Category: Archive

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.

Fort Plain Central School District Interim Superintendent Kathy Dougherty has resigned from her position effective today, Feb. 11, due to family responsibility.

HFM BOCES Superintendent Dr. David Ziskin, the former Fort Plain superintendent, will assume the role of superintendent at no cost to the district. In their statutory duties as representatives of the New York State Education Department, it is the responsibility of a BOCES district superintendent to assume the role of superintendent in any component district when the position becomes vacant.

Dougherty said she is resigning from her position so she can be closer to her daughter, who is expecting a baby.

“This is a special opportunity to serve my family in a new capacity as a grandmother,” Dougherty said. “After much thought, I have decided that this is the best decision for my family. My daughter lives a considerable distance away, so this is a relocation for me.”

Dougherty was appointed in June to fill the vacancy created by Ziskin’s appointment as HFM BOCES district superintendent and chief executive officer.

“It’s been a privilege to have served the Fort Plain Central School District,” Dougherty said. “I need to express how impressed I am with the district’s core values and how they are focused so strongly around students. A common thread around everything we do in Fort Plain is based on what’s best for students. There is a very unselfish and altruistic culture in this district.”

Ziskin will serve as the Fort Plain superintendent until either another interim is selected or a new superintendent is appointed. The district’s search for a new superintendent is underway. The call for applications from potential candidates closed on Jan. 30. Interviews will conclude by the end of  March, with a final appointment anticipated in early April. The new superintendent is expected to start in July.

“On behalf of the Fort Plain community, I would like to thank Mrs. Dougherty for her service to the school district. We wish her well in the next chapter of her life,” Ziskin said.

Who doesn’t love to be read to? The Cross-Age Reading Buddies group recently met in the Harry Hoag Elementary School Library under the direction of Melissa Caponera, teaching assistant in the library. The objective of this newly formed group is to bring children together to foster literacy through mentor relationships. Students in Kayleen Snow’s fifth grade English language arts class partnered with prekindergarten students from Stephanie Parkinson’s class. Together they selected books of interest, found a quiet reading spot and shared their love of reading. The group meets on Tuesday mornings in the school library.

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

Above from the left are fourth grader Gabreilla Steinhauer, fifth grader Devon Medina, fifth grader Lyllie Handy, Principal Lauren Crisman, second grader Kayden Minckler, sixth grader Devannan Ragoo and second grader Elijah Shostek. Below is kindergartner Bryson Dodson, right, with teaching assistant Paula Colvin.

Extra, extra, read all about it! Sixth graders are helping their peers at Harry Hoag Elementary School stay in-the-know with the publication of a monthly student newspaper.

The “Hilltopper Herald” is written and produced by a group of Matt Heiser’s technology students known as Team Tech. Students are gaining valuable future-readiness skills as they experience the thrill of seeing their names in print on a finalized product.

“The first time I saw the finished newspaper, I thought it was awesome,” student Ezra Brown said. “My favorite part is how people are learning about me; both my friends who I work with, and the people who read the newspaper.”

• Hot off the press: Read the January edition of the Hilltopper Herald

The work is just like that of a real-life printed publication. Students do the leg work of writing questions, conducting interviews and taking photographs. Then they use laptops, computer programs and applications to write their stories, upload pictures and design their pages. Once it has been edited, the paper is printed and students fold the pages to create a final product.

“Creating the newspaper is an authentic experience for the kids,” Heiser said. “They’re developing collaboration and digital skills.”

It’s also a creative outlet for the kids. Each 32-page paper is chock-full of work that was created by the students — photographs, fictional stories, news articles, fake ads and fun features that are timely and reflect the season. For instance, the October edition included a Trick or Treat Safety article by Madison Clayburn, a movie review of “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” a spooky ghost story by Jacob Herringshaw and a review of the Harry Hoag Open House by Kimberly Kirby.

There are also coloring sheets, opinion articles, jokes, tech tips, video game reviews and an advice column called “Dear Jessica.” There is even a mailbox outside of Heiser’s classroom where people can leave their letters seeking advice.

Each student has a role in creating the content. For example, Brown is a sports writer and the team’s photographer. Kirby is an interviewer and writer. And every team member has a role in the newspaper layout, designing their own pages.

“My favorite things about working on the newspaper are getting to write, work with my friends and make new friends,” Kirby said.

“I’m learning about the basics of using a camera and I learned how to upload the pictures from the camera to the computer,” Brown said.

Participation in Team Tech is a voluntary extracurricular activity. Students can spend their free class periods in Heiser’s technology classroom and contribute to the newspaper.