville School Districts are all holding their first day of classes on Thursday, September 5. Although the summer may have been rejuvenating for the students of Saratoga County, local schools have been busy hiring new teachers, renovating their facilities, and securing the services of a Golden Retriever.
St. Mary’s School Renovations
St. Mary’s, a pre-K through 5th grade Catholic school in Ballston Spa, upgraded its playgrounds, enhanced its security, and revamped some of its facilities during the summer break.
According to Principal Allen Hills, a larger window has been added to the vestibule area so that visitors can show their identification and sign in before being allowed inside. This added layer of security is in addition to the cameras installed last year. Principal Hills said that St. Mary’s is the only private school with a full-time School Resource Officer in the Capital District.
Improvements have also been made to the school’s playgrounds. Both the main playground and the smaller preschool playground had their pavement replaced with softer surfaces. White fences were added around the playgrounds for privacy and safety.
The school also added new flooring to its entire first floor.
“The money that was raised during our gala has covered most of the [renovation] costs,” said Principal Hills. “Parents, their involvement and their hard work raising that money, has manifested itself in these beautiful improvements.”
Saratoga Springs Welcomes New Assistant Principals
The Saratoga Springs City School District appointed three new assistant principals last month.
Katie Ehmann was named Assistant Principal at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School, and Kara Likar and Christine Vilardo both joined Maple Avenue Middle School as Assistant Principals.
Ehmann is returning to the district after serving as the Assistant Principal at Stillwater Elementary School. She began her career as an elementary teacher at Dorothy Nolan.
Likar most recently served as the Assistant Principal of Castleton Elementary School. Prior to that, she worked as a social studies teacher and administrative intern at Shenendehowa’s Acadia Middle School.
Vilardo joins the middle school after serving as both an English teacher and a conduct and restorative instructional coach at Saratoga Springs High School. Prior to that, she worked as an English teacher at Queensbury Middle School.
Spa Catholic Adds New Teachers and Therapy Dog
The Saratoga Central Catholic School added a number of new educators over the summer, including Ann Costantino (Interim School Counselor and Health teacher), Jennifer Isele (6th Grade English Language Arts and 6th Grade Writer’s Workshop teacher), Patrick Gormley (Art Teacher and Girls Golf Coach), Thomas J. Horn Jr. (part-time Theology Teacher), and, last but certainly not least, a 3-year-old Golden Retriever therapy dog named Charlie.
Costantino has been teaching a range of subjects at Spa Catholic for the past six years. In her new position, she’ll focus on supporting students both socially and emotionally, as well as assisting them with academic guidance and preparation for their future endeavors, whether that involves college or entering the workforce.
Isele holds a Master’s Degree in Education from The College of Saint Rose and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Fairfield University. She previously taught English at Queensbury High School from 2008 to 2016. Prior to her teaching career, Isele worked in the publishing industry at Thomson Delmar Learning.
Gormley’s experience includes 25 years as a tenured teacher at Queensbury High School, along with positions at Averill Park and Williamsville South High Schools. He also served as Principal of St. Mary’s-St. Alphonsus School during the last academic year. He is an alumnus of the Spa Catholic Class of 1985.
Horn Jr. will be teaching Theology 10, Theology 11, and Theology 12. He began his teaching career at Mohonasen High School, where he taught for two years. He then spent 28 years at Fort Edward School. Most recently, Horn Jr. served at Catholic Central High School for 11 years, where he taught Theology.
Charlie is a therapy dog certified through Therapy Dogs International. He will be joining the Guidance Office most Mondays from 1 p.m. until the end of the school day.
New Family Outreach Coordinators
The Franklin Community Center in Saratoga Springs added Isabella Ronda and Erica Riekert as Family Outreach Coordinators. Both will contribute to the center’s prevention-based afterschool program, Project Lift.
Riekert’s previous roles include Education/Curriculum Coordinator at Saratoga Independent School and Education Director at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. Ronda was previously a substitute teacher at Van Schaick Grade School in Troy.
Ronda will be overseeing the Project Lift program at Division Street and Dorothy Nolan Elementary Schools, while Riekert will manage the program at Caroline Street and Lake Avenue Elementary Schools.
BALLSTON SPA — A post in a local Facebook group has sparked awareness of ongoing power outages occurring in the area of Ballston Spa and Malta.
The outages, while brief, have been impacting homes and businesses. Residents reported that air conditioning units turned off, lights flickered, and appliances needed to be reset.
One business owner said the outages disrupt her company’s credit card machine.
It’s unclear exactly how long the outages have been occurring, but some residents said it’s been an ongoing issue for at least the past few months, if not longer.
Patrick Stella, the National Grid Communications Manager for Eastern New York, told Saratoga TODAY that National Grid would be “installing monitoring equipment in the area to better diagnose the root cause of these shorter outages. We will use this information in the coming weeks to come up with a more permanent fix.” Stella also said that the outages appear to be contained to the area of Ballston Spa and Malta.
Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi said he’s previously reached out to his municipal contact at National Grid regarding an outage in Malta and another one at the Village Green Apartments in Ballston Spa. On Monday, he created a Google Form asking Ballston Spa residents to share details about any outages they’ve experienced. The form can be found on his Facebook page.
“While it is not in the Village’s abilities to resolve such issues,” Rossi wrote, “we have a good working relationship with National Grid — and they have historically worked with us to try to identify issues and resolve them.”
Malta Town Supervisor Cynthia Young also said she had contacted National Grid. She requested that Malta residents email supervisor@malta-town.org with their address and the exact time and duration of any outages.
Tempered by Memory Sculpture at High Rock Park in Saratoga Springs. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The City of Saratoga Springs will host a 9/11 Commemoration and Remembrance Ceremony at High Rock Park on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Tempered by Memory Sculpture. Attendees are asked to arrive at 8:15 a.m., with the ceremony slated to promptly begin at 8:30.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others in what the U.S. Department of State refers to as “the worst attack against the homeland in our nation’s history.”
The ceremony in Saratoga Springs will take place at High Rock Park, which since 2012 has been host site to a 25-foot-tall sculpture created from 9/11 steel.
The sculpture was commissioned by Saratoga Arts and created by artists Noah Savett and John Van Alstine from five twisted pieces of Trade Center steel. Four pieces came from the North Tower, one came from the South Tower.
The High Rock site was selected after a lengthy public and political discourse regarding the location placement of the “Tempered By Memory” sculpture.
Initially slated to stand in front of the Saratoga Springs City Center and to be unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, that location was nixed shortly before the ceremony was to take place when some officials said it would interfere with the view from out front of the center.
Instead, the sculpture remained in a parking lot in Northumberland at artist Noah Savett’s metal company yard, awaiting a permanent home. It was there that a ceremony was held to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks in 2011.
“We took the broken pieces of that day, we raised them up, we let them soar – we gave them a place to rest,” Yaddo poet Joan Murray read during the 10th anniversary ceremony attended by more than 100 steelworkers and celebrating the healing power of art to transcend grief and sorrow.
Then-city Mayor Scott Johnson appointed a committee that same month and charged it with recommending a location for the sculpture. Sites next to the state military museum, the city firehouse and near the city school campus had been considered, as well as alongside the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center on Broadway and in Congress Park.
High Rock Park was eventually selected which has since September 2012 served as the city’s annual remembrance ceremony location.
“Pay To Park” signs were removed from the brick-face entryway at the Woodlawn Ave. garage; This standing meter is soon to follow. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos Sept. 3, 2024.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The “Pay To Park” signs have been removed and the standing meters soon to follow with the conclusion of the Spa City’s first seasonal paid parking program.
The $2 per hour to park plan involved several city-owned garages and surface lots and offered city residents and downtown businesses free parking permits. Those residing outside Saratoga Springs were required to pay for parking in the garages and atop the lots.
The pay stations were unanimously approved by the City Council in April, and installed and implemented into service in mid-June, with a post-Labor Day Weekend conclusion date.
An initial plan – titled the “tourism parking” program – proposed converting more than 1,300 on-street and nearly 800 garage parking spaces into either “permit” or “paid” spots for a five-month run annually between May and September. That proposal was scaled back to involve city-owned garages and surface lots only, with all on-street parking remaining unchanged.
When it approved the plan in April, the city reported it anticipated nearly $1.6 million as first-year estimated revenue, with about $450,000 in expenses.
In mid-July, roughly one month into operation, the city announced it had to that point generated approximately $82,000 in new revenue, and issued just over 11,250 “free” parking permits. Updated revenue amounts have yet to be announced.
The city’s Public Works and Public Safety departments collaborated to get the plan up and running. Its initial year concluded, it is expected the program will be evaluated regarding its effectiveness and for any potential changes deemed need to be made prior to 2025.
