Category: District News
A proactive approach to Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School is taking a proactive approach to wellness, offering students in grades 7 through 12 a variety of engaging activities and workshops during their lunch periods.
Offerings throughout the month will include self-care tips, a hydration station with fruit-infused water and create your own healthy snacks, as well as sessions on yoga, mindfulness, aromatherapy, coping skills, personal safety plans, and a rock painting session and walk to place the rocks outside near the school.
School counselors Colleen Cushing and Kayla Mahoney, Psychologist Dr. Lara Gordon and Principal Dr. Deborah Larrabee have teamed up to coordinate the month’s activities, with input and ideas from students.
Just like physical health, good mental health requires awareness, positive behaviors and learning new skills, particularly during busy times of the year and when confronted with challenges. FPHS’s Mental Health Awareness Month activities are designed to offer students enjoyable opportunities to learn and grow, both in school and beyond.
Parents/guardians may sign up their students for activities and workshops by contacting their school counselor. Lunch periods are scheduled between 11:05 and 1:05 p.m.
Outstanding student-athletes Sarah Florian, Robert Jordan, Levi Thomas sign with colleges
Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School celebrated college signings by three talented student-athletes the afternoon of May 4, 2022, in the high school lobby.
The students-athletes and their coaches were introduced by Fort Plain Athletic Director Charlie Karker, who congratulated them on their dedication, effort and success.
Sarah Florian signed today with Utica University for indoor and outdoor track and field. She closes out an impressive high school career competing in shot put and discus and other events. Sarah was praised for her work in the athletic and academic arenas by Track & Field Coach and Social Studies Teacher Brad Niles.
Robert Jordan signed today with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for basketball.
Levi Thomas signed today with Albany College of Pharmacy for basketball.
Robert and Levi helped Fort Plain clinch the 2022 varsity sectionals at the Cool Insuring Arena in March and were spotlighted in an article in the Daily Gazette. Basketball Coach and P.E. Teacher Casey Russom spoke about Robert’s and Levi’s achievements and praised all three students for their hard work behind the scenes leading to their success being celebrated today.
Students must meet college standards to sign with NCAA Division III schools, and signing is evidence of an outstanding high school career and commitment to a college’s program.
Congratulations to all!
Robert Jordan, Sarah Florian, Levi Thomas
Robert, Sarah and Levi with Coach Russom, Coach Niles
and Athletic Director Karker
Levi and his family
Sarah and her family
Robert and his family
Lauren Crisman named Fort Plain superintendent
[Updated May 5, 2022]
The Fort Plain Central School District Board of Education, at their May 4, 2022, meeting, appointed Lauren Crisman to the position of Superintendent of Schools effective July 1, 2022, contingent upon successful contract negotiations.
Crisman, who has been the principal of the Harry Hoag Elementary School since 2016, will replace current Interim Superintendent Jeffery Ziegler.
“We cast a wide net during the search process to ensure we found the best fit possible for Fort Plain,” Board of Education President Mary Beth Hudyncia said. “The ideal candidate was already here in our district. As our elementary principal, Lauren Crisman has served the district and the community exceptionally well, and we look forward to her leadership as superintendent.”
“It is an honor to be offered the opportunity to serve as the superintendent of schools for Fort Plain Central School District. I have enjoyed being a part of so many Hilltopper traditions for the past six years while serving as the elementary principal, and I am deeply proud of our school community,” Crisman said.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with the board, faculty and staff, students and families to ensure that each student reaches their fullest potential. We will be a school district where success is experienced often and celebrated frequently. I thank everyone for the support that I’ve been given thus far and for letting me be a part of your children’s lives. I am excited to continue supporting the development of our district as we plan for the infinite possibilities of the future in education.”
Before coming to Fort Plain, Crisman served as the elementary principal and K-12 curriculum coordinator in the Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School for five years. Also at Cherry Valley-Springfield, Crisman worked as an English Language Arts coordinator, reading coach and elementary teacher. She also has teaching experience at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Little Falls, and North Colonie. In addition to her duties as the Harry Hoag principal, Crisman has been serving as a student teacher supervisor at the State University of New York at Oneonta for the last three years.
Crisman has a bachelor’s in Elementary Education from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in Literacy from SUNY Albany. She also earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from SUNY Cortland.
College signing celebration set for May 4 for Sarah Florian, Robert Jordan, Levi Thomas
All are welcome as Fort Plain celebrates college signings by three talented student-athletes on Wednesday, May 4, at 3 p.m. in the high school lobby.
- Sarah Florian will sign with Utica University for indoor and outdoor track and field.
- Robert Jordan will sign with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for basketball.
- Levi Thomas will sign with Albany College of Pharmacy for basketball.
Students must meet college standards to sign with NCAA Division III schools, with signing evidence of an impressive high school career and commitment to a college’s program.
Above, from left: Robert Jordan, Levi Thomas, Sarah Florian
Sticker Mule field trip offers close-up view of IT in action
Students in Rachel Heroth’s App FUNdamentals class at Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School got a close-up view of information technology (IT) applications and explored a range of IT career opportunities during an April 14, 2022, trip to Sticker Mule in Amsterdam.
But before they even left on their trip, the students participated in a design challenge to create a logo for their high school’s Computer Science program.
The winning logo design was created by Andra Fuhs and Madison Delgado. The students used software to adjust and convert the image so it could be cut out of heat-transfer vinyl, which they then used to create t-shirts.
During their tour of Sticker Mule, the students viewed a similar process, on a larger scale with industrial size equipment.
“At Sticker Mule, the class toured the facility and witnessed sticker printing, cutting, and packaging processes,” Heroth said. “Sticker Mule’s chief technology officer explained the technology involved in each step on the production floor and what went into the development of the programs that are vital to the company’s success.
“After the tour, students attended a presentation given by IT department members at the Amsterdam location and members who video-conferenced in from Brazil. The class learned what aspects of computer science and programming languages are used in different operations of the company.”
The presentation also highlighted different career paths in information technology, and values that technology leaders seek in employees. “It was really cool to hear how much the directors value hard work and computer science skills,” said Tucker Jones, a 12th grade student.
Students capped their field trip by receiving “swag bags,” which included their logo design on two different sticker materials and a variety of Sticker Mule products.
FPHS named a U.S News & World Report Best High School, ranked number one in region
Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School has been named the region’s top high school and among the state’s and nation’s Best High Schools by U.S. News & World Report, retaining an honor that recognizes student achievement and academic and program excellence.
The Best High Schools 2022 Edition ranks nearly 18,000 schools by state and census-designated metropolitan areas with three or more high schools.
Fort Plain was ranked number one in the Amsterdam, N.Y., metro area, number 446 in New York State – in the top 34 percent, and number 4,978 in the nation – in the top 40 percent of public high schools in the U.S. Fort Plain has been highly ranked for several years.
Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation rate and how well they prepare students for college. Specifically, rankings are based on enrollment, student body demographics, location and school type, graduation rate, and results of state assessments and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests.
According to U.S. News & World Report, “The Best High Schools rankings, available online only, are produced in conjunction with RTI International, a global research firm. U.S. News doesn’t collect data directly from high schools – all data comes directly from official third-party sources. U.S. News receives AP and IB data directly from the College Board and International Baccalaureate, respectively, for use in the rankings. The state assessment data and graduation rates are from each state, and other data comes from the U.S. Department of Education Common Core of Data.”
Congratulations Hilltoppers!
No school May 26, 27, 31 due to unused snow days
Fort Plain Central School will be closed on Thursday, May 26, Friday, May 27, and Tuesday, May 31, due to unused snow days. This is a change from the printed calendar mailed late last summer. On Monday, May 30, school is closed for the Memorial Day holiday.
Saluting our Scholar-Athletes and All-Stars
Fort Plain’s student athletes are excelling in their sports and in the classroom. A number of teams have been named New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Scholar–Athlete teams, and Fort Plain’s winter sports teams had 40 Western Academic Conference (WAC) All-Stars.
To be named NYSPHAA Scholar-Athletes, teams must have an average of 90 or above to qualify. The following teams are being honored:
- Girls basketball
- Boys basketball
- Cheerleading
- Swimming (merged team with Canajoharie)
- Wrestling (merged team with Canajoharie)
According to NYSPHSAA, “At the end of each sports season, the NYSPHSAA honors those teams and individuals that excel in the classroom. Those student-athletes, teams, and schools work very hard throughout the year and deserve to be recognized for their academic success.”
Acclaimed author honors student’s writing with autographed book
A Harry Hoag student’s own writing has been recognized by the author of a nationally acclaimed book about 9/11.
“Our fifth grade Guided Reading class read the book ‘Ground Zero’ by Alan Gratz,” said Paula Colvin. “The students learned a lot about 9/11. Kinley Trumbull then wrote her own story about 9/11. When she gave me her story to read, I was so impressed with what she had written, I wrote to Alan Gratz and asked if I could send it to him.
“In return, Alan Gratz wrote back to Kinley and sent her an autographed copy of ‘Ground Zero’ and some autographed bookmarks. She was so excited when I presented her with the package from him,” Colvin said. “I am very proud of Kinley!”
Harry Hoag Principal Lauren Crisman said, “I’ve been reading Kinley’s stories for years. In fourth grade, she wrote so many stories, her teacher provided her with a classroom library space where she could publish them. I borrowed them to read as bedtime stories for my own daughter. Her writing is exceptional and I’m so proud of effort. Great job Kinley!”
For more information about “Ground Zero,” visit Alan Gratz’s webpage.
Spanish 8 project explores the world
Learning another language opens a world of possibilities, and for Fort Plain High School Spanish 8 students, researching and marketing places where that language is spoken provided a unique opportunity to tap into history, culture and opportunities to explore.
Spanish teacher Melanie Pombrio and Library Media Specialist Tariyka Chaulk partnered to challenge the students to produce travel brochures for vacations in Spanish-speaking countries, territories and cities. Besides studying a destination’s past and present and identifying interesting activities, the students had to research the logistics and costs of travel to, from and within each destination, meals, and excursions, and then establish a trip budget. They also had to research requirements for entry, such as passports, visas and vaccinations.
Airports, transfers, hotels, day trips, festivals, local fare, street maps, rental cars, natural attractions, native animals, art, cultural and historic sites, special events – the students researched all of this and more. Once they gathered their information, they used Adobe Spark to create colorful and information-packed travel brochures.
The project tapped a wide range of skills for the students, integrating study of Spanish language and culture with English, social studies, technology, visual presentation, science, math, marketing and more, as a creative – and fun – way to learn.
Pombrio and Chaulk said the project was an eye-opening experience for many students as they discovered the many differences in daily life around the world. “Some of the students were surprised by things such as challenges getting from one place to another in their chosen countries compared to what they know from living here, or by costs and requirements of traveling and visiting other countries,” they said.
The project also piqued the students’ interest in places to visit in the future. “They had to sell their destination to their classmates with their brochures, and many of the students now want to travel to the places they researched,” Pombrio and Chaulk said. “They had a really good time with the project.”
Here are a few of the students’ brochures:
