Category: Jr./Sr. High News

Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School is proud to announce that 81 students have been named to the Honor Roll and 92 students have been named to the Principal’s List for the third quarter of the 2021-22 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

Grade 7

Kayden Battisti
Henry Crandall
Bryellah D’Arcangelis
Jeremy Gebhardt
Jansheen Haider
Lyllie Handy
Nathalieann Hisert
Madison Lewis
Gavin Massie
Elle Nare
Brodie Poultney
Jaydin Roosevelt
Kendra Sackett
Brady Spaulding
Riley Spraker
Olivia Sweet

Grade 8

Alexis Buley
Marcus Dunbar-Eller
Noah Fonda
John Fountain
Natashia Hammond
Grace McFee
Nicholas Skiffington

Grade 9

Alyssa Agnew
Zachary Briggs
Dakota Cooper
Kaedence David
Mariah Deese
Dakota Dodson
Kaylie Field
Jasmine Lapi
Damien Massie
Asaiah Muha
Nevaeh Rivers
Emily Rood
Calen Van Alstine
Dustin Welch

Grade 10

Carter Baldwin
Karissa Battisti
Ezekiel Brown
Kelsey Buley
Mason Cook
Jasmine Fonda
Vandwane Hisert
Ethan Hubbard
Payton Kretser
Sadie Mollel
Devan Sanders
Joseph Sherman
Payton Skiffington
Alex Smith
Breanna Steinhauer
Delana Tracki
Marissa Wilder

Grade 11

Madison Delgado
Andra Fuhs
Alexandra Handy
Madeline Heroth
Vivian Nunez
Alyza Scott
Page Stone
Savonna Tyler
Aleigha Van Alstine
Phoebe Wagner-Gollinger
Jeffrey Wilday

Grade 12

Nicholas Blowers
Laura Chambers
Monique Cool
Jacob Curtis
Keagen Ford
Emma Karker
Owin Landry
Patrick LeMoine
Vincent Lince
Hunter Lounsberry
Griffin MaGinnis
Tyrell Martin
Craig McMurray
Kasidy Rouse
Robert Trumbull
Johnathan Williams

Principal’s List

Grade 7

Trinity Belliveau
Jordyn Best
Gamliel Brackett
Aubry Brant
Kala Clapper
Aaliyah Delgado
Deegan Fountain
Mason Gray
Hailey Hayes
Levi Hext
Brooke Jones
Jay Kwasny
Lilly Lapi
Faith Narzymski
Alexis Palmeri
Zionna Robarge
Larry Sanders III
Silas Smith
Landon VanGorder
Cheyanne Wall

Grade 8

NyKisha Brown
Logan Burgess
Ian Burns
Josephia Carcasole
Owen Castellano
Emma Cook
Daniel Euler
Reanna Germond
Breyanna Gilot
Koby Herron
McKenna Karker
Dylan Keane
Daniel Lancaster
Kyera Murray
Constance Narzymski
Taylor Potter
Bailie Richardson
Bradley Rumrill
Morgan Stock
Jayde TenEyck
Dawson Tracki

Grade 9

Nathan Benson
Jordan Brown
Yunus Demir
James Douglas
Alexander Ellis
Cris-John Fuhs
Ashlynn Hart
Vienna Jackson
Payton Landry
Xavier Rivera
Adriyanna Rouse

Grade 10

Kaeden David
Aidan Guile
Brady Keane
Monika Kulczynski
Michael Palmeri
Matthew Paul
Austin VanGorder

Grade 11

Americus Cotton
Cameron David
Hannah Edwards
Stephen Gray
Rylee Herron
Ethan Kilmartin
Brianna Krutz
Anthony Paradiso
Kaitlyn Parker
Mayreni Quiroz-Romero
Alex Rivkowich
Kristin Sanders
Joseph Stinebrickner III
Natalie Thibodeau

Grade 12

Bryce Anderson
Erin Crouse
Brandon Dygert
Sarah Florian
Michael Harris Jr.
Hailey Hogan
Kerri Johnson
Tucker Jones
Robert Jordan
Shantel Kretser
Braeden Mosher
Talia Narzymski
Emma Oldick
Seth Rivkowich
Lawrence Sinisi
Estee Smith
Levi Thomas
Cheyanne Wahl
Clayton Welch

All are welcome as Fort Plain celebrates college signings by three talented student-athletes on Wednesday, May 4, at 3 p.m. in the high school lobby.

• Sarah Florian will sign with Utica University for indoor and outdoor track and field.
• Robert Jordan will sign with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for  basketball.
• Levi Thomas will sign with Albany College of Pharmacy for basketball.

Students must meet college standards to sign with NCAA Division III schools, with signing evidence of an impressive high school career and commitment to a college’s program.

Above, from left: Robert Jordan, Levi Thomas, Sarah Florian

Students in Rachel Heroth’s App FUNdamentals class at Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School got a close-up view of information technology (IT) applications and explored a range of IT career opportunities during an April 14, 2022, trip to Sticker Mule in Amsterdam.

But before they even left on their trip, the students participated in a design challenge to create a logo for their high school’s Computer Science program.

The winning logo design was created by Andra Fuhs and Madison Delgado. The students used software to adjust and convert the image so it could be cut out of heat-transfer vinyl, which they then used to create t-shirts.

During their tour of Sticker Mule, the students viewed a similar process, on a larger scale with industrial size equipment.

“At Sticker Mule, the class toured the facility and witnessed sticker printing, cutting, and packaging processes,” Heroth said. “Sticker Mule’s  chief technology officer explained the technology involved in each step on the production floor and what went into the development of the programs that are vital to the company’s success.

“After the tour, students attended a presentation given by IT department members at the Amsterdam location and members who video-conferenced in from Brazil. The class learned what aspects of computer science and programming languages are used in different operations of the company.”

The presentation also highlighted different career paths in information technology, and values that technology leaders seek in employees. “It was really cool to hear how much the directors value hard work and computer science skills,” said Tucker Jones, a 12th grade student.

Students capped their field trip by receiving “swag bags,” which included their logo design on two different sticker materials and a variety of Sticker Mule products.

Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School has been named the region’s top high school and among the state’s and nation’s Best High Schools by U.S. News & World Report, retaining an honor that recognizes student achievement and academic and program excellence.

The Best High Schools 2022 Edition ranks nearly 18,000 schools by state and census-designated metropolitan areas with three or more high schools.

Fort Plain was ranked number one in the Amsterdam, N.Y., metro area, number 446 in New York State – in the top 34 percent, and number 4,978 in the nation – in the top 40 percent of public high schools in the U.S. Fort Plain has been highly ranked for several years.

Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation rate and how well they prepare students for college. Specifically, rankings are based on enrollment, student body demographics, location and school type, graduation rate, and results of state assessments and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests.

According to U.S. News & World Report, “The Best High Schools rankings, available online only, are produced in conjunction with RTI International, a global research firm. U.S. News doesn’t collect data directly from high schools – all data comes directly from official third-party sources. U.S. News receives AP and IB data directly from the College Board and International Baccalaureate, respectively, for use in the rankings. The state assessment data and graduation rates are from each state, and other data comes from the U.S. Department of Education Common Core of Data.”

Congratulations Hilltoppers!

The Scholarship Association of Fort Plain has been awarding scholarships to deserving students since 1947, and Fort Plain High School seniors are encouraged to apply. All a student has to do to apply is complete paperwork available from the high school counseling office.

The goal of The Scholarship Association of Fort Plain is to assist qualifying seniors in obtaining a higher education. The Association awards scholarships to seniors who have achieved an average of 75 or above through their high school years, and grants special awards to students who have maintained an average of 85 or better.

The Association believes it is very important that every deserving student receives a scholarship, that all who qualify receive an award. All a senior has to do is fill out the application, which is kept strictly confidential.

Information and scholarship applications are available in the Fort Plain High School Counseling office and are due back there by May 25, prior to the Memorial Day recess. Questions may be directed to Colleen Cushing at colleen.cushing@fortplain.org or (518) 993-4000.

“Fort Plain Central School recognizes the ongoing generosity of The Scholarship Association of Fort Plain and thanks them for their commitment to our students,” said Fort Plain Interim Superintendent Jeffery Ziegler.

Honoring achievement since 1947 – A brief history of the scholarships

The Scholarship Association of Fort Plain held its first formal organizational meeting on May 15, 1947, and awarded its first scholarship, $1,000, the following month to Fort Plain graduating senior Helen Brown. The Association’s endowment grew significantly over the years, thanks to the generosity of many donors, both individuals and organizations.

By 1994, the Association had awarded $58,000 in scholarships. In November of that year, the scholarship fund got a big boost when the Association received a bequest from Clifford Abel for $1 million, enabling the presentation of many more annual awards. Mr. Abel was a 1944 Fort Plain High School graduate who served in the Navy, then worked his way through college and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1950. His sister, Janet, also graduated from Fort Plain, in 1950.

A sizable life insurance policy was also left to The Scholarship Association of Fort Plain, and several estates have contributed to the Association’s successful program over the years, including the estates of the Wiles family, Frank and Mary Smith, George Weeks, Lore and Leo Koppel, Thelma Temple, and Dr. Charles Slater, who requested awards be given to students enrolled in an accredited American medical college.

Numerous memorials, merchants, families and individuals have donated to The Scholarship Association of Fort Plain, and their generosity continues. Many of the donors to the scholarship fund are past recipients. Students are welcome to become members of the Association.

Fort Plain’s student athletes are excelling in their sports and in the classroom. A number of teams have been named New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Scholar–Athlete teams, and Fort Plain’s winter sports teams had 40 Western Academic Conference (WAC) All-Stars.

To be named NYSPHAA Scholar-Athletes, teams must have an average of 90 or above to qualify. The following teams are being honored:

• Girls basketball
• Boys basketball
• Cheerleading
• Swimming (merged team with Canajoharie)
• Wrestling (merged team with Canajoharie)

According to NYSPHSAA, “At the end of each sports season, the NYSPHSAA honors those teams and individuals that excel in the classroom. Those student-athletes, teams, and schools work very hard throughout the year and deserve to be recognized for their academic success.”

Learning another language opens a world of possibilities, and for Fort Plain High School Spanish 8 students, researching and marketing places where that language is spoken provided a unique opportunity to tap into history, culture and opportunities to explore.

Spanish teacher Melanie Pombrio and Library Media Specialist Tariyka Chaulk partnered to challenge the students to produce travel brochures for vacations in Spanish-speaking countries, territories and cities. Besides studying a destination’s past and present and identifying interesting activities, the students had to research the logistics and costs of travel to, from and within each destination, meals, and excursions, and then establish a trip budget. They also had to research requirements for entry, such as passports, visas and vaccinations.

Airports, transfers, hotels, day trips, festivals, local fare, street maps, rental cars, natural attractions, native animals, art, cultural and historic sites, special events – the students researched all of this and more. Once they gathered their information, they used Adobe Spark to create colorful and information-packed travel brochures.

The project tapped a wide range of skills for the students, integrating study of Spanish language and culture with English, social studies, technology, visual presentation, science, math, marketing and more, as a creative – and fun – way to learn.

Pombrio and Chaulk said the project was an eye-opening experience for many students as they discovered the many differences in daily life around the world. “Some of the students were surprised by things such as challenges getting from one place to another in their chosen countries compared to what they know from living here, or by costs and requirements of traveling and visiting other countries,” they said.

The project also piqued the students’ interest in places to visit in the future. “They had to sell their destination to their classmates with their brochures, and many of the students now want to travel to the places they researched,” Pombrio and Chaulk said. “They had a really good time with the project.”

Here are a few of the students’ brochures: