Tickets on sale to Niskayuna High School's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Niskayuna High School students will present the popular musical Disney's Beauty and the Beast on March 1-3. Tickets are on sale at the Niskayuna High School box office, which is open during school from 10:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m., and one hour prior to each performance. Eric Hughes is directing the production, with assistance from music coordinator/producer Paula Brinkman and conductor Christopher Neubert. Debra Pigliavento will act as choreographer. Tickets are also available through mail order. Download a ticket order form.

Van Antwerp students are reigning Middle School Science Bowl regional champs
For the third straight year, a team of students from Van Antwerp Middle School captured the regional title in the Middle School Science Bowl and will advance to the national competition in June. On Saturday, March 3, Van Antwerp’s team was among 10 middle school teams from across upstate New York vying for the regional championship at the GE Global Research Center in Niskayuna. More about the competition

Poetry in motion
Niskayuna High School student wins a trip to national poetry recitation competition
Congratulations to Allison Tepper for capturing first place in the Poetry Out Loud state competition on March 8 at the New York State Museum. Tepper competed against 14 other student champions from schools around the state, but it was her compelling recitation of the poems “Onions” by William Matthews and “Fierce Girl Playing Hopscotch” by Alice Fulton, that ultimately wowed the panel of judges. She will now take her dynamic presentation to the national competition in Washington, D.C., where she’ll face student recital winners from the other 49 states for a chance to win a $20,000 college scholarship. Read more

Artist to visit Niskayuna High School on March 8 to discuss his work
Nisk-Art Gallery hosts “The Art in War” a provocative exhibit of images from Iraq throughout March
A series of photographs by U.S. Marine-turned-actor Benjamin Busch, taken during his two tours of duty in Iraq in 2003 and 2005, will be on display at the Nisk-Art Gallery at Niskayuna High School beginning Monday, March 5.
Busch will attend an artist’s reception on Thursday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. in high school’s Little Theater where he will discuss his exhibit. Events are free and open to the public. “The Art in War” will be on display at the Nisk-Art Gallery daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. through March 22. Read more

Trio of middle school to represent Niskayuna at Capital Region Spelling Bee
Congratulations and good luck to Van Antwerp eighth-grader Kate Tepper and Iroquois students Olivia Marine and Amy Yao, grades 7 and 8 respectively, who will compete with the area's most talented spellers from public and private schools in the Capital Region BOCES Regional Spelling Bee on Monday, March 12 at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady.

Glencliff students help alleviate hunger ― 50 pages at a time
Glencliff Elementary students are helping put a dent in local hunger by reading.
K-5 students are collecting one can of food for every 50 pages they complete and donating the items to the Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM) Emergency Food Pantry during a month-long read-a-thon, called Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor. At a school assembly in early March, representatives from the SICM explained to students how they provide food to impoverished people and low-income families in Schenectady County. “Students learned that the food pantry relies on contributions from individuals and community groups for food donations, supplies, money and volunteers,” said teacher Cindy Battiste, who helped organize this combination reading incentive and food drive. Read more

Niskayuna Youth to Youth seeks nominations for 2006-07 Community Role Model
Niskayuna Youth to Youth (Y2Y) is accepting nominations for its eighth annual Community Role Model Recognition. This award honors an adult or youth member of the Niskayuna community who consistently demonstrates their belief in the value of our young people and supports efforts by the community and school district to promote a safe, healthy community. Read more about nominating a role model, or download a nomination form.

Niskayuna High School student organizes Locks of Love donation party
A Niskayuna High School student is going to great lengths to help children who have lost their hair as the result of medical conditions. Casey Mullaney is organizing a Locks of Love donation party on Sunday, March 18 from 2-4 p.m. at the Niskayuna Dutch Reformed Church on Troy Schenectady Road. Donate your locks -- and get a new hairstyle for free. Locks of Love is a charitable organization that accepts donations of hair that are used to create prosthetic hairpieces for economically-disadvantaged children under 18 years old who suffer long-term hair loss because of medical conditions. More information

Niskayuna High School senior wins concerto competition
Congratulations to Niskayuna High School senior Leo Brown for being selected the winner of the Lois Lyman Concerto Competition. A violinist with the Empire State Youth Orchestra, Brown won the competition playing Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen and will perform the piece during ESYO's March 18^th concert at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

Niskayuna student musicians mark “Music in Our Schools Month” with noteworthy performances
March is “Music in Our Schools Month,” and to celebrate, the Niskayuna High School Music Department has two very special events planned in addition to its regularly scheduled concerts. On Friday, March 16, high school orchestra students will perform alongside professional musicians in a shared-stands concert with the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady at 7:30 p.m. Read more Then, on Wednesday, March 21, special guest director Dr. David Dickau, a nationally-recognized conductor and widely-published composer, will lead the school district’s approximately 1,000 student vocalists during the Niskayuna Music Department’s triennial choral festival at the high school at 7 p.m. Read more

Preparing breakfast provides middle school Home and Careers students an opportunity to test planning, problem-solving skills
On March 22, Iroquois Middle School home and careers students enjoyed a hearty breakfast — prepared entirely by themselves! The celebration ended 10 weeks of studying nutrition and meal management, in which the seventh-graders applied their skills and knowledge to plan and serve a well-balanced meal. Read more

Niskayuna teachers "bowled" over with generosity for kids sake
Teachers from all five elementary schools and both middle schools had fun to spare as they toppled pins, threw strikes and raised significant cash during Bowl for Kids Sake on March 23. Participation by Niskayuna faculty members in this annual fund-raising event for Big Brothers/Big Sisters was at an all-time high, resulting in the Niskayuna Teachers' Association collecting $2,750 — its largest donation in four years of participating in this popular fundraiser that helps support local children by providing positive role models and mentoring relationships.

Visiting college professor shares insight on Islamic religion and culture with Niskayuna High School students
Dr. Hadeer Abo El Nagah, an English Literature professor at Misr International University in Egypt, presented "Islam, Women and the Challenges of Stereotyping," at Niskayuna High School’s Little Theater on Friday, March 23. Dr. Hadeer received a Fulbright scholarship for cultural enrichment and, as a result of a growing relationship between the State University of New York at Cobleskill and Misr International University in Cairo, she is studying Arabic women poets and teaching at the college in Schoharie County. Dr. Hadeer has written a series of ten books, nine of which are in English introducing Islam to non-Muslims, and has served as a translator and editor of magazine articles and books from Arabic to English and vice versa. Read more

Niskayuna High School hosts Foreign Language Lip Sync Contest for charity
Back by popular demand for the third straight year – Niskayuna High School presents its annual Foreign Language Lip Sync Contest on Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The event will benefit the Schenectady Food Pantry. Read more

Craig Elementary experiencing its own case of March Madness on March 29
Craig Elementary School staff will take on a team of parents in a friendly game of hoops at Niskayuna High School on Thursday, March 29. Doors open at 6 p.m. with tip-off promptly at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 per person and may be purchased at the door. Proceeds from the basketball game will be applied toward the playground fund.

Niskayuna students work selected for display at 2007 Regional Juried Art Show
The artwork of 18 Niskayuna student-artists is on display at the 2007 High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition at the Dietel Gallery at the Emma Willard School in Troy. This annual exhibit invites students from approximately 20 high schools around the Capital Region to submit works for possible inclusion in the show. Of the 235 works selected this year, 23 are from Niskayuna High School. Congratulations to Meira Bagoly, Nathaniel Carlson, Jacqueline Dall, Ian DeCelli, Amity Higgins, Alexandra Lecce, Jennifer Marion, Kathryn Nottke, Hana Omiya, Kate Popolizio, Lauren Powzyk, Annie Schwendler, Julie Slotnick, Gabrielle Stein, Chris Tammar, Allison Tepper, Allison Wall and Colin Wheeler. Their artwork will be on display March 4-31.

Nationally acclaimed poet, author, publisher and producer to act as writer-in-residence at Niskayuna High School
One of the most successful and innovative figures in contemporary American literature, Kwame Alexander will share his literary experience with Niskayuna High School students during a writer-in-residence program in March.
A well-known poet, author, publisher and producer, Alexander will conduct a series of lectures and writer’s workshops during a two-day residency on March 27-28. He will then return to the high school on April 27 to read from his extensive anthology of poems and short stories during Java Jive, the high school’s annual literary forum that provides an opportunity for students to read their original writing or excerpts from favorite authors. Read more

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