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Shenendehowa Central School District

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Established
  
January 14, 1950

Enrollment
  
9,800

Campus size
  
232 acres (0.94 km)

Number of students
  
9,800

School type
  
State school

Grades
  
K-12

Language
  
English

Mascot
  
Stallion

Founded
  
14 January 1950

Superintendent
  
L. Oliver Robinson, PhD

Shenendehowa Central School District wwwleonardbuscomwpcontentuploads201511Shen

Average class size
  
2015 -860 students, 2011 -807 students, 2010, 756 students, 2009, 676 students

Budget
  
148 million USD (United States Dollar)

Headquarters
  
Clifton Park, New York, United States

Profiles

The Shenendehowa Central School District, often shortened to Shen, is a public school district located in New York's Capital Region. The district's 232-acre (0.94 km2) main campus is located off NY 146 in Clifton Park, and is home to eight of the districts 12 schools, in five buildings. The remaining four schools are so called "neighborhood elementary schools" and are located throughout the district in three buildings. The district serves approximately 9,800 students in grades K-12 from throughout its 86-square-mile (220 km2) territory which includes the towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Ballston Lake, Round Lake, Malta and parts of Waterford, Rexford, Mechanicville and Stillwater. Shenendehowa is the largest School District in Saratoga County, and the largest in student population in the Suburban Council, an interscholastic athletic consortium of 11 area school districts.

Contents

Map of Shenendehowa Central School District, NY, USA

Schools

Today, Shenendehowa is a district of 13 schools, including 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools.

Elementary schools

Four elementary schools are located on the main campus (Skano, Tesago, Orenda and Karigon). The other four are neighborhood elementary schools including Okte Elementary School which is located on CR-92 Crescent Road off Exit 8 of the Adirondack Northway (I-87), Chango Elementary School which is off CR-80 Round Lake Road at Exit 11 of the Adirondack Northway (I-87), and Arongen and Shatekon elementary schools, which are both located just off the main campus.

Principals

  • Andrew Hills - Arongen
  • Karin Skarka - Chango
  • Gregory Wing - Karigon
  • Lisa Mickle - Okte
  • Michael Smith - Orenda
  • Erica J. Ryan - Shatekon
  • Jill Florio - Skano
  • Gregory Pace - Tesago
  • Middle schools

    The district's three middle school buildings are attached and located in one large complex on the main campus. The schools share core areas such as gym, libraries, etc., however, they function as separate schools. One section of the middle school complex is the oldest building on campus, but has undergone extensive renovations and reconfigurations over the 63 years since it was built. The building now is home to Acadia, Koda, and Gowana Middle Schools, which together house all students in grades 6 through 8, divided by geographical region. Koda is the newest school and opened in 1999.

    Principals

  • Jonathan Burns - Acadia
  • Robin Gawrys - Gowana
  • Sean Gnat - Koda
  • Shenendehowa High School

    Shenendehowa High School is divided into two buildings, designated East and West by their respective geographical locations on the district's main campus. Since the opening of the new wing of the East building in September 2004, that building has housed all of the districts sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and the West building has housed only the district's freshmen. The current principal is Don Flynt.

    Board of education

    At the district level, Shenendehowa is governed by a Board of Education made up of seven unsalaried citizens who serve three year terms, and who are elected on a rotating basis. The current members of the board of education are:

  • Robert Pressly - President
  • Todd Gilbert - Vice President
  • Mary Blaauboer
  • William Casey
  • Gary DiLallo
  • Christina Rajotte
  • Deanna Stephenson
  • Superintendent

    The board of education also employs a district superintendent who oversees the day-to-day operation of the district and who is responsible for administration of board policies. The current superintendent is Dr. L. Oliver Robinson, who received his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his master's degree and doctorate from SUNY Albany and who was more recently the superintendent of Mohonasen Central School District and received The Business Review's Best and Brightest Under 40 Award in 2004.

    Past Superintendents Include:

  • John O’Rourke (interim superintendent 2005)
  • Dr. Robert McClure (1998-2005)
  • Dr. Richard O’Rourke (interim superintendent 1997-1998)
  • John Yagielski (1992-1997)
  • Edward McHale (1985-1992)
  • Dr. Edwin Dunmire (1968-1985)
  • Richard Zeller (1968)
  • Charles Fryer (1961-1968)
  • Rodney Winans (1950-1961)
  • District statistics

    In the 2005-06 school year, 4463 students were enrolled in grades K-5, 2269 were enrolled in grades 6-8, and 2858 were enrolled in grades 9-12. The district employed 676 teachers, 12 principals, 10 assistant principals, 85 professional staff, and 36 paraprofessionals during the same school year.

    In the 2012-13 school year, a total of 8,745 students were enrolled in the district at the end of the year. The district employed 662 teachers, 12 principals, 11 assistant principals, and 85 professional staff.

    History

    Shenendehowa Central School district was established on January 14, 1950 under the name of "Central Schools District No. 2, of the Towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta, Waterford, Ballston and Stillwater, County of Saratoga, New York." The name Shenendehowa was decided later and accredited to old Dutch maps which designated the area as such. The word "Shenendahowe" in Iroquois languages translates to Great Plains.

    After construction, kindergarten students and students of grades 8 through 12 were allowed to move into the main building (now Gowana and Acadia) in 1953. The following year, students of grades 1 through 7 would enter the same building. Grades K-6 started moved to Tesago and Skano in 1966, while Grades 9-12 moved to Shenendehowa High School after it was built in 1970. Shenendehowa Central School District continued to expand with High School West (1999), Koda Middle School (1976), and elementary schools Orenda (1968), Karigon (1968), Okte (1973), Chango (1974), Arongen (1992), and Shatekon (2007).

    Alma Mater

    Shenendehowa's alma mater, written in 1962, is as follows:

    Shenendehowa Central out on the plain so clear; Her Carillon bells are standing a symbol we hold dear; And through the years she'll guide us and help us on our way; We never will forget her but with honor will repay; Alma Mater, Alma Mater; to thee we sang our praise; Shenendehowa Central; Our standard our guide always

    Athletic teams

    Shenendehowa's athletic teams are called the Plainsmen, and their mascot is the stallion. They participate in 34 varsity sports over all seasons, as well as competing at junior varsity, freshman, and modified levels in many of these sports. Fall Varsity Sports include boys cross country, American football, golf, soccer, and volleyball, as well as girls cross country running, field hockey, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, color guard, and cheerleading. In the winter season, the plainsmen compete in boys and girls alpine and cross-country skiing, basketball, bowling club, and indoor track, as well as boys wrestling, swimming and diving, and ice hockey, and girls gymnastics and cheerleading. The spring season includes boys and girls track and field and lacrosse, as well as baseball and tennis for boys, and softball for girls.

    Although not officially associated with Shenendehowa Athletics, Friends of Shenendehowa Crew, Inc. sponsors crew teams at the Modified, Freshmen, and Varsity levels which are open to Shenendehowa students.

    References

    Shenendehowa Central School District Wikipedia