Good-bye and good luck

         Six valued members of the Fort Plain school community left their classrooms at the end of June to travel, relax, spend time with family, finally find time for hobbies and pastimes, and take on new challenges. Students,   parents, colleagues, and staff all wish them the best in the future.

       Nancy Bogdanowicz began her career in a Catholic school in Mechanicville in 1971, teaching first grade and third grade. After taking 15 years off to raise a family, she returned to teaching in 1989 in Fort Plain. She has taught in the special education area during her entire tenure in Fort Plain, helping and mentoring students in grades 3-6. When she leaves teaching, Bogdanowicz says she will spend more time with her grandchildren, read, travel, and work with Quest, an organization that helps troubled youth in Schenectady. “I will miss working with the students here and miss my co-workers. I’ve been very thankful to work with several very good aides and assistants over the years,” she said.

      Marianne Brookman began teaching pre-school and special education in Amsterdam in 1985. From 1985 to 2000, she taught special education, writing and reading to elementary school students in St. Johnsville. In 2001 she came to Fort Plain where she has taught students from kindergarten on up, spending the last two years in grades 5 and 6. She is also advisor for the writing club at Harry Hoag. After she retires, Brookman plans on writing, with a goal of writing both stories for children and mystery novels for adults. She will remain in the Fort Plain area, but plans on spending some time with family in North Carolina. “It’s difficult to retire from Fort Plain because I really like the work. But it’s time for younger people to take over,” she said.

       Kate Brust began her teaching career as a substitute before obtaining a full-time position in a Catholic school in the Plattsburg area in 1976.After taking some time away from teaching for marriage and children, she substitute taught and worked in a nursery school in Amsterdam before coming to Fort Plain in 1986 as a long-term substitute for elementary art. She taught fourth grade for one year and first grade for seven years before attaining her current position as music teacher and choir director. Brust is uncertain about exactly what she will be doing in the years to come, she said. Her immediate plans include working part-time, pursuing her hobby of sewing, and visiting friends and family. Brust said leaving Fort Plain school this year is “bittersweet, because there is always something different I want to try. It’s been wonderful here. I’m sad that the music and art programs will be cut back next year, she said.
 

     Diane D’Alessandro began her teaching part-time in Northville in the late 1980s. Since 1989, she has taught art to Fort Plain students from kindergarten to grade 12, and currently teaches middle school and high school students. D’Alessandro plans on doing some traveling, including spending significant time in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and concentrating on her photography. “I have mixed feelings about leaving,” D’Alessandro said. I love my students. They have given me ideas that I use in my own work. I will miss their creativity. Fort Plain has been a wonderful place to teach. It’s going to be sad to leave.”

     Judith Sinner started her teaching career in 1969 in Fort Edward, where she taught second grade for 15 years. After teaching sixth grade in Oppenheim-Ephratah for two years, she began teaching fifth graders in Fort Plain. Then she taught third grade and second grade before moving back to third grade. When she retires, Sinner sys she plans on being a full-time grandmother to a baby girl her daughter is expecting; volunteer to read to Hospice patients; and do some reading, knitting and crocheting. Sinner says she is a little wary of retiring from teaching because it has been such a big part of her life for 40 years. “Teaching in Fort Plain has been a wonderful experience and a great comfort to me. I want to make the right decisions for my future and right now I’m not sure what that means,” she said.
 

           Donna Myers began her career in 1971 as a librarian in Little Valley in western New York state. After attaining a master’s degree, she taught Spanish in Canajoharie before taking ten years off to raise her two daughters. From 1987 to 2000, she taught Spanish at Owen D. Young Central School. After a year of teaching in Morris, Myers came to Fort Plain to teach Spanish at Harry Hoag and, for a time, English as a Second Language. A serious automobile accident last year forced her to stop teaching. Her immediate plans are to finish healing, get back to ballroom dancing, and do some traveling. “I’m very sad about leaving because I didn’t want to leave teaching quite yet. Teaching in Fort Plain has been extremely rewarding. I loved the teaching, loved the kids, and enjoyed working with my colleagues,” Myers said.
 

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