New year at RCS brings new focus on students, school-community bond

The new school year began with changes in not only faculty and staff, but also programming.

Seventh grade students will learn more about how science, technology and math work together as RCS launches its new technology program – Project Lead the Way. Meanwhile, trout will start being schooled at RCS with the creation of the Trout in the Classroom project, in which fourth grade students will raise trout that will eventually be released into the wild.

At Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School, the new year is being welcomed with a new opening day in which the community and school are rallying around the school’s 500 students for a celebration. The First Day celebration will include a community parade, concert games and luncheon for family and community members.

Additionally, the school is working with the University of Albany on a federally funded research program designed to help struggling readers.

In the High School, students will open the book on a new course focusing on African-American literature and an old faithful course, Anthropology.

The two courses are the only new ones being offered at the High School for the 2007-08 school year, Grades 11/12 Principal Hakim Jones said.

The African-American Experience through Literature and Film course “focuses on a variety of literary genre representative of the rich tradition of African-American writing.”

The Anthropology course is being returned after nearly a decade absence at RCS. The course studies when, where, and why human beings appeared on the earth.  It also examines how humans have changed since their appearance and why various human populations vary in certain physical features.

Leading in science, math and technology

The Project Lead the Way curriculum – which is used in schools around the country - is designed to help students understand the real life implications of the technology, math and science skills they are learning.

Seventh grade students will start with the gateway to technology section of Project Lead the Way, which is designed to “address the interest and energy of middle school students, while incorporating national standards in math, science and technology.”

The math, science, and technology integrated gateway program helps students develop and hone skills in middle school that enable them to enter the high school program with foundation knowledge and skills for success for programs, including pre-engineering, Pappas said.

Future years will see the initiative expanded into eighth grade and later the high school, Superintendent Vicki Wright said.

PBC-University at Albany

As a result of a partnership between the University of Albany and RCS, approximately 10 fourth grade students in PBC who have difficulty reading will receive extra assistance this school year through a new reading program called the Interactive Strategies Approach.

The Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School students – special education students who scored poorly on state assessments last year and who have been identified for additional reading instruction – will receive one-on-one remedial reading assistance this year through a federal grant secured by the University at Albany.

College professors and researchers started this month providing intensive training to PBC Teacher Kelly McGillycuddy on the reading program, and she will now work with the students, providing intensive intervention that is expected to lead to large gains in their abilities, Albano said.

Members of the University at Albany’s research teams will monitor the student’s testing results.

New faculty, administrators, personnel

A number of new faculty, staff and administrators are also joining the RCS team for the 2007-08 school year.

Eugene Doane, who succeeds the retired Roy Deyo, is the district’s new facility director and Greg Chase has taken on the title of Human Resources director.

Succeeding Chase as Grades 9/10 principal is Frank Barone for the first half of the school year. He will step aside on Jan. 1, when Michael Norelli will take on those duties.

In the Middle School, Elizabeth SantaBarbara has out aside her chalk and calculators, leaving behind her math teaching duties to become co-principal. And, at A.W. Becker, former Grades 5/6 Principal Claudia Verga has returned to her roots at A.W. Becker to become the elementary school’s principal.

In terms of new faculty, the following is a list of new teachers entering the classrooms of RCS this year.

• Carrie DuBois, A.W. Becker Elementary fifth grade teacher

• Julia Aldrich, A.W.B guidance counselor

• Gregg Ronca, A.W. Becker Elementary physical education teacher

• Jennifer West, A.W. Becker Elementary fourth grade and remedial reading teacher

• Damien Verga, A.W. Becker Elementary fifth grade teacher

• Tera Weddell, High School English teacher

• Michael Fisher, High School technology teacher

• Phyllis Allen, High School business teacher

• Cara Buckley, Middle School librarian

• Amanda Carrk Latter, Middle School Math teacher

• Barbara Leatham, Middle/High School family consumer science teacher

• Charles Silberman, Middle/High School foreign language teacher

• Dee Hushmendy, Middle/High School English/literacy teacher

• William deSeve, Middle/High School foreign language

• Paul Strausmen, Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary music teacher

• Jennifer Rickert, PBC psychologist

• Michelle St. Louis, PBC special education teacher

• Kristen Olby, Middle School Social Studies substitute