Van Antwerp students create traveling robots in technology class
Van Antwerp Middle School students are getting a hands-on lesson on how light sensors work in technology classes. Eighth-graders in Tom Blechinger's class are building robots out of Lego with sensors they program (via computer) that allow the robots to follow a black track. At left, students Andrew Kenyon and Christian Borger show their creation. Great job students!

Jazz Fest 2006 featured student music, guest performer
Congratulations to all the Niskayuna High School and middle school students who performed at the Jazz Festival on February 16. The evening's special guest performer was Paul Tynan (above, second from right), who is featured on 30+ music recordings and teaches jazz studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. While here, Tynan worked with students on such topics as improvisation and jazz ensemble techniques.

Elementary student art on display
The Elementary School Art Show is now on display in the District Office. The show features a variety of student work, including this piece by Hillside student Catherine Grygiel. A reception is scheduled for Tuesday, March 7 from 6:15-7:30 p.m. (Due to the expected large attendance at this show, Birchwood, Craig and Glencliff parents are asked to attend from 6:15-6:45 p.m. and Hillside and Rosendale parents are asked to attend from 7-7:30 p.m.) Additional art department information

Iroquois students place at local math competition, headed to states
Congratulations to the Iroquois Middle School MathCounts team, which placed second at the MathCounts competition on February 11. Next the students will compete at the state level in March. The team members are: eighth-graders David Bieber, Joel Shapiro, Salman Syed and Anagha Tolpadi; seventh-grader Manvi Goyal; and sixth-graders Bradley Johnson, Samir Goel and Kristjan Salasoo. Congratulations!

Iroquois 8^th grader heading to national math competition in May
David Bieber, an eighth-grade student and captain of Iroquois Middle School's Mathcounts team, is heading to the nationals in Arlington, VA in May. Bieber placed third at the state competition held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy last Saturday. Congratulations also to the Iroquois team for placing 10^th overall at the states. Read more about how the team prepared for last Saturday's state competition.

Tickets available for high school musical
Tickets are available for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," to be performed at the high school at 7:30 p.m. on March 2-4. A matinee is also scheduled on March 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the high school's box office between 10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. weekdays, or download an order form (this is a PDF document). [This link has been removed as it is no longer current.] Tickets can also be purchased one hour before show time at the box office. All proceeds will benefit Hurricane Katrina relief.

Eight students named National Merit Finalists
Congratulations to the following Niskayuna High School students, who have been named National Merit Finalists: Nicole Bieber, Katerina Gross, Leslie Johnston, Matthew Law, Manisha Padi, Kevin Ryan, Jeremy Wolos and Yingchen Xiong. Only 15,000 students nationwide are named Finalists, and these students are now eligible to receive National Merit scholarships. Congratulations!

Hillside ziti dinner raises $2,500 for children's research hospital
Congratulations to the Hillside Elementary School community, which raised $2,500 at its ziti dinner on March 2. The money was donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Niskayuna High School team captures second place in Odyssey of the Mind
Congratulations to Beth Burger, Tom Coffey, Kaitlin Cusack, Megan Dougherty, Signe Greenwold, Marcella Hellu and Mary Primeau on winning second place in the Division III Ancient Egypt problem during the regional Odyssey of the Mind tournament hosted by Mohonasen High School on March 4. The Ancient Egypt problem required students to create and present an original performance set in ancient Egypt, featuring either a pharaoh, king or queen, and ancient Egyptian works of art/artifacts.

Van Antwerp students celebrate Pi with pie
Tuesday, March 14 (3/14) wasn't just a regular day for Van Antwerp Middle School students. It was the day Team 63 celebrated Pi (3.14) — the mathematical constant that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Students created and wore tee shirts with the Pi symbol (∏) and ate apple pie at 3:14 p.m. Students also competed in contests. Winners included:
Heath Ellerup—find your birthday in Pi
Emily O'Brien—Pi poem
Bobby Dai—2^nd place memorizing 50 digits in Pi
Talia Salinger—1^st place memorizing 200 digits in Pi.

Students win local geography bee, headed to states
Congratulations to the following middle school students, who won the Geography Bee in their schools: from Iroquois, Jackson Montrym (1st place) and Andrew Roberts (2nd); from Van Antwerp, Helen Willis (1st) and Troy Manchester (2nd). Jackson and Helen were also selected (based on a written test) to compete in the state geography bee later this month. Congratulations!

Niskayuna High School artwork goes national
Twelve Niskayuna High School students' artwork was exhibited at the second annual Juried National High School Drawing Exhibition sponsored by the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester. More than 154 entries were received from high schools across the country. A special congratulations to Tanya Zal whose mixed media drawing "Spring Rain" received First Place in the exhibit.

High School Science Olympiad team earns medals at state competition
After placing first at the regional competition last month, Niskayuna High School's Science Olympiad Team A competed in the state championship at West Point Military Academy on March 10-11. The Niskayuna team finished 7^th of 45 schools and earned medals in "Designer Genes," "Disease Detectives," "Forensic Science," "Geocaching" and "Practical Problem Solving." Congratulations to team members and coaches!

Van Antwerp Science Bowl team headed to nationals
Congratulations to the Van Antwerp Middle School Science Bowl Team, which placed first at the regional competition earlier this month. Next the team will compete at the National Science Bowl in Colorado in June. Team members are: Brian Barnes, Tim Hardin, Ethan Kelly, Pete Koehler and Nima Balan. Coach is teacher Connie Soron. Congratulations!

"A Peek into Kindergarten" highlights online
Did you miss "A Peek into Kindergarten," January's evening program for parents of children entering kindergarten in the fall? Highlights of that presentation are now online in the Parent Corner section of this site

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