Category: Jr./Sr. High News

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.”

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:

Our boys basketball team won last night’s varsity sectional competition vs. Berne-Knox-Westerlo by a score of 72-56 in the Section 2 Class C semifinals at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, with standout performances turned in by many a player.

The team moves on to play Maple Hill for the Class C championship on Friday, March 4 at 5 p.m. at the Cool Insuring Arena. Tickets are available at the arena. The game also will be livestreamed on the NFHS subscription service.

Fort Plain last won the Class C championship in 2001. The Hilltoppers’ expert playing has attracted the attention of local media, including the Daily Gazette:

Fort Plain boys to play for Class C basketball title

Go Hilltoppers!

Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School students have many opportunities to learn and grow through our many course offerings. Our Department Spotlight provides an insider’s view of these experiences.

This week, we are spotlighting the Math department at FPHS. Enjoy “The Maze of Mathematics” video below as you learn a bit about the coursework and opportunities provided to our students.

Fort Plain High School’s forensics and criminology class hosted SWAT Commander Torrey Sitterly and the Herkimer SWAT team on Friday, Feb. 18, for a demonstration in the high school cafeteria.

“They were gracious enough to bring in some really cool gadgets, like thermal imaging drones and bomb-diffusing robots. Students also were able to try on and touch the very heavy gear that SWAT members use in the line of duty,” said teacher Kevin Bogus.

“Officer James Burns discussed the importance of new technologies in police work and then took a lightweight, half-pound drone on an aerial spin for the students to see.

“Officer Robert Holt demonstrated the accuracy of his robot that uses four cameras to see by picking up a water bottle off a table with relative ease. It was a very fun experience.”

Commander Sitterly is a Fort Plain alumnus.

Mr. Smith and Mr. Bogus and their class thank the Herkimer SWAT team for visiting Fort Plain and teaching them so much.

Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School students have many opportunities to learn and grow through our many course offerings. Our Department Spotlight provides an insider’s view of these experiences.

This week, we are spotlighting the Social Studies department at FPHS. Enjoy the video below as you learn a bit about the coursework and opportunities provided to our students.

Friendship, leadership and experiencing the outdoors: all are benefits of achieving the highest rank in scouting, according to Eagle Scout Ethan Kilmartin. Ethan, a Fort Plain High School junior, officially became an Eagle Scout in December, 2021, capping more than 125 hours of planning, paperwork and hands-on community service that began during the summer of 2019.

For his Eagle Scout project, Ethan designed, built and installed new recycling bins in Haslett Park in Fort Plain and reconstructed the park’s flower bed framing with upgraded timbers. “I knew I wanted to build the recycling bins since I was in Cub Scouts,” Ethan said. “I saw a need for bigger bins and better placement in the park. For the flower beds, I tore out the old timbers and built a new frame on-site, with pressure-treated timbers. It’s a good addition to the park and looks better.”

Ethan will have been active in scouting for six years as of March, 2022, and is a member of Canajoharie Troop 5081. One of Ethan’s favorite troop activities is summer camping at Curtis S. Read Scout Reservation in Brant Lake, NY, and he speaks highly of the overall scouting experience. Ethan also enjoys hiking, soccer and “is a big fisherman.” His other hobbies include welding and woodworking.

As for future plans, Ethan is looking at colleges and plans to study environmental science, with a career goal of becoming a state environmental conservation officer. “It’s interesting, it’s not at a desk and I excel in the sciences,” he said. “I’m very outdoors-oriented.”

Congratulations Ethan!

Ethan and friends work in his grandfather’s shop in 2019

Above and below: Recycling bins built by Ethan for Haslett Park 

Talia Narzymski is Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School’s first-ever recipient of the College Board’s National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program Award. Talia, a senior, is being honored for excellence and academic achievement, based on her grade point average and PSAT score.

“Talia is a super kid and a great student,” said FPHS School Counselor Colleen Cushing. “This is the first time one of our students has won this award, which recognizes academic achievement in school and outstanding performance on the PSAT.

To qualify for the College Board’s National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program Award, a student must score above a certain level on the PSAT and achieve a grade point average of at 3.5 or higher. Students work with their school counselors to apply.

Talia said she plans to study psychology at Siena College after graduation, with a career goal of working in “some form of psychology or therapy and applying that degree in criminal justice. After Siena, I definitely plan to attend graduate school to earn a master’s and then possibly a doctorate.

“I’ve been interested in the field since the beginning of high school, and taking UAlbany University in the High School psychology and sociology classes here at Fort Plain confirmed it for me,” Talia said. “I’m taking forensics right now, and there are so many job options and branches in the career field.

“English and forensics are my favorite classes, and I also loved history classes,” she said. “I wrote an English paper on the psychology of serial killers, and I love to do research. Maybe some day, kids will be reading my research.” Talia enjoys creative writing during her free time, including working on projects with her younger sisters.

Talia’s other interests include dance – growing up, she took dancing classes and “always wanted to be a famous singer and dancer” – and participating in theatre productions. “I hope to join the dance team at Siena and also act in theatre productions there,” she said.

In announcing this year’s honorees, the College Board said that students who receive the National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program Award “have accomplished this milestone during an immensely demanding period of their high school career. We couldn’t be more delighted to share this great news.”

The College Board created National Recognition Programs to “help address systemic barriers to higher education faced by underrepresented students,” including those from rural and small town school districts. In addition to recognizing outstanding achievement, the awards provide students with an academic honor that can be included in scholarship and college applications and help connect them with a wider range of higher education options.

In the photo at top: Talia Narzymski with school counselor Colleen Cushing