Author: heather.nellis

Students and families of the Harry Hoag Elementary School have recently benefited from the generosity of community partners that donated goods and items for the holiday season.

A lesson about nutrition in a food science class at Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School inspired students and their teacher to prepare and donate meals to a local food pantry.

Using an anonymous monetary donation, Cory Cooley’s students recently cooked 40 nutritionally balanced and portioned meals that they donated to the food pantry of the Fort Plain Reformed Church.

“This project is important to me because I want to help my community,” student Jenna Paddon said. “When I see people in need, I want to help, because if it were me, I wouldn’t want to go through hardships by myself.”

The project was inspired by a discussion in class about food security, or the availability of food and one’s access to it. Cooley invited Pastor Nancy Ryan to the class to engage in a discussion about food security in the Fort Plain community. They talked about food needs, especially for the very young and the elderly; the things that may hinder people from going to the food pantry (pride, lack of transportation or immobility); and factors that could prevent people from using the food the church offers (lack of a kitchen facility or unavailability of pots and pans).

Ryan shared with the class the vision of the church to offer food that could be heated in a microwave, easily opened, and as nutritious as possible.

“Food that you cook in a microwave isn’t usually nutritious, but they took up the cause,” Ryan said of Cooley and her students.

Students chose recipes by considering their freezability and taste. They chose three meals: barbecue chicken with sweet potatoes and asparagus, roasted vegetable macaroni and cheese, and chicken and vegetable soup with cornbread.

Student Sophie Claus said the project hit close to home.

“My family went through a phase where we had to get food from the food pantry, so I know how people who use the pantry feel,” she said.

“It’s important for the meals to be nutritionally balanced because the people we are helping might not know when their next meals are,” student Gabe Travis said.

Ryan said she’s eternally grateful to Cooley and the students for including her in the project. One of the things that struck Ryan about the project was how the class prepared samples for her and another class so they could all taste the recipes before choosing them.

“The sense that I had was of the commitment, not just of Cory Cooley, but of these kids to do something beyond themselves,” Ryan said. “They took their learning to the street and said ‘Here’s what we can do with what we can learn.’ They learned about nutrition, but they also learned about helping their neighbors, and that really warms my heart.”

Fort Plain Central School District is proud to announce that seniors Michaela Stockwell and Brady Fureno respectively signed Letters of Intent on Friday, Nov. 8 to continue their education and play at Le Moyne College in Syracuse this fall.

Stockwell will major in biology and play softball, and Fureno will major physics/civil engineering and play baseball.

Stockwell is a standout pitcher and leadoff hitter, and is recognized as one of the Western Athletics Conference’s top softball players.

Fureno has been the Hilltoppers’ starting catcher the past three seasons. He has started every game for Fort Plain the last four seasons. In that time, Fort Plain has won three Section II titles, captured the Class D state championship in 2016 and reached the state final in 2018.

Related news coverage

• Fort Plain’s Fureno, Stockwell sign for Le Moyne, The Recorder, Nov. 15 https://www.recordernews.com/sports/sports-local/169335

Students in Katie Sacco’s freshman Global History class got a taste of authentic cuisine during their studies about the Middle East thanks to the generosity of a local restaurant.

The Mediterranean Kitchen in downtown Fort Plain donated some dishes for the students to sample.

“We just finished our first unit that emphasizes the development of the Middle Eastern region, and the kids were able to taste some of the food from that area,” Sacco said. “We are so grateful to have such supportive businesses in our school community.”

Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School students Jenna Reese, Brady Fureno and Ethan Gallt performed a civic duty by serving as poll inspectors on Election Day.  

“This was a great opportunity for the students to learn more about our voting system and the democratic process while providing an important service,” their social studies teacher Katie Sacco said. 

Sacco helped arrange the opportunity through the Montgomery County Board of Elections and the Student Poll Worker program. To be eligible, a student must be 17 years of age, have been or is currently enrolled in a US History and Government class and have a GPA of 2.5 or better.

Students are trained by the staff at the election board and able to serve throughout Montgomery County. Gallt served at the Fort Plain Senior Center. Fureno and and Reese were stationed at East Hill Elementary School in Canajoharie.

Congratulations to the Harry Hoag Elementary School Students of the Month for October!

Fort Plain Central School District celebrated our local heroes in honor of Veterans Day during assemblies at both schools on Friday.

Harry Hoag Elementary students learned about who a veteran is, and the history of Veterans Day and the song “Taps.” They sang patriotic songs and gave tokens of appreciation to the veterans in attendance.

At the Jr./Sr. High School, the band and choral group Harmony performed, and Brad Niles’ students showed the proper way to fold an American flag. Students gave a presentation about the White Table, a military tradition that serves to honor those who are no longer here to celebrate. Interim Superintendent Kathy Dougherty also unveiled a memorial of an engraved stone beneath the flag pole at the school entrance. It reads, “To Our Men and Women in the Armed Forces – Past, Present and Future – We Thank You. In Memory of Many, In Honor of All.”

Dave Prahst, who gave 22 years of service to the Air Force and National Guard, attended both assemblies.

“It’s really special and I appreciate it,” he said. “I especially appreciate that the recognition comes from our youth. They did a really nice job of elevating the importance of who a veteran is and what they’ve done.”

Jr./Sr. High School students Rachel and Ian Zuppardi said they were honored to recognize their parents Kaeriis and Jason.

“It’s important for us to remember what our parents have done for our country,” Rachel said.

First graders and their teachers Kyra Gallup, Caitlin Baker and Ashley Bargstedt recently completed a service project in honor of Veterans Day. The children wrote letters to service men and women, both retired and active duty, through Operation Gratitude. They also held a small collection drive to collect items for the care packages that Operation Gratitude sends overseas. 

Harry Hoag Elementary School student Austin Cassford said maybe he’ll be an architect someday, or an engineer. At the very least, he has a head start on learning how to balance a checkbook, to work on a team and to be a creative problem solver.

“I’m learning important skills for when I’m older,” he said.

These are big thoughts for a fourth grader. But the STEAM lessons in Jade Van Gorder’s class are reinforcing why it’s never too early to start tapping into your potential.

“If kids start tapping into their spatial intelligence and start developing these skills at a young age, they may discover abilities that they never knew they had,” Van Gorder said.

Science, technology, engineering, and math—or STEM, as it is known in education circles—are rapidly growing fields of study. STEM has evolved to STEAM, with increasing recognition that artistic creativity is an important element of engineering design and problem-solving.

Van Gorder’s STEAM class recently had students designing and building functioning catapults made out of popsicle sticks. When the catapults were completed, students took turns launching marshmallow pumpkins through the hallway. Students were given the option to participate in a friendly competition to see whose would go the furthest.

Student Alexa Conley won, but she had to learn that success doesn’t always happen on the first try.

“The first catapult I made broke, so I took it one step further and added rubber bands, because you really want the catapult to go back as far as it can,” she said.

Embracing failure is an important part of developing a growth mindset. Students are learning how to bounce back from failure and to keep trying.

“The children have to know going into any project, that their first design may not be a complete success,” Van Gorder said. “With a growth mindset, it helps them embrace challenges or a failed attempt and move forward with a positive attitude.”

Students are also learning that they’re apt to be more successful if they collaborate and work together. For most projects, Van Gorder gives students the option to work individually or in teams.

“We wanted to work together because it gets the job done faster, and to have someone to lean on if you’re having a hard time,” Caleigh Bartholomew said of her partner Elijah Smith.

Other projects in the class have challenged students to build various structures, like the strongest bridge or tallest tower. First, though, they had to earn fake money so they could purchase materials by working their way through math problems.  They had to deposit their earnings into their personal checkbooks and then “buy” materials.

“I’ve always loved the idea of incorporating STEAM challenges into my lessons, as it not only helps to engage the children, but also fosters collaboration and encourages innovative problem-solving,” Van Gorder said. “It’s been a real hit!”

Fort Plain is on the map! A video created by Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School students has been published on the Smithsonian Institution’s website. It was also featured at one of the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibits in Syracuse.

Students Grace Hoffman, Sarah Paradiso, Sophia Rogers and Willow MaGinnis created a video about the Erie Canal. They completed the project as members of the high school’s Environmental Study Team. It’s an extracurricular activity under the advisement of science teacher Lance Elliot.

Elliot brought the students to Syracuse this summer so they could see the exhibit and watch the video they created. It was most recently published on the Smithsonian website.

“It was so rewarding and mind-blowing to see our exhibit in Syracuse, and knowing it’s on the Smithsonian website is so cool!” Paradiso said. “I mean, come on, it’s the SMITHSONIAN!”

The Smithsonian has a traveling exhibit known as the Museum on Main Street. The program has a digital component known as Stories on Main Street. Together, they aim to “empower people to embrace their history and uncover their community’s stories,” according to its website.

Community members can submit audio stories, photos, text and videos about life in small-town America. To date, more than 1,200 people have saved their stories through the project. “These digital assets are preserved for future generations in a searchable Smithsonian database,” its website says.

The Fort Plain video was submitted for the Water/Ways exhibit. The video explores the significance of the Erie Canal in the Fort Plain community. Students also highlight what they’ve learned by participating in the program.

“Every single waterway that we have here is part of the town history,” Hoffman says in the video. “Anything to do with water has to do with Fort Plain.”

The Environmental Study Team partners with the Schoharie River Center and annually conducts research on local waterways. Elliot described the team’s work as citizen science, as the students gather data to help the research of professional scientists. The team creates a display and presents its findings at the Mohawk Watershed Symposium at Union College every year.

Elliot said the video project showed students an alternative way of sharing information.

“They learned how to get a point across in today’s day and age,” he said. “It showed them how to reach a wider audience.”

Both Paradiso and Hoffman said the project helped them learn about video editing and how to use new software.

“I never thought the video would get this much attention, but I did put a lot of work into it so it’s nice to know that it’s going places,” Hoffman said. “I don’t think I’ve really basked in my accomplishment yet. I’m not sure when that will happen, but for right now I’m feeling generally pleased about the whole thing.”