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Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Albany Academies e-newsletter
Week of December 7
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"My wife, Ellen, and I are so excited to be joining you in the Academies community. We will both be with you next week beginning Tuesday, December 15 to enjoy all the festivities, and I will officially be taking office full time at that time.
I look forward most of all to talking with you, learning from you and sharing with you. I see the Academies as a collaborative venture between school and parents -- united in the goal of furthering the development of the wonderful children that we have in our charge." -- Dr. Douglas M. North, Head of School |
Unraveling the college admissions process
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Author, motivational speaker and former Dean of Admission Peter Van Buskirk took Academies families behind the scenes during College Night on Monday in Caird Chapel to see what happens in an actual college admission committee.
He discussed the hidden agendas of colleges and offered some important tips and advice, including:
1. Know yourself
2. Make good choices
3. Do what you love and love what you do
4. Senior year counts so make a sprint for the finish line |
Families can take Mr. Van Buskirk's College Planning Quiz from his website. Click on the link below and go to Resources for Parents and Students and then Quiz to learn your college admissions IQ!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Pictured (left to right) are faculty member Beverly Carter, AAG Director of College Counseling Lauren Carter & Beverly's daughter, Leandra Carter '10, at the event.
ARTS
"The holiday season is a time that we celebrate the arts at the Academies in a very special way. Tonight kicks off a series of events over the next week that will feature the talent of our students and faculty in many ways. You'll hear string, chorus and band ensembles from our Middle and Upper School boys and girls, dance and choral performances from our Lower, Middle and Upper School girls and boys, and see artwork on the covers of the event programs that exemplify the creativity of our students and faculty. Enjoy the holiday season and what promises to be some very special events at The Albany Academies." -- Greg Cummings, Fine Arts Chair
Winter Concert -- Tonight
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We hope that you can join us for the kick-off of our holiday festivities at the Academies as we present our Winter Concert tonight from 6-8 p.m. in Caird Chapel.
Student arrival time for the concert is 5:30 p.m. Supervision will be provided for students staying after school for the event, and food will be offered at 5 p.m. in The Buttery.
All students should be in full uniform (Middle School boys should wear their House tie; no blazers).
The concert will feature performances by the Middle School Boys Choruses, Middle School Bands, Upper School Chorus and Upper School Band. |
Lower School Boys Concert -- December 17
The AA Lower School Concert will be held during the school day on Thursday, December 17 at 2 p.m. in Caird Chapel.
All parents are welcome to attend this holiday performance.
Wassail -- December 17
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Join us for the annual Wassail celebration on Thursday, December 17 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. and 7-9:30 p.m. in the AAG Auditorium.
All students participating in the event should be in full uniform or costume. Student arrival time for the evening performance is 6:30 p.m.
The morning Wassail performance will include girls in Pre-K through Grade 6 and the evening performance will include girls in Grades 7-12. | Wassail will feature a dance & choral performance from our girls (morning & evening performances) & Upper School choral performance from our boys and girls (evening performance only).
ATHLETICS
"Our winter athletic teams at the Academies have gotten off to a fantastic start, and we encourage you to support our AAG & AA Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman and Modified teams by attending an athletic event and cheering on our impressive student-athletes. Win or lose, these young men and women carry themselves with class, dignity and respect both on and off the field." -- Paul Gallucci, Director of Athletics
Rider Cup Hockey Tournament -- December 12 & 13
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We hope you can join us for a great weekend of Prep School hockey at the 44th Annual Rider Cup Hockey Tournament this Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 at Robison Family Hockey Arena in the AA Field House.
The tournament – named in honor of longtime Academies coach Dave Rider ’73 – features some of the premier high school-aged players from throughout the U.S. and Canada competing for the prestigious Rider Cup. | The Albany Academies is the only school in the Capital Region to offer a hockey program that competes in the prestigious New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association, a major pipeline for NCAA Division I college hockey programs comprised of some of the top talent in the nation.
The AA Varsity Hockey Team will play on December 12 at 10 a.m. vs. The Winchendon School and 7 p.m. vs. The Hill School.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE.
The tournament is open to the public and there is no admission fee.
Highlights of the week in athletics
ALBANY ACADEMY FOR GIRLS
Pictured (left to right) are the AAG Varsity Basketball & AAG Varsity Hockey Teams in action.
The AAG Varsity Basketball Team gained its second straight victory with a 56-35 win over Ravena on Tuesday. Amanda Cioffi '10 finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals and Jill Verde '10 chipped in with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The AAG Varsity Hockey Team lost to Alexandria Bay 7-3 on December 5. The team trailed just 3-2 at the end of the first period but ultimately lost the game. Allyson Bussey '11 finished with 25 saves.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILED RESULTS.
THE ALBANY ACADEMY
Pictured (left to right) are the AA Varsity Hockey Team in action; Academies students cheering on the AA Varsity Basketball Team wearing their "Dread the Red" shirts; and Manny Pollard (Form IV) of the AA Varsity Swim Team.
The AA Varsity Wrestling Team defeated Schalmont 39-26 on Tuesday. Kyle DiCaprio (Form VI), George Featherstonhaugh (Form VI), Stuart Curtis (Form V), Renel Potter (Form VI), Mory Gueye (Form IV), Nick DiCaprio (Form V) and Sam Delarge (Form II) all had wins to lead the team to victory.
After a snowy trip to Connecticut, the AA Varsity Hockey Team came out physical against Avon Old Farms on December 5. Some fantastic penalty killing by Nick Pichette (Form V) and Greg Warnken (Form V) and stellar goaltending from Ben Halford (Form V) held off the attack from Avon, but it wouldn't last as the Beavers won 6-3.
The AA Varsity Swim Team used its depth to defeat Amsterdam 112-73 on December 4. For the second meet in a row, Manny Pollard (Form IV) broke the school diving record -- this time by 30 points with a score of 252.70 points. Manny's score is currently the highest diving score in Section II and the second highest in New York State.
A youth-filled AA Varsity Basketball Team lost a close battle to Shenendehowa 74-65 on December 4. Despite giving up an experience edge to the Plainsmen, AA raced out to a 16-7 lead in the first quarter when Nolan Hart (Form VI) buried a 3-pointer from the corner. David Benocs (Form V) battled hard inside and contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shot. Matt LeClair (Form IV) finished with 16 points and five rebounds.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILED RESULTS.
All athletic schedules -- Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman and Modified -- for the winter season are available in the Athletics section of our Academies website.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Holiday Wrestling Tournament -- December 20
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Please join us for the Second Annual Holiday Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, December 19 beginning at 9 a.m. in the New Gym, AA Field House.
The AA Varsity Wrestling Team will compete with teams from Bethlehem, CBA, Greenville and Schoharie.
We hope that you can join us for this event! |
NEWS FROM THE ALBANY ACADEMIES PARENTS ASSOCIATION
Barnes and Noble Book Fair voucher extended through today
Pictured (left to right) are Pascale Stain '14 & Sabine Stain '16; parent volunteers Kate Smith P'22, Annette Lehner P'10, Roxanne Delarge P'09, '13 & Colleen Breiner P'11, '15; and Lower School students at the "Create Your Own Bookmark" station at the Barnes and Noble Book Fair.
The 2009 Barnes and Noble Book Fair held on December 4 at Barnes and Noble in Colonie Center was a tremendous success. Hundreds of members of the Academies community visited the book store throughout the day to purchase holiday items and enjoy a variety of activities. At the conclusion of the Book Fair on Friday, sales totaled close to $17,000 to generate almost $3,300 for the Distinguished Authors Series and more than 230 items were donated back to the Academies. We will have final numbers next week.
A special voucher was offered for the event that attendees presented at check-out; a percentage of the net sale will be donated to our Distinguished Authors Series.
We are pleased to announce that Barnes and Noble will honor the Book Fair vouchers and credit the Academies with purchases made (with a voucher) through today. Patrons must bring a voucher to the store to be credited with the purchase.
Special thanks to Book Fair Chair Colleen Breiner P'11, '15 and the many parents and students who helped volunteer throughout the day.
CLICK HERE FOR THE VOUCHER.
Academies blankets available for purchase tonight
As we mentioned in last week's electronic newsletter, we will be offering a limited supply of Academies blankets this holiday season at $35 each. The blankets have arrived on campus and will be available for sale at tonight's Winter Concert.
These blankets -- made of sweatshirt material and with The Albany Academies logo -- are 84" in width and 54" in height. They will be offered in red and navy blue and make a great gift for family members and friends during the holidays.
We also have a number of other Spirit Wear items that will be available for purchase in the next few weeks.
CLICK HERE FOR THE AAG SPIRIT WEAR ORDER FORM.
CLICK HERE FOR THE AA SPIRIT WEAR ORDER FORM.
The Albany Academies is committed to developing the potential of the whole individual by building a community that fosters scholarship, leadership, character, service, and creativity. Our Compass of Core Values includes responsibility, self-discipline, compassion, ingenuity, respect, service, integrity and perseverance.
If you have any questions or comments about this electronic newsletter, please contact Ann Wendth, Director of External Affairs, at (518) 429-2385 or wendtha@albanyacademies.org, or Adam Doling, Communications Associate, at (518) 429-2344 or dolinga@albanyacademies.org.
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2010-2011 ACADEMIC CALENDAR
SPRING/SUMMER 2010 ISSUE OF A2 ACADEMIES MAGAZINE
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