School Board Begins Year With Accolades
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

The first Garden City Board of Education meeting of the school year began on an upbeat note, with the High School library filled with family members and residents who came to recognize special class achievements.

The first group to be recognized at the September 17th meeting was Leigh Dowden's fifth-grade class from last year. They won second place in the New York State Senate's "I'm a Green Nation" contest with their book "Just One Can." Every student created a page in the book, which focuses on the importance of recycling. The book can be found on the school district's Web site at www.gardencity.k12.ny.us/.

The audience was treated to presentations by Dolores Volpe and Richard Madden's fourth- and fifth-grade classes from last year. Mrs. Volpe's class at Stewart School gave a short summary of their original "Birth of Stewart School," a 115-slide PowerPoint presentation on the 70th anniversary of Stewart School.

The class project won first place in the 18th annual Student Research Contest sponsored by the New York State Archives. Students did a significant amount of work, including researching the history of 1937, conducting personal interviews and primary source archival research, and taking photos.

Only one high school, middle school and elementary school in the state were selected. The class will be honored at a luncheon in Albany on October 22nd, where they will be given a special tour of the state archives.

Just as impressive was a presentation on Stewart School's 75th anniversary given by Richard Madden's class. His class made a visual record for future generations using a documentary movie format. The project earned the class Honorable Mention in the archives contest. Mr. Madden hopes to have a copy available for residents in the Garden City Public Library next year.

In his monthly report, Superintendent Dr. Robert Feirsen said opening day was successful and cited two concerns his administration had from previous years with programming at the high school. He was pleased to report that this year there is no class in the high school with more than 30 students, with the exception of physical education which traditionally goes above that number.

The other concern was with the ratio of classified and non-classified students in co-teaching classes. Dr. Feirsen complimented high school administrators, especially Principal Dr. Francis Banta and Guidance Coordinator Kitty Klein, who worked on these two issues.

Total enrollment as of the first week of September was 4,241. Dr. Feirsen noted that figures are usually based on enrollment as of October 1st since districts usually see student enrollment fluctuation during the first weeks of school. The figure is within demographic projections.

Dr. Feirsen also reported that 60 new faculty members started their jobs in the district this year. All new faculty members attended an extensive three-day orientation program, which included a day of technology training.

The School Board approved a five percent salary increase for assistant superintendents. Albert Chase, assistant superintendent for business and finance, will now earn an annual salary of $182,419; Fino Celano, assistant superintendent for personnel, will earn $177,660; and Dr. Teresa Prendergast, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, will earn $172,373.

Chase gave a progress report on construction projects. The irrigation system has been installed on the Middle School fields and is working properly. Sod will be placed this week, and then back stops and fences will be installed.

A path has been laid along Stewart Avenue inside the fence on school property for students who live on nearby Raymond Court. Some parents had expressed concern that the sidewalk students had to use to get to school along Stewart Avenue posed a safety hazard. They claimed the sidewalk was not cleaned regularly, flooded easily and was often covered with acorns.

School Board Vice President Colleen Foley asked Dr. Feirsen about hiring a crossing guard at the high school. Dr. Feirsen said the district is working closely with the Village to make the entrance safer. The volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, especially in the morning, makes the site especially hazardous. The Village has hired a consultant to study the issue and is expected to report to the Board of Trustees soon.

A resident asked if the district will consider teaching Chinese at the high school. Dr. Feirsen said the World Language Department will be looking into the issue during their curriculum review this year. He added that it is very difficult to find certified teachers of Chinese. The department will be giving a progress report to the school board in the spring.

The work session on Tuesday, October 9th will focus on a report on facilities, with special emphasis on the district's need for additional space. The meeting will be held at 8:15 p.m. in the administration building.