Category: Archive
Notice: Fort Plain School Board to meet May 24
The Fort Plain Central School District Board of Education will meet in Special Session on Monday, May 24, 2021, at 6 p.m., in the Ronald H. Thibodeau Conference Room at the Harry Hoag School. The agenda is posted on BoardDocs.
Creativity, comedy and cool new skills – welcome to Team Tech
Creativity, comedy and cool new skills: sixth graders in Matt Heiser’s Team Tech group present all of this in their Tech Team video production.
The video is part newscast, complete with a wild weather forecast; interview show, featuring Mr. Heiser and fellow Harry Hoag Elementary teacher Rob Jenks; and variety show with skits, jokes and how-to segments.
The students wrote, designed, directed, performed, filmed and produced the Hidden Talents video as a project for Team Tech, an activity where the requirements to participate include being creative, learning and using technology, applying themselves, being open to ideas, and getting their other school work done.
In past years, students may have produced a printed newspaper instead of a Team Tech video production. Today’s digital tools, however, provide them with even greater opportunity for expression, skill-building and fun.
District residents approve proposed budget and bus proposition, elect 2 to Board of Education
Fort Plain Central School District residents approved a proposed $21.8 million budget for the 2021-22 school year by a vote of 126 to 15 on May 18, 2021.
They also approved a proposition by a vote of 125 to 16 authorizing the district to acquire school vehicles at a maximum cost of $275,000, with the funds to be drawn from the Bus Purchase Reserve Fund.
Voters also elected Kimberly Keane (126 votes) and Teresa Karker (121 votes) to serve on the Board of Education for three-year terms running from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024.
The approved 2021-22 budget maintains all academic programming with no increase in the tax levy. The approved school vehicle purchase proposition also will not have an impact on the tax levy, and it will allow the district to replace aging buses and minimize maintenance costs.
“Thank you to all who came out to vote,” said John Bishop, Fort Plain superintendent of schools. “We’re proud of our instructional programs and the services and opportunities we are able to offer our students. We appreciate the community’s support.”
Congrats Coach Phillips!
Fort Plain baseball coach Craig Phillips has been in the media spotlight after achieving 800 career wins on May 18. Known as much for his sense of humor and pranks as for his outstanding coaching of the Hilltoppers and record-breaking wins on the diamond and basketball court (regionally and statewide), Coach Phillips has been the focus of much well-deserved attention this week. Here’s just some of the coverage:
The Daily Gazette:
800 wins for Fort Plain baseball’s Phillips, countless stories for those around him
Spectrum News Albany:
News 10 Albany:
The Leader-Herald:
https://www.leaderherald.com/sports/local-sports/2021/05/phillips-gets-800th-career-victory/
CBS 6, Albany:
https://cbs6albany.com/sports/content/fort-plains-phillips-wins-800th-game-on-the-diamond
Albany Times Union:
https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Fort-Plain-baseball-coach-Craig-Phillips-has-16169667.php
Reminder: No school on May 27 & 28
Reminder: Per the emergency days guidance on the board-approved one-page calendar, Fort Plain Schools will be closed on May 27 and 28 because the district did not use all of our snow days. Enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend!
FPHS honors Students of the Month
Congratulations to our Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School Students of the Month for April 2021:
7th Grade- Daniel Lancaster
8th Grade- Mariah Deese
9th Grade- Sadie Mollel
10th Grade- Amelia Gallagher
11th Grade- Sarah Florian
12th Grade- Zavia Allen
In the photo above, from left: Sadie, Mariah, Zavia, Sarah, Amelia and Dan
Sheriff Smith presents skateboard crafters with helmets, stickers & safety advice
The weather on Friday, May 14, was as spectacular as the longboard skateboards crafted by 16 Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School 8th grade students, who were presented with helmets, stickers and safety advice by Montgomery County Sheriff Jeffery T. Smith at a ceremony in Wiles Park.
Sheriff Smith was joined by Undersheriff Carl Rust and Sergeant TW Flickinger in making the presentations, which also included certificates for their technology teachers, Kreig Heroth and Ted Arndt. Sheriff Smith, in turn, was presented with his own custom-made longboard, complete with an emergency beacon. The teachers said it was a culmination of all that they – both faculty and students – learned during the project.
After donning their Sheriff-donated helmets, the students road-tested their quick and colorful longboards in the park, experimenting with standing and seated rides and gaining confidence and skill with each ride. Some even wove their longboards around obstacles on a curvy path. Teamwork and encouragement were abundant as the students offered tips and cheered each other on.
The helmets, the project and the day were a big hit with all in attendance, even Superintendent of Schools John Bishop, who took one of the longboards out for a smooth cruise.
Mr. Arndt and Mr. Heroth said that earlier in the year, they thought it would be exciting for the students to build the longboards as a class project. Unlike typical street boards, longboards are used for gracefully cruising around town, on the bike path, etc. They are very long (38 to 45 inches) with a correspondingly long wheelbase. The students worked on the project over several months. Read more about what they learned.
Judging by the success of the 2021 longboard project, there are likely more cool crafted cruisers to be crafted at the high school in the future.
Visit our Facebook Photo Album!
Media coverage:
CBS-6 Albany, Friday, May 14:
Times Union, Sunday, May 16:
Reminder: School budget & Board of Education vote is May 18
A reminder to all Fort Plain Central School District residents: the Annual School Budget Vote and Board of Education Election will be held on Tuesday, May 18, from 1 – 9 p.m. in the Harry Hoag Elementary School gymnasium.
Please also note that the Board of Education will meet in regular session on May 18, beginning at 6 p.m. in the elementary gymnasium.
The Fort Plain Board of Education adopted a proposed $21,875,000 budget for the 2021-22 school year at their April 14 meeting. The proposed budget would maintain all academic programming with no increase in the tax levy. Visit the budget webpage for more information about the budget and board election.
Sheriff to make special presentation to longboard-skateboard crafters
On Friday, May 14, at 1:10 p.m., Montgomery County Sheriff Jeffery T. Smith will meet with 16 Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School 8th grade students, their technology teachers Kreig Heroth and Ted Arndt, and school officials at Wiles Park as the students road-test their handcrafted, custom-designed longboard skateboards.
The students know they are showing their longboards to the Sheriff and receiving stickers, but Sheriff Smith also has a special presentation to make to them. A rain date of May 18 has been set for the event, but the forecast looks positive.
About the skateboard project, Mr. Arndt and Mr. Heroth said:
“Early this year, we decided it would be exciting for the 16 students of our 8th grade co-taught technology class to build special skateboards called longboards. Unlike typical street boards, longboards are used for gracefully cruising around town, on the bike path, etc. They are very long (38 to 45 inches) with a correspondingly long wheelbase.
“We made the boards using two layers of 1/4-inch marine-grade plywood. Students first designed their board by making a mock-up out of tag board. They then transferred their individual design to the plywood blank and rough cut the shape with a bandsaw or jigsaw. The students then applied glue and laminated the boards using a special custom press. They helped us, their teachers, build a double board press that uses hydraulic jacks to compress the board blanks as they are laminated. With the press, we could make the bends and shapes we needed to create super strong, custom decks.
“Once pressing was completed (24 hours per board), we then needed to prepare the boards for finishing. This was done first by cutting the final shape using the bandsaw or reciprocating (scroll) saw. We then used a variety of power and hand sanding techniques to complete the process.
“Finishing was done using a variety of techniques. Some students masked and spray painted their boards, then coated them with polyurethane. Others used contact paper to cut out custom graphics for painting. Still others finished their ride by printing graphics and applying them with adhesive.
“The final step before installing trucks and wheels was to apply grip tape or otherwise create a non-slip surface for the top of the deck. One student even used two-part epoxy gel-coat and sandblasting beads for an original finish. School counselor Kayla Mahoney helped some students print adhesive stickers using a Cricket sticker maker.
“There were no donations for the boards. Fort Plain Schools supported the class and paid for all materials.”
Here’s what some of the students had to say as they neared the end of the months-long skateboard project:
- “I didn’t like it at the beginning, but I did in the end. I made my board into something I could relate to.” – Jorge Medina
- “I liked the project because we could make our own details. My board is a classic but with anime stickers!” – Emily Rood
- “I learned that patience, perseverance and determination are all you need to make an awesome longboard!” – Yunus Demir
- “The boards are coming out really good!” – Tristen Morey
View a photo album of the project on our Facebook page.
May 5 Budget Hearing starts at 7 p.m., Board meeting to follow
Please note: The Public Hearing on the Proposed 2021-22 School Year Budget will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5, in the Harry Hoag gym, with the regular Fort Plain Board of Education meeting to follow.