SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga High School welcomed 127 of its seniors into the National Honor Society on November 14. According to the school, the students “exemplify citizenship, leadership, and character development through community service and academic excellence.”

SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville High School has had a robust agriculture program for decades. But now, after an 18-month process, the CTE (career and technical education) program has been approved by the state.

“Going through this certification process was almost seamless because of the high quality of the program currently,” said Sarah Battiste, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development. 

“The CTE endorsement that we have now allows our students to use that as a pathway to graduation,” said Principal James Ducharme. “If students go through this pathway, take these courses, these four courses prescribed over this timeline, that is the equivalent of them going to the Meyers Center and completing a CTE-certified program over there. We now have our own program in agriculture.”

“We’ve intensified our offerings, we’ve intensified our rigor in the classes,” said Mary Elizabeth Foote, an Agricultural Education teacher. “We really solidified that we are meeting state and national standards, and that our students are really pursuing a speciality here in-house.”

The program provides a diverse array of classes, according to Agricultural Education teacher Carlyn Miller. These classes range from business to plants to animals to food science. “We cover just about all of it at this point,” she said. 

“The diversity in the classes that our kids have the opportunity to take, you would not expect from a small school like us,” said Principal Ducharme.

As part of the program, students get a taste of what a career in agriculture might be like. One initiative allows students to take sap from maple trees and turn it into maple products such as syrup, candy, and cream. During this process, students learn about the maple industry, as well as the importance of conservation. 

While some graduates do immediately enter the workforce, most pursue higher education. Recent Schuylerville grads have continued their agricultural studies at institutions such as Cornell University, SUNY Cobleskill, and Delaware Valley University.

Schuylerville’s agriculture program is open to all students, and according to Foote, an estimated 65% of them are enrolled in at least one agricultural class. 

“This is not a gender-specific study area,” Miller said. 

“There’s not a mold of what anyone in agriculture could look like,” said Foote. “It’s just someone who has an interest that develops into a passion, and then the rest is going to be history from there.” 

For more details on the program, visit www.schuylervilleschools.org.

WILTON — A devastating blaze in Wilton derailed the lives of Skidmore men’s basketball coach Joe Burke and his family. Although no one was hurt, much of the family’s home was destroyed. 

The Skidmore community quickly rallied together to show their support. As of November 20, more than $70,000 had been raised for the Burke family on GoFundMe.

To learn more or to donate to the cause, visit www.gofundme.com/f/9kmru-burkes-family.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore’s hockey team entered this past weekend with a pair of games against Norwich and New England. At 5-0, Skidmore was having its best start in decades. 

But historically, the Thoroughbreds have struggled to beat Norwich at home. Three out of the last four contests between the teams played in Saratoga ended in ties. So the question was, could Skidmore keep its undefeated streak alive? 

It turned out that history would repeat itself as the contest against Norwich ended in a tie, leaving Skidmore still undefeated but a tad imperfect. 

“[Norwich] play a very defensive brand of hockey,” said Skidmore coach Rob Hutchison. “It came down to finding a way to put a puck in the net in a meaningful moment and we weren’t able to do that, but we had our opportunities.” 

The following night, however, the Thoroughbreds beat New England 2-0. Goalie Tate Brandon finished with another shutout, while Everett Wardle and Kevin Urquhart put Skidmore’s two points on the board.

Coach Rob Hutchison credits his squad’s early success this season with player experience and preparation. “We’ve got experience like we’ve never had,” Hutchison said. 

The team’s core group of juniors and seniors have played a lot of games together, including championship bouts. “They’ve been able to have those experiences and grow from those experiences,” Hutchison said.

The Thoroughbreds are now 6-0-1 on the year. The team will next compete in the Thanksgiving Invitational this weekend.

Spa Catholic Boys Basketball Team Lineup

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic boys basketball team is coming off a winning season in a competitive league. According to Coach Shea Bromirski, every game this year will be a rivalry and a challenge.

“I think it’s the best small school basketball league in the state,” Bromirski said, “and if it’s not the best, it’s in the top three.”

Last season was Bromirski’s first as coach of the Saints, and his goal was to have his team “understand me and what I’m about and ultimately what our program was going to be about, like a culture change.”

The Saints finished 12-8 in the regular season and were the third seed in the Class C sectionals. “We tasted some success,” Bromirski said. “I felt like last year we kind of created a little buzz around here because we played really hard and we play a fun style of basketball.”

This season, the roster is bolstered by a handful of new transfer students, as well as five returning players. “We have a really deep team,” Bromirski said.

Returning players include senior Aiden Crowther, and juniors Ryan Gillis, Hunter Fales, Tyler Weygand, and Ronan Rowe.

“This year, I just think that this is gonna be a spot to come and watch a really high level basketball team play every Tuesday and Friday night,” the coach said. “This team is going to be very fun to watch and really play basketball the way I think it’s supposed to be played.”

The season kicks off on Friday, November 24 at 7:30pm against Galway at home.

Coach Bromirski shared his team’s roster for the season...

Bryce Peterson 1 So G 

Pierce Bryne 25 So F 

Kihl Kelly 12 So G 

Ryan Gillis 3 Jr F 

Hunter Fales 2 Jr G 

Tyler Weygand 23 Jr G 

Ronan Rowe 22 Jr G 

Tyler Hicks 30 Jr G 

Taamir Koslik 33 Sr F 

Aiden Crowther 11 Sr G 

Jace Alfarone 14 Sr G 

Head Coach - Shea Bromirski 

Assistant Coach - Adam Britten

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Cannabis Growers Showcase is back. The market temporarily shut down over a month ago, citing a need to move its operation indoors. 

On Saturday, November 11, the showcase reopened in an enclosed space on the third floor of the City Center parking facility. According to Upstate Canna Co., the market will remain open every week from Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cannabis products will be available for purchase to adults 21 and older.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —James & Sons Tobacconists are hosting a “cigars and cordials” fundraiser on Saturday, November 18 between 5 and 9 p.m. The event will accept donations for the McNulty Veteran Business Center, which offers entrepreneurial training and education programs for veterans. 

All are invited to attend the catered evening that includes cordials and a complimentary cigar. No tickets are required. The Greenwich Ford dealership is also sponsoring the event.

James & Sons is located at 360 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.

GALWAY — Waterwheel Village, a country store that specializes in aged cheddar cheese, is marking its 100th year in business.

Part of the current store was first constructed in 1839 as a foundry that made horse-drawn plows, according to Waterwheel’s manager Laurie Klamp. Klamp has been working at the store for more than forty years and has become its unofficial historian.

A member of the Fonda family (for whom the village of Fonda is named) began aging cheddar cheese at the location a century ago. “And we’ve been doing it the same way ever since,” Klamp said.

In 1923, the property became a mercantile store. The Fonda family owned it until 1971. After a series of brief takeovers, the Marvin family bought Waterwheel and have owned it for the last 51 years.

The shop sells craft soda and beer, candy, and baked goods. But its most popular items are its aged cheddars. “We actually have people who come in once a week to buy a pound of it to make homemade macaroni and cheese,” Klamp said. “It is delicious.” 

Waterwheel is located at 2259 Route 29 in Galway. The store currently takes phone orders and may soon begin online sales. To learn more, visit waterwheelvillage.com.