From the interim superintendent
Opportunity all around
Opportunity can mean
one of two things: either
the joining of favorable
circumstances, or the
chance for advancement.
Providing both to our
students is a priority for
me as interim superintendent in the City School
District of Albany.
Kimberly Young Wilkins, Ed.D.
In the past several
Interim superintendent
months I’ve observed numerous opportunities for students of all ages to learn
and grow. This includes quality instruction, special
projects, reading celebrations, school plays, field
trips, award ceremonies and celebrations, sports,
music, art and much more.
These opportunities allow our students to shine
and show their diverse talents in many ways. They
culminate in end-of-year highlights such as moving-up ceremonies and the ultimate milestone:
Albany High School graduation on June 26.
The end of school is a natural time to look back
on the past school year and plan for the next school
year and beyond. Although school is officially
over June 24, our staff and I will continue to work
through the summer on important projects that also
involve opportunity.
Ongoing efforts include re-crafting a Code of
Conduct that will reaffirm our commitment to
changing discipline practices and procedures that
have perpetuated disproportionate suspension rates
for black students and students with disabilities.
We also are continuing the work of the Grade
Configuration Steering Committee, which is studying
short- and long-term enrollment and facilities options
for our elementary and middle schools so they meet
the needs of our growing student population.
Our goal, as we move forward with these and other projects, is to give every student every opportunity to succeed and grow emotionally, intellectually,
physically and socially.
Underlying this work is a shared vision of equity
for all of our students in all forms of opportunity.
The district remains committed to providing
the highest-quality educational experience for all
students, who will continue to be our primary focus.
They and our schools are a source of pride and value
to our community, and this is evident throughout the
pages of this newsletter.
I invite parents to take the opportunity to be
actively involved in their child’s education, and I
extend an invitation to the entire community to join
us at school activities and events as often as possible. (That includes our annual Summer Celebration
Saturday, July 16 in Krank Park. This free family
event features food, music, fun and information from
dozens of community organizations. Visit www.albanyschools.org to learn more!)
Please know that I value your involvement, engagement and support for the learning of all of our
students. I look forward to having many opportunities to work with you.
Capital Education is published by the
City School District of Albany.
Please direct comments about the newsletter,
story ideas and questions to
Ron Lesko at (518) 475-6065
or [email protected], or
Lisa Angerame at (518) 475-6066
or [email protected].
City School District of Albany
1 Academy Park
Albany, New York 12207
2
www.albanyschools.org
Voices
Q: If you could invent something to change the world, what would it be?
It would be a clean-up robot. The
amount of garbage and other waste is
constantly increasing. This invention
would automatically clean up anything
that should not be outside in the streets,
on beaches and in oceans. This robot
would help to create a better environment
for not only people but animals. The environment would be
safer and cleaner. Besides that, it would show people how
important it is to keep the Earth around us clean. The world will be better if there is no
war. I strongly believe that if I can invent
a
a machine called “The Peacemaker
2000” it will change the world. It will
stop war in peaceful ways. It will use
nice words like Dr. Martin Luther King
did, not mean words. It will use motivational words. It will make a wall so the two sides can’t
pass until they’ve made up. In conclusion, my machine will
change the world.
– Will O’Neill, third grade
New Scotland Elementary School
– Logan Aiello, senior
Albany High School
It would be a device that could stop tornadoes. I would create this device because
they destroy homes and whole towns,
leaving families homeless, most likely
with nowhere to go or stay. I have a theory
that if you can cause an explosion in the
middle of a tornado, the fire from the
explosion will cause all of the oxygen in the air to die down,
resulting in the tornado stopping its path of destruction.
– James Robertson, junior
Albany High School
If I could invent something that
would change the world I would invent a
machine that could provide a cure to all
diseases. It would put an end to cancer,
diabetes or any other disease. No one
would ever die from a fatal illness. Any
disease or illness could be cured with
just the push of a button. The machine would help scientists
and doctors prevent any illness from harming anyone. My
friend’s mom has cancer so it would mean a lot to me if I
could cure it for her. If I could invent something that would
change the world, that’s what it would be.
– Leah John, fifth grade
Montessori Magnet School
If I could invent something in the world
I would invent a robot fish so I could
prevent pollution and stop animals from
dying. The fish would be big enough to
pick up trash and bring it to the surface
and throw it away in three different bins
– recycling, trash and bottles. The robot
would have a video camera inside it to help scientists discover new animals in the sea or observe sea animals. Plus the
robot could even help animals that are in need. For example,
if a turtle gets a soda holder around its neck the robot could
cut the soda holder with the scissors that will be built in.
Also, the robot will be in many different forms so the real
animals aren’t afraid of it.
– Schekinah Nkom Ngobo, fifth grade
Sheridan Preparatory Academy
If I could build something to change
the world it would be a machine, but not
just any ordinary machine … a machine
that would make it so students can raise
their hand, get a question wrong and not
have to worry about getting laughed at
… a machine that would make it so that everyone can go to
sleep and wake up feeling like they mean something to the
world. It doesn’t take a wish at night to get what you want
in the morning. It takes everyone to fix such a big problem.
We have seen what’s going on today, so why not try to play
our part in fixing it? Something to change the world starts
with you. Why not try to help out? Why use a machine
if you had it in your heart the entire time? Something to
change the world is this right here and it starts now.
– Vernon Vanderhall, eighth grade
North Albany Academy
If I was to create something to make
this a better place, it would be a camera
to show us the future. I would name it
“Life.” To use Life, you would have to
take a photo of the exact event you are
trying to see. I want to create this invention because there are so many events going on in the world
– global warming and wars, for example. If we can see
negative future events, we can prevent them from happening. When using Life, you see the exact timing of a negative
event. Also, it would take at least a vote of half of Congress
to use Life so it does not fall into the wrong hands.
– Naahayah Williams, seventh grade
West Hill Middle School
Some people think that a cure for cancer would be great and yes, it is very useful. It would come at a very high price so
my idea is to make a pill that would cure
you of all diseases at an affordable price.
That price may be $85-$100 depending
on the time it takes to cure someone. In
conclusion, this is one of my many ideas to save people from
all sorts of diseases that may harm people.
– Maceo Farrell, fifth grade
Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST)
At a glance: Albany School of Humanities (ASH)
Principal: C. Fred Engelhardt Jr. | Grades: Prekindergarten-6 | Address: 108 Whitehall Road
One of three themed magnet schools in the City School District of Albany, the mission of Albany School of Humanities
(ASH) is to educate all students to be life-long learners, capable decision-makers and contributors to their local and global
communities. ASH students participate in year-long activities that incorporate the humanities into daily teaching and
learning activities.
Students: 575 | Teachers: 46 | Total employees: 75
Points of distinction:
• Only district elementary school with a humanities focus
• Project-Based Learning Room – teachers are able to take
classrooms to actively explore real-world problems and
create and sustain interdisciplinary projects
• Weekly theater arts and creative movement activities
• Daily school-wide mindfulness practice with Mindful
Moments
Programs and partners:
• After-school clubs
• Albany High School Theater Partnership
• Albany Institute of History and Art
• Albany Fund for Education
• American Heart Association
• Art enrichment
• Basketball - Police Athletic League (PAL)
• Charles L. Touhey Foundation Inc.
• The College of Saint Rose
• Computer lab
• Cultural studies
• Dance clubs and dance studio (EBA partnership)
• Fair Trade partnerships
• Junior Achievement
• Karate Club
• Mindful Moments with the Albany Peace Project
• Normanskill Farm Environmental Partnership
• Park Playhouse
• PTA
• School banking with SEFCU
• Service learning
• Teacher Leadership Quality Partnership through the
University at Albany
• Theater and talent productions (yearly)
• Theater arts (weekly)
What makes our school special?
ASH learners explore humanities through the lens of global
citizenship. Students study different cultures, participate in
service learning and are immersed in character education. The
visual arts, literature, music and theater arts are offered and
are integrated into theme-based lessons and experiences that
are taught in conjunction with core curriculum subjects of English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
Did you know?
For the 2016-17 school year, all ASH kindergarteners will
receive sketchbooks for capturing their memories and experiences through elementary school. The sketchbooks will
follow students to the end of sixth grade and be a memento
as the students move on to middle school. The sketchbook
tradition will continue with each new group of kindergarteners starting at ASH.
SPRING 2016