Lori Mahan

Lori Mahan

Thursday, 02 November 2017 18:04

Rotary Club Honorary Brunch at City Center

SARATOGA SPRINGS – On Sunday, Oct. 29 the Saratoga Springs Rotary Club held a brunch in honor of Maggie Fronk, executive director of Wellspring; and Saratoga Center for the Family, represented by Executive Director Rebecca Baldwin, with a special tribute to Edward A. Lenz.

The Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation received more than $28,000 from proceeds of a recent home show to support post-secondary education and vocational training of public and private high school graduates in the greater Saratoga community.

“I’m so honored to be recognized by the Rotary Education Fund for the work that I do in the community and the work that we all do in the community to help youth. That’s really what it’s all about, a whole community making a better tomorrow for our young people,” Fronk said.

“It is an incredible honor to be a part of this,” Baldwin said.

Thursday, 02 November 2017 13:21

Saratoga Cross Country Classic

SARATOGA SPRINGS – On Sunday, Oct. 29, 112 participants ranked in the annual Saratoga CX Classic 5K Race in Saratoga State Park. The top three overall male winners were 22-year-old Mitch Ryan from Plattsburgh, he finished in 15:26; 28-year-old Eric Macknight from Ballston Spa with a time of 15:33, Macknight took first place in last years’ race with a time of 14:57.1; and 24-year-old Jacob Andrews from Troy, Andrews also placed third last year with a final time of 15:27.4.

The top three overall female winners were 37-year-old Mollie Turner from Averill Park, Turner placed first with a time of 17:53; 30-year-old Nicole Soblosky, from Albany, placed second with a time of 18:06; and 33-year-old Karen Bertasso, from Albany, with a time of 18:14. Turner placed first last year as well.

The 2K Race crowned an overall male and female winner. Nine-year-old Gianni Simpson, of Cornwall, was the overall male winner with a time of 8:14. Eight-year-old Anna Chrapowitzky of Delmar was the female winner with a time of 8:47.

The 3K Race crowned 13-year-old Gordon Su from Delmar, who completed with a time of 11:38 and 11-year-old Rihanna Defreitas from Cornwall who completed with a time of 11:50.

Thursday, 02 November 2017 13:17

Head of the Fish Regatta Results

[Photos by Bill DiMinno]

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The 30th Annual Head of the Fish Regatta took place on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 28 and 29 at Fish Creek. This regatta is one of the largest in the country.

Approximately 2,300 entries occurred this year, topping last year by at least two hundred more. The Saratoga Rowing Association (SRA) was successful both days. On Saturday, SRA finished fourth in race number 32, Men’s Junior U17 Single 1x; SRA placed first in race number 43, Women’s Masters Lightweight Double 2x. They also placed among the top 10 in several other races on Saturday. Highlights for Sunday include placing fourth in race number 58, Girls Middle School Coxed Quad (8th Grade and Under) 4x; fourth in race number 59, Men’s Junior Lightweight Eight (155 lbs and under); first in race number 60, Men’s Junior Freshmen Eight 8+; second in race number 63, Women’s Junior 2V Eight; first in race number 64, Women’s Junior 3V Eight. SRA also placed among the top five in several other races.

SRA is already gearing up for next years’ regattas. For more information, visit www.saratogarowing.com/sraregattas or call 518-587-6697. All results are posted on the website.

[Group Photo by Ruthann Thivierge]

[Senior Photos Provided]

SCHUYLERVILLE – Schuylerville seniors Sidney Gregorek and Derek Willson were selected as the one female and one male from New York to each receive a $1,000 college scholarship, after advancing through three levels of competition. They will now go on to compete for the title of National Finalist.

“The Wendy’s High School Heisman was created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas in 1994. Twenty-two years later, Wendy’s High School Heisman has honored more than 600,000 of the nation’s most esteemed high school seniors who share Wendy’s values of giving back to their communities, treating people with respect, continuing education and excelling in the athletic field,” according to the official statement.

The committee selected Gregorek and Willson as students who display excellence and integrity both on and off the field. To qualify for the honor, student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be leaders in both the school and the community. Willson is currently in the Valedictorian with a .31 lead over Gregorek.

Gregorek is a captain on the varsity soccer team, an AP Scholar, a Student State Board Member, and was named Class B West Division All-Stars Team last fall as well as WNYT NewsChannel 13’s “Fidelis Care Athlete of the Week” this fall.

Gregorek and Willson both have big plans for their futures; Gregorek will be studying pre-med in the fall and intends to be a doctor. Her top choices are Duke and Princeton. Willson intends to study biochemical engineering and hopes to attend either MIT or Cornell. Willson is the president of Honor Society, Gregorek is the treasurer. Both are members of the Math League and Spanish Club. Both are exceptionally active in the community as well. They participate in Relay for Life, Gregorek volunteers at the Glens Falls Hospital information desk and coaches three local youth soccer teams, Willson volunteers and fundraises for Adirondack Save-A-Stray.

As an athlete, Gregorek participates in indoor/outdoor track, rugby, and soccer. Willson plays football, baseball, and indoor track.

“I was at soccer practice and [Willson’s] mother texted me right after saying that he and I were both winners. It was cool because I had all of my teammates there and we all celebrated as a group,” Gregorek explained how she found out she had advanced for the scholarship.

“I was at a team dinner and my mom texted me so it was kind of cool because I was also with my whole team,” Willson explained.

The scholarship has two phases, phase one was due in October, they had to explain all of their academic and athletic accomplishments. Phase two consisted of four mini-essays and finding articles online that mentioned them and their athletic and academic and community service accomplishments.

“It was big to me because I’ve never been the star athlete, I’ve always played more of a supporting role, I play defense on the soccer team. I’m not the one scoring goals and I’m on relay teams for track. It isn’t like I’m winning individual races. So to me, it was just really cool to be recognized as a student-athlete. Not just the academics, not just the sports, a combination of both,” Gregorek said.

If Gregorek and Willson advance to the final round, each will win $5,000 toward their college education and a gold medal. National Finalists will be announced on November 6. By making it this far, they’ve received silver medals and each have a $50 gift card to Wendy’s.

Thursday, 02 November 2017 13:08

Mr. Ballstonian

[Photo by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

BALLSTON SPA – Dylan Jacobs, a shy senior from Ballston Spa, has been named this year’s Mr. Ballstonian. The Mr. Ballstonian Contest is a fundraiser held to raise money for this year’s prom. Mostly seniors partake but some juniors also get involved. There are five categories for this contest; the talent portion, sports wear, formal wear, spirit wear, and a clever pick-up line.

Jacobs chose the pick-up line, “are you a90-degree angle because you’re looking right.”

When asked why he decided to do the contest, he had a simple answer, “I had friends who wanted me to do it. I went to it last year and thought, ‘I should do that.’ I’m really not the most popular person so it was kind of a surprise for me.”

“It was so cheesy and I wanted to make sure the crowd understood it,” Jacobs laughed.

Jacobs is on the Robotics Team at school, the yearbook staff, and is in the National Honor Society. He is also an artist who displayed some of his 10x10 work at galleries over the summer and also participated in a New York City origami work exhibition.

For the talent portion, Jacobs decided to do something a little different.

“People know me for making weird noises so I just got on stage and made weird noises. It made people laugh, I’m not sure why. I just went up there and made some bizarre noises and the crowd loved it,” he said.

Prom will be at the end of June and will have a rustic theme. Jacobs won a free prom ticket for being crowned Mr. Ballstonian.

“I was a little surprised I won, but also not at the same time because I had a lot of fans. I accumulated a lot of fans throughout the contest so I had a feeling I was going to win. It was really exciting and I’m not a huge stage personality either so that was new to me,” Jacobs said.

Thursday, 02 November 2017 13:07

Clean Tech ECHS

BALLSTON SPA– On Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. the Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries Early College High School (Clean Tech ECHS) will host the first student project exhibition of the school year at the Hudson Valley Community College’s TEC-SMART.

Families, teachers, and community members are invited to come see what the students present their projects ranging from proposed activities for the Girls in STEM event, a mechanical car challenge, innovative solutions to problems identified in the environment, and marketing ideas incorporating nanotechnology. Over 275 area students in grades 9-12 (representing over 20 high schools) will attend to discuss their projects in the TEC-SMART Atrium.

For more information, contact ECHS coordinator Adrienne Snow at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 518-321-7274.

Thursday, 02 November 2017 13:05

Blue Streaks Dominate

[Photo by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks have had a record-breaking season this year. They are currently 9-0 with their Sectional Game taking place Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. against Troy. This will be a neutral non-conference game.

Friday, 27 October 2017 10:56

Saratoga Central Catholic Saints Undefeated

[All photos by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

SARATOGA SPRINGS – On Friday, Oct. 20 the Saratoga Central Catholic Saints varsity volleyball team defeated Cambridge 3-0, making the Saints the undefeated Wasaren League Champions, with a 16-0 season.

Coach Maria Izzo started the evening with honoring all of the seniors on the team, including Cambridge’s seniors, with flowers and kind words. 

“This group of eight people has been a fun group. They get along so well, laughs are nonstop, and there’s nothing better than a team that connects. If they connect off the court, they’ll connect on the court,” Izzo said of the team.

Each senior girl has a buddy on the team, who is either a sophomore or junior that they mentor for the season.

The seniors are Grace Fornabia, Ani Crocker, Olivia Lawrence, and Mandy Bartoszek. Fornabia and Crocker are co-captains of the team.

Fornabia now holds the season and school record for number of kills. Fornabia makes it look effortless in her abilities, seeming to take her opponents by surprise every time.

“Grace is a one of a kind and has been a catalyst for the past couple of years. These girls have been a pleasure to coach and even more to watch them play very well together. I’m very proud of them and I will miss them,” Izzo said.

Friday, 27 October 2017 10:51

Still Undefeated

[Photo by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks and the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake  Spartans remain undefeated in their 2017 football season.

Coach Terry Jones has led the Blue Streaks to an 8-0 overall, with a game on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. against Shaker, this semi-final game will cost $6 to attend. This is a home playoff game that will determine if the team moves forward. This is the Blue Streaks second playoff game of the season so far. The Blue Streaks are ranked number 1444 nationally and are number 23 in the state. Last season, the Blue Streaks were 3-6, suffering many devastating losses. This season, however, they have come back swinging.

Coach Matt Shell and the Spartans also have an 8-0 overall. They will be playing South Glens Falls on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. at home. This playoff game will determine if they move forward, as well. The Spartans are ranked 2311 nationally and 45 in the state. Continuing their winning trend from last season, with 10-2 overall, the Spartans are fighting back hard this season to go all the way and become undefeated.

Thursday, 26 October 2017 12:51

Saratoga CSD Appoints New Superintendent

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education has announced their intent to appoint Dr. Michael Patton, currently the superintendent of the South Glens Falls Central School District, as the new Superintendent of Schools for Saratoga. Patton is expected to begin his duties January 1, 2018, and has been offered a three and one-half year agreement with an initial salary of $182,000.

“Dr. Patton is a proven leader and outstanding communicator,” said JoAnne Kiernan, Board of Education President, “his ability to connect with individuals and groups at all levels enables him to tap into the best of our community’s culture, talent and commitment to successfully lead our district into the future.”

Patton has been superintendent in South Glens Falls for the last six years. Before that, from 2004-2011 he was principal at Queensbury High School and from 1996-2004 he served the Ballston Spa Central School District, first as a guidance counselor and then as assistant principal at the high school.

“I am honored to have been offered the opportunity to serve the students, staff, and community of Saratoga Springs as their new superintendent of schools,” Patton said.

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