The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

eastwickpress

Zwack To Head BCS Board Again

By

by Thaddeus Flint

Board member Frank Zwack has been re-elected President by the sitting Board of Education of the Berlin Central School District. According to minutes by Mary Grant of the July 1 re-organizational meeting, the vote was unanimous.

Gina Goodermote was made Vice President; Jim Willis was made Parliamentarian, and Katie Fiske was made Legislative Liaison.  Each of these elections was also unanimous.

On the same night, the District’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Stephen Young, updated residents on the search for a new Elementary School Principal. The previous Elementary School Principal, Tricia Carlton, will not be returning to BCS this fall as she has taken the position of Elementary School Principal in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District.

Young said that around 70 applications for the position were received by the District.  As of the beginning of July that number had been whittled down to 10.  Once that number is further whittled down to five, a community team of parents, administrators, non-instructionals and teachers will meet with each of the candidates in order to best determine who will be taking the reins at the Elementary School this September.  It is hoped that that process will be completed and a hiring made by August.

Figures Show Berlin High School On The Rise

By

submitted by Erin Clary, Communications Specialist, BCSD

The numbers are in and Berlin High School is seeing improvement in multiple areas including overall rank, SAT scores and graduation rates. According to the 2014 Schools Report published by the Albany Business Review, Berlin High School ranked number 49 out of 85 districts in the 11 county greater Capital Region. This is up from number 65 last year.

The high school scores were calculated using SAT test scores and performance on Regents exams. Other metrics included graduation performance: the percentages of students who graduate, who graduate with advanced Regents diplomas and who plan to attend a two year or four year college after high school.

The high school ranked number 17 in the Capital Region for its SAT scores and four out of 10 for Rensselaer County.

In addition, the high school is seeing improvements in graduation rates. Although the numbers are not yet in for 2014, in 2013 the Berlin High School graduation rate was at 81 percent, up from 78.9 percent in 2012 and 72.2 percent in 2011.

Most notably, the special education graduation rate was 81.8 percent, up from 52.6 percent in 2012 and 35 percent in 2011.

According to Berlin CSD Board of Education President Frank Zwack, the success in recent years is attributable to the collaborative efforts of the faculty, School Board, administrators, community and the students themselves. In addition, new programs like School within a School and Credit Recovery have been successful in helping to graduate more students on time.

“We’ve been moving forward at a fast pace, identifying areas where we can improve,” said Zwack. “I expect that we’ll maintain and improve this momentum to continue to be successful in the future.”

Hoosick Falls Elementary School Students Recognized For Good Character

By

submitted by Judy Frost, Public Information Specialist, Hoosick Falls CSD

The Hoosick Falls Elementary School recognized dozens of students for consistently demonstrating good character throughout the 2013-14 school year with a really “cool” year end celebration.

[Read more…] about Hoosick Falls Elementary School Students Recognized For Good Character

Libby Cass Receives Girl Scout Gold Award

By

submitted by Sue Brissette

Libby Cass of Stephentown was awarded the highest honor in girl scouting, the Gold Award, last month for her work with the Town of Stephentown and the Stephentown Memorial Library to add science, engineering and collaboration with local professionals programming to the Town’s summer youth day camp program.  [Read more…] about Libby Cass Receives Girl Scout Gold Award

Metropolitan Opera Star To Present Benefit Concert In Hoosick

By

Oren Gradus will present a concert of arias and show tunes to benefit Civicure on Saturday, July 26.  Civicure is a Hoosick Falls non-profit organization driven by the mission of community revitalization through active stewardship of Hoosick’s rich heritage and rural environs and the art inspired by them.  Gradus’ performance will support restoration of the live performance space in the Wood Block Building at 5 Main Street, where traveling and local artists once graced the two stages.

Oren Gradus, whose rich bass voice has been lauded as “full-bodied and sensitive,”  has appeared in some of the world’s greatest opera houses. Notable venues in North America include New York’s Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera and the Canadian Opera in Toronto. European appearances include Teatro Communale in Bologna, Opera Marseilles and the Liceu Opera House in Barcelona. Gradus can be seen in the Great Performances at the Met broadcast of La Bohème, televised by PBS affiliates on Friday, June 27, at 9 pm.

Joining Gradus is lyric soprano Mariona Pallach from Catalonia, Spain.  A graduate of the Barcelona Conservatory, she is an award winning vocalist and voice instructor who has sung feature performances on the premier stages of her country. In addition to opera and show tunes Pallach will contribute music from Spain to the program.

The singers will be accompanied by Jennifer Peterson, a gifted pianist, opera coach and accomplished conductor.  She is the founder and director of operamission, based in New York City.

The concert is hosted by the Hoosac School which is celebrating its 125th year as an independent preparatory school in Hoosick. Reservations include a 7 pm reception with hors d’oeuvres on the East Lawn of the Tibbits Mansion, with its sweeping views. The concert begins at 8 pm in the auditorium. Meet the artists over coffee and dessert afterwards.

The Hoosac School is located at 14 Pine Valley Road. Tickets for the event are $20.  For reservations by phone please call 518-686-4258 or online visit hoosac.org or email civicure@gmail.org.

Fundraiser For Children’s Hospitals

By

Airoc Court # 42 of the Ladies Oriental Shrine of North America will hold a bake sale at Aqua Vista Campground on Armsby Road in Petersburgh on Saturday, July 19, from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Home baked goods and an opportunity basket will be featured.

Proceeds from the sale support the Child Life Units at the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Please come out and support this wonderful cause.

Historic First For Grafton

By

submitted by Anne Kiely

Grafton is about to have its first historic marker, and we would like you to join us at its dedication!

This marker is located at what is now the Grafton Inn.  It acknowledges not only its current use but some of the prior unique history of the building.

Many of us have known Elsie Risedorf, the current owner, for approximately 25 years.  She has been a major supporter of the Town of Grafton and, particularly, the Grafton Historical Society. The Society is grateful to her for allowing us to place this marker at the Grafton Inn.

We hope you will join us for this dedication which will start promptly at 10 am on July 26 in front of the Grafton Inn.

Taconic Valley Historical Society Meeting

By

The program for the July meeting will be “Native American Folklore” presented by Gil Payette, interpreter and storyteller.  Drawing on his experiences while living in Arizona, Payette, now a local resident, has been telling Native American folklore for over ten years.  His stories are educational, entertaining and appropriate for all ages.  These traditional stories are meant to be told aloud and come alive in the imagination of the audience.

The meeting is Monday, July 21, at 7:30 pm at the Methodist Church on South Main Street, Berlin, and is open to the public free of charge.  You do not have to be a member to attend.  Refreshments will be served.