Category: Archive
Director of Student Engagement and Athletics position
Fort Plain Central School is posting a new position, Director of Student Engagement and Athletics, to focus on existing programs and strengthen experiences for students. The director will collaborate with the district’s athletic coordinator and building principals to take programs to another level.
According to Superintendent Lauren Crisman, “Currently, the responsibility of organizing and monitoring all extra-curricular and co-curricular groups/clubs and events falls under the authority of the Jr./Sr. High School principal. In addition to these groups/clubs, the FPTA bargaining agreement includes the position of athletic coordinator. These programs provide our students with the ability to interact locally within our school district and community, but also with other school districts and communities.
“These interactions enhance student growth, improve social skills, develop interest and talents; they also provide students with the opportunity to explore and learn new things. The district would like to focus on these programs and strengthen the experience for our students by creating an administrative position that will be able to collaborate with the athletic coordinator and the building principals to take these programs to another level.”
The following is a brief description of co-curricular activities and responsibilities of the Director of Student Engagement and Athletics
Description:
Supports advisors, club leaders, directors and coordinators by providing guidance and leadership for activities, programs, and learning experiences that are outside of, but complement what students are learning in the regular curriculum.
Such programs may include, but not limited to, National Honor Society, Student Council, Math Clubs, Writing Competitions, Mock Trials, School Newspaper, Drama Club, Chess Club and Talented & Gifted.
Responsibilities:
Ensure all clubs, activities and organizations are run in accordance with Board policies, NYS Comptroller, NYSED rules and regulations; encourage and embrace a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all District programs; update the Advisor’s Handbook; meet regularly with advisors & coordinators; complete the proper use of facility form and transportation request forms; review the programs student attendance, participation and results; develop a consistent plan to ensure the district has set forth high standards; compile a student eligibility list; serve as a facilitator of the school based attendance and conduct management teams; and other duties assigned by the superintendent.
Recruitment and Engagement:
Assist in recruitment efforts and hiring of current programs; identify and develop prospective opportunities to enhance student experience; provide support with student needs by collaborating with school faculty and administrators to strategically recommend student-specific activities/opportunity; provide professional development and job embedded coaching;
Community:
Publicize and promote community attendance to help celebrate achievement and support student involvement in co-curricular, extracurricular and athletic events; seek out and evaluate potential community partners; create a calendar of events and write articles to be published on the school website, ParentSquare and Facebook.
Currently the Fort Plain Teachers’ Association includes the title Athletic Coordinator as an extracurricular position; with the administrative oversight of the Jr./Sr. High School Principal. The creation of the Director of Student Engagement and Athletics will shift the administrative oversight to the Director. This will allow the department to focus on collaborating and enhancing an athletic program that can provide the best opportunities to our students.
The following information compares the duties and responsibilities of the Athletic Coordinator and the Athletic Director
Athletic Coordinator
• Assist the Athletic Director in implementation of an effective program;
• Collaborate with Director to schedule sporting events;
• Collaborate with Director schedule officials for sporting events;
• Schedule chaperones/supervision, scorekeepers, timekeepers and others for events;
• Scheduling of practices in collaboration with coaches;
• Troubleshoot and resolve scheduling conflicts;
• Complete facility use forms;
• Complete transportation request forms;
• On a rotating schedule with the Director, attend 50% of home sporting events;
• Work on special projects and other tasks as assigned by the Director.
Athletic Director
• Prepare the annual budget in coordination with the Superintendent and the Director of Finance;
• Ensure all coaches keep inventory of team equipment and supplies, maintain proper cleaning/care and storage of all uniforms and equipment;
• Purchase necessary equipment and supplies as needed and budgeted for;
• Approves all athletic claims for reimbursement and payroll;
• Oversee all athletic tickets sales, activities and fundraisers;
• Network with area schools and advise the Superintendent of potential need for cross-contracts to be presented to the BOE for annual approval;
• Ensures district adherence to all NYSPHASS and district policies and regulations;
• Serves as an athletic representative to the WAC conference;
• Assist in the recruitment and hiring of coaches;
• Assist coaches in meeting the professional certification requirements through NYSED;
• Schedule CPR/AED and First Aid training;
• Coordinate with the Director of Buildings and Grounds to ensure that playing fields and other school facilities are properly prepared for use;
• Collaborate with Coordinator to schedule sporting events;
• Collaborate with Coordinator schedule officials for sporting events;
• Coordinate with the Transportation Supervisor to ensure all transportation needs are scheduled and filled;
• Compile a student eligibility list based on Athletic guidelines;
• Collaborate with the school nurse and school physician to ensure students’ physicals are up-to-date;
• On a rotating schedule with the Coordinator, attend 50% of home sporting events;
• Establish one parent/coaches meeting per season to review the District’s expectations for participation;
• Publicize and communicate local events on the school website and other social media platforms;
• Serves as a liaison with the Fort Plain Parks and Recreation program sponsors;
• Work on special projects and other tasks as assigned by the Superintendent.
The above information shows how the creation of the Director of Student Engagement and Athletics can better serve the student body and the community as a whole.
The candidate for this position would have to possess a NYS administrative certification and experience in coaching athletics at the secondary level. The position will be a 10-month, with 23 summer days, probationary position. Compensation would be based on the level of education and experience of the selected candidate.
Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Prevention Act
The Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act, also known as Dominic’s Law, took effect on July 1, 2022. The goal of the law is to promote safe interscholastic athletics and prevent incidents of sudden cardiac arrest in student-athletes.
The law is named for Dominic Murray, a 17-year-old who collapsed and died on a Farmingdale State College basketball court in 2009.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is defined as the abrupt and unexpected loss of heart function. SCA can be fatal if not treated within minutes, and even with treatment death may occur. Immediate treatment is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED).
The SCA Act requires school districts to provide information to parents/guardians of student-athletes prior to the student’s participation in any interscholastic athletics. The law also requires coaches to hold a valid certificate of completion of a first aid knowledge and skills course offered by a nationally recognized organization.
Although SCA is rare -the incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) on the playing field is 0.61 in 100,000 – there are steps parents/guardians and school personnel can take to identify students who may be at risk and help to identify students exhibiting signs or symptoms.
These signs or symptoms may be misinterpreted or disregarded by the student or others, but are an important indication that a student should be seen by a healthcare provider for an evaluation. Additionally, a student may have personal risk factors or family history risk factors that indicate they are potentially at increased risk for SCA and should be evaluated by a healthcare provider prior to participating in athletics.
Preventing SCA before it happens is the best way to save a life. An Athletic Health History must be completed prior to each sports season for student-athletes unless a physical examination has been conducted within 30 days before the start of the season.
Signs & symptoms of SCA
The signs and symptoms, and risk factors listed below, developed in collaboration with the NYS Department of Health and pediatric cardiologists, indicate when a student may be at risk for SCA.
Signs and symptoms:
- Fainting or seizure, especially during or right after exercise or with excitement or startle
- Racing heart, palpitations, or irregular heartbeat
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or extreme fatigue with exercise
- Chest pain or discomfort with exercise
- Excessive shortness of breath during exercise
- Excessive, unexpected fatigue during or after exercise
Risk factors of SCA
Personal:
- Use of diet pills, performance-enhancing supplements, energy drinks, or
drugs such as cocaine, inhalants, or “recreational” drugs - Elevated blood pressure or cholesterol
- History of health care provider-ordered test(s) for heart-related issues
Family History:
- Family history of known heart abnormalities or sudden death before 50
years of age - Family members with unexplained fainting, seizures, drowning, near
drowning or car accidents before 50 years of age - Structural heart abnormality, repaired or unrepaired
- Any relative diagnosed with the following conditions:
- Enlarged Heart/ Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy/Dilated
Cardiomyopathy - Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
- Heart rhythm problems, long or short QT interval
- Brugada Syndrome
- Catecholaminergic Ventricular Tachycardia
- Marfan Syndrome – aortic rupture
- Heart attack at 50 years of age or younger
- Pacemaker or implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD)
- Enlarged Heart/ Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy/Dilated
Any student with such signs or symptoms, family history or personal risk factors should be evaluated by a healthcare provider before participating in athletics. This is important since SCA can be triggered by athletic activities in students at risk.
It is imperative that students are educated on the risks and symptoms of SCA and encouraged to report any of the signs or symptoms to their coach or athletic trainer, and parent/guardian. Administration, coaches and athletic trainers will foster a culture of acceptance where the health and safety of the athletes are foremost, as early identification and treatment of a student at risk of SCA may save their life.
Any student displaying signs or symptoms of pending SCA must be immediately removed from athletic activities and not resume athletic activities until they have been evaluated by and received written signed authorization to resume from a licensed physician. This authorization must be kept on file in the student’s cumulative health record maintained by the school.
Finally, the law requires that coaches of extra class athletic activities in both public and nonpublic schools complete a course in first aid knowledge and skills from a nationally recognized organization. The course must include instruction in recognizing signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac arrest.
2021-22 Fort Plain Central School Athletic Awards
Fort Plain honored the achievements of the district’s student-athletes on June 14 at the 2021-22 Fort Plain Central School Athletic Awards ceremony. Jr./Sr. High School Principal Dr. Deborah Larrabee gave the welcome address and opening remarks for the ceremony, which was held in the high school auditorium.
Congratulations to all of our Athletic Award recipients.
NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete School of Excellence
Fort Plain Central School has qualified as a New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Scholar-Athlete School of Excellence for having 15 of its 16 2021-22 varsity teams achieve at least a 90% average and named Scholar-Athlete teams. The teams include golf, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, volleyball, cheerleading, girls bowling, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, swimming, baseball, and boys and girls track & field. There was no varsity softball team this year.
Fall Season Awards
Cross Country
Most Valuable Girl Runners: Emma Karker, Fort Plain; Olivia Schaffer, Canajoharie
Most Valuable Boy Runners: Kurt Sunderland & Michael Harris Jr., Canajoharie
Most Improved Runner: Sam Robinson, Canajoharie
Fort Plain Central School Board Of Education 2nd Effort Awards: Natalie Thibodeau & Dustin Welch
WAC All-Stars: Olivia Schaffer, Emma Karker, Natalie Thibodeau, Kurt Sunderland
3rd at Class D Sectionals & 13th at Class D State Meet – 2nd Team – All-State: Olivia Schaffer
Golf
WAC 1st Team All-Stars: Austin Van Gorder, Girls – Jordan Brown
2nd Team All-Stars: Owin Landry, Seth Rivkowich
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Jordan Brown
Most Valuable Golfer: Austin Van Gorder
Coaches Award: Owin Landry
Most Improved Girl: Shantel Kretser
Most Improved Boy: Seth Rivkowich
Girls Soccer
WAC Section 2 and Mohawk Division All-Stars – 1st Team: Erin Crouse
2nd Team: Emma Oldick
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Madeline Heroth
D’Arcangelis Super-Sub Award: Rylee Herron
Boys Soccer
WAC Mohawk Division All-Stars – 1st Team: Robert Jordan
2nd Team: Clayton Welch & Stephen Gray
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Nalzon Henry
D’Arcangelis Super-Sub Award: Noah Horning
Volleyball
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Vivian Nunez
Football
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Noah Norton
Winter Season Awards
Wrestling
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Alex Smith
State Champion – Division II – 172 lbs.: Reed Douglas, Canajoharie
Bowling
WAC Co-Most Valuable Bowler: Anthony Paradiso
WAC 2nd Team All-Stars: Emma Oldick & Ian Zuppardi
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Awards: Shantel Kretser & Ian Zuppardi
Most Valuable Bowlers: Emma Oldick & Anthony Paradiso
Most Improved Bowlers: Kaedance David & Dustin Welch
6th Man/Woman Award: Autumn Nichols & Jed Douglas
Swimming
Board Of Education Award: Tucker Jones
Coaches Award: Tucker Jones
Girls Basketball
WAC 2nd Team Mohawk Division All-Star: Erin Crouse
Section 2 Girls Basketball Scholar-Athlete Award: Erin Crouse
Team’s Most Valuable Player: Erin Crouse
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Ryleigh Hart
D’Arcangelis Super-Sub Award: Ashlynn Hart
Defensive Player of the Year: Sarah Florian
Rebounder of the Year: Erin Crouse (15 rb/game)
Rookie of the Year: Ashlynn Hart
P.R.I.D.E. Award: Sarah Florian
Boys Basketball
WAC Co-Most Valuable Players – Mohawk Division: Robert Jordan & Levi
Thomas
WAC 1st Team Mohawk Division All-Star: Clayton Welch
WAC Mohawk Division – Honorable Mention: Stephen Gray & Austin Van Gorder
Second Team All-State – Class C, Section 2 Class C All-Star and Times Union Newspaper Small School All-Star: Robert Jordan
Honorable Mention All-State Class C, Section 2 Class C All-Star, Times Union Newspaper Small School Honorable Mention: Levi Thomas
Board of Education 2nd Effort Award: Cameron David
D’Arcangelis Super-Sub Award: Estee Smith
Cheerleading
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Sadie Kersey
Spring Season Awards
Baseball
WAC All-Stars: Austin Van Gorder, Nalzon Henry & Griffin MaGinnis
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Award: Nalzon Henry
D’Arcangelis Super-Sub Award: Rich Paddon
Bo Baker Batting Average Award: Austin Van Gorder
Rich Bower Baseball Award: Griffin MaGinnis
Cy Young Award – Lowest ERA: Austin Van Gorder
Fox Hole Award: Stephen Gray
Track & Field
Board Of Education 2nd Effort Awards: Monika Kulczynski & Estee
Smith
Outstanding Girl & Boy Track Athlete: Natalie Thibodeau & Isaiah Handy (OESJ)
Outstanding Girl & Boys Field Athlete: Sarah Florian & Noah Norton
Outstanding Girl & Boy Track & Field Athlete: Jordan DeNinno (OESJ) & Clayton Welch
Note: Fort Plain had JV and Modified Softball this year – No Varsity Softball Awards
Memorial and Special Awards:
Western Athletic Conference “Dick Gray Profiles in Courage” Award:
Natalie Thibodeau
Bill Cutspec Memorial Scholarships: Erin Crouse & Owin Landry
Bo Baker Memorial Scholarship: Noah Horning
Noah Fredericks Memorial Senior Track Awards: Emma Karker & Estee Smith
Rich Bower Cross Country & Track Awards: Emma Karker & Michael Harris Jr.
Board Of Education Underclassman Awards: Ryleigh Hart & Stephen Gray
Board Of Education Senior Sportsmanship Awards: Emma Karker & Tucker Jones
Most Improved Athletes: Erin Crouse & Levi Thomas
William Doerrer & Son Outstanding Senior Athletes: Sarah Florian, Robert Jordan & Clayton Welch
Media coverage
Leader-Herald: “Fort Plain, A Scholar Athlete School of Excellence Hosts Sports Awards Ceremony”
Class of 2022 Senior Spotlight – and graduation & Top 10 video links
Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School celebrates the Class of 2022 with our Senior Spotlight! Spotlights are also displayed on the digital display in the high school lobby and highlighted on morning announcements.
Graduation is Saturday, June 25, at 10 a.m. View the ceremony online via our livestream/recording link.
View the Class of 2022 Top Ten video shown at graduation
Congrats 6th grade graduates from the Harry Hoag Team!
Harry Hoag School celebrated sixth grade graduation on Friday, June 24, marking a milestone in the lives of the students, their families and school staff, faculty and leadership. These students will be missed!
“On behalf of the entire Harry Hoag team, congratulations to our graduating sixth grade students,” said Lauren Crisman, Elementary Principal and incoming Superintendent. “I have enjoyed greeting these young students every morning for many years. Harry Hoag will not be the same without them, but I couldn’t be prouder of them.
“Their diverse range of interests has favorably impacted the climate and culture of Harry Hoag. Several students were involved in organizing seasonal food drives to support our local food pantry,” she said. “Others worked to support the Student Council in purchasing the buddy bench to promote friendship and kindness at recess.
“Many students participated in the Team Tech elective and helped to publish our school newspaper monthly. I’m going to miss reading about our school from their perspectives. And I’m not quite sure where I will now fulfill my ‘random facts’ quota without more to read from these authors.
“On top of all of their Good Samaritan work, they collectively exceeded our expectations with learning,” Crisman said. “This group maintained excellent grade point averages in their core classes as evidenced by the significant amount of Principal’s List and Honor Roll awards that were printed after each marking period ended.
“Congratulations from the Harry Hoag team!”
View more photos on Facebook
Colleen Cushing receives SUNY Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award
Fort Plain School Counselor Colleen Cushing has been honored with a State University of New York (SUNY) Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award for exemplifying excellence in her work with students.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the awards on June 15, recognizing Cushing and just 53 fellow educators statewide “for their impressive skillset as an educator and commitment to success for all of their students.”
The Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award includes a $5,000 stipend from SUNY that recipients can apply toward professional learning opportunities to continue to develop their knowledge and skills to further support student growth. Recipients are also offered opportunities for: sharing insights on their teaching practices, curriculum and instruction; professional learning; and working with regional development leaders, university leaders, policymakers and school leaders to advise them on education trends.
In announcing the awards, Gov. Hochul said, “Before, throughout, and as we move past this pandemic, teachers have selflessly shown up for our kids and deserve our immense gratitude. It is impossible to recognize each one for their hard work and effort, but I am pleased to congratulate 54 outstanding educators for their commitment to their students. They embody the values and mindset that every educator should have, and I applaud them for inspiring thousands of children across our great state.”
The recipients were named after an extensive award application process that involved several New York State professional education associations.
Congratulations National Junior Honor Society inductees
Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School inducted 11 eighth grade students into the National Junior Honor Society and recognized 20 seventh grade students as provisional members at a June 21 ceremony at the school.
Congratulations to the following inductees:
Ian Burns
Josephia Carcasole
Owen Castellano
Reanna Germond
Koby Herron
McKenna Karker
Dylan Keane
Taylor Potter
Bailie Richardson
Bradley Rumrill
Dawson Tracki
Congratulations to the following provisional members:
Gamilel Brackett
Aubry Brant
Kala Clapper
Bryellah D’Arcangelis
Keagen Dodson
Mason Gray
Jansheen Haider
Hailey Hayes
Levi Hext
Lilly Lapi
Elle Nare
Alexis Palmeri
Hunter Palmeri
Zionna Robarge
Kendra Sackett
Larry Sanders
Silas Smith
Brady Spaulding
Olivia Sweet
Landon VanGorder
Paying it Forward . . . Literally
By Wendy Stokna –
A popular country song by Tim McGraw, whose lyrics include the following, “Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you / When you get where you’re going, don’t forget turn back around / And help the next one in line / Always stay humble and kind,” personifies the latest effort by internship student Talia Narzymski.
After being the first student from the Fort Plain Central School District to receive the College Board’s National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program Award, Talia realized that she could use her experience to help her peers win scholarships to help fund their education in times of growing economic concern.
Her internship experience through Mrs. Stokna’s class was inspired by the recent video “Borrowed Future,” directed by David DiCicco, which spotlights how staggering amounts of college debt have become a national concern. In order to do what she could with her knowledge of the process and as a student in a rural community, she set out to make a difference.
Her process began with conversations among teachers, her senior high school counselor and the development of student surveys. Her first step was sending out a survey to her classmates to understand their needs and where they might need support. (She thanks Mrs. Sacco for allowing her to do so during her class!)
With guidance from Ms. Cushing and Mrs. Stokna, Talia created a guideline for her classmates with helpful links and suggestions to assist them on their scholarship journeys. Seniors were given access to this through Ms. Cushing’s Class of 2022 Google Classroom and you will find a link to it here as well: Guide to Scholarships by Talia, which includes Guide to Writing Your Scholarship Resume.
Two displays were created in the school, by the school counselors’ office and outside of Mrs. Stokna’s classroom, that contain QR codes and information about the following scholarship services: https://www.goingmerry.com/, https://www.fastweb.com/, and https://student.naviance.com/fpjshs. The posters in these displays are also displayed throughout the halls.
Talia hopes her fellow classmates discover that the application process is not as scary as it may seem, and that they can continue to apply for scholarships even after they graduate! She also puts emphasis on the importance of looking at every scholarship that is posted, as many students do not seem to realize that there are scholarships for just about anything, not just top academic scores or athletic ability.
Small amounts can easily add up. Talia is also hopeful that this will be the start of something that will continue to grow and can support students of the Fort Plain School District for many years to come.
In the photos: Talia created the displays above in the high school, posting them with the help of fellow student Braeden Mosher (pictured with Talia in the top photo).
Business students build a city
This year’s In the Biz class created a city to experience what it takes to build and run a business.
According to teacher Wendy Stokna, “Each student in the class did baseline research to determine which type of business they would like to create.
“The project-based learning experience required them to select a business type, ownership type, create their building, collaboratively perform city planning, develop a vision board for the business, create a brand, develop a marketing plan including social media marketing, create customer avatars, and make decisions about how they would manage, fund and measure business success.
“The city included businesses such as a grocery store, pharmacy, bakery, game store, coffee shop, office building and apartment building. Having the model truly supported discussions about various aspects of the curriculum to aid student visualization.”
Student reflections of this experience include:
“We learned about entrepreneurship and what goes into running a successful business. Not only that, but it shows how tough being an entrepreneur is and the tasks that they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.”
“Location of your business is very important to growing your business. You could have the best business idea ever, but if you don’t have a good location you are not going to go far in that business.”
“A brand is crucial to getting people to come check out your business. The more intriguing the brand is, the more people may want to come check out your business.”
“Hands-on learning while making our businesses has helped me learn a lot better, in many different ways. For example, being able to pick what business we wanted to ‘run’ made it easier to learn about it because I actually had an interest in said business.”
“The parts that I thought were the hardest were planning the city and marketing. You may think planning a city is pretty easy, but you actually have to figure out which businesses go where and what types of businesses there are. Things can get really tough. Even though planning the city was tough, I also thought that it was fun.”
Mrs. Stokna congratulates her students on this successful endeavor. Great job everyone!
Textile Arts students create beautiful quilts
Students in Patti Jarabek’s Textile Arts class at Fort Plain High School spent the semester learning the fundamentals of quilt making, and they ultimately made quilts of their own.
“The quilts will serve as a happy reminder of home when the students go off to college!” said their teacher.
In the photos: Students Sarah Florian, Erin Crouse, Hailey Hogan and Emma Oldick show their beautiful work.