National Merit Finalists

Guilderland High School principal Mike Paolino is proud to announce the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Finalists. Congratulations to seniors Karl Barber, Yifan Chen, Katherine Haas, Katie Matthews, Adrian Valverde and Matthew Williamson. They are now among 15,000 finalists from whom 8,200 Merit Scholarship winners will be selected before the end of the school year.

Guilderland High School Student Runner Up in Prudential Community Spirit Award

Congratulations to Guilderland High School senior Devang Bhoiwala who has been named one of the top runners-up in the 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in New York. He will receive an engraved bronze medallion as recognition. Devang founded a student volunteer club dedicated to informing teens about the U.S. health care system and supporting free local clinics through volunteerism and fund-raising events. The club, Students for Improving Health Care, hosts speakers on health care topics, participates in health related community events such as health walks and expos, organizes fund-raising activities, and sends volunteers to help out at local clinics and nursing homes.

Westmere Art Teacher’s Work in Show

The Guggenheim Gallery at the Rensselaerville Conference and Meeting Center is offered an exhibit, Inside Out, last month featuring installations by artist and Westmere art teacher and artist MaryK Weeks.

Last summer, a former student showed Weeks a blog entry on MySpace written by a helicopter pilot in Iraq. The pilot, a former student, cited words MaryK had given him seventeen years before. He remembered these words while stationed in the desert. As a result of this connection and subsequent correspondence, she developed a vision for the show. Weeks dedicated the exhibit to the Marine pilot and to all the “once and future warriors” whom she has taught.

The show featured seven hanging installations made from recycled paper, bamboo, paint and fabric. Each installation focused on a mask adorned with ties decorated in calligraphic script. Each tie bore the thoughts of twenty-one famous thinkers, ranging from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Sister Corita Kent and Mahatma Gandhi. Themes explored include identity, rhetoric, patriotism and connection.

Jazz Fest 2008

Jazz Fest 2008, featuring the Niskayuna Middle and High School Jazz Ensembles, and Studio Singers took place Wednesday, February 6, 2008 in the Niskayuna High School auditorium.

Joining this year’s festival was popular jazz saxophonist, composer and Guilderland High School music teacher Lee Russo. Inspired by his father, Leo Russo, a saxophonist and longtime Albany legend, Russo and Joe Barna recently released The Abanaki. This recording has been praised as “jazz without pretensions or compromises,” and features Russo’s “gorgeous solos that combine a velvet texture with a blade-sharp edge.” Congratulations to Lee!

Third Grade Young People’s Concert

Each year 3rd grade students from across the district are treated to a Young People’s Concert. On Thursday, February 28th at 12:15 p.m. in the high school auditorium, the students were treated to an event entitled “A Tribute to Nature’s Animals”. High school principal, Mike Paolino narrated Sergei Prokofiev’s, “Peter and the Wolf” accompanied by the Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Ms. Kathleen Ehlinger. Keeping with the animal theme the Wind Ensemble played Henry Mancini’s “The Pink Panther” and Leroy Anderson’s “The Waltzing Cat”. Joining the wind ensemble were several small vocal ensembles and a brass quintet. The FMS Chamber Strings, under the direction of Ms Susan Lander, also performed recognizable favorites like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Plink Plank Plunk”. This event introduces third graders to instrumental music.

On February 12th high school Director of Health/Physical Education and Interscholastic Activities, Wayne Bertrand appeared on “Health Link” on WMHT television hosted by Benita Zahn. Wayne was a member of a panel discussing the MRSA “super bug” and its prevention. The panel included area doctors who are specialists in infectious disease and officials from area schools. They shared what local school districts are doing to keep students safe.

Farnsworth Middle School Places 2nd in 2008 National Future City Competition in Washington DC:
Students are now ranked second in the nation for superior engineering skills

Congratulations to Farnsworth Middle School who placed second in the 2008 National Engineers Week Future City CompetitionTM. The students – seventh-graders Kathryn Liotta, Hannah Liu, Brien Miceli, and eighth-graders, Anya Joynt and Adison Vanina. Farnsworth won the Capital District competition held on January 19 at Hudson Valley Community Center in Troy with a city of the future called “Mohala” engineered by the students. Teams from 36 middle schools nationwide, all winners of regional competitions held in January, participated in the Future City National Finals, February 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Thanks to James Liotta, engineer mentor, and Deb Escobar and Tom McGreevy, teacher advisors.

Winter teams qualify for 2007-08 NYSPHSAA Scholar/Athlete Award

Congratulations to all of the winter sports teams for qualifying for the Scholar/Athlete Award. To qualify, each team has to maintain a 90% team average or above. The sports teams recognized are:

• Boys’ Basketball Girls’ Basketball
• Gymnastics Ice Hockey
• Girls’ XC Skiing Boys’ Swimming
• Boy’s Indoor Track Girl’s Indoor Track

Music in Our Schools Month

In celebration of Music in Our Schools Month, the Guilderland School District is proud to announce that student ensembles will be performing at the Empire State Plaza. The concerts are free and open to the public.

On Wednesday, March 19, 2008 high school choir members will perform in the South Concourse at noon. Representing Guilderland High School will be the Mixed Choir (under the direction of Nancy Casellini) and the Women’s Choir (under the direction of Rae Jean Teeter).

Farnsworth Middle School ensembles will perform on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, including the FMS Select Choir (under the direction of Terri Mewhorter) at 11:30 a.m., followed by the FMS Select Band and the FMS Jazz Ensemble (under the direction of Jean Austin) at noon.

Students win awards in the annual Triple A Traffic Safety Poster Communication Contest

Congratulations to the following students in Meredith Best’s Advertising and Design class who won awards in the annual Triple A Traffic Safety Poster Communication Contest. Kristen Forte, grade 10 won a $50 American Express gift check along with a framed certificate. Angela Padula, grade 10 won a $100 American Express gift check, a framed certificate and a professionally matted frame of her work. Both entries will be posted on the Triple A website along with publication in the annual “Going Places” magazine. 150 entries were submitted by high school students around the Capital Region, each student was selected based on their grade and overall poster design.