(L-R) Trustees Mike Junjulas, Dave Merandy, Gillian Thorpe, Joe Curto, and Evan Schwartz flank Mike Lisikatos, in shorts and dark T-shirt, at last week’s Haldane Board meeting. Photo Courtesy Haldane School An upbeat crowd of about 20 people gathered in the conference room of the Mabel Merritt Building on Wednesday for another Haldane School board meeting. The first order of business was a celebration.

Board President Joe Curto opened by saying that when he and his family moved to the area they “fell in love with the pristine beauty of Philipstown,” but didn’t know that they would fall in love with the people, too. “This community has more heart than any one you’ll ever see,” he said.

The celebration continued, with the board recognizing Mike Lisikatos, a volunteer firefighter and district employee who was involved in the daring rescue of a family from their house near the brook on Route 301 that became a raging torrent during Hurricane Irene.

Wayne Robinson, the district’s Facilities Director, described Mike as “a lead mechanic at Haldane, a jack of all trades and master of most that he tries.” When the fire department responded to the family in danger, Robinson said, Lisikatos secured a rope to get across the water to the family and assisted in their rescue. “Mike is a humble person,” Dr. Villanti added, and true to that description, Lisikatos initially declined to come forward for acknowledgement but did agree to a group photo later.

Also celebrated were the Haldane School Foundation, which has consistently raised significant amounts of money to fund special programs at Haldane, a list of which is available at haldaneschoolfoundation.org, the Haldane Booster Club—represented by Athletic Director Tom Cunningham, and the Haldane PTA—represented by Laura Danilov, its new President—responsible for budget advocacy, the Class Parent program, the student directory, scholarships, book fairs, the Eco-Kids program, and much more.

Because it was the second meeting of the month, the entire Haldane administrative team was also present, each of whom gave a report on back to school developments in their buildings and departments. The mood was decidedly optimistic and excited.

Dr. Villanti reiterated some of what he outlined in a recent letter to the community regarding Haldane’s class of 2011 SAT scores, and how— unlike the national trend in the US—they had steadily improved over the past few years instead of declining. Villanti acknowledged that “with a small cohort [of text takers],” as there always is at Haldane, “you’re going to have differences from year to year,” but that Haldane students had been performing very well lately.

As for enrollment, last year’s total district head count was “over 900,” Villanti said, and it is currently at 920, indicating that unlike other districts in the area, Haldane is not losing students.

Each of the building administrators gave a brief report. The new Elementary and Middle School Principal, Brent Harrington, explained that he was working through his “entry plan” by meeting with every teacher, grades K through 8, and discussing three items: what each teacher’s strengths are, and what they like about Haldane; what they believe are areas that need more attention; and general conversations about instruction and learning. Dr. Villanti added that he and the board are very proud of the job Harrington is doing.

High School Principal Brian Alm described his building’s use of the educational software Naviance, designed to “help students establish meaningful post-secondary goals and connect those goals with their coursework and college planning activities.” This year Haldane seniors will be doing their college applications digitally. Also, a financial aid officer from Sarah Lawrence College will be offering a workshop for parents on financial aid at Haldane on October 27.

Athletic Director Tom Cunningham announced that the new athletic trainer Nadine Brooks, is off to a good start, and that the district has obtained free post-concussion impact testing software for contact sport coaches.

The board approved those aspects of the new Annual Professional Performance Review program that have so far been agreed to in negotiation. There are still some items to be worked out, but he appeared optimistic. Trustee Evan Schwartz, who is himself a school principal, commented that if used correctly, the new professional performance review standards mandated by N.Y. State can be very exciting and ought to provide teachers with concrete expectations by spelling out exactly what is required for parent contact, organizational skills, collaboration, and grading, as well as classroom performances.

Haldane community events on tap include a picnic and film screening, “What’s on Your Plate,” on Friday starting at 6pm in the Haldane Sustainable Garden, and The Harvest Moon Fall Fundraiser at Glynwood Farm on October 29.