Stewart School Students Win State Award

The Board of Regents and the New York State Archives have selected Stewart School students Leila Balady, Michael Collins, Alix Della Penna, Kate DeMarco, Drusilla Falco, Daniel Fortino, Patrick Gerspach, Matthew Greene, Devon Ialenti, Brian Nicholas, Brian Shulman, Rosie Tomao, Michaela Fitzpatrick, Timothy Foxen, Kerri Heuser, Nicole Horn, Timothy Josephs, Emily King, Fiona MacLeod, Daniel Pietromonaco, and Morgayne Rix as the recipients of the 2007 Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 4-5 for their entry The Birth of Stewart School.

Framed certificates and a cash gift will be presented to the fourth and fifth grade Stewart School students at a luncheon ceremony at the State Education Department in Albany on October 22, 2007. The students' teacher, Dolores Volpe, will also be recognized at the luncheon.

Using documents from their district's records management officer, the town historian, village clerk, and interviews with former students and staff members, the students successfully researched and presented answers to such questions as: Why was the school built? How much did it cost? Who built it? The students compared historic maps, blueprints, school board records and receipts with current photographs and architectural evidence. They presented the answers to their mystery questions in a well thought out, organized, visually pleasing PowerPoint presentation which clearly demonstrated each child's contribution. The project demonstrated the students' interest and enthusiasm for the project and their pride in their school and community.

Named for Regent Emerita Laura Chodos and her husband Dr. Robert Chodos, who created an endowment to encourage the educational uses of historical records in the classroom, the Student Research Awards are presented annually to a student or group of students in New York State who have made outstanding use of historical records in their research. They recognize student work for demonstrating excellence based on specific criteria: using a variety of historical records, drawing on information from those records, and interpreting and integrating that information with creativity and imagination.

The annual Archives Awards program recognizes outstanding efforts in archives and records management work in New York State by a broad range of individuals and organizations. A complete list of this year's award recipients follows:

Excellence in Research Using the Holdings of the State Archives

Laura Wittern-Keller, University at Albany

Debra E. Bernhardt Award for Excellence in Documenting New York's History

Dominican Studies Institute, City College of New York

Program Excellence in a Historical Records Repository

SchenectadyCountyHistorical Society

William H. Kelly Award for Excellence in Local Government Archival Program Development

SuffolkCounty

Cheryl Steinbach Award for Excellence in Local Government Records Management

Town of Lewisboro

Excellence in State Agency Records Management

New YorkStateThruway Authority and Canal Corporation

Excellence in the Educational Use of Local Government Records by a Local Government

Town of Ithaca

Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 4-5

Fourth and Fifth Grade Students from the Stewart School, Garden City School District

Dolores Volpe, Educator

Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 6-8

Emma Gugerty ,LocustValley Middle School,Locust Valley Central School District

Barbara LaBella, Educator

Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 9-12

Alexandra Rheinhardt, Cooperstown Central High School, Cooperstown Central School District

Mary Beth Murdock , Educator