News from the Green Island Union Free School District

summer 2010 n GREEN ISLAND UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

“Every student will graduate prepared for college, career and citizenship”

See “Heatly graduates hear about need to find balance,” page 2

Above, molly maloney delivers the valedictory address to the 27 members of the Class of 2010 and dozens of parents, grandparents, friends and relatives. Below, Jr Gleason gives the salutatory address at Heatly’s 74th commencement ceremony.

Heatly graduates hear about finding balance and passion in work and life

Molly Maloney, Heatly’s 2010 valedictorian, worked hard during her high school career to achieve a four-year average of 95.86. But there’s more to life than working hard, she told the class of 2010.

Molly was among the 27 Heatly graduates to earn diplomas at the school’s 74th commencement ceremony on June 25.

In her valedictory address, she talked about the seating arrange-ment in her classes, in which the “psychotically driven overachiev-ers” sat in the front row and the “equally intelligent but slightly less motivated achievers” sat in the back row.

The middle rows served as a “protective barrier and a boundary” between the two extremes. “No one, myself included, ever dared sit in the middle. If given the chance to do high school all over…I would have spent more of my time in the middle,” she said.

Molly encouraged her peers to continue their “incredible determi-nation and competitiveness” but to keep in mind the need to moder-ate, the need to occasionally sit in the middle.

“There is always a compromise to be made; a balance to be struck. Find it. Discover the happy medium between love and hate; apathy and hypersensitivity; overachieving and underachieving,” she told the graduates during her valedictory address.

JR Gleason, in his salutatory address, also discussed achieving bal-ance and moderation in day-to-day life and how important it was in special instances, like last year’s basketball championship.

“When we achieve a balance of everything around us and inside of us, we are able to accomplish great things,” said JR, who graduated with a 95.38 four-year average.

“One such time was last year when the varsity basketball team was able to win the CHVL title and reach the Section 2 championship game. In order to get there, everyone on the team needed to know his role and do the best he could to fulfill it. When that happened,

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Heatly graduates hear about need to find balance, from page 1 Congratulations, Heatly Class of 2010!

89% of the class of 2010 – 24 of the 27 graduates – plan to pursue advanced studies this fall; two planned to find jobs and one was headed to the military.

student Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Future Plans Course of study

Devan E. Bariteau. . . . . . Hudson Valley Comm. College. . . Individual.Studies Benjamin M. Brown. . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesAnthony F. Bryant . . . . . . University of Northwestern Ohio . Auto.TechSamantha V. Butler. . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesLucia M. Catellier. . . . . . HVCC or Russell Sage.. . . . . . . . . BiologyKayla M. Charles . . . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Web.DesignAndreanna M. Crawford . 4year college in Florida. . . . . . . . UndecidedBrian A. Darmetko. . . . . . WorkforceDaniel M. Desautels . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesKatelyn M. Garmley. . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesJames R. Gleason II. . . . . Brigham Young Univ.. . . . . . . . . . Construction.Tech .Ashley R. Gross . . . . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NursingErica L. Gross. . . . . . . . . Russell Sage College. . . . . . . . . . Elementary.Ed .Peter M. Heffern. . . . . . . York College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liberal.ArtsTaylor L. Horton . . . . . . . Schenectady Cty Comm. College. Individual.StudiesJordan M. Jones . . . . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emerg ..Med ..Tech .Marcus L. King. . . . . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesJason R. Lang. . . . . . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesZachary J. Miller. . . . . . . Siena College. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liberal.ArtsMolly A. Maloney . . . . . . Boston University . . . . . . . . . . . . UndecidedDominic J. Patalino. . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesAnthony A. Picardo. . . . . MilitaryMichael T. Russell . . . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesCassandra E. Scott . . . . . SUNY Oneonta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biology/Pre-medKathleen M. Scott. . . . . . WorkforceJenna L. Vandenburgh . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.StudiesJames F. Wertman, III. . . . HVCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Individual.Studies

we were one of the best teams in the section because we were a balanced team,” he added.

U.S. Representative Paul Tonko and state Assembly Majority Leader Ronald Canestrari, in addition to congratulating the Class of 2010, both presented out-going Superinten-dent John McKinney with resolutions of praise from their respective legislatures.

The guest graduation speaker was Daniel Mattoon, a former Heatly math teacher.

“The most important lesson that I have learned is to find a passion and never let go of it,” said Mattoon, who now teaches at Niska-yuna High School.

Upon coming to Heatly six years ago, he said he was “excited but scared.” He said he immediately admired the passion that English teacher Karen Hoover puts into her work.

Principal Erin Peteani introduced the Honor Graduates and their four-year cumula-tive high school averages: Molly Maloney, average of 95.86; JR Gleason, average of 95.38; Cassandra Scott, average of 94.88; Zachary Miller, average of 93.41; Erica Gross, average of 93.41; Ashley Gross, average of 92.86; and Peter Heffern, aver-age of 88.75.

New scholarship honors John mcKinneyNew Superintendent Michael Mugits and his

wife, Brenda, established the John E. McKin-ney Scholarship.

The annual scholarship, at $200 per student, recognizes seniors who exemplify the traits that McKinney pos-sessed during his 41 years at Heatly:

n Diligence – presented to Cassandra Scott

n Respectfulness – pre-sented to Zach Miller

n Honesty – presented to Erica Gross

n Dedication – presented to Peter Heffern n

US Rep. Paul Tonko congratulates former Superintendent John mcKinney at Heatly’s graduation ceremony after presenting him with a resolution of congratulations from the U.S. House of Representatives. State Assembly Majority Leader ronald Canestari also presented McKinney with a resolution from the state Assembly and Sen-ate co-authored by Senator Neil Breslin.The legislators thanked McKinney for being an advocate for education during his 41 years at Green Island.New Superintendent michael mugits and his wife, Brenda, established the John E. McKin-ney Scholarship which recognizes Heatly seniors who possess the four traits that McK-inney exhibited during his tenure: diligence, respectfulness, honesty and dedication.See story at left for this year’s recipients.

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News from around Heatlyn Heatly’s Athletic Dept . honored all scholar athletes based on criteria set forth by section II Athletics for the 2009-10 sports season .

The “Double Play Award” was given to the following students in recognition of athletic and academic success. Students earned a grade point average of 90 percent or higher during the 2009-10 varsity sport seasons:

Adriana Brown: soccer, basketball and softball; Ashley Gross: soccer, basketball and softball; Erica Gross: soccer, basket-ball and softball; Melissa Heffern: soccer, basketball and softball; Zachary Miller: soccer, basketball and baseball; JR Gleason: basketball and baseball; Kirsten Mason: soccer and basketball; Brendan Ashley: soccer; Katie Connelly: soccer; Peter Hef-fern: baseball; Nate Miller: soccer; Doug Schneidmuller: soccer

Team academic averages for the school year were: Girls Varsity Basketball: 92.67; Girls Varsity Soccer: 90.1; Girls Varsity Softball: 89.9; Boys Varsity Basketball: 89.0; Boys Varsity Baseball: 87.0; and Boys Varsity Soccer: 87.0. n

Grade 6 students, clockwise from bottom, megan russell, Tabitha Waters, sarah Putnam and Carleigh Patterson keep a close eye on the chicks that were hatching in their classroom.

Don’t be surprised if you peek out your window this summer and see Mike Mugits walking up the sidewalk.

He’s coming to listen to you...

As Heatly’s school superintendent, he wants to know what his new neighbors are thinking.

“I’ll go around and introduce myself to everybody I can,” said Mugits, who began on July 1. “I will ask what I can do to make this a better community and a better school.”

Knocking on doors is just the beginning for Mugits, who plans to begin a daily blog and has other plans to connect to the community.

His predecessor, John McKinney, was a fix-ture in Green Island and had deep roots here. He grew up in the community and worked at the school for 41 years.

Heatly has begun to emerge from being named a School In Need of Improvement (SINI) in March 2009. This past spring’s scores exceeded the required minimums; the district must have two years of improvements before being removed from the SINI list.

Mugits expects Heatly’s students and staff to emerge from the SINI list but everybody must aim for his or her greatest potential.

“Philosophically, we need to be thinking of the maximum, not the minimum; the goal is to meet our potential,” said Mugits. “If the goal is to reach a 7 out of 10 score, our goal has to be to reach the 10, not just the 7.”

He hopes to spark student and staff interest in boosting test scores and learning at Heatly.

“The state tests are a minimum, a floor,” he said. “We have to reach

for the ceiling if our goal is to get off the SINI list and, in a bigger sense, the pursuit of excellence and reaching your potential.”

The state’s fiscal crisis presents especially dif-ficult challenges to small school districts like Green Island that are dependent on state aid and have high needs, he said.

“We will continue to push for excellence in the confines of our ability to pay for programs,” he said. “We will maximize our human capital.”

Mugits has a wide background in education: he began his career as principal of schools in Maine followed by schools in Massachusetts, Texas and Wyoming. In 1991, he became prin-cipal at the Schuylerville Elementary School in Saratoga County.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Maine, a master’s in educational administration from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire and a doctorate from Sage Graduate School in Albany.

After an extensive search this spring, Mugits, 57, was named Heatly superintendent in early June. His 2010-11 salary will be $119,000.

He grew up as one of seven children in Rotterdam and attended Schalmont schools in Schenectady County.

He and his wife, Brenda, have two grown children: Justin and Misha. He and his wife are looking for a home in the Troy area; they now live in Wilton. n

mike mugits settles in as new Heatly superintendentPlans to encourage students, staff to meet their potential

New Heatly Superintendent of Schools Michael J. Mugits in his office

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GREEN ISLAND UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT171 Hudson AvenueGreen Island, New York 12183

Non Profit Org.Postage PaidPermit #867

Troy, NY 12180

SuperintendentMichael J. Mugits(518) 273-1422

Board of EducationNorman Stebbins, PresidentAnita Brown, Vice-President

Beth HeffernTom McNultyRobert BoudreauSchool board meetings are open to the public and most are held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at Heatly School. Published by the Green Island Union Free School District in conjunction with the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service.

Editor: Robert Hanlon

Community notices 2010-11Preschool children with disabilities

The Green Island Committee on Preschool Special Educa-tion (CPSE) is responsible for ensuring that parents are aware of the opportunities available for evaluation of children ages 3 to 5 who are suspected of having a disability and for services to children with disabilities. The committee consists of repre-sentatives from preschool special education agencies, county administrators, parents and the district. All recommendations for services are made to the Board of Education. For more information, contact the Director of Special Education at (518) 273-1422. n

students with disabilitiesAll recommendations for placement of students with dis-

abilities are made to the Board of Education by the district Committee on Special Education (CSE). Local programs and local schools are used whenever possible to meet the child’s educational needs. Members of the Committee on Special Education include the director of students with disabilities, a district psychologist, speech therapists, special education teachers, parent representatives and the school physician when requested. For more information, call the Director of Special Education at (518) 273-1422. n

Green Island’s 2010-11 school calendarHere are highlights from the 2010-11 school year calendar:

Sept. 7 – Superintendent’s Conference Day - STAFF ONLYSept. 8 – FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL; kindergarten dismissed at 11 a.m.Sept. 14 – Teacher Professional Development - 11 A.M. DISMISSALSept. 21 – Grades 7-12 Open HouseSept. 22 – Kindergarten-Grade 2 Open HouseSept. 23 – Grades 3-6 Open House

Oct. 11 – Columbus Day - NO SCHOOL

Nov. 2 – Teacher Professional Development - 11 A.M. DISMISSALNov. 10 – Emergency Early ReleaseNov. 11 – Veteran’s Day - NO SCHOOLNov. 19 – K-6 Parent-Teacher conferences - 11 A.M. DISMISSALNov. 24-26 – Thanksgiving Recess

Dec. 23-31 – Holiday Recess

Jan. 3 – Classes resumeJan. 11 – Teacher Professional Development - 11 A.M. DISMISSALJan. 17 – Martin Luther King holiday - NO SCHOOLJan. 25-28 – Regents exams

Feb. 21-25 – Winter Recess

March 23-24 – Kindergarten registrationMarch 25 – Superintendent’s Conference Day - STAFF ONLY

April 18-22 – Spring RecessApril 29 – Teacher Professional Development - 11 A.M. DISMISSAL

May 4 – Start of state’s English Language Arts tests, grades 3-8 May 11 – Start of state mathematics tests, grades 3-8 May 17 – Community vote, 2011-12 budget and Board of Education election May 30 – Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL May 31 – Start of state science performance tests, grades 4 and 8

June 6 – Start of state science written tests, grades 4 and 8 June 15-24 – Regents examsJune 23 – Elementary Moving Up DayJune 24 – Class of 2011 graduation, 7 p.m.

Thank you, Green Island!The community on May 18 approved the 2010-11 budget by

a margin of 174 to 44.

The $6,886,747 budget called for a $79,822 – or 1.1 percent – spending decrease over the current year budget and an estimated tax levy increase of 2.25 percent.

Voters also re-elected Beth Heffern with 169 votes to the Board of Education.

At its organizational meeting on July 1, Board members re-elected Norman Stebbins as president and Anita Brown as vice president for one-year terms. n