That's a wrap on the inaugural year for the Latham Ridge Running Club! To celebrate the success of the club, the Latham Ridge Running Club Awards were held for runners in grades K-5 on Wednesday, June 25. Runners who had good attendance for the year were honored with a medal. Runners also received awards in the following special categories Golden Sneaker Award (Top Overall Milage), Silver Sneaker Award (2nd Overall Milage), Top Female Runner (For Each Grade), Top Male Runner (For Each Grade), Most Improved Runner (For Each Grade), Respectful Runner Award (For Each Grade), Family Fun Award (Top Sibling Combo), Running Club Cup Grades K-2, and Running Club Cup Grades 3-5. Great job to our runners!
The school year might be over, but we're not done celebrating our students and their efforts as part of our North Colonie Month of Service! Latham Ridge spread their grade level projects out over a six week span. Kindergarten students learned about recycling and composting. First graders made care packages for a shelter. Second graders made a compost bin for the school. Third graders planted a "mini forest" near the playground and built bird houses which were place around the Latham Ridge campus. Fourth graders made dog and cat toys for a shelter and fifth graders have helped all the other grades. What a difference our Panthers made during the NC Month of Service! Great work everyone!
The Latham Ridge Senior Walk Through was Wednesday morning! The halls were filled with students and staff cheering on the seniors as they walked through their former elementary school. After the walk, the seniors gathered on the playground for a group photo!
ARRR you ready for this? Fourth graders at Latham Ridge had a pirate-themed day last week to end their ELA unit on the book "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. The day was full of learning, creativity, and pirate adventure. Students participated in pirate-themed learning activities, took part in a treasure hunt around the school, and dressed up in pirate-themed clothes. Students also participated in creative writing, read about pirates, and completed a math escape room.
Another day, another North Colonie CSD Transportation award! Congratulations to Melisa Glodich, who has been named the New York Association of Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) School Bus Attendant of the Year for 2025! A bus aide with the district since 2018, Melisa will receive the award on July 15 at the NYAPT Summer Conference in Saratoga Springs. "Melisa exemplifies all the good qualities of being a bus aide. She has terrific attendance. She is kind, caring, attentive, and compassionate," said NCCSD Director of Transportation Denise Towne.
A Waterford native, Glodich says she has always loved children. “Forming strong, trusting relationships with special needs children and their families is incredibly rewarding. I love being a supportive presence in their lives and journey. Interacting with children with diverse needs and learning about their unique characteristics can be a valuable and enriching experience,” she said. Congratulations Melisa and thank you for your service to our students here in North Colonie!
Congratulations to North Colonie Bus Driver Marsha Bejian! Marsha has been named the 2025 AAA Hudson Valley Safe School Bus Driver for the district. The award is given to a school bus driver from each school district throughout the Capital Region by the AAA Hudson Valley. The Safe School Bus Driver award recognizes drivers who present themselves in a positive and safe manner, while following all regulations set forth by the agencies that govern transportation. Marsha was given her award during the award ceremony on Wednesday, June 18. Congratulations, Marsha! Thank you for all you do to keep our students safe!
Congratulations to the Shaker High School Hall of Fame Class of 2025! On Monday, June 16, seven new members were inducted into the SHS Alumni Hall of Fame. SHS student government members Pranjal Yadav and Regan Morrissey read the biography of each of the inducted alumni, sharing with the audience their accomplishments. Following this, each member offered some brief remarks on their time at Shaker. Read their remarks on our website here: https://www.northcolonie.org/article/2274095
View the alumni bios here: https://www.northcolonie.org/halloffame
The North Colonie Teachers' Association hosted its annual retirement party to celebrate the outgoing class of teachers. Employees past and present gathered at The Barn at Power's to honor the 15 NCCSD teachers who are calling it a career. It was a night to reminisce on the years of hard work and dedication put in by so many. Thank you all for everything you have done for North Colonie and we wish you the best of luck in your retirement!
The Shaker High School pool was filled with echoes of "cannonball!" earlier this week, as third grade students from Latham Ridge participated in the pilot swim lesson program. Students were bussed over to the high school, where they attended a water safety class before jumping into the water. The group then spent the remainder of the class reviewing swim techniques, water exercises, and, of course, getting in a few cannonballs.
Start your engines! Students from Latham Ridge Communications classes put their skills to work, designing their very own cars out of cardboard and other objects on hand, including a frisbee steering wheel and toy cell phone as a GPS. Once students painted and glued the project together, they were given their cardboard box license and took a ride around the school. Upon reaching their destination, they were able to relax in their cars to enjoy a movie in their classroom, just like at the drive-in.
If you're driving on I-90 westbound near Everett Road, keep your eye out for some of our students' creative work on a Lamar Billboard! Ms. Moran's elementary health classes partnered with Lamar to develop public service announcements that raise awareness about the physical, social and emotional impact of screen time, cell phone use and social media. One submission was selected for display from each of our six elementary schools and can be seen through June 18.
For the last eight weeks, the Superintendent’s Gallery outside of the Superintendent’s office has featured student artwork from three of our elementary schools. Artists from Boght Hills, Latham Ridge and Loudonville and their families were invited to visit Central Office to see their artwork on display. Superintendent Kathleen Skeals attended the event to meet the artists and learn more about about their work. Thank you to Mrs. Manzella for the beautiful displays and to Ms. Duffy, Ms. Hacklin, and Ms. Gorman for being such wonderful art teachers for our students!
The SHS Multicultural Festival was a resounding success on Friday night! Families from across the district turned out to celebrate the many cultures represented here in North Colonie. There was food from dozens of different countries for people to sample, along with dance, music and crafts from various cultures. The festival was put on by the SHS Cooking and Culture Club with the support of many other school clubs. We can't wait to do it again next year!
It was a party at Walker Field on Wednesday as fifth graders from all six elementary schools came together for the 73rd Annual Fifth Grade Track & Field Meet! The field was buzzing with energy, cheers, music, and nonstop fun! Students participated in more than a dozen events like the softball throw and shot put. To wrap up the day there were three thrilling 4x100 relays ( boys, girls, and coed) which brought the crowd to their feet. Latham Ridge swept them all! Huge thanks to our faculty, staff, and incredible timekeepers for making it all happen!
Thank you to the North Colonie community for supporting the 2025-26 budget! North Colonie residents voted to approve the budget, 937 yes votes to 267 no votes. Linda Harrison and Samuel Johnson were both reelected to their seats on the Board of Education. Learn more on our website at northcolonie.org/news.
North Colonie is once again teaming up with the United Way of the Greater Capital Region... this time for our Season of Service! Throughout the month of May, students from buildings around the district are holding days of service to give back to the community. While they're doing that, we want to help our own students in need. The money raised in this campaign will help provide students with food and other items during summer break and beyond. We are grateful for any and all donations!
Turning leftovers into lessons at Latham Ridge! Kindergarten students recently had the chance to learn all about composting as a part of their day of service. Kindergarteners rotated through stations and learned about the full lifecycle of composting, which included what can be recycled and composted, how to compost, how soil is made from composting, and more! Students even got the chance to see how their own food scraps from lunch could be transformed into rich soil for the school garden.
Science shows that exercising before school helps students pay attention in school, get better grades, show up ready to learn, and do better on tests. With this in mind, for the grade 3, 4, and 5 state testing days, Latham Ridge has been hosting a "Pop-Up Running Club" before school each day. The event has been a success, with 30 to 45 kids showing up each morning of the four state testing days. As of mid-April, students have run a total of 1,452 miles so far this school year - and with each pop-up running club event, that number continues to grow. Great job to our Latham Ridge runners!
Putting FACS skills to the test! Francis Estrella, a student from Morgan Armstrong's Textile & Design class, took what he learned in class and transformed it an official brand.
For the class, students were tasked with creating a clothing company logo and one clothing item. Francis made a beanie hat lined with silk to accommodate people that struggle with frizzy hair. He then took the project a step further, pitching his brand, which he named "Director," to a clothing manufacturer. The slogan for Director is "Your Life Is Your Movie," which Francis says reminds us that we are the boss of our lives - no one but yourself can direct this movie, also known as your life.
"I am beyond proud of him," said Armstrong. "This is exactly what it's all about!"
We have changemakers here in North Colonie! Thursday night, three of those educators were recognized at the Capital Area School Development Association's (CASDA) Annual Awards & Friends of Education Celebration.
Board of Education President Linda Harrison was recognized for Excellence in School Board Service. She is currently serving in her twelfth year as President of the Board. Mrs. Harrison was a social studies teacher at Shaker for 34 years.
Former North Colonie Superintendent Joe Corr was honored with the Friends of Education Award for his service as a social studies teacher, department supervisor and superintendent here in North Colonie. He can still be seen on the sidelines at football games and is very involved in the school community.
Farm to School Facilitator Amber Cost was also honored with the Friends of Education Award. Starting in her new position this school year, Amber will have helped to start gardens at all eight school buildings by the end of the school year. She has worked with Food Services to incorporate produce into the cafeterias and has incorporated lessons on agriculture and sustainability into the curriculum around the district.
Congratulations to all!
