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FALL 2014
Albany High students
take next step to college
One word said it all for each of Albany High School’s 2,300 students on
Oct. 15 – college.
From college field trips for every
freshman to free PSATs and SATs for
every sophomore, junior and senior,
everyone’s focus was the next step on
the path toward college and the workforce.
Seniors took the SAT and sophomores and juniors took the PSAT.
These national tests measure students’
abilities in critical reading, math reasoning and writing. The PSAT helps
prepare students for the SAT, which
juniors will have the opportunity to
take in the spring.
While upperclassmen took the test,
freshmen took half-day field trips to
The College of Saint Rose, Hudson
Valley Community College, RPI, Sage
College of Albany, Schenectady
County Community College and the
University at Albany. We cannot wait
to see the positive impact these visits
had on all of our freshmen!
Funding for the administration of
the Oct. 21 SAT was made possible by
The Albany Promise, a partnership of
education, community, business and
civic leaders committed improving educational outcomes for all Albany students.
Volunteers from The Albany Promise spent two days at Albany High
School reaching out to students about
the significance of the tests and the importance of coming to school on time
the day of the tests. The Albany Promise distributed some 4,200 flyers about
the day throughout the community, as
well.
Bullying prevention focus of poster contest
During November,
fourth- and fifthgraders in the City
School District of Albany are showing off
their bully-prevention
smarts and their artistic
skills in a poster contest.
The winning work
will be featured on a
billboard on I-90.
The district has partnered with CDPHP, the
Albany Police Athletic
League (PAL) and the
Arbor Hill Elementary School students Sharon Antoine and MarAlbany Police Departcellus Gilchrist on Oct. 24 helped launch an anti-bullying poster
ment on a bullying pre- contest for district fourth- and fifth-graders.
vention campaign and
placed on a billboard.
poster contest that they officially
launched Oct. 24 at a news conference at
The contest winner will be revealed on
Arbor Hill Elementary School. They were Dec. 19 before the opening of Capital
joined by Arbor Hill fifth-graders Sharon
Holiday Lights in Albany’s Washington
Antoine and Marcellus Gilchrist, who
Park
each sang an anti-bullying song.
“The contest builds on what we’re tryThe campaign, which involves all
ing to teach kids, which is to be safe, refourth- and fifth-graders in the district,
spectful and responsible. It also
invites students to design a poster that ex- challenges students to show how they can
plains, “What can you do to prevent bultake an active role in preventing and even
lying?”
stopping bullying,” said Superintendent
Students will design their posters in art Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D.
“That’s an important message to emphaclass, and at the end of the month they
will be judged by representatives from the size, and the City School District of Albany is grateful to CDPHP, the Albany
district, CDPHP, the police and PAL. One
Police Department and PAL for their conwinner will be selected from each school,
and the grand-prize winner’s work will be tinued support of our efforts.”
www.albanyschools.org
Student achievement
‘If I can do this,
I'll know that I've come very far’
Ar Kee has come a long
way, in every way.
The Albany High School
junior was born in Bangkok,
Thailand. When he was a
month old, his family moved to
Mae La, a refugee camp on the
border with Burma. He lived
there for eight years before
coming halfway around the
world to Albany in 2008.
“My family thought it would
Albany High junior Ar Kee: a worldly young man
be better because there are more
opportunities for us and the eduelectricity – we used candles.
cation is better,” he said. “They basically
wanted a better life for us.”
“And for water, we’d have to go to the
well.
Every day after school I’d help my
Like many international students, Ar
mother
bring buckets of water to cook
Kee did not speak English when he arwith
and
use for the family.”
rived in Albany. He enrolled in fourth
grade at Giffen Memorial Elementary
In Mae La, he lived in a bamboo
School, where he was welcomed and
house with a roof made of leaves. He
thrived with help from English-as-a-Secprefers houses like the one he lives in
ond Language teacher Betsey
now. He said shelter is the best part of
Domenico.
living in the United States – that, and the
kids who are his friends.
His biggest challenge?
While adjusting and assimilating to a
“Learning a new language was diffinew
culture, Ar Kee has become an
cult, but I’ve overcome that,” he said.
honor
student. He is contemplating a caIndeed, he is fully fluent in English
reer
in
medicine. He’s now in his first
today with barely a trace of an accent.
semester
of Albany High’s academically
He also speaks his native Karen, some
rigorous
International
Baccalaureate
Burmese and a dialect of Karen called
program,
which
offers
students collegePwo Karen. He also studies Chinese at
level
classes.
Albany High.
Ar Kee said he believes every person
He’s so good with languages that he
is capable of achieving a goal if they retutors refugees after school at the
ally want it. With his sights set on beDelaware branch of the Albany Public
coming a doctor, he really wants it.
Library.
“I just want to challenge myself, to
Not surprisingly, life is quite different
see
what I can and cannot do,” he said.
in Albany.
“If
I
can do this, I’ll know that I’ve come
“We eat more meat and vegetables
very
far. I would feel very proud of my
here, although I still eat rice every day,”
achievement.”
Ar Kee said. “In Mae La, we had no
Free breakfast and lunch
for all district students this year
All 9,000 City School District of Albany students are eligible to receive a free
breakfast and lunch each day at their
school during the 2014-15 school year.
That’s because all district schools have
been approved to take part in the Community Eligibility Provision, a program available through the National School Lunch
and School Breakfast Program.
The program allows any district student to receive one complete breakfast
and one complete lunch at no charge
(extra food or milk is an extra cost).
FAL L 2014
You can keep money in your child’s account for additional food and beverage
purchases. You also can continue to make
payments at www.paypams.com or at the
school cafeteria.
If you deposited money in your child’s
lunch account and would like it refunded,
please put the request in writing and mail
it to the Food Services Administration Office, 1 Arbor Drive, Albany, NY 12207.
For more information, contact School
Lunch Director Lisa Finkenbinder at 4756644, extension 4.
1
From the superintendent
Balancing enrollment
For the first time in almost a decade, more than
9,000 students are enrolled in the City School
District of Albany.
Our enrollment is up
11 percent since bottoming out below 8,200 in
2008-09 as multiple charter schools opened and
grew. At the elementary
level, our growth has been
Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D., tremendous – up 25
percent since a low of
Superintendent
4,120 in 2007-08.
This is good news on many fronts.
It means more families want to take advantage of
the outstanding programs we offer.
It means our new elementary and middle schools
are attractive to young families.
It means more people are saying, “we choose Albany public schools.”
More students also means some of our elementary
schools and both of our middle schools are at or over
capacity. Others are nearing capacity.
As problems go, it’s a good one to have. But it’s one
we know we have to address.
So since the beginning of this school year we have
been looking at different options for balancing enrollment. We are taking that in two phases – short term, to
prepare for 2015-16, and long term, 2016-17 and beyond to ensure that all students have equitable access
to programs and services.
Both Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School and
William S. Hackett Middle School are beyond their designed capacity of 650 students. Hackett is beyond that
figure even after we retained two classes of sixthgraders, nearly 50 students, at Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology for this school year.
Three charter middle schools also are up for review
this school year.
So for next year, the district is trying to identify and,
if necessary and feasible, secure appropriate space to
ensure that all students through grade 8 will be educated in appropriately sized learning environments.
We are carefully researching a variety of options to
achieve that and will be working with the Board of Education to evaluate those options through the fall. Our
goal is to agree on a plan in December and be ready to
go next September.
Then our work, in partnership with the community,
will be to discuss and develop a long-term enrollment
plan.
When the community overwhelmingly approved the
major portion of our facilities project in 2001, it voted
for a model that, for the most part, envisioned K-5 elementary schools and three 6-8 middle schools.
Then charter schools happened. We also have significantly expanded our pre-K to well over 600 seats.
The landscape seems to be stabilizing. It is time for
us to revisit a long-term enrollment plan that provides
appropriate learning environments and is equitable for
all students and families.
Is the 2001 model still the best option, or are there
other options that make more sense now?
I look forward to those community conversations
and doing that work together. I am confident we will
arrive at a solution that will serve all of our students
well and continue to move us toward our vision of becoming the best urban school district in which to learn
and work by 2020.
Capital Education is published by the
City School District of Albany.
Please direct comments about the newsletter,
story ideas and questions to
Ron Lesko at (518) 475-6065
or [email protected], or
Lisa Angerame at (518) 475-6066
or [email protected].
City School District of Albany
1 Academy Park
Albany, New York 12207
2
www.albanyschools.org
Voices Q: What is your favorite
historic landmark in Albany?
Albany is a city teeming with historic
landmarks. However, my favorite will always be the Empire State Plaza, an imposing and domineering place
surrounded by the most recognizable
buildings in this, the capital of the third
most populous state, including the Egg,
the Corning Tower, the New York State
Museum and the Capitol. When I walk through it, parallel to the
reflecting pool in the center, not only do I realize that I may be in
my favorite place in the world, but I also feel humbled by the
breathtaking power the place radiates.
– Adam Aleksic, eighth grade
William S. Hackett Middle School
My favorite historic landmark in Albany would have to be the New York State
Museum. The original collection of artifacts was first open to the public in 1858,
making it one of the most historically rich
places in the whole city. One of my favorite collections they have is the anthropology display because it represents over
11,000 years of human history. This is not only one of my favorite
places. My sister who is just 6 years old is constantly asking to visit
again and again.
– Ciree’ Ballard, eighth grade
Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School
The U.S.S. Slater DE 766 cannon class
destroyer escort is the last destroyer escort
in the United States. The Slater was commissioned in May 1944 for World War II
for convoy protection duty. Back then, destroyers were used to stop the U-boats
(German submarines). The Slater came to
Albany up the Hudson River after being
sent to Greece and then being decommissioned. People can take
tours on the ship now. This is important because if the Slater had
not come to Albany, then we all may have forgotten the important
role destroyer escorts played in World War II.
My favorite historic landmark in Albany is Washington Park. This is because
of the peacefulness and “green space” that
it brings to the city. I love to go to the
field above the lakehouse and read, or
even do yoga! The rolling hills are the
best. Knowing that a portion of the land
was originally built to house gunpowder
in 1802 is simply amazing. It is good to know that there are spots
in Albany to go and enjoy yourself and history.
– Samarri Thomas, junior
Albany High School
My favorite landmark is the New York
State Museum. I like to go there with my
family and sometimes I go with my school
on field trips. It has a lot of pictures of
how our city has developed over
time. When I look at those pictures, I really understand how life was a long time
ago. The museum offers a lot of educational things, and has pictures of the history of Albany and things
to read about it. There are even fun educational games and puzzles. The museum also has rocks, gems and small fossils that you
can look at closely with a microscope.
– Sky Volmar, fifth grade
Albany School of Humanities (ASH)
The New York State Museum is my favorite because it has historic information. I
like to go and see fossils and dinosaur
bones. I also like the museum because it
helps me with projects. When I have to do
writing homework and I am stuck on what
to write, I go to the museum and it gives me
historic information to write about. The
museum has great features and information. I have gone and seen
the caveman exhibit. I learned about the way they dressed and how
they used things around them. People should visit the museum because they can learn about history. The museum will give you great
ideas and a ton of information!
– Henry Bourgeois, fifth grade
Montessori Magnet School
The Ten Broeck Mansion is one of Albany’s most historic landmarks. It has
been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1971 and for good reason. The place is not only beautiful, but its
transformation into a house museum has
given young kids like myself unique insight into Albany’s rich historic past. It is
because of its beauty and its location that it is one of Albany’s
most important historic landmarks, and we are forever in debt to
Elizabeth Ten Broeck.
– Andrus Washington, fifth grade
Arbor Hill Elementary School
One of my favorite historic landmarks in
our city is the New York State Executive
Mansion on Eagle Street. This house has
been the home of New York state’s governors and their families since 1875. I think
that is pretty cool. It’s kind of like our own
version of the White House and all of the
presidents who lived in it. I think walking
into the Executive Mansion probably feels like walking into the
White House. The Executive Mansion is full of history and tradition, and it is a symbol of the Empire State.
– Imran Muthuvappa, senior
Albany High School
– Zona Zhuo, sixth grade
Pine Hills Elementary School
At a glance: Delaware Community School
Principal: Rebecca Gleason | Grades: Prekindergarten-5 | Address: 43 Bertha St.
Delaware Community School opened in 2007 on the site of the former Public School 18. The original school was constructed as a one-floor building in 1914. A second floor was added in 1916, and a third in 1918. However, the original
school could not be restored to meet the educational standards of students today. The new building was constructed during
the district’s facilities project to rebuild or renovate elementary and middle schools.
Today’s 50,000-square-foot, three-story school is handicapped accessible, energy efficient and technologically advanced.
Students: 460 | Teachers: 36 | Total employees: 55
Points of distinction:
• Dual-Language Program – a bilingual Spanish-English
immersion education program for students from
prekindergarten through grade 5
• Community garden run and maintained by the school
• Mentoring
Programs and partners:
• Albany Public Library
• Chess Club
• Community Garden Club
• Full-day prekindergarten and kindergarten
• Hispanic Outreach Services
• Junior Achievement
• Parent classes and information sessions
• Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)
• PTA
• Response to Intervention
• Retired and Senior Volunteer Program
• Seal a Smile dental care program
• Siena College
• The College of Saint Rose
• University at Albany
• YMCA
What makes our school special?
Delaware Community School is the home of the Dual-Language Program, which instructs students in English and
Spanish with the goal of being able to read and speak fluently in both languages. About a third of the school’s students are enrolled in the program, with the remaining
two-thirds taught in regular English-language classes.
However, the Dual-Language Program provides valuable
opportunities for multicultural awareness for all students at
the school.
Did you know?
Two Thursday mornings a month, Delaware Community
School holds “morning program,” where the whole school
and members of the community are invited to celebrate and
recognize a student, activity or event happening in the
school.
FAL L 2014
Online access to student progress
It’s easy for parents and guardians to
keep track of any middle- or high-school
student’s progress thanks to an online information system maintained by the City
School District of Albany.
Using the district’s PowerSchool Parent
Portal, you can follow your child’s assignments, attendance, grades on tests and
quizzes and more. The Parent Portal also
has a feature that allows you to sign up to
receive automatic e-mail notices about assignments, attendance and school announcements, to name a few.
You can access the Parent Portal
through the school district website at
www.albanyschools.org or by going to
powerschool.albany.k12.us.
Each student is assigned a unique username and password that you can get from
your child’s guidance counselor. If you
have more than one child in the district,
you will receive a separate username and
password for each. The information also is
included on your child’s interim report
card.
For more information about the
Parent Portal, talk to your child’s
guidance counselor.
Albany High lottery applications available
Applications are available now for the lottery to determine placement in Albany High
School’s four academies for the 2015-16
school year.
Each of Albany High’s academies has its
own unique theme: Citizenship, Discovery,
Innovation and Leadership. These physically
smaller learning environments are designed
to help students feel connected, involved and
engaged.
Students are assigned to each academy
through a lottery. Students need to submit a
lottery application to increase their chances
of entering the academy of their choice.
The lottery is open to all incoming freshmen, new students and current Albany High
students wishing to change academies.
Applications will be mailed to the home
of each current eighth-grader; you also can
visit www.albanyschools.org to download
one. Additional applications are available
from your child’s guidance counselor and at
Central Registration, located at 75 Watervliet Ave.
The deadline to apply is Nov. 21, and the
lottery will be held Dec. 11.
Stay in the loop on school news
Want to keep up with school closings
and other City School District of Albany
news? We can help you stay in the loop in
a variety of ways.
School News Notifier (SNN)
Facebook
Find us on
Facebook
The school district’s Facebook page
features information about and photos
of events that take place throughout the
district.
You can join the more than 1,040 people following us on Facebook at “Albany
city schools.” Click on the Facebook icon
at www.albanyschools.org.
Twitter
Follow us on Twitter! We’re @AlbanySchools. Just click on the icon at
www.albanyschools.org.
SNN is an e-mail alert system that also
includes a text-messaging option for
emergency news such as weather-related
closings. The system allows you to sign
up for information in up to 24 categories,
including news and events from individual schools. You also can receive districtwide information about transportation,
athletics and the Board of Education.
Join the more than 3,000 people already signed up for this service by clicking the Albany SNN logo on the righthand side of the home page at
www.albanyschools.org
Albany public schools in the news
It can be a challenge to find time to keep
up with the news. That’s why the district
website maintains links to media coverage
involving our schools and our students.
Visit www.albanyschools.org and
scroll down to the “Quick Links” section
on the right side of the page.
FALL 2014
Members of the 2014 Hall of Fame were inducted Oct. 10. Front row from left are Tanya
Hansen and Luther “Ticky” Burden; back row from left are Mike Sgambelluri, Ashley Velie
and Laura Hotaling. Inductees Raymond Leigh, Paul Lyons and Temeko Richardson were
not able to attend the induction ceremony.
Ticky Burden among 2014 Hall of Famers
A former pro basketball player, a national TV producer and a longtime volunteer athletic coach were among the
eight notables inducted Oct. 10 in the
City School District of Albany Hall of
Fame.
The Hall of Fame was established in
2009 to recognize accomplished graduates, exceptional district staff people and
community people whose efforts support
Albany’s public schools. Each year, new
Hall of Famers are inducted after being
nominated by the public and selected by
a committee of district staff and community members.
The newest Hall of Fame members
are:
• Luther “Ticky” Burden, Philip
Schuyler High School Class of 1972 –
High school basketball standout who
went on to become a college All-American and NBA player on the New York
Knicks; longtime youth mentor and basketball coach in his home of WinstonSalem, N.C.
• Tanya Hansen, Albany High School
Class of 1988 – First member of the Albany High School girls’ basketball team
to reach 1,000 points in her career; went
on to play at Rutgers University from
1988-92, earning All-American status.
• Laura Hotaling, Albany High
School Class of 2002 – As a senior, was
state champion in the 50-yard freestyle
and second-place state finisher in the
100-yard freestyle; was named state
Most Valuable Swimmer, which qualified her for a spot in the U.S. Olympic
trials.
• Raymond Leigh, Albany High
School Class of 1970 – Longtime volunteer coach on Albany High JV and varsity football teams and longtime booster
of Albany High athletics; played football
and ran track at Albany High.
• Paul Lyons, Former Albany High
School boys’ basketball coach – In his
31-year career that began in 1971, he led
Albany High to 515 wins, including
eight Section II titles and two regional titles; 2006 inductee into the New York
State Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Temeko Richardson, Albany High
School Class of 1989 – CEO of two consulting businesses on the east and west
coasts; author and motivational speaker;
marathon runner.
• Mike Sgambelluri, Albany High
School Class of 1968 – Physical education teacher at several district schools
and assistant director of health and physical education; principal of the former
P.S. 26 and assistant principal at the former Harriet Gibbons High School.
• Ashley Velie, Albany High School
Class of 1986 – Producer, CBS Evening
News; four-time nominee for News and
Documentary Emmy Awards; also has
produced segments for 60 Minutes, 48
Hours and Sunday Morning (see page 8
for more about her).
You can read more about these accomplished people by visiting the Hall of
Fame page at www.albanyschools.org.
You also can download a form to nominate an alum or other worthy person for
the 2015 Hall of Fame.
District reduces fall testing by 80 percent
Most City School District of Albany
students started the 2014-15 school year
with substantially fewer tests.
The district and the Albany Public
School Teachers Association partnered to
eliminate nearly 80 percent of the student
learning objective (SLO) pre-assessments
this fall. These “pre-tests” have been used
in recent years as part of the teacher-evaluation process for all grades except
prekindergarten.
Approximately 20 SLO pre-tests were
given this fall, primarily at the high school.
All others were eliminated.
The district also has examined every
other test given throughout the year. Where
there were redundancies, the most reliable
tests have been kept and the others have
been eliminated.
“We are proud of the work that we have
done to streamline our assessment
processes, and we applaud the Albany Public School Teachers’ Association for its
continued partnership to do what is best to
raise the achievement for all of our 9,000
students,” said Superintendent Marguerite
Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D.
Teachers are pleased as well, said
APSTA President Susan Gray.
“It gives teachers more time to do
what’s best for students and do the great
work they always do,” she said.
www.albanyschools.org
3
WE CHOOSE
Albany High School seniors Andrew Gardner and Rebecca Lippitt were crowned Homecoming king and queen Oct. 11 during a
weekend of activities that included a pep rally, Hall of Fame inductions, a parade, a football game and a dance.
This group of young runners burst away from the starting line Sept. 28 during the Fun Run portion of the second annual Albany Booster Club Falcon 5K and Fun Run/Walk. More than 500 runners and walkers took part in the event,
which took place in Washington Park on a picture-perfect morning.
Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy second-graders Sean Strickland,
left, and Malik Smith relaxed with some good books Oct. 7 in their
classroom.
Kindergarteners in Kelly Melita’s class at Arbor Hill Elementary School posed Oct. 3 with a new “student,” a
scarecrow they made as part of their celebration for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Services. PBIS reinforces the expected behaviors in class, in the hallway, in the lunchroom, in the gym, on the bus – basically anywhere in school. At Arbor Hill, students who behaved as expected during September took part in celebrations
throughout their school; all the students in Mrs. Melita’s class were eligible!
The 24 outstanding students who appeared in the 2014-15 school-district calendar were
recognized Sept. 11 at Academy Park by Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard,
Ph.D., left. Pictured with Dr. V are William S. Hackett Middle School eighth-grader Jaden
Moore and Hackett Principal Michael Paolino.
4
www.albanyschools.org
Eagle Point Elementary School families gathered for autumnal and reading-related activities at the school’s Oct. 7 Fall Literacy Celebration. Here, kindergartener Luke Stein puts
his own touches on a tree after hearing a story about autumn leaves.
FAL L 2014
About 20 North Albany Academy students who tried their best and were on their best behavior for the first part
of the school year were recognized Oct. 9 with a special ceremony and breakfast for them and their families.
Among those students noted at the Merit Breakfast, were, from left, eighth-grader Antonio Farmer, first-grader
Tiana Cortina, second-grader Cole Buttiker, first-grader Jon Wright and seventh-grader Auston Coons.
On Sept. 12, Vegetable Project volunteer Cremilda Dias, left, offered fresh garden veggies to family and
consumer sciences students from Larry Drew’s classes at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School.
From left, the students are eighth-graders Anthony Ignacio, David Palmer and Xzaviere Byrd. The produce came straight from the giant garden that is maintained by the Vegetable Project and the school’s
Garden Club. More than 100 students got to pick and taste the veggies that day.
New Scotland Elementary School first-grader Eliza Tusaneza, left, read
a letter she wrote to the Great Pumpkin to English-as-a-second-language teacher Linda Stegagno and classmate Roman Parajuli on Oct. 9.
Students in the class were responding to personalized notes the Great
Pumpkin left in each of their notebooks.
Albany High School held the first of three blood drives this school year on Oct.
16, and senior Camera Pierce rolled up her sleeve that day to give blood for the
first time. The school is looking forward to another blockbuster year of donations
after receiving a regional award (see page 7 for more details).
ALBANY SCHOOLS
Students, staff and parents from Giffen Memorial Elementary School took to the streets Sept. 12 to support their school
and PTA. With banners, signs and plenty of spirit, the whole school marched around the neighborhood and cheered.
Pictured from left are students Pyu Reh, Kler Pru Say, Tavion McKenzie-Johnson, Lian Obid and Jaiden Ellis-Dosette.
FALL 2014
On Oct. 6, first-grader Jillian Katz showed her classmates at
Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST)
some math activities on the SmartBoard in the school’s computer
lab. The students were learning about First in Math, an Internetbased program that supports and builds kids’ math skills.
www.albanyschools.org
5
S CH OOL NEW S
The Albany Marching Falcons will head to Ireland in March to perform in the Dublin St.
Patrick’s Day parade.
Marching Falcons Ireland-bound
Next St. Patrick’s Day, the Albany
Marching Falcons will get their Irish up
in the capital city of the Emerald Isle itself.
At the invitation of Dublin Lord
Mayor Oisin Quinn, the City School
District of Albany’s marching band and
color guard will perform in the 2015 St.
Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, Ireland.
Quinn issued the group a standing invitation after he viewed footage of their
performance in the 2009 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.
The Marching Falcons also performed
in the 250th edition of the New York
City St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2011.
They are regular performers at numerous local events each year, including the
city’s Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11.
The Ireland trip is open to students in
grades 8-12. Students in grades 6-7 may
attend only if accompanied by a parent
chaperone. About 45 students and 20
chaperones currently are planning to
take the trip.
Besides their Dublin performance,
the Albany Marching Falcons also will
perform in Glendalough in County
Wicklow and at Cork University in
County Cork. Students also will visit
Queens College and Trinity College during their stay, along with Belfast, Cork,
Blarney and Galway.
If you’d like to help support the Albany Marching Falcons’ trip to Ireland,
donations may be made to Albany
Marching Falcons, c/o Bryan Cady, Albany School of Humanities, 108 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY 12209.
Volunteer spotlight
Name:
Barry D. Walston,
MSW
Age:
Eternally youthful
Occupation:
AIDS program manager, New York State
Department of Health
Marcus Reid, a second-grader at Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology
(TOAST), is one of seven district students featured in a statewide campaign to promote the importance of school attendance.
Statewide campaign stars district kids
This fall, City School District of Albany students are helping to spread an
important message to families throughout New York state: School attendance
counts.
The students star in the “Every Student Present” campaign of the New
York State Council on Children and
Families, which kicked off Sept. 10 at
Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science
and Technology (TOAST).
Students featured in the campaign
attend Delaware Community School
and TOAST.
The campaign includes posters and
public-service announcements that are
featured throughout the state, a parent
resource website and a community tool
kit. The faces of district students literally are the face of the campaign.
Nationwide, almost 10 percent of
kindergarteners and first-graders miss
10 percent or more of school.
“Those absences have a dramatic
impact on a child’s academic success
and their chances of graduating,” said
Superintendent Marguerite Vanden
Wyngaard, Ph.D.
To learn more about the campaign,
visit www.everystudentpresent.org.
Volunteers at:
Arbor Hill Elementary
School, Giffen Memorial Elementary School
and Albany High
School
Volunteer Barry Walston, right, listens to Albany High School senVolunteer work:
ior Cy-Mier Dace discuss his plans for college.
Through the Albany
Family Education Alliance, Walston works
those who come to the door and are hunwith Giffen and Arbor Hill Elementary
gry and who ask the way.’ I live by these
parents to empower them to be actively inprinciples.
volved in their children’s education.
“I also volunteer because our students need
Through the Albany Affiliate of the Black
and want more positive role models, influChild Development Institute – of which he ences and experiences in their lives. They
is president – he mentors groups of stuwant to be shown that they are valued, redent-athletes on the Albany High boys’
spected, cared for and that an adult, a
basketball team.
teacher, a community and a district believe
in them.
Why he volunteers:
“My mom planted the seed, ‘better to give
“Finally, I volunteer because if not me,
than receive.’ My Uncle Thomas planted
then who? And if not now, when?”
the seed, ‘feed, teach, love and protect all
6
www.albanyschools.org
Montessori Magnet School third-graders Benjamin Viggiani, left, and Joshua Waite measure different liquids on Oct. 22 at the school’s first STEM (science-technology-engineering-math)
Night. Plenty of future scientists and engineers turned out for hands-on work on a variety of
projects.
FAL L 2014
S CH OOL NEW S
AWAR DS & ACH IEV EM ENT S
Students make state ensemble
Four Albany High School students have been selected to perform in All-State ensembles of the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) in December.
The students, their instruments and their ensembles:
• Clare Criscione, violin, String Orchestra
• John Dimase, trumpet, Jazz Band
• Dawn Dinh, soprano, Mixed Choir
• Livio Fasullo, alto saxophone, Jazz Band
Dimase also was selected for the All-State Symphonic Band but opted for the
Jazz Band. In addition, Aidan Ryan was chosen as an alternate for Mixed Choir.
The All-State performances will take place Dec. 4-7 at the NYSSMA Winter
Conference in Rochester.
New Scotland writer pens grand prize in contest
Eagle Point Elementary School dad Ian Henry, pictured with daughter Olivia and son Reece,
was one of more than 1,000 district dads and father figures who took their kids to school Sept.
16 for the annual statewide Dads Take Your Child to School Day.
Dads turn out to support education
More than 1,000 fathers and father
figures flocked to City School District
of Albany schools on their special day in
a show of support for their children’s
education.
They took part in “Dads Take Your
Child to School Day,” a state and national effort to encourage men to be active in their children’s schooling.
In Albany, all 14 elementary and middle schools participated Sept. 16 by
hosting assemblies, speakers, breakfasts,
information sessions and more.
Kids who have a father or father figure involved in their education are more
likely to get good grades, feel better
about themselves and make good
choices, research shows.
Stepfathers, foster fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, godfathers and
other significant male caregivers also
were encouraged to participate in the
day and to remain involved throughout
the school year.
State lauds program
for students with disabilities
Albany High School in November will
receive the 2014 Youth Transition Award
for New York State – the only school to
receive the award this year.
The Youth Transition Award from the
Office for People With Developmental
Disabilities recognizes programs that successfully transition students with disabilities from high school into the workforce.
“We are committed to shifting the conversation about disability employment
from one focused on whether people with
disabilities can work to one more aptly focused on what we can do to ensure that
people with disabilities are given the
chance to succeed in our nation’s workforce,” said Superintendent Marguerite
Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D.
Albany High’s program began in 1997
and continues to have a strong commitment to work-based learning and the provision of community-based experiences
for students who will benefit from
OPWDD support upon graduation. In addition, the program helps students and
their families identify and utilize support
services within the community
Transition Coordinator Joey DiPiazza
and teacher Jay Arnold are the driving
forces behind the program, which also
consists of the Sage College Experience.
This program models critical elements
of transition to support students in obtaining a real-life, community-based, age-appropriate transition education.
Check us out online!
We have created an Online News Center to provide you as much news as possible
about the great people and programs of the City School District of Albany. Visit
www.albanyschools.org and click the Online News Center link in the right-hand
column to read more about any of these stories and additional articles, including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Student playwrights share stage with the pros
Fight the flu
Calendar celebrates extraordinary students
Community swimming at Myers
Albany High students earn achievement honors
Photo gallery of activities in and around our schools
New Scotland Elementary School fourthgrader Olivia Penna was named grand-prize
winner in a Times Union Halloween story
contest.
Area students in grades 2 through 8 were
asked to finish a spooky tale featuring a
school dance, weird parents and, of course,
zombies. Penna’s heroes saved the day by
taking advice from a book called “How to
Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.”
Penna received a bookstore gift card for
her work, which was published in the Oct. 26
edition of the Times Union.
Published author Olivia Penna
Myers students take historic sail
Four students and a teacher from Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School took
a six-day voyage on the Hudson River in September, living and working as 17th-century sailors.
The sailors were eighth-grade students Mary Cabuhut, Casey Su Morrell,
Calum Froese Wessman and Alyvia William. They sailed with teacher Larry
Drew.
Their voyage was aboard the full-scale replica of the Dutch ship Half Moon, taking over the second leg of the original journey Henry Hudson took in 1609 on
“d’Halve Maen.”
Their journey Sept. 13-19 was part of an annual recreation of Hudson’s historic trip
up the river that now bears his name. Led by Captain William “Chip” Reynolds, the
crew rose at dawn, learned the workings of the ship and helped sail and maintain it.
The student crew also kept journals and conducted research projects that connect
to their studies of New York state history and environmental science. The trip was
sponsored by the New Netherland Museum, the non-profit that owns and maintains
the Half Moon.
Seniors earn National Merit recognition
Five Albany High School seniors have been named Commended Students in the
2015 National Merit Scholarship Program: Ravi Brenner, Clare Criscione, Olivia
Parker, Isaac Rosen and Isaac Young.
Their outstanding scores on the 2013 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test placed them in the top 5 percent of the 1.5 million students in
the United States who took the test during junior year.
Congratulations and great work!
Albany High earns regional Red Cross award
The New York-Penn Region American
Red Cross has recognized Albany High
School with an award for exemplary commitment to blood donation.
Each year, Albany High hosts three
blood drives run by a student coordinator
and overseen by faculty advisers. Each
year, the school has met or exceeded its
goal of the number of life-saving pints donated by students, staff and others.
The New York-Penn Red Cross region
covers 63 counties in New York state and
western Pennsylvania. Albany High was
one of three high schools and a college to
receive the School Sponsors Award in September.
Albany High’s 2014 faculty advisers, librarian Alicia Abdul and former teacher
Stacey Saracene, accepted the award on
behalf of the school. The school’s first
drive of 2014-15 was held Oct. 16; the
other two are scheduled Jan. 8 and May 7.
Albany High School librarian Alicia
Abdul, left, and former teacher Stacey
Saracene accepted an award for Albany
High’s great work in getting blood
donations.
You also can check out our District News section!
FALL 2014
www.albanyschools.org
7
Board of Education
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 149
Albany, NY
Rose Brandon, Th.D.
President
Dan Egan
Vice President
1 Academy Park
Albany, New York 12207
Ginnie Farrell
Secretary
Sue Adler
Kenneth M. Bruce
C. Anthony Owens
Alexandra Streznewski
Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Communications Office, 1 Academy Park, Albany, N.Y. 12207 | (518) 475-6065 | Fax: 475-6069 | www.albanyschools.org
You can access all the
information in this newsletter
online at www.albanyschools.org
Leading the way
Giffen Memorial Elementary School
teacher Thomas Faulkner
Q&A
2014 Crystal Apple award winner
Thomas Faulkner admits he struggled as a student. It helped make him what he is today – one of the most
respected teachers in the City School District of Albany. The Schenectady native has taught at Giffen Memorial Elementary School for 15 years in a job he said he was meant to do. In September, the fourth-grade
teacher received the City School District of Albany’s 2014 “Crystal Apple” award, given to one of a select
group of outstanding teachers.
Q: What made you decide to become a teacher?
A: In school I was a terrible student. I was considered “dumb”
and had a hang-up about taking tests. I had a hard time with
bullies, grades and confidence. But it was select teachers, and
my mother, who stuck up for me and believed in me. Those
teachers watched out for me and stayed on my back, and they
made me want to work hard and earn good grades.
Later, when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to
do, I realized I wanted to be a teacher because of
that group of teachers who were so important to
me.
Q: What’s the best part of your job, and
why?
A: When a student gets it, has that
“aha!” moment. If we put months into
something and he or she just starts to
get it, it really makes me happy and
fills me up inside. I can’t wait to brag
about it at the dinner table.
Q: How do you get your students excited about learning?
A: I don’t think there’s one answer. But I try to
bring them to the reality of things by using real
examples. For example, we were reading about
Mount Everest and I told them about a guy I met
who lost his limbs climbing Mount Everest. They
truly didn’t understand how dangerous Mount
Everest is from pictures on the SmartBoard. If I
can bring a personal story into it, I try to get a
conversation going that way. Sometimes I’ll
show a short film, or take them to the museum.
The challenge is to get the students connected
and invested in what they are learning.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge kids face
today?
A: Expectations are a major challenge to them
every day. There’s more pressure than ever on
our children to succeed the minute they walk
into school. Kindergarten is no longer kindergarten. Fourth grade is no longer fourth grade.
It reminds me of the pressure a senior would
feel in high school, but it’s trickled all the way
down to our little ones.
Yes, we want our kids to compete, to do well
in college. But how do we do that in a way
that doesn’t ruin elementary school for
them? That’s our challenge as educators.
8
www.albanyschools.org
Alumni achievement
Ashley Velie ’86
You might say it all started at Albany High School for Ashley Velie.
The four-time Emmy-nominated
CBS Evening News producer got her
start in the business working at Albany High’s student newspaper, The
Patroon, and AHSCOM, a television
club that put out a weekly newscast
during homeroom.
Velie, a 1986 Albany High graduate, is one of eight people inducted
into the City School District of Albany Hall of Fame on Oct. 10 (see
Ashley Velie ’86
page 3 for related story).
At Albany High she learned how to write, shoot, produce and edit
news stories as well as anchor a news program. Velie also became co-editor of The Patroon in her senior year.
“The opportunities at Albany High were amazing,” she said. “I knew
by the time I was a junior that I wanted to go into broadcast journalism.”
Velie went on to major in journalism at Syracuse University’s
renowned SI Newhouse School of Communications. Her studies included a semester abroad, where she interned for the CBS News London
bureau – an experience that sparked her interest in foreign news coverage.
After stints as a producer and managing editor with Conus Communications in Washington, D.C., and as a producer with Worldwide Television News in the United Kingdom, she landed again with CBS News
in London. Velie worked 12 years overseas.
Based in London and Tel Aviv, she covered stories throughout Europe, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Israel and Gaza.
One of her most challenging assignments was traveling into Kandahar, Afghanistan, just after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
“It was an incredible eye-opening experience to go into such a culturally rich yet war-torn country where women were kept out of the public
eye,” Velie said.
War-coverage assignments were intense and rewarding from a news
perspective. They could be difficult and frightening, as well, she said.
Besides reporting on conflicts in Afghanistan and Israel, she covered
the war in Iraq.
Hezbollah, Hamas and the Taliban are no longer on her regular beat.
She now works at CBS News headquarters in New York as a producer
for the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. Velie is also a contributing
producer to 60 Minutes, 48 Hours and Sunday Morning.
That doesn’t mean the stories closer to home have been any less
wrenching.
This summer Velie traveled to El Salvador to cover the child-migration story and has produced stories, including two for 60 Minutes, on
post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers returning from years of war.
She also covered the tragic school shooting in Newtown, Conn.,
which earned her an Alfred I. DuPont Award.
Velie lives in Brooklyn with her 11-year-old daughter and her husband, who’s a news producer for NBC. She credits her experience at Albany High (and the former School 19, now New Scotland Elementary,
and William S. Hackett Middle School) with helping to shape who she
is today.
“It was an incredible experience,” she said. “It was a great community
that allowed you to immerse yourself in what’s real and what matters.”
FAL L 2014

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