Category: District News
2012 grad Samuel Hoffman graduates first in NCOA class
Congratulations to Fort Plain Class of 2012 alumnus Samuel Hoffman, a Technical Sergeant with the United States Air Force, on graduating with the highest grade point average from the Gunter NCOA (Gunter Noncommissioned Officer Academy), Montgomery, AL.
Hoffman is currently stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. He completed five weeks of studies at Gunther NCOA, part of Air Force University, in March. He is the son of Fort Plain Class of 1983 graduate and bus driver Marty Hoffman.
“Samuel went into the Air Force in August of 2012, and he recently got his private pilot license in August 2022,” Marty said. “He’s pursuing higher education to be an NTSB flight investigator.”
In the photo: Samuel holds his Academic Achievement Award while standing with an Air Force colleague
Baseball unit covers many academic bases
Fort Plain’s 7th grade class kicked off spring with an interdisciplinary unit revolving around the topic of baseball. Throughout the week before their break, the students learned about various aspects of America’s Pastime.
Interactive stadium tours, walk-up songs, coding baserunning robots, stadium foods, calculating batting averages, escape rooms, cultural diversity, stadium geography and mascots were all part of the learning – and the fun – in their classrooms.
The unit ended with a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where the students learned about many historical aspects of baseball in America, as well as the tools of the trade.
“They were even treated to a fantastic lunch at Sal’s Pizzeria in Cooperstown,” said teacher Dale Smith. “A huge thank you to Adria Palmeri for her generosity!”
Proud to be a Hilltopper: Dakota Dodson
Hilltopper pride is strong in Fort Plain. Our Topper Pride video series explores the many reasons why members of the Fort Plain school community, including students, alumni, faculty, staff and administrators, are proud of the experiences, knowledge and friendships they gained here.
Proud to be a Topper: Dakota Dodson, 10th grade student
Dakota Dodson is a 10th grade student at Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School who enjoys learning how to weld in Kreig Heroth’s Materials Processing class. Here’s why Dakota is proud to be a Hilltopper:
Save the date and join us for fun: PTA Family Night is April 26
Posted April 3; reposted April 17
Save the date and be sure to join us for the Fort Plain PTA’s Family Night kickoff event on Wednesday, April 26, from 6-7 p.m. at the Harry Hoag School. The event is free and open to the public.
Lots of fun activities will be offered in the Harry Hoag gym, library and cafeteria, where there will be 10 stations, including:
Hole in Three
Penny, Penny, Who’s Got the Penny
Noodle Dribble
Movin’ On Up
Cereal Chopsticks
Balloon Air
Junk in the Trunk
Candy Relay
Cone Flippers
Add the Cards
Ice cream will be served, free of charge, to all families. Each child attending will get to choose a prize on their way home. In addition, every family will be entered in a drawing for a Family Fun Night Gift Basket!
All are welcome. See you there!
OK2XL NYC trip features Broadway museum, “Harry Potter,” lunch
Forty-two members of Fort Plain High School’s OK2XL gifted and talented program traveled to New York City for a fun-filled day on April 5, 2023. Highlights include a trip to the Museum of Broadway, lunch at John’s Pizzeria, located in an abandoned church on West 44th St., and the Broadway show “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” which is based upon the novels by J.K. Rowling.
The trip was a hit with the students. Here are some of their reactions:
Vandwane Hisert: “I like the quality time spent with my peers.”
Aidan Guile: “It was the best show I have ever seen.”
Monika Kulczynksi: “I loved the effects in the play and the acting was amazing. The museum had great photo opportunities.”
Sadie Mollel, referring to both the museum and the show: “The most phenomenal artwork I’ve ever seen! I will go back over and over again.”
Brady Keane: “The special effects during the show were unbelievable. ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ is a visual spectacle.”
“The students were very thankful and appreciative of the opportunity they had to go to the city and to experience all of these events,” said English teacher Lisa Trembley.
The trip was supported by the Arts in Education program.
Literary learning takes center court in this March Madness tourney
Students in Amy Bartholomew’s 6th grade English Language Arts classes at Harry Hoag School held their own March Madness tournament during the last two weeks of March . . . but it wasn’t basketball teams competing this time!
In their Poem vs. Song March Madness tournament, eight poems and eight songs faced off in head-to-head competitions each day until there was one champion remaining. Students would listen to the performances as they analyzed the lyrics for tone, mood, theme and figurative language.
There were some clear favorites from the beginning such as “Can We Autocorrect Humanity,” by Prince EA, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete,” by Tupac Shakur, and “This Is Me,” from The Greatest Showman. But none were able to beat out the actual champion of the tournament, the poem, “Explaining My Depression to My Mother,” by Sabrina Benaim.
Sixth grade student Khloe Hisert said, “I liked that we got to learn a lot more about figurative language and listen to fun music.”
Sixth grader Lainie McDuffee shared, “I liked that we got to listen to my favorite songs and try out some new poems. I have never really been into poetry, but I thought that the poems were pretty cool.”
Finally, Connor Lochner shared his favorite part of the March Madness Tourney: “I liked how when we were done, we got to shoot in the mini basketball hoop, and I liked that I got to learn more about what an idiom and a personification was.”
-Article and images by Amy Bartholomew
Letter to families about water testing results, March 2023
March 23, 2023
Dear Members of the Fort Plain Community,
On Sept. 6, 2016, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law that requires public schools in New York State to test for lead in all water outlets currently or potentially used for drinking or cooking.
I write to inform you about the results of water testing completed at FPCSD. Visit our health services webpage for information about the risks associated with lead, as well as complete test results.
The water outlets with the highest readings were from drinking fountains in and around the Fitness Center in the Jr./Sr. High School. A water cooler has been placed in the Fitness Center as a replacement hydration option. In addition, two sinks (one in Room 113 at the Jr./Sr. High School and one in an unoccupied office in the Music Suite at Harry Hoag) tested beyond acceptable levels.
In the coming days, the Buildings and Grounds Department will follow prescribed remediation protocols and then we will request a retest. Please be assured that all outlets that tested above the state’s level have been taken out of service, or marked with appropriate signage, and will remain so until the remediation and retesting are completed.
We take these findings very seriously and will work with all governing agencies and consultants to ensure that we address the areas properly and efficiently.
If you have any questions, please contact my office at 993-4000, #1000.
Sincerely,
Lauren Crisman
Superintendent of Schools
Observing, measuring, surveying: 5th graders investigate traits
Pat Hanifin’s 5th grade science class recently completed a lab on “investigating traits.” In addition to the more common traits such as eye color, hair color, freckles and dimples, the students learned about other, less familiar traits.
They were able to test reaction time, reach, broad jump and hand span. The students then completed a “traits survey” of at least two of their family members. Their teacher reports that it was a fun activity for sure!
Message from the superintendent
March 27, 2023
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,
I want to personally extend congratulatory remarks to all of our 2022-23 retirees: Andrea Bouck, Jay Jarabek, Patti Jarabek, Charlie Karker, Sue Summerfield and Paul Van Avery. Their contributions to the FPCSD school community have been noteworthy and their presence will surely be missed by all.
As we approach the spring vacation, I want to share some important updates with you. At the Board of Education meeting held on March 15th, the Board acted to adopt the Proposed Budget for the 2023-2024 school year. The budget was developed using feedback obtained from various stakeholder groups including, but not limited to, administrators, teachers, parents and Board members. The leadership team embraces an ongoing cycle of reflection to ensure that we operate all of the departments effectively and with a fiscal conscience. We regularly look for ways to work smarter, more efficiently, and more collaboratively, and we pay attention to the outcomes. We ask ourselves, “Did we achieve what we wanted to achieve? Who benefitted? How can we enhance that outcome in the future?”
The Proposed Budget supports the District mission, to prepare all students for success beyond graduation. The Proposed Budget maintains funding for all current programs as well as accounts for the addition of more social and emotional learning supports and newly created electives at the Jr./Sr. High School. We continue to promote a positive student experience and thus the Proposed Budget allocates funding for the creation of new student clubs and authentic learning experiences such as field trips and guest presenters. FPCSD values our community partners. The Proposed Budget maintains funding that will allow us to continue working with agencies like the FP Free Library to promote community engagement.
Details about the Proposed Budget can be found in the presentation given at the March Board meeting, please view the PDF.
The official Budget Hearing to present the 2023-2024 Proposed Budget will take place on May 3rd at 7:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room.
In addition, the Board approved the school calendar for the 2023-2024 school year, which can be found on our website’s calendar page.
Please be sure to visit our school website to see a list of upcoming events. Spring will be active for our Hilltoppers! Thank you all for your continued support of our school community!
Sincerely,
Lauren Crisman
Superintendent of Schools
Drama Club presents “Mamma Mia!” March 24-26 – Photos posted
[Posted March 3, reposted March 22 & March 27]
March 27 update: Visit our Facebook photo album
March 3:
The Fort Plain-Canajoharie Drama Club will present their spring musical, “Mamma Mia!” on March 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. and March 26 at 2 p.m. at Canajoharie High School’s Arkell Auditorium. Tickets will be available at the door and are $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students.
“Mamma Mia!” tells the story of Sophie, in the week before her wedding, who seeks to find her long-lost dad and form a relationship with him in time for the wedding. Fort Plain High School’s Caleigh Bartholomew plays Sophie, and Canajoharie senior Chiarra Morris plays her mother Donna.
Prospective dads are portrayed by Dawson Sweet, Richard Catarino and Adam Leduc. Mom’s friends, “The Dynamos,” are played by Alexandria Gyurik, Aliza Hopkins and Avery Merchant. The fiancé, Sky, is performed by John Hopkins. Rounding out the principal characters are Sophie’s friends, played by Jasmine Fonda, Faith Clark, and Ava Fatta, as well as employees/”dudes” played by Anthony Paradiso, Isaac Clark, and Lawrence Daley.
They are joined by Ethan Hubbard, Lavy Hodge, Autumn Scalia, Chloee St. Louis, Jayden Bentz, Willow Burke, Joey Barr, Thomas Kee, Brooke Jones, Aileen Germond, Lila Clarke and Kiera St. Louis.
Will Ryan and Lauri Broady direct the show. Lauri Broady is the choreographer and Norma Bowley is the musical director. Vicente Nunez assists with rehearsals and Michael Hoffman serves as backstage coordinator. Mike Broady is the technical director and is assisted by students Noah Ehle and Josephine Carcasole.
Questions may be directed to lauri.broady@fortplain.org.
March 22:
In the media
Our Fort Plain-Canajoharie Drama Club rocks: See why one member says, “it’s a nice place,” and why her sister encourages others to try performing in a musical in this WNYT-TV News feature.