HFCS Board Votes For Pellet Fuel Heating

by Alex Brooks
At its meeting on October 17 the Hoosick Falls School Board voted unanimously to move forward with the pellet fuel heating project proposed by Bioenergy Partners LLC. The resolution does not fully commit the District to building the pellet fuel heating system – that will happen when a contract is signed, probably in a couple of months. [private]In the meantime, the Board has given a good-faith indication that it expects to go forward with the project, so the company can flesh out the details of the project, doing engineering and design and produce a detailed contract document with confidence that their efforts will not be wasted. Superintendent Ken Facin said he hopes to have a contract ready for Board approval for the December meeting. The Board continues to be enthusiastic about the project. Board President Greg Laurin said the project “could save this District as much as a million dollars over twenty years.”
Newly appointed Board of Education Member Bridget Foster was sworn in at the beginning of the meeting, and the Board is back at full strength.  It was “School Board Recognition Week” in New York State, and Board Members were given gifts and certificates of appreciation by the school administrators. When that ceremony was concluded, the HFTA representative stepped up and gave them another round of gifts from the teachers. Accompanying remarks stressed the dedication of the Board members who put in a lot of hours without any pay. Laurie Gormley, in her inimitable way, said that the Board members are rewarded by feeling a part of a team that is making lots of good things happen at the school.
Elaine Houston Visits
On October 11 Elaine Houston from Albany TV station WNYT came to the Hoosick Falls school to do a story on “inclusion” or “mainstreaming” of Special Education Students. Students who were formerly in segregated classes made up entirely of Special Education students are now being integrated into classes with regular education students, and students who were formerly sent to special schools for learning disabled children are being brought back home to be educated in the District with the rest of their peers. Hoosick Falls has been a leader in ending the segregation of special education students, and Houston came out to do a story on how it’s going. Her story focused on  a Hoosick Falls student with autism named Logan Gatus, who is thriving in a mainstream class. Elementary Principal Amy Netti spoke on air about the advantages of the “co-teaching” model employed at Hoosick Falls in which special education kids are part of regular classes, with support from special education teachers and teachers’ aides. Hoosick Falls Special Education Director Kristin Philpott said that this method is not only good for the Special Education students but also for the regular students, who learn to appreciate differences, who learn compassion and who learn to act as mentors and teachers to students less able than themselves. The piece clearly showed that the new approach to Special Education is working well at Hoosick Falls, and school administrators are proud and excited to be at a school that is leading the way in the area of special education. A link to video of Houston’s story is available at the Hoosick Falls Central School web site.
Superintendent Ken Facin took the opportunity to praise the work of Special Education Director Kristin Philpott, who is having a lot of success with her program. Facin said she “is an incredible asset to our District.”
Senior Ball
The senior class began the meeting with a presentation about plans for its Senior Ball, which is scheduled for February 8 at the Armory in downtown Hoosick Falls. The theme is “Community.” It will be catered by Bianca’s Pizza and will feature a roaring 20s theme. Students will arrive at 6:30, and dinner and a show will begin at 7. Tickets will cost $35, and $1 from each ticket goes to the Youth Center.
They also discussed plans for the Senior Trip, which will be going to Dorney Park in Allentown, PA, and Point Pleasant Beach in Southern New Jersey on May 16 and 17. The cost per student is projected to be $209, and fundraising activities have begun, aiming to defray some of that cost.
Junior Prom
This was followed by members of the junior class describing their plans for the Junior Prom. This will be on May 31. There will be a “grand march” at the school at 4:30, and then students will take buses to Revolution Hall, overlooking the Hudson River. This facility is owned by the Brown family, parents of Abby Brown, who is a member of the junior class. The committee plans to have a “Mardi Gras masquerade” theme for the event. Tickets will cost $50 per person, which includes catering and a DJ.
In the business portion of the meeting, the Board approved the appointment of Margaret Restino as an Executive Secretary, and filled the two half time positions created last month. Kimberly Brownell was hired as a Teacher of English Language Arts, and Lindsay Salerno was hired as a teacher of Special Education/Elementary Education.
The Board approved the usual “Walk the Halls” program for this winter. The halls will be available for recreational walking on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 pm, November through April.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be November 21 at 7 pm in the High School Library.[/private]