Shenendehowa Central School District

The Shenendehowa Central School District, often shortened to Shen, is a public school district located in New York's Capital District. [2] The district's 232-acre (0.94 km2) main campus is located off NY 146 in Clifton Park, and is home to the Plainsmen. Eight of the district's 12 schools, in five buildings.[3] The remaining four schools are called "neighborhood elementary schools" and are located throughout the district in three buildings. The district serves approximately 9,800 students in grades K-13 from throughout its 86-square-mile (220 km2) territory which includes the towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Ballston Lake, Round Lake, Malta and parts of Waterford, Rexford, Mechanicville and Stillwater. Shenendehowa is the largest School District in Saratoga County, and the largest in student population in the Suburban Council, an interscholastic athletic consortium of 11 area school with a districts.[4]

Shenendehowa Central School District
Shenendehowa Central School District Logo
Address
970 Route 146

Clifton Park
,
New York
12065

United States
Information
School typePublic
EstablishedJanuary 14, 1950
SuperintendentL. Oliver Robinson, PhD
GradesK-12
Enrollment9,800
Average class size2015 -860 students, 2011 -807 students, 2010, 756 students, 2009, 676 students
LanguageEnglish
Campus size232 acres (0.94 km2)
Campus typeSuburban
School colour(s)Green and White          
MascotStallion
Team namePlainsmen
NewspaperThe Shen Pen
YearbookCarillon
Budget$177,729,400 (USD)[1]
Websitehttp://www.shenet.org/

Schools

Today, Shenendehowa is a district of 13 schools, including 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools.

Elementary schools

Four elementary schools are located on the main campus (Skano, Tesago, Orenda and Karigon). The other four are neighborhood elementary schools including Okte Elementary School which is located on CR-92 Crescent Road off Exit 8 of the Adirondack Northway (I-87),[5] Chango Elementary School which is off CR-80 Round Lake Road at Exit 11 of the Adirondack Northway (I-87),[6] and Arongen and Shatekon elementary schools, which are both located just off the main campus.[7] These schools are for students in grades K-5, with AM and PM kindergartens.

Principals
  • Andrew Hills - Arongen
  • Karin Skarka - Chango
  • Malik Jones - Karigon
  • Lisa Mickle - Okte
  • Todd Giagni - Orenda
  • Erica J. Ryan - Shatekon
  • Jill Florio - Skano
  • Gregory Pace - Tesago

Middle schools

The district's three middle school buildings are all in one large complex on the main campus.[8] The schools share areas such as gyms and libraries, however they function as separate schools. One section of the middle school complex is the oldest building on campus, but has undergone extensive renovations and reconfigurations over the 63 years since it was built.[4] The building now is home to Acadia, Koda, and Gowana Middle Schools, which together house all students in grades 6 through 8, divided by geographical region. Koda is the newest school and opened in 1999.[9]

Principals
  • Jonathan Burns - Acadia
  • Robin Gawrys - Gowana
  • Sean Gnat - Koda

Shenendehowa High School
Main article: Shenendehowa High School

Shenendehowa High School is divided into two buildings, designated East and West by their respective geographical locations on the district's main campus.[10] Since the opening of the new wing of the East building on September 2004, that building has housed all of the districts sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and the West building has housed only the district's freshmen. The current principal is Ron Agostini.

District governance

Board of education

At the district level, Shenendehowa is governed by a Board of Education made up of seven unsalaried citizens who serve three-year terms, and who are elected on a rotating basis. The current members of the board of education are:[11]

  • Robert Pressly - President
  • Deanna Stephenson - Vice President
  • Gary DiLallo
  • Naomi Hoffman
  • Christina Rajotte
  • Todd Gilbert
  • Gusta Miller

Superintendent

The board of education also employs a district superintendent who oversees the day-to-day operation of the district and who is responsible for the administration of board policies. The current superintendent is Dr L. Oliver Robinson, who received his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his master's degree and doctorate from SUNY Albany and who was more recently the superintendent of Mohonasen Central School District and received The Business Review's Best and Brightest Under 40 Award in 2004.[12]

Past Superintendents Include:

  • John O'Rourke (interim superintendent 2005)
  • Dr. Robert McClure (1998-2005)
  • Dr. Richard O'Rourke (interim superintendent 1997-1998)
  • John Yagielski (1992-1997)
  • Edward McHale (1985-1992)
  • Dr. Edwin Dunmire (1968-1985)
  • Richard Zeller (1968)
  • Charles Fryer (1961-1968)
  • Rodney Winans (1950-1961)

District statistics

In the 2005-06 school year, 4463 students were enrolled in grades K-5, 2269 were enrolled in grades 6-8, and 2858 were enrolled in grades 9-12. The district employed 676 teachers, 12 principals, 10 assistant principals, 85 professional staff, and 36 paraprofessionals during the same school year.[13]

In the 2012-13 school year, a total of 8,745 students were enrolled in the district at the end of the year. The district employed 662 teachers, 12 principals, 11 assistant principals, and 85 professional staff.[14]

History

Shenendehowa Central School district was established on January 14, 1950, under the name of "Central Schools District No. 2, of the Towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta, Waterford, Ballston and Stillwater, County of Saratoga, New York." The name Shenendehowa was decided later and accredited to old Dutch maps which designated the area as such. The school board says the word "Shenendahowe" comes from an Iroquois word meaning "Great Plains".[15] In fact, all of the schools with the exception of the high schools have names derived from the Iroquois language.

After construction, kindergarten students and students of grades 8 through 12 were allowed to move into the main building (now Gowana and Acadia) in 1953. The following year, students of grades 1 through 7 would enter the same building. Grades K-6 started moved to Tesago and Skano in 1966, while Grades 9-12 moved to Shenendehowa High School after it was built in 1970. Shenendehowa Central School District continued to expand with High School West (1999), Koda Middle School (1976), and elementary schools Orenda (1968), Karigon (1968), Okte (1973), Chango (1974), Arongen (1992), and Shatekon (2007).[16]

Alma Mater

Shenendehowa's alma mater, written in 1962, is as follows:

Shenendehowa Central out on the plain so clear; Her Carillon bells are standing a symbol we hold dear; And through the years she'll guide us and help us on our way; We never will forget her but with honour will repay; Alma Mater, Alma Mater; to thee we sang our praise; Shenendehowa Central; Our standard our guide always[16]

Athletic teams

Shenendehowa's athletic teams are called the Plainsmen, and their mascot is the stallion. They participate in 34 varsity sports over all seasons, as well as competing at junior varsity, freshman, and modified levels in many of these sports. Fall Varsity Sports include boys cross country, American football, golf, soccer, and volleyball, as well as girls cross country running, field hockey, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, color guard, and cheerleading. In the winter season, the plainsmen compete in boys and girls alpine and cross-country skiing, basketball, bowling club, winter guard, and indoor track, as well as boys wrestling, swimming and diving, and ice hockey, and girls gymnastics and cheerleading. The spring season includes boys and girls track and field and lacrosse, as well as baseball and tennis for boys, and softball for girls.[17]

Although not officially associated with Shenendehowa Athletics, Friends of Shenendehowa Crew, Inc. sponsors crew teams at the Modified, Freshmen, and Varsity levels which are open to Shenendehowa students.[18])

See also

References
  1. "Budget & Finance". Budget & Finance Shenendehowa Central School. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  2. "Historical Information". Shenendehowa Central Schools. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  3. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  4. About Shenendehowa Central Schools Archived September 4, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  6. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  7. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  8. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  9. Koda Middle School Archived 2007-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  11. Shenendehowa Board of Education Website Archived January 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  12. "University at Albany - Alumni Awareness - L. Oliver Robinson '96". www.albany.edu. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  13. New York State School Report Card for Shenendehowa Central School District Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2014-07-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Historical Information". Shenendehowa Central Schools. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  16. "Historical Information". Shenendehowa Central Schools. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  17. Archived June 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  18. Crew, Friends of Shenendehowa. "Shen Crew - Friends of Shenendehowa Crew". Friends of Shenendehowa Crew. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
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