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You won’t find a seating chart or traditional rows of desks and chairs in Tracey Conover’s kindergarten classroom at the Harry Hoag Elementary School. Instead, at any given moment, students could be sitting on stools, bobbing on exercise balls, lounging on bean bags, leaning in scoop chairs on the floor, or even kneeling at tables. 

It’s known in education circles as flexible seating. It’s a seating arrangement that allows students to sit where they choose, offering a wide array of options to work at different heights and in different positions. 

“We transition multiple times during the day, and each time, the children can pick a new seat,” Conover said. “This is beneficial to the kids because they have the option of choice.”

Conover has fully embraced flexible seating arrangements in recent years because of how it has positively impacted student learning. Conover attributes it to increased student productivity because the kids are comfortable and able to move. 

“A few years ago, I had a student who had trouble focusing,” Conover said. “One day, he was sitting at a table on an exercise ball. He was gently bouncing, fully engaged in his work. It showed how something as simple as having a seat that was comfortable to him could make a big difference.”

“I know it’s hard for me to focus and get things done when I’m uncomfortable,” she continued. “The same goes for kids.”

Though they have options, each seating arrangement has its own rules. Students always have to be seated safely, and they have to stay in their spot until they transition to the next activity. 

The students say they like to pick their seats. 

“It’s fun because we get to explore new seats,” Tabatha Romanello said. 

“I like to sit on the counter to do my work,” Chase Woodcock said. 

Flexible seating also helps students learn to problem-solve. One student opted to lay on the classroom carpet during a writing workshop. He got to work, but his pencil kept poking holes through the paper on the carpet. So, he solved his problem by grabbing a clipboard from a stack that Conover has stored in a bucket.

“They figure out what works for them. For some students, that means having a forever seat, because they don’t like moving around,” Conover said. 

Students also learn about how to resolve conflicts in a positive way. 

“There are only so many seats available for each option. If there aren’t enough, they have to figure it out, or no one can use it,” Conover said. “Most of the time they solve the problem without adult intervention.”

Nine Fort Plain Jr./Sr High School students recently participated in a Model United Nations simulation at the Carey Institute for Global Good in Rensselearville. Students Nate Beam, Emma Karker, Sophia Rogers, Brady Fureno,Taylor Gifford, Michaela Stockwell, Jenna Reese, Emma Oldick and Tucker Jones represented the nations of Austria-Hungary, Portugal, Mexico and Russia. Fureno served as the president of the simulation. Our students represented the stance of each nation on global imperialism. They had to write resolutions that were proposed to the United Nations Security Council. The mock UN Security Council debated and voted on each resolution. Fort Plain presented a resolution on behalf of Austria-Hungary and it was approved!

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.