The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

School News

HFCS Board Organizational Meeting

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by Alex Brooks

The Hoosick Falls Central School held its organizational meeting on Thursday, July 10. Greg Laurin was again elected School Board President, and Rick Ferrannini was elected Vice-President. They and the other Board members were sworn in by the School District Clerk, Pamela Cottrell.

Incumbent Board Members Bridget Foster and John Helft were elected to new full three year terms though June 30 of 2017, and new Board Member Andrew Beaty was elected to complete the term of Don Skott, through June 30 of 2016.

Martinez Family Practice was appointed for all school physician services, and Dr. Paul Bobinski was appointed the school dentist. The Bonadio Group was appointed as the District’s Independent Auditor and William Ryan of Tabner, Ryan & Keniry, LLP as legal counsel through June 30, 2015. Designated legal newspapers are The Eastwick Press and The Eagle.

The Board also appointed staff for the Summer Schools for High School and Elementary School and for Special Education Summer School.

The Board appointed Tim Ossont as Varsity Boys Soccer Coach.

The Board accepted the lowest bid for waste hauling from County Waste & Recycling Service for $616.67 per month and accepted the low bids for suppliers of milk, ice cream, bread and snacks.

Slaver’s Volleyball Camp

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BCS Volleyball coach Paul Slaver will be holding a Volleyball camp from August 11 to August 15, from 3 to 5 pm. This camp is open to 7-12th-graders. The cost is $50.

Learn the basics of Volleyball skills such as bump, set, spike and some training drills.

Coach Slaver can be contacted at 577-4469 for more information. Please leave a message, and he will call you back.

Zwack To Head BCS Board Again

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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

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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

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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

Metropolitan Opera Star To Present Benefit Concert In Hoosick

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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.

Congratulations To The Hoosick Falls Central School Class Of 2014

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HFCS Graduates 96

by Bea Peterson

“You match up against your peers anywhere in the country,” HFCS High School Principal Stacy Vadney told the 2014 graduating class on Friday evening, June 27. The class had a 93% graduation rate, compared to a National average of 76%. Eighty percent of them are going on to college. Three quarters of them received Regents diplomas. According to the latest statistics, HFCS ranks in the top 20% of high schools in New York State and in America. [Read more…] about Congratulations To The Hoosick Falls Central School Class Of 2014