2008-2009 School Year

June 2009

Thank you to our 2009 retirees. The following individuals have given a combined 382 of dedication and service to the Queensbury school and community: Fran Cabana, QES PE Teacher; Betsy Crannell, WHBI Special Education Teacher; Sandra Deeb, Head Bus Driver; Carol Fitzpatrick, QHS Guidance Secretary; Marilyn Graves, QMS 6th Grade Teacher; Thomas Judkins, QMS Cleaner; Bonnie Kopp, QHBI 4th Grade Teacher; Stephen Leonard, WHBI Music Teacher; Terry Martin, QMS PE Teacher; Patricia McDonnell, QHS Special Education Teacher; Connie Quackenbush, CSE Secretary; Dave Serfis, QHS Science Teacher; Linda Sherrick, QES Speech Therapist; and Nancy Stannard, QMS Math Teacher. Thank you for the positive impact you have had on our students' education.

June 14th was the date for the first Hike for Hope, a fundraiser by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Over 50 middle and high school students and staff walked up Prospect Mountain in memory of Cody Miller, a QHS student who committed suicide in August 2007. "Cody's Crew" was presented with "The Trail Blazer Award" by the AFSP for raising over $3,000.

On June 7th staff and students rode in the annual Cure de Tour, a cycling event that raises money for the American Diabetes Association. Team members rode between 25 to 100 miles and raised almost $13,000! Way to go!

Congratulations to "Allen's Army" for raising over $11,000 for Relay for Life, an event that raises money for the American Cancer Society. Allen's Army is organized by Mark Allen, a 4th grade teacher at the WHBI. The team was comprised of 17 current students and 23 former students who joined together for this worthy cause. Great job!!

May 2009

The Queensbury School District was awarded the Inspiring Community Award, Gold Level at the Tri-County United Way recognition breakfast on May 5th. This award recognizes the top twenty organizations who show continuous commitment to community through workplace giving, special fundraising and volunteering. Thank you to our staff members who have donated their time and money for this worthy cause.

Congratulations to QMS students Jennifer Carillo, John Funiciello, Brandon Hearley, Brooke Meader, Christopher Ostwald, Amelia Rivette, Nicholas Rizzo, Daniel Thompson, and Beth Yarze for their nomination to participate in the 2009 National Young Leaders State Conference.  This is a challenging and interactive leadership program for America’s most promising middle school scholars. Nomination to this program is an honor that indicates students have achieved a high level of respect from their educators for their academic and leadership qualities. Congratulations to our nominees!

Thank you to Mrs. Byrnes' 6th grade science classes who recently donated their time to help Special Olympics. Some students participated in a Bike-a-Thon or Bowl-a-Thon and raised $1,600 for the cause while others volunteered their time at the Warren/Washington/Saratoga County Special Olympics on May 16th. Mrs. Byrnes' science classes have raised money for Special Olympics for the past 20 years. Thank you, Mrs. Brynes, for setting the example of contributing to the global community for our students!

Congratulations to Tyler Pettit, the 2009 WHBI Spelling Bee Champion. Tyler, a 4th grade student, competed against 4th and 5th grade students in the annual Spelling Bee. He will represent Queensbury at the BOCES Regional Spelling Bee on June 2nd in Saratoga against local students in grades 4 through 8. Good Luck, Tyler!

April 2009

Juliann LaJoie and Tim Hughes, both QHS seniors, have been recognized as Capital Area School Development Association (CASDA) Scholars. The CASDA Scholars' Recognition program recognizes capital area seniors who demonstrate outstanding scholastic achievement, leadership and service to their schools and communities.

Congratulations to Dylan Chirgwin, 5th grade student, who submitted a winning essay in the annual Women’s History Month essay content sponsored by the American Association of University Women. Dylan’s essay was one of thirteen winning essays chosen from the 342 entries from area 5th grade students.

Tim Doak, QHS Senior, has been honored by the Adirondack Area School Boards Association as a recipient of their Community Service Award. Tim volunteers with many charitable organizations and established "Tim's Bears Who Care," a charity that provides teddy bears to children battling cancer at Albany Medical Center. Congratulations, Tim!

Congratulations to Paris Howard, winner of the Chronicle and Red Fox Books spelling bee held at Crandall library. Paris, a student in Mrs. Fielding's 3rd grade class, triumphed over a field of more than 35 participants, ages 8-10.

March 2009

John DeSanto, Assistant Superintendent for Business, has been named as an outstanding member of the NYS Association of School Business Officials for 2009. With this recognition comes a $1,000 scholarship opportunity for a Queensbury senior planning to study business, finance and/or education in college. Congratulations, Mr. DeSanto, for being honored by your peers for "exemplifying the honor, commitment and dedication of school business officials."

Congratulations to Scott Stuart who was named the Chapter 2 New York State Athletic Administrator of the Year at the annual State Conference. Mr. Stuart has been the Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics at QUFSD for 11 years and was recognized by the NYSAAA for his commitment and positive contributions to the promotion of athletics.

Samantha Ballard, grade 6, has been selected to the USSA (United States Ski and Snowboard Association) Eastern Jr. IV Future Stars camp. Samantha earned an invitation to this elite camp by placing 3rd on the Alpine New York State team in a recent NYS Ski Racing Association race. Congratulations Samantha!

Congratulations to Shay Benedetto, Colton Bishop, Lauren Barnes, Emily Carberry, Charlie Geer, Christopher Goudy, Emily Guinther, Molly Lieberman, Christie Raymond, Katelyn Ripley, Delaney Silvernell, Hunter Scott, James Twyman and Samantha Wallace for being nominated to participate in the 2009 Summer Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. These students are among thousands of middle school scholars from around the country chosen for this opportunity because of their strong academic and leadership qualities.

Two teams of students from the WHBI qualified to compete at the State level Odyssey of the Mind Tournament by winning 1st place in their problem category at the regional level tournament this month. Congratulations to Amanda Guido, Lydia Hanchett, Ericka Wadleigh, Mara Bureau, Amanda Teppo, Abigail Weirich, Mahhum Naqvi, John Hartman, Emma Morse and Luke Ely for your creative problem solving and success at the regional tournament. Good luck at the State tournament next month!

Thank you to the QHS Musical cast, Student Senate, Key Club, National Honor Society, Cooking Club and cooking classes who joined forces to provide "Dinner and a Musical" to nearly 150 senior citizens from Queensbury, Glens Falls and Moreau. Guests were served a delicious pasta dinner and then attended the dress rehearsal of the QHS musical production "Anything Goes." Your efforts provided an enjoyable evening for all who attended!

A Job Well Done to the QMS Global Community Advisors club for collecting over 850 pairs of gently used shoes during their recent Soles4Souls campaign. The shoes were sent to the Soles4Souls warehouse to be distributed based on the areas of need both nationally and internationally. A great example of Contributing to the Global Community!

February 2009

We are proud to welcome Sergeant First Class Charles Harwood back to QUFSD after a one year tour with the National Guard in Kabul, Afghanistan. This is Mr. Harwood's third tour of duty since being hired as a mechanic with the Transportation Department in 1986. Thank you for your service to our country and for exemplifying the District Mission to “contribute to the global community.”

Congratulations to the Queensbury Varsity Quiz Bowl Team who are winners of the 2008-2009 Post Star Academic Bowl Championships.  This is the second year in a row that Queensbury has won the title and the fourth time in the last six years qualifying for the National Championships.  This year's varsity team members are:  Ben Frank, Tim Hughes, Nick Keenan, Shannon Sara, Jordan Daley, Michael Norton and Kelly O'Shaughnessy. Great job and congratulations to Coach Dupper and Coach Weiss!

Congratulations to Tim Dawkins, WKBE Teacher of the Week for the week of February 2nd! Mr. Dawkins is a Guidance Counselor at the high school who “makes it a point to know all of his students. He is always available to talk to his students about their problems, choosing classes or deciding on a college. Mr. Dawkins is very approachable and is also a co-class advisor.”

January 2009

Thanks to the 125 WHBI students who volunteered to read aloud to K-3 students for the “Cabin Fever Extravaganza” at the Elementary School. You are positive role models for the younger students and your participation was a key part in making the evening successful for all! Thanks also to the more than 75 WHBI and QES staff members who volunteered their evening to keep things running smoothly.

Congratulations to Kristen Balschunat (junior) and Timothy Doak (senior), who have been chosen as honorees for the 2nd Annual Post Star Teen Excellence Awards.  Kristen and Tim are active members within their school and have also demonstrated a strong commitment to making a difference in their global community. They are excellent examples of the many students at QUFSD who are living our District Mission by “contributing to the global community.”

Kevin Chen, a junior at QHS, recently finished building a garden in front of the middle school as a community service project that is required to earn his Eagle Scout rank. He began planning for this when he was in 8th grade, at which time the QMS Student Council committed to purchasing the bricks to create the garden. Thank you to Kevin for contributing to your school and community, and thank you to the QMS Student Council for supporting our students efforts.

December 2008

Thank you to all of the students and staff members at QUFSD who have worked hard to make this holiday season a little easier on some needy Queensbury families. We also thank the parents and community members who supported our students’ participation in these efforts. Here are just a few examples of the generosity and compassion that abounds at Queensbury: QHS Staff raised $400 through a casual day to help five families, the QMS Adopt-a-Family program raised $1,200 that was used to provide nine  families with clothing, the QMS Student Council and Global Differences program teamed up to collect over 90 boxes of food and purchase 18 turkeys that will be distributed among 18 families, the Transportation Department adopted a few of our homeless students and provided much needed support, the Technology Department made a $280 donation to Operation Santa Claus, a WHBI classroom collected 80 toys for the Toys for Tots program, and the QES Adopt-a-Family project supports several families. Congratulations to the QUFSD family for living the District Mission to “Contribute to the Global Community” – together we can make a difference.    

Kudos to the Transportation Department, who received an Award of Appreciation on Sunday, November 30th from the local National Guard office for their ongoing support of deployed soldiers. Twice a year the department collects food, socks, books and other items to be sent to our soldiers.

A "Job Well Done" to all ten Fall Varsity sports teams for earning NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team recognition with a collective average of 90% or better.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Houston and Madison Kircher on their selection for the NYSSMA the All-Eastern Chorus.  They are two of approximately 60 singers representing New York State at the MENC Eastern Conference.

November 2008

QHS senior Timothy Doak recently attended the 71st Annual Conference of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYS AHPERD) to present “Building Social Support and Communication Through Cancer-Related Issues” with Owen Donovan from the NYS Education Department. This curriculum presentation was the culminating activity for Tim’s Make-A-Wish Foundation project that began over four years ago to create a learning experience designed to build social support and communication in the classroom for cancer related issues.

Elementary school students recently collected gently used and new costumes, makeup and wigs to donate to the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne. These items are used by children at the Double H Ranch during weekly talent shows and other camp activities. Thank you to everyone who participated in this project and for keeping the Mission to "Contribute to the Global Community" moving forward.

Students from the WHBI participated in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF during Halloween and raised $1,139.86 for this worthy charity. UNICEF provides children across the globe gain access to better nutrition, clean water, medicine and immunizations, education and emergency relief. A Job Well Done to all of the students who participated!

October 2008

Throughout the month of October, high school groups have held Power of Pink events to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The month long activities culminated in the "Pink is Powerful ... Everyone Deserves Coverage" walk that was held on campus on October 26th. Over 600 students, staff and community members participated in this event. The total amount raised was just under $30,000.00, which will be used to provide uninsured individuals with mammograms. Thank you to our students, staff and community members for supporting this worthy cause.

Congratulations to Tim Doak, Libby Houston, Madison Kircher and Allie Smith who have been selected by the NYS School Music Association (NYSSMA) as participants in the NYSSMA All-State performance to be held in December. Tim, Libby and Allie will be singing in the Mixed Chorus and Madison will perform with the Women’s Chorus. Congratulations also to Harry Horton, on trumpet, and Vin Harris, as an alternate tenor, who were selected as alternates for the All-State performance. Queensbury is honored to have six musicians chosen as participants or alternates for this elite group of performers from across the state.

Queensbury High School is proud to announce the Top Ten Students for the Class of 2009: Patrick Carroll, Joyce Chen, Alexis Fazio, Timothy Hughes, Juliann Lajoie, Katherine Littrell, Laura Quaresima, Julianna Romanazzi, Alexander Sabo and Benjamin Sabo. Congratulations to all for an outstanding academic career at QHS.

September 2008

Mrs. Toni Wiekierak, WHBI 4th Grade Teacher, has been chosen as the 2008 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year for the Queensbury location. She was nominated by a student (nominations are anonymous) because of her efforts to give extra help to students who struggle with schoolwork. Congratulations to Mrs. Wiekierak for this well deserved recognition.

August 2008

The following staff members were recognized recently for the completion of their 25th year of service to the Queensbury School District: Mike Caselli, QHS Music Teacher;Amy Lucy, QMS Consumer and Careers Teacher; Pat McDonnell, QHS Special Education Teacher; Theresa Middleton, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum; Meg Phillips, QHS PE Teacher and Deanna Roberts, QES Assistant Principal's Secretary.