Displaying items by tag: charlie samuels
2014 Saratoga Winterfest Week Events
The “Red Sea,” and a Wave of Change
Saratoga Springs City Council
SARATOGA SPRINGS – An overflowing council chamber, which looked more like a Target team member meeting, or perhaps a Boston World Series home game than a usual audience, greeted new Mayor Joanne Yepsen and the 2014 Saratoga Springs City Council at their first regular meeting of the new year on Tuesday, January 7.
The first order of business was a public comment period, which normally is scheduled for about 15 minutes.
But not on this evening.
A virtual sea of red-shirted, red-scarfed, red everything-clad audience comprised the overwhelming majority of the dozens who lined up to express their opinions on the pending siting of a capital region expanded gaming facility.
Most of the commenters (this reporter estimated that perhaps as much as 80 percent of those who went to the public microphone) were members, or had some degree of support for the viewpoint of of SAVE (which stands for Saratogians Against Vegas-style Expansion), an organization that is strongly committed against the siting of an expanded gaming facility in the city or in Saratoga County.
To be sure, there were several people during the comment period that expressed support for such an expanded facility in town, most notably at the Saratoga Casino and Raceway (SCR). These commenters were both a cross-section of SCR employees, management (represented by Vice President George W. "Skip" Carlson) and members of Destination Saratoga, a group which advocates siting the capital region expanded gaming facility at SCR) as well as private citizens who favor such a facility.
However, numbers do not lie, and it cannot be denied that SAVE has once again exhibited the ability to turn out big, motivated, visible numbers. This would be evident even if you were watching the proceedings on a black-and-white television.
But the questions remain: will those numbers count? And will the city council count those numbers and do what several SAVE members, as well as some of those not part of the “red sea” advocate: to pass a firm resolution against siting an expanded gaming facility in the city?
It is no stretch to say that the council has a tough soul-searching road ahead as it formulates its position, if any, on this issue.
By and large, given the amount of commenters and the intensity that advocates on both sides feel about this issue, the gallery was generally well behaved, and if not silent, cordial to opposing viewpoints. Mayor Yepsen needed to use her gavel just once to restore order.
Yet, the people who wished to opine on both sides kept coming, and the public comment period, rather than a quarter-hour, extended well into a second hour.
After the public had wound down, the council went into executive session for about 45 minutes. It appeared that it was shaping up to be quite a long night.
Yet, remarkably, once having emerged from executive session, the council conducted an orderly, organized and most importantly brisk session in which a large agenda with several important items were dispatched just under 60 minutes.
As this reporter has vehemently criticized the council for previous meandering, ponderous and near-endless pointless discussions, they must be credited when due. Here’s hoping that this sea change in comportment continues.
Among the notable developments in the January 7 meeting:
- -The capital budget was amended, by a 5-0 roll call vote, to provide funds for the public safety department to complete its renovations of the police department facility. This in itself is notable in itself; more so, because the council agreed to modify the usual agenda process to move up this important item much earlier in the process, allowing the interested public to hear the discussion and vote. Normally, public safety department items would among the last to be considered.
- -Mayor Yepsen announced that her State of the City address would take place on Tuesday, January 28 at 7 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs City Center. The mayor also appointed Robert W. Manasier to the recreation commission. She also gave an update as to the status of the new Code Blue facility, which began on December 24 (see related story on page 7), noting that the city of Glens Falls had inquired about information about Saratoga Springs’ experience with an eye towards establishing its own facility.
County Supervisors Matthew Veitch and Peter Martin reported on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors’ organizational meeting and detailed their committee assignments. Supervisor Veitch has been named as the vice chairman of the board, which means he will be the chair of the law and finance committee and will have primary responsibility for preparation of next year’s county budget. Supervisor Martin noted that among his committee assignments he will be a member of county racing committee, a committee whose scope has been expanded to include all forms of gaming.
DA Murphy Begins Fifth Term
The People’s Wall: On Expanded Gaming
Code Blue Diary
Yepsen Announces Deputy Mayor, City Attorney Appointments
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Saratoga Springs Mayor-Elect Joanne Yepsen announced that she is appointing Joseph J. Ogden to be her Deputy Mayor and Sarah Burger to be her City Attorney.
"I'm proud to announce Joseph J. Ogden as Deputy Mayor," said Yepsen. "Joe brings a great deal of professionalism to this position, and he has extensive experience with fiscal policy, budgeting, management, and government operations. Joe will bring a fresh new perspective for City Hall that will benefit my administration as we move Saratoga Springs forward."
Joe Ogden, a graduate of Glens Falls High School, earned his B.A. in Economics from Siena College and a M.A. in international economics from the University at Albany. He is currently employed at the New York State Division of the Budget, where he has worked for almost ten years at various levels. In addition to everyday economic and fiscal matters, Mr. Ogden covered several different policy areas including public safety, homeland security, disaster relief, veteran’s affairs and Medicaid.
Sarah Burger is a Saratoga Springs High School graduate, and received her undergraduate degree from Drexel University in History and Politics. Her J. D. degree is from Villanova University. She has most recently practiced as a attorney for Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O’Shea, P.C., in Albany.
“Sarah’s passion for Saratoga, background in labor law and commitment to open, inclusive government make her the perfect addition to our team,” Yepsen said.
"I am excited and humbled to accept this position, and I look forward to working together with Mayor-Elect Yepsen to make Saratoga Springs an even better place to raise a family" said Ogden.
Joe and his wife Lisa built a home on the West Side of Saratoga Springs in 2012 and are expecting their first child in May.
Reporter’s Notebook:Three Stars
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Since I used baseball and boxing in the main story, let’s invoke a hockey-like homage here and announce the three “stars among stars” at Monday’s Chamber Fact-finding forum.
This, of course, is like picking your favorite child in many ways, for I must salute the panel members in total and the Chamber for putting said panel together.
Nonetheless, there were standouts on a stage where everybody brought their A-game. I have no reason to gush over everyone assembled; they earn it from their passion to be involved, which also includes over 1,000 people in the audience. Kudos all around and a tip-o-the-hat to a passionate community.
Having said that, let’s first begin with an honorable mention: This goes out to Colleen Holmes, co-owner of Wheatfields Restaurant, for being the only one that I heard mention the subject of shuttle-buses between a Casino property and downtown Saratoga Springs. It says here that this might develop into a bigger topic down the road and certainly one worth exploring deeper. Colleen did not get to say much more, but she cut through the clutter and made it count.
Now, your three stars:
Number 3: Skip Carlson, Saratoga Casino and Raceway – I, like many, have had the privilege of knowing Skip for a long time. I knew of his skill in communicating on a human scale—one-on-one and in small groups, but I was amazed at how well he was able to articulate his message over the big screens at the City Center. One woman (well-placed in the Downtown network with built-in reasons to be at least skeptical) that I was sitting with described him as “warm, funny and genuine.” That’s good enough for me.
Number 2: Robert J. McLaughlin, Esq., Hodgson Russ Attorneys LLP – When a lawyer chooses his or her lawyer, you are well-advised to pay attention. In that connection, Mr. McLaughlin drew the daunting task of explaining both the language of the statute, potential timetables and other important matters to a large audience of varying degrees of knowledge.
This audience of one came away with a lot more understanding both about the important points and just as importantly the nuances of the topic. This is a communicator, pure and simple.
Number 1: Matthew J. Jones, Esq., Senior Partner, The Jones Firm – He makes this list just for having the guts to take on the role of MC, but he earns the top star for the way he conducted the proceedings with a combination of commanding presence, timing and verve. He may not have asked all the follow-up questions that you wanted, but he asked most of them and probably threw in quite a few that you didn’t think of. He exhibited good grace with enough Jimmy Stewart-reminiscent “aw, shucks-ness” to make everyone feel like they were listening to their neighbor… a native son.
Which, in fact, you were.
- Arthur Gonick
Common Core: Further Understanding the Curriculum
SARATOGA SPRINGS — At last Thursday’s “Parents’ Guide to the Common Core State Standards, K-6” Parent University program meeting at the Saratoga Springs High School, Dr. Joseph Greco and Director of Humanities Integration Freya Mercer tried to make the Common Core curriculum a little more clear.
Whether someone is for or against Common Core, there are ways to help the students with work at home and better understand the curriculum’s purpose.
Dr. Greco, K-12 director of math, science and technology integration, helped present parents with the differences between the Common Core curriculum, state assessments and the teacher evaluation program (APPR).
As an example, he asked parent participants to solve the problem “3/4 minus 2/3” and explain their mathematical reasoning.
“While many parents were able to draw from their grade-school experiences to solve the problem, the difficulty came when they were asked to explain what they did and why they did it,” Greco said. “In the past, students were given a set of rules and procedures to memorize in an effort to answer questions quickly. While parents recognized that they needed to find a common denominator, they were unable to articulate why that was necessary and why their answer of 1/12 made mathematical sense. Students now are being asked to get their hands dirty with the content and be able to not only solve the problems with accuracy, but be able to explain why the math works.”
The following Saratoga TODAY question and answer session with Dr. Greco further explains the challenges of Common Core’s implementation, the difficulties faced by students and the resources available to further help understand program.
Q. Are there any big misconceptions about Common Core?
A. One of the biggest misconceptions with the Common Core is that students are unable to participate in such high-level conversations regarding mathematics. While this was initially a challenge, the Saratoga teachers have done an outstanding job of repackaging their instruction to allow students to share their mathematical reasoning with others and work collaboratively to solve complex and real-world mathematical problems?
Q. What have you seen as the biggest complaint?
A. The biggest complaint regarding Common Core has been the accelerated pace of the implementation. This is a completely new way of instructing students. This is not the way that parents learned it in school and this is not the way teachers were formally trained. As a result, teachers from across the state were forced to learn, unlearn, and relearn alongside their students.
Q. Have more parents been coming around to the idea of Common Core?
A. The Common Core curriculum has become politicized over the past year in New York. While there has been much debate over the accelerated timeline for implementation, the number of high-stakes assessments, and the linking of these assessments to teacher performance, there has been support from both teachers and parents on what students are learning and how they are learning it. Now that teachers and students have already had one complete year of Common Core level instruction, we are already seeing an increase in students’ level of understanding.
Q. With Common Core standards currently being limited to English and math, are there any plans of extending to other subjects in the future?
A. While the focus has been on English and mathematics, social studies and science are still very much alive in the Common Core. The design is to break down the compartmentalization of the subjects and instead inter-mix the content under the umbrella of English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. For example, students are now reading more informational or non-fiction text as a result of the Common Core shifts. This is translating to social studies and science being read, discussed and written about during a student’s English instruction. There is still work to do to ensure students are receiving the hands-on experience needed for deep understanding of Science or Engineering topics, but we are moving in the right direction.
Q. In your opinion, why is there a need for Common Core?
A. The Common Core curriculum in math is critical in providing our students with the skills they need to pursue jobs in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) industries should they choose to do so. When our instruction focused on the memorization of rules and procedures, students struggled with more complex algebraic questions. As a result, students began to lose confidence in their ability to do well in math and ultimately chose courses and careers outside of the STEM field. Common Core focuses on the deep understanding of a focused curriculum. Students don’t learn tricks—they learn math. With a deep understanding, students are able to build confidence in their problem-solving abilities and ultimately choose to take more challenging math and science courses as they progress through their educational pathway.
Q. What do you say to a parent who says, “It just teaches kids how to take standardized tests”?
A. The Common Core curriculum is actually very difficult to assess. In the past, our assessments focused on rote memorization of facts, with little emphasis on deep understanding. The new assessments are now asking students to design, critique, and infer at a very high level. There is a high degree of writing that is now being asked of our students. As a result, students across the state have struggled. With time, students will improve their level of understanding, their communication skills and their stamina for such focused high-level thinking.
Q. Does it limit a teacher’s freedom to teach away from the statewide curriculum? And do you think that is something that should worry parents of students?
A. Teaching in New York has always been based on a set of standards for each grade level or course. The Common Core has basically replaced those previous state standards for teachers. The one difference, however, is that the Common Core has components such as the “8 Mathematical Practices,” which are instructional guidelines to help with the implementation of the Common Core Curriculum. Saratoga Springs has recently assigned trained math coaches to each elementary building to help with this implementation. These math coaches have been helping to improve the Saratoga math program by working directly with elementary teachers to improve their classroom delivery of the Common Core.
Q. If you could list the top three benefits of Common Core, what would they be?
A. Less content, more focus. A deep understanding of the math and less reliance on the memorization of algorithms. And real-world application of the math so students understand how these lessons apply to their daily lives.
Q. Do you agree that Common Core puts added pressure on students? Or is this another misconception?
A. Although there may be less content to cover, the Common Core curriculum does put more pressure on students. Students can no longer be passive learners and must now take ownership of their education. They will need to actively participate in classroom discussions. They will need to listen to the ideas of others and be able to engage in conversation regarding the course content. Student will not only have to show their work, but they will now be required to explain their thinking with supporting evidence. This will be a challenge, but we have strong students, supportive parents and a dedicated faculty that are determined to provide our students with the best possible education.
Q. Is there anything else that you have either liked or disliked about the curriculum?
A. While many teachers are supportive of the common core, there is still concern that some topics, especially at the younger grades, are developmentally inappropriate. Kindergarteners are entering school at vastly different levels of readiness. As a result, our teachers are working to close any initial gaps while still preparing these students for the rigorous content of the Common Core.
Q. What have you told parents they can do to help?
A. During the presentation, parents were given information on the various educational shifts, what their students would be seeing in class, and what parents could do to help support their child at home. (Greco also referred parents to Engage New York’s website that provides further information for parents: http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/parent_workshop_backpack_guide.pdf
Parents also submitted questions that were answered and posted on the Saratoga Springs City School District’s Website. More information on the presentation and upcoming Parent University events can be seen at www.saratogaschools.org.
Common Core: Further Understanding the Curriculum
SARATOGA SPRINGS — At last Thursday’s “Parents’ Guide to the Common Core State Standards, K-6” Parent University program meeting at the Saratoga Springs High School, Dr. Joseph Greco and Director of Humanities Integration Freya Mercer tried to make the Common Core curriculum a little more clear.
Whether someone is for or against Common Core, there are ways to help the students with work at home and better understand the curriculum’s purpose.
Dr. Greco, K-12 director of math, science and technology integration, helped present parents with the differences between the Common Core curriculum, state assessments and the teacher evaluation program (APPR).
As an example, he asked parent participants to solve the problem “3/4 minus 2/3” and explain their mathematical reasoning.
“While many parents were able to draw from their grade-school experiences to solve the problem, the difficulty came when they were asked to explain what they did and why they did it,” Greco said. “In the past, students were given a set of rules and procedures to memorize in an effort to answer questions quickly. While parents recognized that they needed to find a common denominator, they were unable to articulate why that was necessary and why their answer of 1/12 made mathematical sense. Students now are being asked to get their hands dirty with the content and be able to not only solve the problems with accuracy, but be able to explain why the math works.”
The following Saratoga TODAY question and answer session with Dr. Greco further explains the challenges of Common Core’s implementation, the difficulties faced by students and the resources available to further help understand program.
Q. Are there any big misconceptions about Common Core?
A. One of the biggest misconceptions with the Common Core is that students are unable to participate in such high-level conversations regarding mathematics. While this was initially a challenge, the Saratoga teachers have done an outstanding job of repackaging their instruction to allow students to share their mathematical reasoning with others and work collaboratively to solve complex and real-world mathematical problems?
Q. What have you seen as the biggest complaint?
A. The biggest complaint regarding Common Core has been the accelerated pace of the implementation. This is a completely new way of instructing students. This is not the way that parents learned it in school and this is not the way teachers were formally trained. As a result, teachers from across the state were forced to learn, unlearn, and relearn alongside their students.
Q. Have more parents been coming around to the idea of Common Core?
A. The Common Core curriculum has become politicized over the past year in New York. While there has been much debate over the accelerated timeline for implementation, the number of high-stakes assessments, and the linking of these assessments to teacher performance, there has been support from both teachers and parents on what students are learning and how they are learning it. Now that teachers and students have already had one complete year of Common Core level instruction, we are already seeing an increase in students’ level of understanding.
Q. With Common Core standards currently being limited to English and math, are there any plans of extending to other subjects in the future?
A. While the focus has been on English and mathematics, social studies and science are still very much alive in the Common Core. The design is to break down the compartmentalization of the subjects and instead inter-mix the content under the umbrella of English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. For example, students are now reading more informational or non-fiction text as a result of the Common Core shifts. This is translating to social studies and science being read, discussed and written about during a student’s English instruction. There is still work to do to ensure students are receiving the hands-on experience needed for deep understanding of Science or Engineering topics, but we are moving in the right direction.
Q. In your opinion, why is there a need for Common Core?
A. The Common Core curriculum in math is critical in providing our students with the skills they need to pursue jobs in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) industries should they choose to do so. When our instruction focused on the memorization of rules and procedures, students struggled with more complex algebraic questions. As a result, students began to lose confidence in their ability to do well in math and ultimately chose courses and careers outside of the STEM field. Common Core focuses on the deep understanding of a focused curriculum. Students don’t learn tricks—they learn math. With a deep understanding, students are able to build confidence in their problem-solving abilities and ultimately choose to take more challenging math and science courses as they progress through their educational pathway.
Q. What do you say to a parent who says, “It just teaches kids how to take standardized tests”?
A. The Common Core curriculum is actually very difficult to assess. In the past, our assessments focused on rote memorization of facts, with little emphasis on deep understanding. The new assessments are now asking students to design, critique, and infer at a very high level. There is a high degree of writing that is now being asked of our students. As a result, students across the state have struggled. With time, students will improve their level of understanding, their communication skills and their stamina for such focused high-level thinking.
Q. Does it limit a teacher’s freedom to teach away from the statewide curriculum? And do you think that is something that should worry parents of students?
A. Teaching in New York has always been based on a set of standards for each grade level or course. The Common Core has basically replaced those previous state standards for teachers. The one difference, however, is that the Common Core has components such as the “8 Mathematical Practices,” which are instructional guidelines to help with the implementation of the Common Core Curriculum. Saratoga Springs has recently assigned trained math coaches to each elementary building to help with this implementation. These math coaches have been helping to improve the Saratoga math program by working directly with elementary teachers to improve their classroom delivery of the Common Core.
Q. Q. If you could list the top three benefits of Common Core, what would they be?
A. Less content, more focus. A deep understanding of the math and less reliance on the memorization of algorithms. And real-world application of the math so students understand how these lessons apply to their daily lives.
Q. Do you agree that Common Core puts added pressure on students? Or is this another misconception?
A. A. Although there may be less content to cover, the Common Core curriculum does put more pressure on students. Students can no longer be passive learners and must now take ownership of their education. They will need to actively participate in classroom discussions. They will need to listen to the ideas of others and be able to engage in conversation regarding the course content. Student will not only have to show their work, but they will now be required to explain their thinking with supporting evidence. This will be a challenge, but we have strong students, supportive parents and a dedicated faculty that are determined to provide our students with the best possible education.
A. Q. Is there anything else that you have either liked or disliked about the curriculum?
Q. A. While many teacher are supportive of the common core, there is still concern that some topics, especially at the younger grades, are developmentally inappropriate. Kindergarteners are entering school at vastly different levels of readiness. As a result, our teachers are working to close any initial gaps while still preparing these students for the rigorous content of the Common Core.
Q. Q. What have you told parents they can do to help?
A. A. During the presentation, parents were given information on the various educational shifts, what their students would be seeing in class, and what parents could do to help support their child at home. (Greco also referred parents to Engage New York’s website that provides further information for parents: http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/parent_workshop_backpack_guide.pdf
Parents also submitted questions that were answered and posted on the Saratoga Springs City School District’s Website. More information on the presentation and upcoming Parent University events can be seen at www.saratogaschools.org.
Sharon’s Winning Hand
- Iconic Creativity, On Deadline, Since 2000
SARATOGA SPRINGS – To begin with, there’s the creative talent, without which nothing would follow.
Then there is the motivation to give back to the community where you yourself were raised; where generations before and after in your family make their home.
Finally, there is the delivery of the creative message, on deadline. Year after year. It’s something that a deadline journalist can specifically appreciate, but the product is one that all can enjoy.
Meet Sharon Bolton. She provides all the components of that unique skill-set and talent necessary to be First Night Saratoga’s poster artist for the past 11 years; and 14 of the posters since 2000.
We got her to share some insights and comments while looking at the First Night poster exhibit at the Saratoga Arts Council, 320 Broadway, which you too can see until after the New Year.
This is a big deal, because Sharon is someone so in demand and busy these days that she didn’t even have time to show up for the First Night press conference where her latest poster was revealed on December 2!
“I’m very grateful to my employer, Ambrosino Design.” Sharon said. “First and foremost, Owner Larry Ambrosino has been a supporter of First Night Saratoga from day one. I was fortunate to be assigned my first poster (for the 2000 celebration) as a freelancer in 1999, and it led to me being hired there! So I have a warm spot in my heart for First Night.”
“Since then, Ambrosino has donated my time to work on the annual poster as if it were a retail agency account,” Sharon said, which gave her the ability to use Ambrosino’s facilities toward the creation.
Ambrosino donates the time. Sharon donates the unique annual vision and brings it to life.
“The first couple of years, beginning in 2000, I was playing with a mix of mediums.” Sharon notes. It’s not easy to pick a favorite from a collection sometimes, although “I’d say 2002 would be my choice, because Rick (Bolton, her husband) was actually the model for the adult in that illustration.”
“Later, beginning in 2004, I started accelerating and ‘punching out’ the color more,” Sharon continues, “the inspiration for the designs came from a combination of Celestial Seasonings tea boxes and wine labels” the latter being products of her non-volunteer work at Ambrosino Design.
Then in 2011, coincidently around when Saratoga Arts assumed the presenter’s role from the YMCA of Saratoga “I went digital, using the full spectrum – paint, photoshop and pencil.” Sharon concludes.
This year’s poster, reflecting the theme “Color Me First Night,” is that perfect combination of color splash and flash we have come to expect. In this case, a glowing white moon is painted by a fairy-like artist, and the moon comes to life like someone getting dolled-up for…New Year’s Eve perhaps.
In order for the artwork to be replicated on several thousand buttons, posters and brochures in time, Sharon needs to have the artwork completed by early to mid-October. But “I push the deadline each year,” she says. “I always have a million ideas in my head, and of course I want this year’s to be better than the last. I tend to do my best work when I’m busy. I need multiple projects going to make each the best they can be.”
“There are times that I am facing an impending deadline,” Sharon said, “and, really, I’ve got nothing. But a fast-approaching deadline is a great motivator.”
Spoken like a good deadline journalist, Sharon. Which reminds me. It’s time to write this up – press time is a-looming. So I’ll end this by saying thanks to Sharon – a fabulous talent that whose work on behalf of First Night Saratoga helps to make each year’s celebration a little more festive and a lot more colorful.
