Two of SRC’s favorite things are on the menu for this Thursday’s dinner meeting at Quigley’s:
• Ziti and meatballs, with antipasto salad, veggies, bread, beverages and dessert.
• Youth education, in the form of club member Mike Bennett, who is assistant superintendent for the Schodack Central School District, bringing Maple Hill High School principal Ron Agostinoni and three of the four students our club sponsored for the 2016-17 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program.
After dinner, the students will fill us in on their experience with RYLA, a signature youth program throughout the world of Rotary.
The following people have indicated their intent to attend this Thursday. If your plans have changed or you and/or a guest wish to be included in the reservation count, please email dinner coordinator Debbie Brown at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com no later than Tuesday evening.
1. Ron Annis
2. Pat Bailey
3. Mike Bennett
4. Geoff Brewer
5. Terry Brewer
6. Debbie Brown
7. Peter Brown
8. Bill Dowd
9 Dick Drumm
10. Murray Forth
11. Ray Hannan
12. Phil Kellerman
13. Jim Leyhane
14. Roberto Martinez
15. Becky Raymond
16. Debbie Rodriguez
17. Carole Spencer
18. Ron Agostinoni (guest)
19. Meg Albanese (guest)
20. Kassidy Berger (guest)
21. Matt Riordan (guest)
A rare dry spell this week allowed concrete footer work to be carried out as the next phase of the Viking Gym project at Schodack Town Park goes on. Here are some images from today’s work session.
Jim McHugh has been appointed the new Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction by the Board of Education of the East Greenbush Central School District.
Jim, a member of the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club, had been serving as principal on special ssignment at the district office since returning on from a medical leave of absence in February.
In his new role, Jim will oversee all academic programs and services in the district. He also will supervise instructional technology, administer testing, lead and participate on a variety of committees, and seek grant opportunities.
“I am excited for this new challenge and to be able to help all of our students receive an excellent K-12 education,” he said. “The most important thing is that I still think like a teacher.”
Jim had been the principal at Bell Top Elementary School since 2007. Prior to that, he was an administrator at Columbia High School and spent 17 years in the district as a classroom teacher. Marty Mahar will continue to serve as interim principal at Bell Top while the process of selecting a permanent principal is conducted.
“The District is extremely fortunate to have Jim McHugh step into this important role,” said Board of Education President Dr. Shay Harrison. “Jim is an expert in pedagogy, not just in present delivery but also in being fully informed about and anticipating the directions that classroom instruction will take in the future. He’s demonstrated his leadership and creativity throughout his educational career, from classroom teacher to building administrator and now as an assistant superintendent.”
The Viking Gym project being constructed at the Schodack Town Park as an Eagle Scout project with major assistance from Rotary now has signage letting the public know what is going on. Ron Annis, who is coordinating the work, shared these images along with a thanks to Murray Forth for creating the sign centerpiece.
The park is located at 479 Poyneer Road, Nassau. It was created in the 1990s by volunteers and crews from the Town Highway Department, with support from town government and local businesses. You can download a brochure explaining the park’s amenities by clicking here.
Piecing the sign together …… getting it upright …… and, Ta Dah!
Dinner Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant 593 Columbia Turnpike East Greenbush, NY
May 11, 2017
Members Attending (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Bill Dowd, April Dowd, Dick Drumm, Geoff Brewer, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, A.J. Amato, Maggie Forth, Ron Annis, Terry Brewer, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Andy Leyhane.
Guests (4): Rotarians Kevin Markham, Tom Rogers, Charlie Perry; Jeremy Forth.
PROGRAM: 3rd annual Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test
Bill Dowd works the competition presentation keyboard while the participants work their memory banks.Visiting Rotarian Tom Rogers (center) and Debbie Brown wound up tied for the victory.
Triviamaster Bill Dowd conducted the annual brainteaser event. The scoring was done on the honor system for answers in five categories — television, food and drink, American history, sports and geography. Questions ranged from easy to very challenging, and all required serious contemplation.
Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer and visiting Rotarian Tom Rogers wound up tied with 24 of a possible 40 points each. After a series of tie-breaking questions, Debbie and Tom remained tied, but Tom won a coin flip to get the top prize — a boxed set of the party game “Hollywood Game Night” — and Debbie was awarded a book of 250 word puzzles.
Business & Announcements
VISITING ROTARIANS — President Debbie Rodriguez welcomed a trio of visiting Rotarians — Kevin Markham of the Glens Falls club and Tom Rogers and Charlie Perry of the Salem club — who all spoke at great length about the District’s Rotary Youth Exchange program, including their experiences, tips for finding host families, and how to engage with incoming students. A.J. Amato, our club’s Youth Exchange Officer, thanked the visitors for being so supportive of him during this academic year. It also was announced that Ella Câncio, SRC’s student from Brazil, will remain with her current host family through the end of her stay here.
BUSINESS CARDS — Debbie distributed new club business cards, asking members to use them to help attract interest in Rotary and to use when seeking donations to the club. She also thanked Bill Dowd for designing the cards and having them professionally printed.
WORK DAY SIGNUP — Members are asked to sign up for a volunteer work day project at the Shaker Heritage Site in Colonie, an effort being put together for next Saturday, (May 20) by Assistant District Governor Jack Faddegon. Volunteers are asked to bring tools — shovels, hammers, handsaws, rakes, etc. — suitable for some landscaping and repair chores. A picnic lunch will be served. Anyone who did not sign up at this meeting but wishes to participate is asked to contact Debbie Rodriguez ASAP.
SUMMER ACTIVITIES — A sign-up sheet is being circulated to solicit suggestions for summer club activities. We especially are looking for ideas to attract our younger members with children to engage with all members.
VIKING PLAYGROUND — Murray Forth reported for Ron Annis that work is progressing at a rapid pace on Leonardo Gonzalez’s Eagle Scout project (click here and herefor photos) that will result in creation of the initial phase of a Viking Gym at Schodack Town Park. A sign already has been installed. The project is being undertaking in cooperation with our sister club in Gefle, Sweden, Monika Annis’s hometown.
SCOUT NEWS — Murray also reported receipt of an invitation from Boy Scout Troop 41 to participate in the community Memorial Day parade. Scoutmaster Dennis Cicchino will visit the club on May 25 to update us on the Scouts’ activities.
NEXT MEETINGS — On Thursday, May 18, two meetings are on the calendar. Jim Leyhane will show a version of the polio history video at the 7 a.m. Third Thursday breakfast meeting at the Greenbush YMCA. At the 6:15 p.m . dinner meeting at Quigley’s, club member Mike Bennett, assistant superintendent of the Schodack Central School District, will accompany juniors from Maple Hill High School who participated in the 2016-17 RYLA program. Their tuitions were paid for by the SRC club.
A beautifully landscaped hole at Whispering Pines Colf Club.
The Colonie-Guilderland Rotary Club will hold its 13th annual Golf Outing on Friday, June 9. Rotarians from all clubs as well as friends of Rotary are invited to participate.
The venue is the Whispering Pines Golf Club, located at 2200 Helderberg Avenue in Rotterdam.
Proceeds from the outing will support the host club’s activities in Colonie and Guilderland as well as the Ronald McDonald House in Albany. Hole prizes and a raffle worth thousands of dollars will be included,
You can get further details and register on the Colonie-Guilderland club’s website. Directions to the course are available on the golf club’s website.
Question No. 1: What’s on the menu for this Thursday’s Rotary meeting?
Answer No. 1: Chicken Marsala with chef-selected sides, salad, bread, dessert and beverages.
Question No. 2: What else?
Answer No. 2: Trivia.
Yes, it’s time for our 3rd annual GreatNorthAmericanWhizbangTriviaTest, that yearly opportunity for Rotarians and guests to clear all that useless trivia knowledge out of their brain pans and make room for more knowledge.
WebTriviamaster Bill Dowd has put together a five-category quiz you’ll be taking as individual players (no teams). Prizes to the top three finishers. The categories:
Television
Food & Drink
American History
Sports
Geography
Be sure to invite a friend, relative, colleague, etc., anyone who enjoys good-natured competition. Just be sure to email dinner coordinator Debbie Brown at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com no later than this Tuesday evening. The following people already have signed up, but we’d like to have a lot more:
Ron Annis
Pat Bailey
Geoff Brewer
Terry Brewer
Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
April Dowd
Bill Dowd
Dick Drumm
Murray Forth
Ray Hannan
Phil Kellerman (*) Jim Leyhane
Roberto Martinez
Debbie Rodriguez
Longtime SRC member Burke Adams (left) and colleague Jack Conway pose together after Sunday’s “Charity Challenge Chicken BBQ” that raised money for the Capital Region Miracle League. The organization, which the SRC helps fund annually, is a sports-centered initiative that involves people with a variety of disabilities. Click here to learn more about the Miracle League.
Part of the Saturday morning conference session.Site of the conference.
The much-anticipated polio history video spearheaded by the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club made its debut Saturday at the District 7190 Annual Conference in Lake George.
The informational video is a cooperative venture involving the SRC; technical staff production work from the Capital Area School Development Association (CASDA), also known as the Center for School Improvement at the UAlbany School of Education; the UAlbany School of Public Health, and District 7190.
The project was an outgrowth of discussion held after a “World Polio Day” live-streaming event hosted by the School of Public Health. District Governor John Mucha, in introducing the video to a full house attending the session, said, “SRC Rotary was really the striving force behind this.”
Because many people, younger ones in particular, have not lived through polio epidemics and scares that once were commonplace until Rotary International stepped in to help lead the global effort to eradicate the disease, it was felt that an educational video would help explain the ongoing need for vigilance and funding of the effort since polio cannot be cured but can be prevented.
Dr. Martha J. Lepow of Albany Medical Center, who has had a lengthy practice in pediatric infectious diseases, had volunteered to talk about polio with Rotary club audiences, but it was thought that a video presentation that could be widely disseminated would be more efficient. SRC;s Dr. Jim Leyhane interviewed her on-camera as part of the video.
After the video was shown, our club member, Martha and the School of Public Heath were given “District Governor Emmys,” and Jim posed for the statue. Martha also was award a Paul Harris Fellows certificate, and given an “End Polio Now” fleece jacket. Jim and Dr. Roberto Martinez accepted the club’s award.
Also attending the conference were SRC President Debbie Rodriguez and Secretary Pat Bailey, as well as Ella Leal Cancio, our Rotary Youth Exchange student from Brazil who was recognized along with other exchange students from throughout the District,
Displays and discussion topics also included ShelterBox, Gift of Life, and PolioPlus. Keynote speaker Mitty Chang’s topic was “Attracting the Future of Rotary.”
Thanks to Roberto Martinez for providing these notes and the following images:
DG John Mucha, with microphone, talks about the polio video, with Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane alongside.The “Emmy”-winning crowd.Dr. Martha Lepow displays her Paul Harris Fellow certificate.Pat Bailey and Debbie Rodriguez flank Dr. Martha Lepow …… while Debbie poses with SRC’s Ella Câncio (right) and other Rotary Youth Exchange students studying in the District this academic year.Our club advertisement in the conference program.A ShelterBox partially unpacked to display the tent that is part of its contents.The Gift of Life display.The End Polio Now display.
Two of SRC’s favorite things are on the menu for this Thursday’s dinner meeting at Quigley’s:
Dinner Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 