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Thursday, March 05, 2009
The Albany Academies e-newsletter
Week of March 2
International festival offers taste of diversity
Academies families and friends came together to celebrate the culturally diverse community at our school on February 28.
The first-ever International Taste of the World Festival held on February 28 was truly a wonderful community event that brought together nearly 250 Academies families, children, faculty, grandparents, alumni, alumnae and friends to enjoy food from 25 different countries; cultures, artifacts, dress and presentations from various countries; international dancing and activities; and the chance to spark some special friendships.
"The International Taste of the World Festival really made you feel how much we are all connected at the Academies" -- Adah Keegan '10, one of the many students who assisted with the festival.
Plans are already underway for next year's event, which promises to be even bigger and better -- if that's possible! Special recognition goes to World Languages Chair Donna Keegan for leading this effort and helping to make this experience so wonderful for our community.
Boys Varsity Basketball Team advances to Sectional finals!
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The AA Boys Varsity Basketball Team advanced to the Section II Class AA finals with a 60-59 overtime triumph over 2008 state champion Bishop Maginn this past Tuesday at the Times Union Center in Albany.
Jimmer Bennett (Form VI) scored on a breakaway basket with 6.1 seconds left to propel the Cadets (22-1) to victory.
The Albany Academy will now meet CBA on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in the championship game at the Times Union Center.
Please come out and support the team and our school. Students will be wearing red T-shirts and carrying pom poms! |
Tickets are $6 each for the game.
Boys Head Varsity Basketball Coach & Dean of Students Brian Fruscio will present a check from the 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer High School Challenge to the American Cancer Society before the game.
Pictured at left (left to right) are AA superfans Josh (Form II) and Zach Nelson (Form V) at the Times Union Center.
Pearls of wisdom...
The 2008-2009 Alumni/ae Speaker Series came to a close today as Alison L. Cooper '81 (pictured in above center photo) provided some words of wisdom to Upper School students in Caird Chapel on the West Campus.
Ms. Cooper stressed the importance of internships; being attentive to details; and having balance in your life. She also had a chance to reconnect with some of her classmates from her time at the Academies.
Ms. Cooper has worked for the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) since 1997, administering U.S. sanctions against Iran, the Sudan and Cuba and a number of other countries, and freezing the assets of narcotics traffickers and terrorists.
We hoped that you enjoyed our Alumni/ae Speaker Series; plans are already underway for next year's series.
Upper School Musical set for March 6 & 7
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Upper School Musical production of "Into the Woods" will begin at 7 p.m. as scheduled on Friday, March 6 & Saturday, March 7 in Caird Chapel on the West Campus.
Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5 each, cash or check only (checks should be made payable to The Albany Academies). |
LOWER SCHOOL
A brush with history
After listening to a story about Leonardo da Vinci, our Kindergarten artists on the East Campus were inspired to take brush in hand and create their own interpretation using a real canvas, acrylic paints on a palette, a variety of brushes and a table easel.
Second Grade Teacher Bridget McGivern (pictured above in center photo) served as our very special Mona Lisa model.
Celebrating 100 days of school
Pictured (left to right) are Pre-K boys working on their "How Much is 100?" activities; Pre-K girls celebrating the 100th day of school; and Kindergarten boys working with Jake Gao (Form VI, in back) and Xiaoxi "Eddy" Zhang (Form VI, in front).
Kindergarten students on the West Campus had a lot of fun celebrating the 100th day of school, and they learned a lot too!
The day was filled with activities where the boys had to count to 100. In Language Arts, the boys wrote a book about 100 things they would like to do, wish for and eat. In Math, they cut out 100 hands for a 100th day of school sign and designed a necklace with 100 items on it.
Pre-K students on the West Campus began their "How Much is 100?" activities on the 91st day of school by finding and gluing a set of 10 different postage stamps each day until the 100th day of school.
The children had great fun looking through the stamps that so many parents, faculty and staff have been sending in throughout the year. The challenge was not to repeat any stamps in the decades leading to 100!
3rd grade girls meet 'Auntie Lula'!
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In celebration of Black History Month, “Auntie Lula” from the American Girl Series Addy visited Mrs. Hanifin's 3rd grade class on the East Campus on February 25.
The real name of their guest is Mrs. Williams (pictured in center of group photo at left), the person whom the portrait of plantation cook Auntie Lula is based upon. She shared her experiences being cast for this job and also what is was like posing for so many pictures. Not only did the girls meet a person who played a role in a series of favorite books, but they also learned a lot about the book illustrating process.
Special thanks to Tattiahna Welsh and her grandmother for sharing their friend with the class. |
LOWER SCHOOL LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Middle School students celebrate Black History
Pictured (left to right) are Middle School students performing at the Black History Celebration; faculty member and coordinator of the celebration Beverly Carter; and students at the assembly.
Middle School students at the Academies took part in a Black History Celebration on February 27 in the East Campus Auditorium that featured a variety of songs, poems, speeches and skits celebrating the achievements of African-Americans in this country.
The students had some excellent performances at the assembly, led by faculty member Beverly Carter.
Academies Science Symposium set for March 11
We will be hosting our Academies Science Symposium on Wednesday, March 11 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Lower School Gym on the East Campus.
The Science Symposium project is an investigation of a topic of the student's choice using the scientific method. Each entry in the Science Symposium will be judged, and the seven projects with the highest point tallies will move on to the 23rd Annual Joseph Henry Science Fair set for April 3 at The College of Saint Rose.
Academies students excel in math competition
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Congratulations to our team of Academies students -- Josh Nelson (Form II), Nathan Wei (Form II), Mackenzie Moore '13 and Maya Raghavan '13 -- that came in 7th place out of 21 teams at the 2009 Mathcounts Capital District Chapter Competition on February 28 at the GE Global Research Center in Niskayuna.
Josh Nelson (pictured at left) came in 4th place out of 125 students and qualified for the State Competition set for March 14 at RPI! Rachel Park '13 (15th place) and Bill Kelly '13 (18th place) also placed in the top 20.
Rachel, Bill, Su Lee '13 and Nison Mikhaylov (Form II) competed as individuals in the competition. |
MIDDLE SCHOOL LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR
UPPER SCHOOL
Invisible Children visits the Academies
Pictured (left to right) are Invisible Children members Tyler Dunning & John Kelly; the Invisible Children vehicle; and Tyler & Brit Chreptyk.
Upper School students had the chance to view a presentation from Invisible Children this past Tuesday in Caird Chapel on the West Campus.
Invisible Children is a nonprofit organization founded by three young American filmmakers in order to assist children and others coping with the civil war in northern Uganda. The group offers programs that are carefully researched and developed initiatives that address the need for quality education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, resettlement from the camps, and financial stability in Uganda.
By documenting the lives of those living in regions of conflict and injustice, they hope to educate and inspire individuals in the Western world to use their unique voice for change. Students at the Academies had the chance to view the Invisible Children documentary and hear from members of the organization about how they can get involved and make a difference in the world.
Heart Sale update
The numbers continue to come in regarding the Heart Sale for the Ronald McDonald House. As we mentioned last week, the West Campus is currently at $1,478.80 and counting. The East Campus total is $1,020.65.
We are proud to donate almost $2,500 to Ronald McDonald House!
Giving back to the community
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Four students from the Academies -- Shelby Benson '10, Jacqueline Bizzaro '11, Sydney Gross '11 and Megan Lewis '10 -- participated in a Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week community service project in which they visited a Colonie home to assist an individual afflicted with MS by painting, cleaning and doing other house and yard work.
They were joined by other students from the MS High School Leadership Council, created by Sydney Gross and consisting of high school students from throughout the Capital Region that meet monthly at the Academies. Other students from the Academies that are members of the council include Amanda Cioffi '10, Paris Naigles '11, Alydaar Rangwala (Form IV) and Buddy White (Form V).
The council is planning an MS Awareness Program for the Academies, some fundraising events and will be walking as a team at the National MS Walk in May. |
Student Accolades
Matt Kandath (Form VI) has been selected as the recipient of the Okechi Womeodu Scholar-Athlete Award from the United States Tennis Association, which honors the memory of outstanding junior standout Okechi Womeodu and awards a $5,000 grant to one male scholar-athlete and one female scholar-athlete.
Hannah Kuhar '09 and Jake Gao (Form VI) were selected as the East & West Campus recipients, respectively, of the Scholars Recognition Program, part of the innovative business-education partnership formed by the School of Education at the University of Albany to honor excellence in education. The Scholars Recognition Program Dinner will be held on April 29 at 6 p.m. at The Desmond Hotel & Conference Center in Colonie.
Hannah and Jake were each able to nominate an educator that has made a difference in their lives as part of the award; Hannah selected World Languages Chair Donna Keegan and Jake nominated Upper School Director Scott Milliken. The Times Union will be preparing a newspaper insert that will run on April 30 with a picture of each student/educator as well as a biographical sketch.
In addition, the YMCA is sponsoring its 4th Annual Student and Educator Recognition Award Breakfast on May 12 at 8 a.m. at Siena College to recognize student scholarship and leadership within the sophomore and junior class in addition to talented and dedicated educators. Paris Naigles '11, Adah Keegan '10 and faculty member Dr. Amy Allman were selected from the East Campus, and Chris Savo (Form IV), Taylor Mextorf (Form V) and faculty member David Pascone from the West Campus.
UPPER SCHOOL LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR
OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
Bringing Charlie Brown to life...
Three Academies students -- Dana Gough '11, Miranda Hart '13 & Aaron Steck '16 -- will be performing in Debut Theater Company's production of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown."
The students will bring Schultz's characters to life on stage at the Hilton Center at 40 North Russell Road in Albany (next to Price Chopper in Westgate Plaza). The shows are scheduled for March 6-8 and 13-15 at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
Visit www.mydebuts.com for more information.
Upcoming dates
March 11 -- 4th grade play, "Cinderella! Cinderella!," 2 p.m., Lower School Gym, East Campus
March 12 -- "Lunch On Us," noon to 1 p.m., West Campus Lower School Library
Please note that the Yoga Class scheduled for March 5 has been rescheduled for March 12 after school in the East Campus Lobby.
April 7 -- Parents Association Meeting/All Division Parent Coffee, 8 a.m., Activities Room, East Campus
April 7 -- Lower School Open House, 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Visit the Uniform Exchange for all spring clothing needs
With spring right around the corner, now is the time to pick up some great Academies wear!
Make sure to visit the Uniform Exchange every Wednesday from 7:45-8:45 a.m. in the Silipigno Athletic Facility on the East Campus or lower level of the West Campus across from The Buttery.
Contact Elizabeth Rutnik (East Campus) at derutnik@aol.com or Tammie Jones (West Campus) at tammielj@aol.com with any questions.
A sneak peek at Spring Gathering 2009!
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Your invitation to our Spring Gathering 2009 -- An Evening of Music & Magic on April 18 at The Franklin Terrace in Troy will arrive soon.
In the meantime, the Spring Gathering Planning Committee has been working diligently to secure outstanding silent and live auction items -- there will truly be something for everyone! |
Here's a sneak peek at just a few of the items that will be awaiting your bids:
1. Get set for summer with a pair of "his" or "hers" designer sunglasses
2. Enjoy a day at the Saratoga Race Course from your own private box and spend the evening dining at Saratoga Prime
3. Attend a magical musical event with James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and Yo-Yo Ma playing together at Tanglewood!
4. Artwork, gift certificates, vacation getaways, wine baskets, and much more!
For more information, contact Director of Annual Giving Susan K. Tobin at (518) 429-2448 or tobins@albanyacademies.org.
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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