By Michelle Van Horn
Walter B. Howard Update
Healthy eating habits is the focus for the month of January for Walter B. Howard elementary. The school follows the USDA MyPlate guidelines instead of the Food Pyramid, which was retired back in 2011. The Plate is color-coded into four uneven food groups, with half the plate holding mostly fruits and vegetables while a nice-sized portion of whole grains and smaller piece of protein take up the other half of the plate. Principal Andrew Kourt is giving a big thanks to the cafeteria staff, who have eagerly taken on the challenge of creating and providing delicious, healthy snacks for students. One suggestion is to limit or eliminate sugary drinks, like sodas and juices.
In the week before the meeting, the cafeteria provided taste-tests of parsnip chips as the healthy snack option, and quinoa chips were offered the week before. Also, this past Friday the faculty of WBH elementary created a salad potluck/buffet for a make-your-own salad, which was reported to be delicious, fun, and a big success. The concept of this faculty-led salad extravaganza was to practice what they preach, to follow the same advice they give. This promotes unity, respect, and the overall health of the school.
The PTA is hosting a community movie night and potluck on January 31 at 6:30 pm in the Cafeteria. Contact the PTA for further information.
Principal Kourt will become New Lebanon’s Superintendent effective October 1 this year once Leslie Whitcomb steps down to begin her retirement. The principal continues to attend the school for Future Superintendents Academy, which is a year-long commitment requiring a Summer institute, and 8 weekend sessions. Mr. Kourt has had the opportunity to work with leaders from all over the state. Current assistant principal Josh Noble will take Mr. Kourt’s place as principal at WBH elementary.
New Lebanon Jr-Sr High School Update
Principal Matthew Klafehn reported on the possibility of a new learning platform with Google Expeditions using virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). This game-changing technology for both student and teacher alike would provide a spatially limitless classroom, with assets like virtual field trips anywhere around the world while teachers explain abstract concepts through a visual/interactive format. The school’s Digital Mapping class would serve as a platform for the Google Expeditions VR and AR pilot program. Teachers have the capacity to highlight any important information, like sites and artifacts along the way, enhancing the student’s interest and experience in a classroom setting. There is a possible grant or loan available through the New Lebanon Arts and Humanities via the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, which is but one avenue of potential funding. A Questar III BOCES grant or loan could also become a supporting factor further down the road.
Students in 7th through 12th grades will have the opportunity to join a new afterschool group in electronic sports or E-sports. The intent is to engage athletic, non-athletic, and gaming students alike, offering students another option in extracurricular activities. The school believes there is an interest among students in this age range and seeks to test the new gaming club within the confines of the school’s walls as a starting point. Students will compete against one another and create and strengthen teams before venturing into competing with other area schools. The Rensselaer City School District has already adopted E-sports into its school athletic departments and/or after school groups, since E-sports has become an avenue for many colleges offering gaming scholarships. The E-sports program is slated to begin in the Fall.
New York State assessment tests for students have moved to a computer-based testing format. It will be the first year for 8th graders taking these tests using a computer for English and Math. The 6th grade class took them last year for the first time. Computer-based testing eliminates the use of paper, which conserves many resources – time spent ordering and handling paper, money spent to buy the paper, and space used to store the paper – all of which can be used for other areas of learning.
Athletic Update
It’s the second year of the New Lebanon JSHS/Berlin schools cross country team merger and it is reportedly going well. There was initial concern about both schools remaining in a small school classification, which will continue to be the case.
Coaches are needed for the upcoming Spring athletic season. An internal post was created by Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Joshua Noble, and a choice is anticipated to be made in February.
Business Office Update
The Capital Project renovations are underway and on schedule, with construction and renovation starting this past Fall. So far, the alarm systems, bathrooms, new shed and art room kiln are all complete. More renovations are currently taking place and will continue throughout the year.
The state comptroller’s office will be doing an audit of the District’s finances over the next month. Business Administrator Kevin Fottrell welcomes this routinely scheduled audit in the interest of budget transparency and accountability.
He also reported that two new janitors have been hired and they are both doing excellent work.
Superintendent Update
Superintendent Leslie Whitcomb reported that faculty and staff are being trained to teach students safe practices while on the internet. For instance, students are discouraged from using personal information to sign in with user IDs and passwords, like names and birthdays, which helps to alleviate the threat of being personally targeted and hacked. Whitcomb reports that the school’s computers are protected from malware (malicious software intended to damage the device, steal data, and/or create havoc) 100% of the time. Continued efforts are being made to educate students on the importance of responsible computer use.