Category: District News
Fort Plain mourns the passing of Michael Lee Gifford
Fort Plain Central School mourns the passing of Michael Lee Gifford, who taught elementary physical education from 1969-1996, when he retired from the district.
Many in the Fort Plain School community enjoyed having Mr. G as a gym teacher when they were children. He also coached several sports.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
For the full obituary, including details of Mr. Gifford’s many interests and life experiences, visit:
https://www.kilmerfuneralhome.com/memorials/michael-gifford/5150282/index.php
Thank you, Mr. Van Avery!
When you think about Paul Van Avery, it’s hard to determine whether the Fort Plain Central School District is at the center of his heart, or whether he is the heart of the district. Paul has been part of the school community from kindergarten through his entire career, beginning as a cleaner and advancing to Director of Facilities III, a position from which he will soon retire.
Humble, hardworking and dedicated, Paul will be dearly missed, and often thought of, as he embarks upon his life’s next chapter.
At their Feb. 15 meeting, the Fort Plain Board of Education accepted Paul’s request to retire on April 28. “Mr. Van Avery has proudly served our district for 46 years,” the Board noted. “His wealth of knowledge of all things buildings and grounds, as well as the history of our district, will be greatly missed.”
“I have been a member of the Fort Plain Central School from kindergarten through graduation in 1976, with a short stint as a farmhand (that is where you learn about work), and then started my career in January 1977 as a cleaner, in the custodial family, under my second father, Harry Hoag,” Paul wrote in his retirement letter.
“[Harry Hoag] took me under his wing and taught me much about the job and the district and our fierce loyalty, ‘Do or die for Fort Plain High’,” Paul said. He subbed for Harry when Harry was ill and he credited past superintendent John Matello and business official Carl Rockefeller – his “third father” – as well as the district’s veteran staff, for supporting, training and preparing him early on for success. “I have been on deck since then trying to maintain the long tradition of excellence established by Harry and his father, with the help of all,” Paul said.
He noted that he has “served with many superintendents, board members, principals, faculty, staff, taxpayers and mostly the students, with duty and honor which I was taught by all of my fathers, especially my number one father, Alfred Van Avery, Jr., and mother, Virginia Van Avery, who are also my heroes, with an assist from my role model John Wayne.
“My loyalty and life belong to the Fort Plain Central School District, we are one,” Paul said. “I have enjoyed and relished my time with the Fort Plain Central School District and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Time to do my John Wayne Cavalry routine and ride off into the sunset. Thank you all for the opportunity to serve.”
Thank you, Mr. Van Avery!
100th day is a great time to count on math
The 100th day of school was a great time for Harry Hoag students to celebrate what they’ve learned so far this year and to focus on numbers, counting and math skills.
Some of our kindergartners made special hats that demonstrated 10-groups. They also explored building with 100 objects such as cups, Legos, marshmallows, pattern blocks and cubes.
Book Speed Dating event fosters a love of literature
Students in Mrs. Bartholomew’s 6th Grade English Language Arts classes had an opportunity to fall in love with new books during a Book Speed Dating event on Valentine’s Day.
“Students walked into a magically transformed room on Valentine’s Day,” Bartholomew said. “They each had chosen their favorite book that they’ve read this year and spent the class convincing classmates why they should read that book, too!”
The students were paired up for four minutes at a time, asking questions such as, “Tell me about yourself. What are your character’s character traits? What is one thing that really makes you stand out from all the other books on the shelf?”
“Students rotated through the room, meeting many new books,” Bartholomew said. “At the end, they voted on the book they were most interested in reading next for independent reading, and the winners won a prize!
“All of the conversations between students were filled with incredibly rich literary analysis. It was a great day filled with fun and learning. Great job 6th grade ELA!”
A note to the community from Mrs. Crisman
February 17, 2023
Greetings Fort Plain School Community Members,
Over the past several months, the school team has worked tirelessly to support social, emotional and academic development of our students. We have seen the students thrive in many ways both in, and outside, of the classroom as observed by their academic achievements and participation in extracurricular and athletic programming.
As we prepare the budget for the 2023 – 2024 school year, we are focused on the future. The board developed five enduring goals that will guide our planning and preparation.
The goals:
- Improve safety in our schools.
- Improve student learning outcomes.
- Build and maintain trusting relationships with students and their families.
- Support social and emotional wellness for all school community members.
- Ensure responsible and strategic use of fiscal and human resources to best support the needs of our students.
The District’s budget planning and development procedures are outlined in Board Policy No. 5010. As indicated in the policy, several stakeholder groups will be consulted regarding their recommendations for how we can best support, improve or expand upon our current academic programs, student support systems and student experiences.
Please watch this website for further information regarding budget development for the 2023-2024 school year.
Wishing you each a wonderful February vacation!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Crisman
Superintendent
Winter teams achieve Scholar-Athlete status
Congratulations to Fort Plain’s boys and girls basketball, girls bowling, and cheerleading teams for being honored as NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete Teams. Each team needs to have 75% of its team’s roster receive a total GPA of 90 or above. A total of 32 FPHS students achieved a 90 or better GPA during winter sports. #TopperPride!
Honoring a teacher superhero
“As I walk into school, I can see it through the doors, and it’s a great way to remember Kevin.” What Fort Plain High School Principal Dr. Deborah Larrabee sees is a large banner hanging in the school lobby memorializing beloved teacher Kevin Bogus, who passed away in May 2022.
Designed by high school teacher Linda Cole, the banner features an image of an original painting created in Kevin’s memory by fellow teacher, ninja athlete, and trainer, and close friend Geoff Snyder, who unveiled the banner at a Feb. 2 ceremony. The painting depicts Kevin during ninja training, gripping strongly with both hands while the rest of his body is airborne, wearing a shirt that says, “Get A Grip.”
“I’m an artist and an art teacher and wanted to remember Kevin through the painting,” Snyder said. “It’s hanging in our Albany Ninja Lab, where Kevin was beloved by everybody.” Snyder, who is a co-owner of the gym, competed on season 9 of American Ninja Warrior in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2017, and became discouraged after applying repeatedly to compete again.
“I was bummed and was going to give up,” he said. “Kevin talked me into applying again last year. ‘You can’t quit,’ he told me. ‘You gotta keep trying; you’re not a quitter’. So, I tried again, making Kevin’s story part of my application video. I was accepted to compete this spring in Los Angeles. I had a less than one percent chance of being picked, so being picked twice is like a dream come true.”
The Kevin Bogus memorial banner also features a quote by Thor, “A victory has more meaning when it is not won by the force of your own arms, yet the ingenuity of your own brain!”
“The quote was part of Kevin’s email signature at school,” said Dr. Larrabee. “He loved Marvel Entertainment. The painting, quote and the banner are a great way to honor him. We think Kevin was watching the unveiling from above and approved.”
School superintendents meet with state legislators
Fort Plain Central School District Superintendent Lauren Crisman joined with local school leaders in meeting with state legislators last week to discuss a range of important issues and initiatives supporting students and their families.
The meetings, conducted virtually, addressed priorities including mental health services and student health and safety, school district workforce shortages and employment procedures, and education funding and mandates.
Mental health services and student health and safety
In their discussions with lawmakers, the superintendents advocated for lawmakers to:
- Address the shortages of mental health providers and the increased need for ongoing, coordinated care, as well as the need for increased access to preventive services for family systems
- Collaborate with counties and other organizations to develop a stronger continuum of care
- Address challenges surrounding the management of and access to, medication and other health supplies
- Promote universal access to school meals and the need to expand support for community meal programs
“The lack of adequate regional mental health support has a direct and adverse impact on the students and families in Montgomery County,” Superintendent Crisman said. “The lack of regional options for mental health therapy and medication management under the care of qualified professionals is a significant challenge for many families.”
School district workforce shortages
To address critical workforce shortages, the superintendents discussed streamlining the teacher certification process and expanding recruitment efforts by encouraging lawmakers to promote more reciprocity with other states regarding teacher certification and also by continuing to support well developed retirement plans. The school leaders requested that the state review and revise the requirements associated with APPR regulations. All of the leaders strongly advocated for reform with civil service. The current processes associated with civil service employment are overly complex and inefficient.
“Schools across the state are grappling with workforce shortages; there is a decline in those planning to become teachers and administrators in the future, and a civil service process that can prove to be unnecessarily complex and time-consuming,” Crisman noted.
Education funding and mandates
In the areas of instruction and finance, the region’s superintendents and state lawmakers discussed increasing funding streams for career and technical education (CTE) programs and collaborating with the Board of Regents to establish an alternative funding procedure. The superintendents also noted the need to streamline state reporting and planning requirements for schools, including duplicative mandates, and they discussed the impacts of retirement costs and the state’s electric vehicle mandate upon districts.
“For schools to move forward in educating students and preparing them for success now and in the future, support from state lawmakers, leaders and policymakers is critical. We appreciated meeting with our state legislators and their staffs last week, and look forward to continuing an open, constructive dialog, for the benefit of our students, schools and the communities that we serve,” Crisman said.
Fort Plain mourns the passing of Ron Pettit
Fort Plain Central School mourns the passing of Ronald J. Pettit (Sr.), who had been a long-time school bus driver for the district. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
Ron was beloved member of the FPCSD community. As noted in his obituary, “Ron also drove school bus for Fort Plain Central School for over 30 years and was known for his kindness and friendly demeanor as a driver. Until his death, many, children whom he drove – now grown – would stop him in town to express how much he meant to them.”
For the full obituary and information on arrangements, visit https://houghtalingandsmith.com/tribute/details/4966/Ronald-Pettit/obituary.html.
Congratulations All County performers!
Congratulations to our talented elementary chorus members Claudia, Piper and Isabella, pictured above, and high school chorus members Ian Burns and Bailie Richardson, pictured below, for their recent performances at the All County Music Festival, and to music teacher Julieanne Sincavage.
All County Band
Congratulations to our talented band members Jasmine Lapi (10th grade flute) and Natalie Thibodeau (12th grade percussionist), who performed three pieces with the Senior All County Band, and to music teacher Dalton Burrello.
The songs were: “Shenandoah” by Claude T. Smith, “Spitfire!” by Gary P. Gilmore, and “Fate of the Gods” by Steven Reineke.
“The students rehearsed from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the day of the festival, and then put on a wonderful concert in the evening,” Burrello said. “They had the opportunity to rehearse, practice, eat lunch, and perform extremely challenging music with talented students from schools across the county (Fonda, Canajoharie, Amsterdam, etc.)
“They also worked with guest conductors from different areas of New York State, which created a very professional atmosphere and required a very high level of musicianship from each student. It was a great experience to be able to come all together and perform such high quality, challenging pieces of music, and I am grateful that they had the opportunity to be a part of that.”