Category: Harry Hoag News

From two college students to a roomful of younger learners, good dental care was the lesson of the day on March 2 at Harry Hoag School.

The children learned how to take care of their teeth from guest speaker Danielle Alkinburgh, who visited Michelle Searles’ class, where her son is a student.

Danielle, who is studying to be a dental hygienist, was accompanied by co-presenter and fellow HVCC student Katelyn Roser, and they provided an interactive oral hygiene presentation to the children as part of their dental hygiene coursework.

“Danielle and Katelyn planned some fun, hands-on experiences for the kids, including an activity for brushing (painting) the mouth on paper with a toothbrush for two minutes, and using mega blocks with playdough in between the spaces to simulate flossing for two minutes,” Michelle Searles said. “Danielle’s son is very proud of his mom, and the students enjoyed a great learning experience!”

Michael Meier’s and Mark Hitchcock’s physical education classes at Harry Hoag School had a great time learning how to snowshoe just before their winter break, a fun outdoor activity they can enjoy for years to come.

“Late this past fall, we were lucky to be able to place an order for snowshoes for Harry Hoag,” Meier said. “Just before February break, we received the order and quickly took advantage of the snow still left on the ground. Our second through sixth grade students took to the fields behind the school and learned a valuable lifetime skill that promotes outdoor health and fitness.

“The students gave the new snow shoes a try during our phys ed classes and overall, had a great time!”

View more photos in our Facebook album.

Dr. Dolittle may have talked to the animals, but at Harry Hoag Elementary on Jan. 26, 2022, the animals talked to the second graders, thanks to their older schoolmates.

Students in Jade VanGorder’s fourth grade class researched, wrote and illustrated books about the life cycle of animals as part of an integrated English/language arts and science project. Each story was told from the vantage point of the animal, be it a panther, fox, tiger or other creature great or small. The students then read their books to second grade classes.

“In addition to what they learned during our study of animals during science class, the students conducted their own research to gather information about the life cycle of their chosen animal from various sources,” VanGorder said.

“Then, they had to tell their life story from that animal’s point of view. I encouraged the children to use lots of details, giving their readers a vivid description of each stage. The students illustrated pictures along the way to enhance their stories even more.

“The fourth graders were so excited and so proud to complete their books and read them to the second grade classes.”

The project was a hit with all. VanGorder shared a few of her students’ comments after they read to the second graders:

“This was soooo much fun.”

“It was really cool, because I got to talk about black panthers and answer lots of questions.”

“The group of second graders LOVED it because they were asking lots of questions!”

“I really liked reading to them because they loved my fun facts section.”

Writing and sharing books isn’t limited to Harry Hoag’s fourth grade students. Kindergartners recently hosted sixth graders for an author celebration event, where the younger learners shared their written pieces with the older students, then toasted their work with fruit juice. Elementary Principal Lauren Crisman noted, “It is great to see more author celebrations at Harry Hoag!”

Harry Hoag students went around the world without leaving Matt Heiser’s technology classroom in early December, literally viewing the ends of the earth, the Amazon rainforest, lower Manhattan and beyond while learning about science, geography, ancient cultures and more.

“We borrowed Virtual Reality kits from the Northeastern Regional Information Center (NERIC) for two weeks that included software and VR goggles,” Heiser said. “In our Tech class, students in grades two through six viewed places that align with their curriculum.”

The VR goggles provide a 3-D view that changes as a student moves their head up, down and side to side. For example, a VR view of the rainforest through goggles shows flora and fauna on the forest floor to birds in the canopy and sky above, and everything in between.

The VR technology made the following come alive for students:

• Second graders explored the North and South Poles
• Third graders viewed various natural habitats
• Fourth graders visited New York City
• Fifth graders visited National Parks
• Sixth graders viewed ancient Egypt

The students reacted to their experiences with wonder and excitement, asking questions and showing a desire to learn more about what they were exploring. Virtual Reality truly made their subjects come alive.

“The VR kits were a hit. I wish we had them all year,” Heiser said.

Students in Mr. Hanifin’s 5th grade social studies class at Harry Hoag School have been learning about the U.S. government and the Constitution. An early December afternoon found them testing their knowledge by playing Constitution Cards, a term/definition matching game.

The students assembled into small teams and had a certain amount of time to turn over slips of paper and match terms from the Constitution with definitions. They used study guides they had earlier completed during the game, which also built on previous lessons about the structure and function of the U.S. government.

“Making an exercise into a game works well, because the students are competitive,” Mr. Hanifin noted.

Harry Hoag School is proud to announce the 2021-22 first quarter Honor Roll and Principal’s List. The Honor Roll and Principal’s List recognize outstanding achievement and effort.

Congratulations to the following students:

Honor Roll:
Grade 5:
Alyvia Castellano
Xzavier Cool
Aiden Cruger
Anthony Polidori
Dylan Salerno

Grade 6:
Alexis Bowley
Gabriella Kellogg
E’nyjah Oldick
Cody Rulison

Principal’s List:
Grade 5:
Asher Barber
Halleli Brackett
Lexis Downes
Jessie Fink
Conner Hearn
Alexandra Hinkle
Justin Hisert
Khloe Hisert
McKenna Hisert
Hattie Hogan
David Jones
Joshua LaQuee
Madden Lathers
Jazmain Leonard
Kenyan Leverock
Connor Lochner
Lainie McDuffee
Hailee Moore
Jack Parkinson
Isaac Passero
Zoe Paul
Mary Pomatto
Braddock Putnam
Carl Reese III
Karson Rhodes
Trent Richards
Sequoia Robarge
Molly Shults
Jaymes Smith
Anna-Belle Snyder
Gavin Souza
Giavanna Suiter
Makenna Sweet
Issac Tompkins
Kinley Trumbull
Kiana Tyler
Jordan Williams II

Grade 6:
Evalyn Ballmes
Joseph Barr
Caleigh Bartholomew
Blake Battisti
Eliyahna Brackett
Ava Brown
Sophia Brownell
Dio Callan
Emma Dillenbeck
Mason Dunbar-Eller
Jordan Gallt
Brianne Gallt
Violet Handy
David Hillsgrove Jr.
Brianna Hisert
Sedona Horning
Lincoln Kretser
Blake Lapi
AshLyn Lewis
Paige Lochner
Andrew MacNeill
George Mang
Sean McGuire
Elijah Muha
Cristopher Quiroz-Romero
Sawyer Raymond
Xavier Rodriguez
Jasmine Rumrill
Charlotte Sherwood
Camden Smith
Gabreilla Steinhauer
Daija Suits
Dorian Tracki
Zachary Walsh
Evan Weaver

They read, they planned, they designed and they crafted: Fort Plain first graders used lots of their STEM skills to create monster traps just in time for Halloween.

Led by teachers Caitlin Baker, Ashley Bargstedt, Stephanie Boyer and Ashley Searles, the classes first read the stories “Monster Trouble” and “How to Catch a Monster.”

“Then, on Tuesday, Oct. 26, the students devised a plan for their project,” Baker said. “We talked about how engineers make up a plan before they invent something, and then follow through with testing out lots of different materials. There were no rules except to share and try to trap the monsters. We talked about things that would not work to trap the monsters.”

On Wednesday and Thursday, the first grade classrooms were a whirlwind of creative activity as the students worked on their projects. Scissors snipped and glue flowed as they transformed boxes and paper, pipe cleaners and cotton, tape and tongue depressors into detailed monster traps bedecked with glitter, decals, ribbons, googly eyes and original artwork.

On Friday, Oct. 29, the traps will go home for a real Halloween road test.

Building a monster trap taps into STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) skills, plus reading and communicating, sharing and problem-solving, creating and presenting, and working as a team. 

View more photos in our Facebook album

In honor of October as Anti-Bullying Month, sixth grade students at Harry Hoag School performed the play “Cars in Conflict or Is It Bullying” for the Oct. 22, 2021, Morning Program.

“Under the direction of School Counselor Mrs. Macherone, the older students did a beautiful job of teaching their younger peers about bullying behaviors and what to do when faced with those situations,” said Principal Lauren Crisman. “We are very proud of our sixth graders for promoting a positive school culture.”

View more photos on the Fort Plain Facebook page.

Harry Hoag Elementary students enjoyed an extra-special morning program on October 8, when they celebrated National Heroes Week. Teacher Ashley Bargstedt introduced Sergeant Smith with K9 Bud to the students. Sergeant Smith then showed them what Bud can do and talked about Bud’s role in police work. Thank you to our local heroes!

You are never too young to learn about fire prevention. Thank you to our local Fort Plain firefighters for teaching important lessons to Harry Hoag students on Tuesday, Oct. 5. It was a great day for all, including these Pre-K students.