July 22, 2009 Bulletin

The Bulletin -- July 22, 2009 (#1000)

Program: James “Jake” Short – Superintendent, Plattsburgh City School District

PLATTSBURGH SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT JAKE SHORT (RIGHT) LISTENS TO PETER ENSEL AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETNG.

Jake Short told Rotarians that efforts are underway to transform the school system to be an active participant in the lives of the residents of the city of Plattsburgh. “We are moving the school system from a good system to an exceptional school system.” Short said the district staff has established goals that include increasing academic rigor across the school system.

For example, Short said many students are participating in College Advanced Placement courses in a wide spectrum of courses, and the Plattsburgh school system is now offering aeronautical engineering to high school students in preparation of those who plan to study at the new Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute. “If Plattsburgh…is going to be an aeronautical area, an area of high tech, an area of growth and development, then we – shame on us if we don’t –need to get on that and do something as a school system to offer back value to our community.”

Short said that he hopes employers and owners will see that the school district is offering an added-value education for company employees and their families when they are seeking new locations or expansion of their companies in the City of Plattsburgh.

The school superintendent also said that meeting state standards is just not good enough for the district. “We do well with standardized test scores. We exceed the state average. We are perfectly fine, but that is not good enough.”

Short said that they want students to accomplish more that just exceed testing requirements. The district wants students to learn in a creative manner, obtain an analytical background and acquire problem solving abilities before they graduate.

Although the school district in conjunction with other Clinton County schools has one of the lowest dropout rate in New York State, Short said that’s not good enough either. “I would like to see our school system have less than a one percent dropout rate.”
He also said school district officials are now analyzing its data to see what teachers are successful in their classes and using them for Professional Leaning Communities. He said district administrators have started a learning community as has the school board and some support staff. He is hopeful that parents will become involved in one as well.

“We only have the students for a certain part of the day,” said Short. “We all know perfectly well that when better prepared people come to school and they are more supported in their education, they are going to be highly successful. If they don‘t have the backing and support at home, then it falls flat on them, and it’s a much harder mountain for them to climb.”

The school superintendent said that if Plattsburgh wants a world class school then its students have to have adaptability to meet their needs. Plattsburgh offers courses in four languages and is looking to add Mandarin Chinese if they can find an instructor. He mentioned that 10th grade students are now taking the 11th grade English regents. This allows them to take an additional two years in English, writing or other associated courses.

He challenged the Rotarians to bring forth ideas for the school mentioning that the school district is now looking into the possibility of courses in preparation for wind power degree classes at Clinton Community College.

Short said, “At the end of the day, it is the Plattsburgh community that we need to take care of and serve. At the end of the day, if it’s not the people in this room, or any other sector that we deal with…if we don’t do it, then shame on us. We didn’t do our part.”

Q: What are your thoughts on pre-school?
A: Some kids are ready for pre-school while others are not. The city school district offers pre-school at Momot and Bailey Ave. schools. The more these students get socialization, the better they succeed. Funding is not sufficient, but the district has made a commitment toward it.

This Week:

President Bonnie announced the Membership committee has a goal of 100% attendance and on the table was a paper showing us How to do a Makeup.
President Bonnie updated us on the Fishing Tournament Committee and said that Bob Smith had a great idea: Weigh station captains who would be responsible finding people to fill the spots at their particular weigh station throughout the weekend. If you would like to be a captain at a specific weigh station, please see Bonnie.
The Board Meeting for Monday, July 20th, will be held at the Cougars’ Den on the Clinton Community College main campus, and President Bonnie reminded us that all committee chairs must attend.
Next week’s meeting will be held in the Main Dining Room of the Elks’ Lodge. The lodge is polyurethaning the walls in our normal meeting area.
Howard Lowe from the Program Committee spoke on commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. He would love to get everyone involved to share their stories and asked all to get out our old shoe boxes or photo albums and find a photo of ourselves from 1969. Put your name on the back of the photos and hand them over to the Program Committee. He is also looking for volunteers to help with photo scanning and doing a soundtrack.
President Bonnie also mentioned the District Group Study Exchange Committee is looking for applicants to form the GSE team going to India this coming February 1-28. The candidates must not have any direct connection to Rotary, be 25-40 years old working a minimum of 2 years in their profession and an interest in finding out what their comparable professionals in India do. If any of our members know someone who is interested, they can contact GSE co-chairs David McKellar or Susan Fisher at: davidmckellar@sympatico.ca or sue.fisher@sympatico.ca.

This Week:

Pres. Bonnie said some thirty Rotarians need to pay their dues by the end of July.
Ellen Bouchard is sending around signup sheet for the Roducky Derby schedule. She hopes to begin selling ducks the second week of August. The club made approximately $5,000 last year.
Sara Rowden, chair of the Fun Committee, is finalizing a Rotary Bike Day for September (date TBA). A Rotary Walk Day to look at fall foliage is planned for October. She is also planning a Rotary Triathlon for next year (three people to walk, ride and golf). More to come.
Need to sign the card for Rotarian Chuck Paepke.

Visiting Rotarians:

Bob Hanna (Lake Placid)

Guests:

Tom Curle (Bruce Delventhal)
Terrianne Pavone (Kit Booth)
Susan Leveque (Al Folsom)
Matt Murray (Ellie Murray)
Jack Helfgott (Bob Parks)

Fines:

Sara Rowden spun twice – first all pay $2 and then she had to pay $4.

Announcements:

Bruce Delvanthal will co-chair the Service Committee with Colin Reed.
Twenty-three Rotarians including board members, committee chairs and new members attended this past Monday’s Board Meeting. Membership Committee Co-Chair Bob Parks challenged all board members to recruit one new member this year. New Member packets will be available soon including a list of fundraising and service committees.
The June membership attendance at weekly meetings climbed to 75 percent.
The board approved a proposal by the Paul Harris Fellows Committee to move the recognition/induction dinner to late Sept.-early
Oct. to begin in 2010 to increase attendance. Rosemary Souza- Botten will talk with the Sunrise Club and Rouses Point-Champlain Club about it.
The Marketing Committee is researching Rotary Polo Shirts that can be worn at Rotary-sponsored events.
The next Strategic Planning Session will be held immediately after the Sept. 21 Board meeting which begins at noon.

Bonnie’s Bucks:

John Bernardi thanked Paul Grasso for donating his $50 winnings from the club’s 50/50 raffle last week to the United Way.
Bruce Delvanthal said Tom Curle was heading up the 22nd Cardinal Classic which will also benefit the March of Dimes during its Wednesday, Aug. 5 event. He was seeking two four-person Rotarian teams.
John McGaulley announced that his granddaughter will be starting her second year in the doctorate program at the University of Georgia in real estate in August.
Ita Bullard reported that one of her paintings raised $3,600 at last week’s CVPH gala event.
Rod Giltz congratulated the Sunrise Club and Priscilla Hammond for the full page story and accompanying photo that appeared in this month’s Rotarian.

50/50 :

The pot climbed to $1,211 this week, and Marsha Cook picked the Five of Clubs. Close! We are going for the Queen of Hearts.

Trivia: Rotary Fun Facts

Approximately how many Rotary Clubs are in the World? 2,900 — Jim Judkins answered correctly and won a free Rotary window decal.

Upcoming Programs: Go to Membership Duties List