Category: Jr./Sr. High News
Anthony Paradiso inducted into National Football Foundation Hall of Fame
Anthony Paradiso, an FPHS senior and member of the Canajoharie-Fort Plain football team, has been inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Capital District Chapter, a first for Fort Plain.
Anthony received his Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award at the Hall of Fame’s 34th Annual Awards Dinner at the Polish Community Center in Albany on Sunday, March 12.
The following is inscribed on Anthony’s award plaque: “The Capital District Chapter of the National Football Foundation grants Anthony Paradiso of Canajoharie-Fort Plain High Schools this certificate in recognition of being voted as outstanding in Academic Achievement, School & Community Leadership, and football performance, in the territory of this chapter.”
Anthony is an accomplished student-athlete who’s involved in many activities at school. His football days go back to his younger years. “I started playing football in 4th grade with Canajoharie Youth Football with Coach Kevin Suits and Brian Congdon,” Anthony said.
“In school I also play baseball. On my own, I do a lot of bowling in Junior Leagues/Tournaments, and I have played travel baseball in the past. I have also joined my sister in volleyball leagues/events during the summer.” [Anthony’s sister, Sarah, is a Class of 2021 alumna and who signed with Keuka College.]
As for academics, Anthony’s favorite subjects are math and science. At FPHS, he serves as Class Vice President and is involved in SADD, Student Council, Drama Club, National Honor Society and Yearbook Committee.
After graduation, Anthony plans to attend Lasell University in Newton, MA, to study Athletic Training/Exercise Science.
While the college gridiron is not in his future plans, Anthony will always enjoy football and other sports. “Unfortunately, due to the course load and sports offered by the school, furthering my athletic career in football is not possible, however, I do plan to stay around the sport of football with the help of my career and love for the game.
“As for other sports, right now, I am not committed to furthering my athletic career, however, I will still continue to stay active in the sports I love as best possible and even try other sports through intramurals and clubs, like volleyball.”
Anthony’s mom, Stephanie Paradiso, co-teaches second grade at Harry Hoag School. “Each school in Section II is given the opportunity to nominate one student for the National Football Hall of Fame honor, based not only on their work on the football field over the years, but also their achievements in and out of the classroom,” she said.
“Not only did Anthony receive this honor, but it is extra special because he is the first student from Fort Plain to ever receive it! Anthony received a beautiful plaque and a shirt. His name will also be put on the wall in the College Hall of Fame in Georgia for the next year!”
In addition to being honored for football, Anthony was recently named a Bowling First Team All-Star by the Western Athletic Conference.
Congratulations Anthony!
FPHS alumna author Allyson Dahlin shares experiences
By Tariyka Chaulk, Jr./Sr. High School librarian
Early Tuesday morning, March 7, Lisa Trembley’s 12th grade English classes gathered at the back of the Jr./Sr. High School Library to meet an author who once sat in those same seats. Published author and Fort Plain Class of 2008 alum, Allyson Dahlin, visited Mrs. Trembley’s college English and 12th grade classes, as well as Emma DiDonna’s 10th grade Honors English class.
Dahlin’s young adult book “Cake Eater” is a futuristic retelling of the story of Marie Antoinette. Students viewed a short presentation about Dahlin and her first published work, then spent the rest of the time asking questions about Dahlin’s process, how the publishing world works, and what stories Dahlin has in store for us in the future.
“Allyson did an excellent job interacting with our students today. It was truly a pleasure to hear her present part of her novel and to see the way she interacted with our students as she handled their many questions. She truly is a role model, and I am very proud of her. I cannot wait to read her next novel!” Mrs. Trembley commented on the visit.
Dahlin currently works in digital marketing but uses her spare time to write. The novel “Cake Eater” was written as part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge. During November, writers around the world set a goal and devote the month of November to writing a novel. Dahlin was able to do just that, with a literary agent and a publishing contract to follow. Her debut novel is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard book. During its debut month, it was listed as an Amazon Best Book and was recently added to the Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Book List, which lists the best science fiction books for young adults published throughout the year.
The visit was organized by Jr./Sr. High School Librarian, Tariyka Chaulk, for what she hopes will become a regular thing.
“I think these visits have such an impact because it makes a writer more real. Instead of a name on a cover, students see a real person in front of them. While the author is presenting, they might find commonalities between the author and themselves. Students might think, ‘That person’s just like me. They read books and wrote a novel. Maybe that’s something I can do.’”
Research suggests that students who participate in regular author visits are more likely to have high reading scores, and more likely to read and write for pleasure.
Congratulations All-Stars!
The Western Athletic Conference has honored several FPHS student-athletes as All-Stars.
Congratulations to:
- Amelia Gallagher for being named to the Western Athletic Conference Cheerleading All-Star Team
- Marissa Wilder for being named a Western Athletic Conference Basketball Second Team All-Star
- Stephen Gray for being named a Western Athletic Conference Basketball First Team All-Star
- Anthony Paradiso for being named a Western Athletic Conference Bowling First Team All-Star
- Alex Smith for being named a Western Athletic Conference Wrestling All-Star
- Austin Van Gorder for being awarded a Western Athletic Conference Basketball All-Star Honorable Mention
- Kaedence David for being named a Western Athletic Conference First Team All-Star
- Brianna Krutz for being named a Western Athletic Conference Second Team All-Star
FPHS is well represented at leadership conference
Fort Plain High School juniors Brady Keane, Jasmine Fonda, Courtney Euler, Marissa Wilder, Kaeden David, Monika Kulczynski, Coach John Fureno and Director of Student Engagement & Athletics David Bertram were among 300 student-athletes and coaches who participated in “Positive Leadership is Powerful Leadership: Diversity & Inclusion,” the 2023 Student-Athlete Leadership Conference, at the Clark Sports Center and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on March 3 in Cooperstown.
They and their peers, representing nearly 50 school districts from throughout central New York, spent the day learning, exploring and building leadership skills.
According to Monica Wolfe, Cooperstown CSD leadership training for athletes advisor, “The leadership conference exists to foster a positive atmosphere and serve as a platform for student-athletes to recognize how leadership application in athletics affects their daily lives. In turn, that creates a ripple effect to be applied through the student-athlete’s life and shared with their teams/teammates, their schools and their community.”
The conference featured several workshops and speakers including SUNY Polytechnic Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator Dr. Mark Montgomery, Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch and Hall of Fame Director of Education Stephanie Hazzard.
Conference sponsors include the Center State Conference, Section III Athletics, NYSPHSAA, NYS AHPERD, Nimey’s New Generation, Advantage Sport and Fitness, Community Bank, American Dairy Association, Gates Cole Insurance, USA Racing, NYPC/Upstate/Bocca, NYCM, Leatherstocking Region FCU, Chobani, Stewart’s Shops, the Clark Sports Center and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Students talk to lawmaker’s staff about taking a Reality Check
Reality Check representatives from Montgomery County Grace Dawson (above, far left) and LuAnn Santabarbara (far right), and FPHS students Trinity Belliveau and Zander Nemeth traveled to Albany to meet with Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara’s staff about funding and actions to cut tobacco use in NYS.
Trinity and Zander participated because they have seen the toll tobacco can take on families and communities and wanted to share their experiences with legislators.
Winter teams achieve Scholar-Athlete status
Congratulations to Fort Plain’s boys and girls basketball, girls bowling, and cheerleading teams for being honored as NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete Teams. Each team needs to have 75% of its team’s roster receive a total GPA of 90 or above. A total of 32 FPHS students achieved a 90 or better GPA during winter sports. #TopperPride!
Honoring a teacher superhero
“As I walk into school, I can see it through the doors, and it’s a great way to remember Kevin.” What Fort Plain High School Principal Dr. Deborah Larrabee sees is a large banner hanging in the school lobby memorializing beloved teacher Kevin Bogus, who passed away in May 2022.
Designed by high school teacher Linda Cole, the banner features an image of an original painting created in Kevin’s memory by fellow teacher, ninja athlete, and trainer, and close friend Geoff Snyder, who unveiled the banner at a Feb. 2 ceremony. The painting depicts Kevin during ninja training, gripping strongly with both hands while the rest of his body is airborne, wearing a shirt that says, “Get A Grip.”
“I’m an artist and an art teacher and wanted to remember Kevin through the painting,” Snyder said. “It’s hanging in our Albany Ninja Lab, where Kevin was beloved by everybody.” Snyder, who is a co-owner of the gym, competed on season 9 of American Ninja Warrior in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2017, and became discouraged after applying repeatedly to compete again.
“I was bummed and was going to give up,” he said. “Kevin talked me into applying again last year. ‘You can’t quit,’ he told me. ‘You gotta keep trying; you’re not a quitter’. So, I tried again, making Kevin’s story part of my application video. I was accepted to compete this spring in Los Angeles. I had a less than one percent chance of being picked, so being picked twice is like a dream come true.”
The Kevin Bogus memorial banner also features a quote by Thor, “A victory has more meaning when it is not won by the force of your own arms, yet the ingenuity of your own brain!”
“The quote was part of Kevin’s email signature at school,” said Dr. Larrabee. “He loved Marvel Entertainment. The painting, quote and the banner are a great way to honor him. We think Kevin was watching the unveiling from above and approved.”
Congratulations All County performers!
Congratulations to our talented elementary chorus members Claudia, Piper and Isabella, pictured above, and high school chorus members Ian Burns and Bailie Richardson, pictured below, for their recent performances at the All County Music Festival, and to music teacher Julieanne Sincavage.
All County Band
Congratulations to our talented band members Jasmine Lapi (10th grade flute) and Natalie Thibodeau (12th grade percussionist), who performed three pieces with the Senior All County Band, and to music teacher Dalton Burrello.
The songs were: “Shenandoah” by Claude T. Smith, “Spitfire!” by Gary P. Gilmore, and “Fate of the Gods” by Steven Reineke.
“The students rehearsed from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the day of the festival, and then put on a wonderful concert in the evening,” Burrello said. “They had the opportunity to rehearse, practice, eat lunch, and perform extremely challenging music with talented students from schools across the county (Fonda, Canajoharie, Amsterdam, etc.)
“They also worked with guest conductors from different areas of New York State, which created a very professional atmosphere and required a very high level of musicianship from each student. It was a great experience to be able to come all together and perform such high quality, challenging pieces of music, and I am grateful that they had the opportunity to be a part of that.”
172 students named to 2nd Q Honor Roll or Principal’s List
Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School is proud to announce that 76 students were named to the Honor Roll and 96 students were named to the Principal’s List for the second quarter of the 2022-23 school year.
To achieve Principal’s List, a student must earn an average of 89.445 or higher. To achieve Honor Roll, a student must earn an average between 84.445 and 89.444.
Congratulations to all of the students listed below.
Honor Roll
12th Grade
Jakub Battisti
Mayreni Quiroz-Romero
Raul Rivera III
Aleigha Van Alstine
11th Grade
Sofia-Lily Bates
Karissa Battisti
Mason Cook
David Doxtader
Courtney Euler
Jasmine Fonda
Aidan Guile
Jordan Hillsgrove
Vandwane Hisert
Alexis Maaser
Sadie Mollel
Devan Sanders
Zachary Sanders
Joseph Sherman
Alex Smith
Andrew Spicci
10th Grade
Tucker Bailey
Zachary Briggs
Jordan Brown
Alexander Ellis
Kaylie Field
Cris-John Fuhs
Christian (Charlotte) Krulczyk
Jasmine Lapi
Katie LeRoy
Damien Massie
Morgan McArthur
Asaiah Muha
Cameron Mussey
Xavier Rivera
Brandon Schuyler
9th Grade
Madison Clayburn
Marcus Dunbar-Eller
Noah Fonda
John Fountain
Natashia Hammond
Alexander Lamphere
Grace McFee
Bradley Rumrill
Morgan Stock
Summer Trumbull
8th Grade
Teegan Compton
Bryellah D’Arcangelis
Lyllie Handy
Jay Kwasny
Faith Narzymski
Brodie Poultney
Aidyn Rooney
Jaydin Roosevelt
Kendra Sackett
Larry Sanders III
Josh Schmidt
Peyton Spicci
Xzavier Staples
Jordan Thackrah
7th Grade
Blake Battisti
Alexis Bowley
Alexa Conley
Emma Dillenbeck
Mason Dunbar-Eller
Violet Handy
Brianna Hisert
Lincoln Kretser
Blake Lapi
AshLyn Lewis
Paige Lochner
Savannah Maddox
Elijah Muha
Cristopher Quiroz-Romero
Sawyer Raymond
Gabreilla Steinhauer
Zachary Walsh
Principal’s List
12th Grade
Americus Cotton
Cameron David
Madison Delgado
Andra Fuhs
Iyanna Gilot
Stephen Gray
Alexandra Handy
Ryleigh Hart
Zachary Hayner
Madeline Heroth
Rylee Herron
Ethan Kilmartin
Brianna Krutz
Vivian Nunez
Anthony Paradiso
Kaitlyn Parker
Kristin Sanders
Joseph Stinebrickner III
Natalie Thibodeau
Phoebe Wagner-Gollinger
11th Grade
Kelsey Buley
Kaeden David
Kierstan Horender
Ethan Hubbard
Brady Keane
Payton Kretser
Monika Kulczynski
Michael Palmeri
Matthew Paul
Breanna Steinhauer
Delana Tracki
10th Grade
Nathan Benson
Dakota Cooper
Yunus Demir
James Douglas
Ashlynn Hart
Vienna Jackson
Payton Landry
Nevaeh Rivers
Adriyanna Rouse
Chase Tyler
9th Grade
Ian Burns
Josephia Carcasole
Owen Castellano
Emma Cook
Daniel Euler
Isis Hammond
Koby Herron
Rachel Kamp
McKenna Karker
Dylan Keane
Macey LeRoy
Kyera Murray
Constance Narzymski
Taylor Potter
Bailie Richardson
Dawson Tracki
8th Grade
Trinity Belliveau
Jordyn Best
Gamliel Brackett
Kala Clapper
Tyler Cotton
Isabella Fountain
Jeremy Gebhardt
Mason Gray
Jansheen Haider
Hailey Hayes
Levi Hext
Nathalieann Hisert
Brooke Jones
Lilly Lapi
Madison Lewis
Shawn Madden
Gavin Massie
Elle Nare
Ariana Nemeth
Alexis Palmeri
Jonathan Palmeri
Zionna Robarge
Silas Smith
Brady Spaulding
Olivia Sweet
Landon VanGorder
Cheyanne Wall
7th Grade
Joseph Barr
Caleigh Bartholomew
Eliyahna Brackett
Dio Callan
Logan Carey
Jordan Gallt
Brianne Gallt
George Mang
Charlotte Sherwood
Daija Suits
Dorian Tracki
Evan Weaver
Vaping and e-cigarette use is a troubling trend
January 11, 2023
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The use of vaping paraphernalia and e-cigarettes has increased both nationwide and locally, becoming the most commonly used tobacco products among our youth. This is a troubling trend.
While these odorless tools are often marketed as safer and healthier alternatives to traditional cigarettes, to inhale nicotine, THC, flavored substances, and various synthetic chemicals, they are neither safe nor healthy.
Our school district is very concerned about the increase in vaping among students. Here is some important information for our Fort Plain families.
Teen vaping — 6 things every parent/guardian needs to know
- Slang terms: E-cigs, e-hookahs, hookah pens, vapes, vape pens, JUULs, “jeweling,” mods (customizable, more powerful vaporizers).
- Vaping devices can be used to inhale flavored substances – such as mint, crème brulée or mango. Many people are under the impression that it’s safe to inhale nicotine-free water vapors, but recent studies show otherwise. Flavoring agents can cause “popcorn lung” – a scarring of the tiny air sacs in the lungs that results in the thickening and narrowing of airways. Popcorn lung mirrors the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.
- Vaping devices can be used to inhale substances that contain nicotine, THC (the chemical compound in marijuana that produces the high), opiates and synthetic substances.
- Inhaling from a vaporizer enhances a drug user’s high and can amplify a drug’s side effects. That’s because it delivers a far more potent form of whatever drug is being used. The chemicals in synthetic drugs are dangerous and potentially fatal in cases of overdose.
- Vaping synthetic drugs is more discreet than other forms of drug abuse. Because e-cigarettes can resemble everyday ballpoint pens or USB memory sticks, they are easy to hide. E-cigarettes and vaping pens are odorless.
- E-cigarettes and pen vaporizers are easy to acquire for underage users.
Signs of vaping abuse and what parents/guardians can do
Parents/guardians can be on the alert for signs of vaping abuse. They can:
- Watch for physiological symptoms and side effects that may indicate their teen has a vaping abuse problem. These can include dry mouth syndrome, nosebleeds and strange, erratic behavior.
- Familiarize themselves with what e-cigarettes look like and how the devices work, so that they are able to identify them in the hands of their teens.
Student use of vaping paraphernalia on campus, school grounds and school buses is a violation of the Code of Conduct. Students who violate the Code of Conduct are subject to consequences outlined in the code.
Please review the fact sheet graphic below to learn more about vaping and its associated dangers. We encourage you to talk to your child about vaping, and remind them that state and federal laws prohibit them from purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes.
Thank you for your support and cooperation. If you have any questions related to our prevention and intervention efforts, please contact Jr./Sr. High School Principal Dr. Deborah Larrabee at deborah.larrabee@fortplain.org or the Elementary Principal Mrs. Jodi Coppolo at jodi.coppolo@fortplain.org.
Sincerely,
Lauren Crisman
Superintendent
