Category: Jr./Sr. High News

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

Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School’s 7th Grade Team has announced the Most Valuable Students for November 2021, December, 2021, and January 2022. Congratulations to Gamliel Brackett, Brady Spaulding and Mason Gray, respectively.

Most Valuable Student is a monthly award that was developed for students who are caught “doing their job.” According to teacher Dale Smith, “Students who most demonstrate characteristics in one or more of the following categories will receive a Most Valuable Student award for the month:

• Responsibility/accountability
• Kindness
• Academics
• Good citizenship
• School pride
• Perseverance
• Self-control
• Helpful to peers/teachers, and
• Accepting of new challenges.”

Each monthly winner gets a Medal and Certificate congratulating them on their achievement.

Congratulations to the most recent Most Valuable Students:

November: Gamliel Brackett

December: Brady Spaulding

January: Mason Gray

Kolbe Gray’s History of Sports class has created a cool Athlete Spotlight featuring FPHS students. View their project below to learn more about our talented Hilltoppers. The class has also created a website to provide some great info about Hilltopper sports.

Fort Plain Athlete Spotlight

Throughout the week of Dec. 6-11, Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School celebrated Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) by participating in the international Hour of Code.

CSEdWeek was founded as an international call to action to raise awareness of the need to elevate computer science education at all levels and to underscore the critical role of computing in all careers.

Fort Plain High School’s Toppers participated in Hour of Code activities with teachers Kevin Bogus, Laurie Capece, Louise Clute, Kreig Heroth, Kajee Quick, Lucas Santiago, Wendy Stokna, Susan Summerfield and Lisa Trembley. Teachers worked with Educational Technology Specialist Rachel Heroth and Library Media Specialist Tariyka Chaulk to integrate coding into their curriculum, and students enjoyed accessing content through a computer science lens.

Hour of Code activities included various hands-on coding, robotics, and computational thinking lessons. Students in Materials Processing, Keyboarding, and Math used Ozobot and Cubelet robots to understand how mechatronics is utilized in manufacturing, how to write and transfer code to robots through multiple sensors and channels, and how robots can be used to solve and illustrate mathematical equations.

In English, students learned how to code a program using block and JavaScript languages to animate poems to convey mood, and how to code a storyboard. In Science, students wrote programs to create a solar system, illustrate the importance of recycling, and create a tether game to simulate the principles of physics.

Students also had some fun writing code to create their own video games and complete challenges based on popular video games and pop culture characters.

CSEdWeek is just the beginning of what the future holds for FPHS students as the district implements new Computer Science and Digital Fluency standards adopted by the state last December. The district will work toward full implementation of the new standards, with three years to build awareness and capacity.

Events like the Hour of Code are great opportunities for introducing computer science skills into our classrooms and getting students excited about learning how to code. Computer science and digital fluency are being further integrated into existing courses and curriculum, and computer science is being developed into future course offerings.

More information about the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards can be found at http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/computer-science-and-digital-fluency.

Article submitted by Rachel Heroth, educational technology specialist

In the photos:
At top: Student working with Cubelet robots
Middle photo: Students coding Ozobots
Bottom photo: Rachel Heroth teaches about Cubelet robots with Kreig Heroth

Congratulations to Taylor Potter on winning the Patriot’s Pen essay contest through VFW Post 3275. Forty-two 8th grade students submitted an essay on the topic, “How to be A Good American” to our local VFW Post for review.

Taylor’s essay will advance to the VFW District 3 regional competition. Best of luck, Taylor!

In the photo at top: Fort Plain VFW Jr. Vice Commander Laurence Maynard, Taylor, and Fort Plain VFW Commander Tom Ellwood.