Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper
HF 73 Cambridge 30
The Panthers traveled up Route 22 to take on the (2 – 11, 3 – 13) Cambridge Indians last week. The game started and by the end of the first quarter, it was clear the Indians were undermanned and going to be overwhelmed. The Panthers outscored the Indians 27 – 4 and from there it was just cruise control. By the end of the third quarter, the score was 57 – 17.
[Read more…] about Panther Boys Basketball Is Undefeated – Record Up To 16 – 0
submitted by Coach Bob Lang
The Hoosick Falls bowling team finished second out of 29 teams on Friday, February 6, at Boulevard Bowl in Schenectady in the Sectionals. Fort Edward won the championship with a six game total for five bowlers of 5,778 followed by Hoosick Falls with 5,669, Canajoharie – 5,509, Middleburg – 5,314 and Hoosic Valley – 5,212. Other local schools were Mechanicville in seventh place with 5,094 pins and Stillwater in 12th place with 4,752.
[Read more…] about Panther Bowlers Finish Second In Sectionals
by Steve Bradley
Rachel Pine scored 13 points to lead the Lady Panthers past the (3 – 9, 8 – 9)) Stillwater Warriors last Friday evening. Even though the Warriors held the lead at the end of the first, 14 – 12, the Panthers clicked at both ends of the court in second and third quarters to put the game away. Holding the Warriors to five points in the second and 3 points in the third, while putting up a combined 31 of their own, the Panthers pulled away.
Along with Pine’s 13 points, Kelly Pine, Megan Flynn and Chelsea Stevens each added nine points. Flynn had 14 rebounds, while Kelly Pine had 10 of her own.
The Ladies will play Granville Friday, February 13, for their final regular season game.
CalvinMars Going To Sectionals
submitted by Cindi Mars
Berlin-New Lebanon Wrestling went to the Section II Class D Tournament at Salem Central School on Saturday February 7.
Calvin Mars took 4th place in the 126 weight class and will be representing Berlin at the Sectionals on February 14.
[Read more…] about Berlin-New Lebanon Wrestling Strong At Salem Tournament
The Berlin Central School District has begun the process of registering students for the 2015-2016 Pre-K and Kindergarten classes. Students must be legal residents of the school district and reside with parents or guardian within the school district at the time of registration.
2015-2016 Pre-K Registration – Students who will be four years old on or before December 1, 2015, are eligible to register. Please call Candy Sweener at 658-2127 ext. 200 to place your child’s name on our registration list. You will receive a registration packet by mail that must be completed and returned to the Main Office at Berlin Elementary School by April 1, 2015. Pre-K screening will take place in the spring, and you will be contacted to schedule an appointment.
2015-2016 Kindergarten Registration – Students who will be five years old on or before December 1, 2015, are eligible to register. Please call Patty Nash at 658-2515 ext. 1070 to place your child’s name on our registration list. You will receive a registration packet by mail that must be completed and returned to the Central Registrar located at Berlin MS/HS by April 1, 2015. Kindergarten screening will take place in the spring, and you will be contacted to schedule an appointment. If your child is currently attending the Berlin Pre-K program, their name will automatically be placed on our registration list.
St. Mary’s Academy recently held its annual learning fair highlighting the talents and skills of pre-k 3 – 8th grade students. The learning fair is a culmination of six weeks of preparation that ends with a finale of exceptional work showcasing a high level of learning.
Submitted by Erin Clary, Communication Specialist NLCSD
On January 21, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo welcomed New Lebanon Junior/Senior High School teacher Mary-Beth Liles to the Master Teacher Program.
[Read more…] about New Lebanon Central School’s Mary-Beth Liles Named Master Teacher
The basketball season for the Berlin boys has been going on in fits and bursts between snow storms. The last week of January was good for the team as they defeated Class D top ranked Germantown. [Read more…] about Greg Depaolis Scores his 1000th Point
by Steve Bradley
The Panther boys basketball team held the Hoosic Valley Indians to three points in the second quarter and went on to win 65 – 40 last Friday evening. [Read more…] about Panther Boys Basketball Gets Dominating Win Over Hoosic Valley
The Hoosick Falls Central School District and the JLS Foundation are preparing to launch a new program later this school year called Hometown Mentoring. The program will pair college-bound graduates with adult mentors to help ease the academic and social transition from high school to college for Hoosick Falls graduates beginning with the Class of 2015.
Why Hometown Mentoring?
A recent study by Complete College America suggests the overwhelming majority of students attending public colleges do not graduate on time; in fact, the report found that only 19 percent of full-time students earn a bachelor’s degree in four years. Currently, less than 40 percent of Hoosick Falls Central School graduates complete college.
To reverse this trend, this year Hoosick Falls Central School (HFCS) is piloting its College Completion Project, a program that introduces students to career options and helps them develop the skills and the knowledge necessary to successfully complete post-secondary studies and attain a degree or professional certification.
The Hometown Mentoring program is a companion program to the College Completion Project and will utilize a previously untapped resource: successful HFCS graduates from around the country who are willing to share their experiences, time and insight with college-bound high school graduates. Hometown Mentoring will provide every interested HFCS student who is pursuing a two- or four-year college degree or professional certification with a mentor from their hometown who can help them complete college and transition to a successful career path.
HFCS is partnering with the JLS Foundation, a non-profit organization that has been providing mentoring and college scholarships to a small group of HFCS students for the past 10 years. The Foundation was founded by HFCS alumnus John Liporace, Jr. (Class of ’84). Mr. Liporace and another HFCS alumnus, Dr. Todd Wysocki (Class of ’83), who serves on the JLS Foundation Board of Directors, will help lead the Hometown Mentoring effort. As Hoosick Falls Central School graduates, Mr. Liporace and Dr. Wysocki believe strongly in the power of mentorship to help high school students make the often daunting transition to college.
“Having a mentor can be a game changer,” Mr. Liporace said, “especially for students from small communities like Hoosick Falls. For many, attending college is their first experience away from home and they often struggle with that transition.”
Dr. Wysocki says while increasing college completion rates for HFCS graduates is a priority for the Hometown Mentoring program, there are other equally important goals.
“For many students, college is an exciting, yet uncertain time in their lives. Through this mentor program, students will learn to avail themselves of all the opportunities that are offered, which will help enrich the college experience and make it more effective,” he said. “Mentorship presents opportunities for making connections and networking, which will help put students on a trajectory for success after college as well.”
Mr. Liporace has worked with HFCS students through the JLS Foundation, created in 2005 to honor the memory of his father, John Liporace Sr. (JLS), whose passion for education and community service in his hometown of Hoosick Falls served as inspiration for the Foundation. Over the past 10 years, the JLS Foundation has worked closely with five HFCS students each year to help them realize their fullest potential. The Foundation introduces students to inspirational leaders who can show them career possibilities and help them build a professional network while in college and in careers post-college. One student each year is awarded a partial college scholarship. The most important benefit, Liporace has noticed, is the relationships that students build with the professionals who mentor them along their journey.
Inspired by the success of many JLS Foundation finalists, Mr. Liporace decided to mark the 10th anniversary of the Foundation this year by expanding its activities. In late spring, he and Dr. Wysocki, in conjunction with HFCS, will launch the Hometown Mentoring program.
“We are really pleased to be partnering with John and Todd on this initiative and to have the ability to offer our students additional support in their transition from high school to higher education,” said Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Facin. “Many of our graduates are first-generation college students and will benefit tremendously from this mentoring program”
How It Will Work
The Hometown Mentoring program will pair HFCS graduates with mentors from their own hometown. Mentors must be from the Town of Hoosick, enjoy a high-level of success in their profession and be willing to invest the time needed to mentor a student.
Mr. Liporace and Dr. Wysocki are securing HFCS alumni to serve as hometown mentors and expect to have approximately 50 quality mentors enrolled in the first year. It is anticipated that mentoring will happen virtually via phone, Skype or other communication technology; in-person mentoring is not a requirement.
Mentors will participate each year in leadership training provided by Dr. Wysocki’s Reframing Leadership Consulting. The training will occur via phone or video conference.
Hoosick Falls alumni who are interested in becoming a hometown mentor should email jls@thejlsfoundation.org for more information.
HFCS is developing a list of students interested in the mentoring program and will finalize the list to ensure that every interested college-bound senior is assigned a hometown mentor in the spring. Students will be matched with mentors based on criteria such as college choice and field of study.
