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Garrison School Pavilion Gets Go Ahead
O'Neill details high school programs to Garrison parents
by Margaret Sternberg
 | | The new pavilion on the Garrison School campus should look like the one pictured above from the manufacturer's catalog |
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Following years of effort, the Garrison Children's Education Fund has reached its fundraising goal of $45,000, and the long-anticipated Playground Pavilion that was part of the school's 2002 Master Plan will now move into the construction phase.
Following a short presentation by Belle Newton, President of the Fund, at the Board's January 24, 2007 meeting, the Garrison Board of Education authorized initiation of the Pavilion Project.
A drawing of the proposed pavilion showed a simple, open structure with a metal roof, roof beams, and a powder-coated frame finish. There will be a concrete floor and electricity will be provided. After school and with prior written approval, the community will also be able to use the pavilion.
The construction of the pavilion follows 15 other Fund projects that have been completed at a total cost of $163,000. Once the pavilion is completed and the programs for the current school year have been paid for, the Fund, since its inception in 1998, will have provided almost $390,000 in projects and programs to the district.
Mrs. Newton said the hope is that the pavilion will be ready for the opening of the 2007-8 school year.
In the other presentation of the evening, Dr. Philip Arbolino, Superintendent of the Highland Falls-Ft. Montgomery School District, provided an overview of the offerings of James I. O'Neill High School - one of the two receiving high schools in which Garrison eighth graders continue their education.
Arbolino, High School Principal Louis Trombetta and two others narrated a slide presentation that highlighted the school's diverse population, the district's commitment to academic excellence, the use of differentiated instruction and academic programs that can be individualized.
Their presentation showed that from the Class of 2006, 55 percent went on to four-year colleges, 23 percent to two-year colleges, 14 percent entered the workforce, 6 percent entered the military and 2 percent pursued other educational opportunities. The SAT mean scores for O'Neill were: in critical reading, 544 versus 503 nationally; in Math, 556 versus 518 nationally, and in writing, 527, versus 497 nationally.
O'Neill offers Advanced Placement in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, English, Physics, Spanish, U.S. History, World History and several other subjects. O'Neill also offers courses that enable students to earn college credits at Syracuse University or Orange County Community College.
Honors courses are offered in English, Social Studies, Math (except Math A,) French and Spanish.
Arbolino also touched on the array of offerings in the areas of Computer Sciences, Technology, Art and Music. O'Neill offers JROTC.
Among clubs and activities offered are the National Honor Society, Literary Magazine, Peer Mediation, the school newspaper, Odyssey of the Mind, Chess Club, school yearbook, Environmental Club, Band and Jazz, Small Brass and Woodwind ensembles, Chorus, Student Council, and several choirs.
O'Neill's sports offerings for boys' and girls' teams, unless otherwise noted, include equestrian, boys' football, cross country, soccer, cheerleading, girls' tennis, girls' volleyball, boys' hockey, basketball, indoor track & field, skiing, golf, lacrosse and others.
Arbolino had broken out figures for Garrison in his presentation, noting that 10 percent of the student body is from Garrison, with one of the top ten students in the senior class a Garrison resident. Four of the 27 students inducted into the National Honor Society last year were from Garrison. He also noted that Garrison students are members of the Student Council and that four of 19 current freshman from Garrison are on the High Honor Roll and five are on the Honor Roll.
The few audience questions focused primarily on the way in which the administration works with parents and the means by which students are selected for advanced classes.
In the first of several committee reports, Superintendent Gloria Colucci said the Education Committee had discussed the possibility of getting a reading software program called Accelerated Reader that is designed to challenge students and encourage them to read frequently through an incentive program to reach various levels. The Committee also discussed how the school would bring the arts into the general education area. The extension of the language program into the fourth grade and the hiring of an additional language teacher were also taken up with no specific decisions announced.
In the Technology Committee report, Colucci said the Committee had received an update on the use of the laptop cart and an "impassioned plea" from a teacher for a SmartBoard for her classroom. The purchase of SmartBoards is being given more consideration, and it was observed that many schools, including Haldane, have at least one and that the idea of purchasing them for Garrison has already come up several times.
Trustee Carol McCullough reported the Budget Advisory Committee discussed how the district's fund balance was derived and reviewed the current year's Budget Status report. McCullough also noted that in the coming year the PILOT program (payment in lieu of taxes) would be discontinued and the State would begin paying actual taxes on certain properties within Philipstown, affecting the tax rate, which the Committee did not yet have available.
During the St. Basil update, Superintendent Colucci reported that the request for a declaratory judgment had been filed. Colucci also said that "with that in place, there is really little else to say on St. Basils [sic] until there is a determination on that judgment. In the future, St. Basil's updates will say whether we heard or not but little else."
The complaint was filed in Albany and names as defendants St. Basil Academy, the Office of Children and Family Services and Richard P. Mills, Commissioner of the NYS Education Department. The request for the declaratory judgment does not affect the tuition lawsuits currently being litigated in Putnam County, and the Board said publicly available information on actions in those suits will also continue to be provided.
In addition to approving the commencement of the Pavilion Project and an approval of a SEQR resolution for the same project, the Board also approved the purchase of a financial software package for the school. The approval allows the district to update software that is antiquated and will allow for improved security measures for any information on the software.
The next meeting of the Garrison Board of Education will be Wednesday, February 7, at 7pm.
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