by Alex Brooks
The Hoosick Falls School Board held a relatively brief meeting on Monday, November 24. Neither Superintendent Ken Facin nor the two principals were present.
Board President Greg Laurin happily announced that all five of the fall sports teams had achieved “Scholar-Athlete” status, keeping grade point averages above 90.
[private]On behalf of the facilities committee, John Helft said the new pellet boiler is in the final stages of construction, and he expects it will be fired up in the next 10 days. He also noted that falling oil prices are not a problem for the District when it comes to savings
realized from this project. Under the District’s contract, he said, “We pay a percentage of the oil price,” and the contractor buys the pellets. In this way the District’s savings in comparison to heating with oil are locked in.
NYC Trip Approved
The Board approved the Senior Class Trip to New York City, planned for June 11 and 12 of 2015. The plans include a busy schedule of visits to Chelsea Market, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Chinatown, Little Italy, Times Square, Coney Island and a Mets game. The class will stay one night in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fairfield, New Jersey. The cost for the trip will be $250, but the magazine drive fundraiser has allowed some of the students to defray as much as half of that cost.
Board President Greg Laurin said if students are having trouble paying for the trip, the Board would like to know about it. “I don’t want kids who want to go not going because they can’t afford it,” he said.
Sea Pines Trip Approved
The Board also approved a spring trip planned by the girls lacrosse team to Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, North Carolina, to “build spirit and skills.” They plan to leave immediately when school gets out March 26 and stay five days. No competition is planned, just practice and skills training. The cost will be $600 per player, and three fundraising dinners are planned to help reduce that cost.
National Board Certified Teachers
Hoosick Falls Teachers Association representative Chris Marsh said the HFTA congratulates three teachers who have achieved National Board certification. These are Math teacher Katherine Dallemagne, Science teacher Deb Mabey and Art teacher Megan Conner.
He also said the HFTA fully supports the Capital Project which will be up for a vote on Tuesday, December 2.
Other Matters
• The Board accepted a series of gifts from the PTA. These were $176 for the third grade to see the Empire State Youth Orchestra at Proctor’s Theatre, $100 for fourth grade educational speakers and supplies, $150 for the Quilt Club and $200 for a second grade Halloween Party.
• The Board approved receiving $962,083 in unpaid real property taxes from Rensselaer and Washington Counties.
• The Board approved “Walk the Halls” recreational access to the school building for Mondays and Thursdays from 6 pm to 8 pm from December 1 to April 30.
Capital Project Vote
There will be a vote on the proposed Capital Project on Tuesday, December 2, from 9 am to 9 pm, and the Board will convene at 8:30 that evening to learn the results of the vote. The regular December meeting will be on Thursday, December 18, at 7 pm in the High School Library.[/private]