Author: heather.nellis

The Fort Plain Central School District Board of Education has announced its selection for the district’s next superintendent of schools.

John Bishop, the current principal of the Poestenkill Elementary School in the Averill Park Central School District, was appointed as the new Fort Plain superintendent during a special Board of Education meeting Friday, March 20.

Bishop will assume the superintendent’s position in Fort Plain beginning May 1, with a three-year contract.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to lead the educational mission at Fort Plain,” Bishop said. “I look forward to serving a school community that is learner focused and committed to a holistic approach that develops the whole child.”

Bishop has worked nearly 26 years in Averill Park beginning as a special education teacher at the West Sand Lake Elementary School in 1994. He also worked as a special education teacher at Averill Park High School before being appointed assistant middle school principal. He continued his administrative career in Averill Park serving as the district’s athletic director and then the assistant high school principal before being named as an elementary principal in 2016. Bishop also coached for several years including varsity football, varsity and JV girls lacrosse, freshmen girls basketball and JV golf.

He’s also been president of the Averill Park principals union for two years and has been a varsity soccer official for 10. Before beginning his career in Averill Park, he was a special education teacher at the Wildwood Programs for two years.

Bishop will replace Acting Superintendent David Ziskin, who is the former Fort Plain superintendent and current district superintendent of HFM BOCES. Ziskin assumed the role of superintendent in February after former Interim Superintendent Kathy Dougherty resigned due to a family responsibility.

As the BOCES district superintendent, Ziskin worked with the Fort Plain Board of Education as a consultant during the search process.

“The Fort Plain superintendent’s position attracted a strong and talented pool of candidates, and Mr. Bishop quickly rose to the top,” Ziskin said. “He’s a dedicated educator and administrator who believes that collaborative practices, strong community connections and a primary focus on teaching and learning builds successful schools.”

An East Greenbush native, Bishop graduated Columbia High School and received a bachelor’s degree in special education from the College of St. Rose. He earned his master’s degrees in educational psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and his educational administration certification from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

He lives in Niskayuna with his wife, who is a middle school teacher in South Colonie. They have two children, a son, who is a senior in high school, and a daughter attending college.

Students in the Life Skills class recently celebrated 100 days of school. Life Skills teacher Lisa Petty and math teacher Sue Summerfield organized activities for the students. They read “The 100 Hats Of The Cat In The Hat,” counted 100 items on a mat, made the number 100 out of cheese sticks and grapes, and enjoyed cupcakes. Students and teachers brought items from home and chose items from the classroom that were meaningful to them for the mat activity. 

For the past 65 years, the Montgomery County Music Festival has celebrated the talented student musicians from school districts in Fort Plain, Canajoharie, Fonda-Fultonville and Amsterdam.

At this year’s event on Feb. 29 in Canajoharie, it was also time to celebrate outgoing Montgomery County Music Association President Pete DiBiase. He is retiring from Fort Plain this year, capping 25 years of service to the association, its beloved festival and the school district he’s called home for 32 years. 

The nod to DiBiase was a surprise coordinated by counterpart band directors at the county’s school districts. As the audience was welcomed during the opening speech, the festival was paused to honor DiBiase with a plaque.

When asked to reflect on the experience, DiBiase humbly referred to his students and their performances.

“It was memorable,” he said. “It was a great day of music and a great day of kids.”

It couldn’t have been a more fitting time to honor DiBiase, as March is Music in our Schools Month.

Music in Our Schools Month is annually held in March to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children, and to remind citizens that school is where children should have access to music. It was established by The National Association for Music Education.

The Montgomery County Music Festival is an ultimate celebration of music in schools, preceded by months of preparation. DiBiase says it’s rewarding to see the students bring the teacher-selected musical pieces to life as a  unit. But even better, all the hard work is for a good cause.

“The importance of the festival is not only the concert and the work and preparation that goes into it, but also the scholarships,” DiBiase said. The nominal admission fee to the festival supports scholarships awarded to students in the participating school districts.

Congratulations to the January students of the month at Harry Hoag Elementary! They are kindergartner Laurie Nightingale, first graders Jacob Dolly and Harley Ostrander, fifth grader Gavin Massie and sixth graders Isis Hammond and Rachel Kamp. Students were honored at a breakfast celebration. Elle Nare was absent and will be honored at next month’s breakfast event.

Kristy’s Closet has opened at Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School, a place where students in need can go to get clothing and toiletries. School officials say it’s made a huge impact on the school, both for the students it’s benefiting, and for the students who constructed the space.

“I’ve had a few customers already. Some of them have hugged me and cried because they were so grateful,” school conduct coordinator Kristy McFee said. She is the point person for the closet. School employees let McFee know if there is someone in need, and she discreetly brings students to the space to let them pick out clothing, shoes, toiletries and other items.

The closet was entirely designed, engineered and constructed by teacher Kreig Heroth’s Technology and Design class.

“It was the hardest I’ve ever worked on a project, because I wasn’t just building something for myself,” junior Storm Lounsberry said. “I’m proud of it. It feels great knowing it will help people.”

The school is accepting donations of new and gently-used clothing in all sizes for teens and young adults. Jeans, leggings, sweatpants, sweatshirts and T-shirts are some of the things needed most. New underwear, socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps and shampoos are also needed.

The closet was named Kristy’s Closet after McFee, a Fort Plain alumna and long-time employee.

“I’m so excited about this opportunity given to me to spearhead this program for our young adults,” McFee said. “I attended Fort Plain CSD from third to twelfth grade, and I’ve lived here all my life. This is something I can give back to the community that I live in.”

The closet features a variety of wooden shelves and galvanized clothing racks that were all engineered and built by the Technology and Design students. They also designed and cut out wooden labels for clothing bins.

“At the beginning, it was just a project, but as it progressed, they became very passionate about it,” Heroth said. “They put in extra time outside of class because they were really proud to help their community.”

Students used computer software to design the space and then built a model. Students presented their ideas to McFee and Principal Deborah Larrabee, just like they would at a real job for a potential client. They got feedback and made modifications to their design before they got to work in the shop. Students also had to get pricing estimates from a lumber shop and make sure all of the materials fit the budget.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the Technology and Design students,” Larrabee said. “This project gave them real-life experience and an opportunity to apply their talents in a meaningful way.”

If you would like to donate items to the closet, please contact the school office at 518-993-4000 ext. 2125 or McFee at 518-993-4000 ext. 2314.

Students in the Harry Hoag Elementary School Talented and Gifted program recently completed a three week “Young Architects” series. Groups designed homes, learning about room placement, hallway connections, utilities and outdoor add-ins.

Puppets in Education came to FPCSD! Harry Hoag Elementary School students enjoyed an interactive performance of a program titled “Day of Feelings.”  Students learned about emotions, how to make themselves feel happy, and how to get help when they are sad or uncomfortable.

The presentation was funded by Fuccillo Chevrolet of Nelliston, which also gave ten 25-inch puppets to the school so students can continue their creative education.

Puppets in Education is a program of the nonprofit Vermont Family Network. The program is in its 39th year, serving more than 10,000 children and adults annually to address a range of topics.

The Fort Plain Central School District expresses its sincere gratitude to the Fort Plain Police Benevolent Association for its donation to the Harry Hoag Elementary School cafeteria fund. Principal Lauren Crisman said the contribution will be used to fund snack shack purchases for students who are otherwise unable to afford a lunch treat.

“The Fort Plain Police Department continues to support our district in many ways and your advocacy for student wellness is highly valued,” Crisman said.

The donation was made toward the cafeteria account previously started by the school’s safety officer program.

“By opening this account, officers have the ability to bridge the gap between the police and the community, as well as display human qualities such as selflessness, a quality that can best define the staff at Harry Hoag Elementary,” Fort Plain Police Department Cpl. Donald Richards said. He is the Fort Plain PBA president.