Superintendent's Report

 

Ballston Spa School District Superintendent Dr. Gianleo Duca was our speaker on Thursday. 

He started by describing the expanding construction trades program, which among other things builds "tiny houses" behind the high school. When completed they are moved and donated to area veterans.

The physical education program is changing, with students choosing "strands" such as lifetime sports or fitness. 

Musical productions included Beetlejuice Jr. in February, and Catch Me If You Can is coming up March.

Problem areas include mental health issues, homelessness, food insecurity, and absenteeism, all of which the district is trying to address.

Ballston Spa is planning to buy its first electric school bus, as mandated by the state. "I'm OK being late to the party," he said of the vehicles, which cost about $480,000 each.

Zim Smith Trail

 

We detoured for one meeting to the Round Lake Fire House, where Steve Haydon spoke about the Zim Smith Trail in south-central Saratoga County. In Malta, the trail extends from Round Lake northwest through the Shenantaha Park.

It also goes well beyond Malta, with the most recent extensions to Mechanicville in the east, and northwest to Ballston Spa. Cynthia Young confirmed plans at the county level to extend the trail north to Saratoga Springs, and possibly at some point beyond that.

Steve mentioned sights to be seen including a golf course and train depot near Mechanicville, a turtle crossing, the Ushers Road loop through a patch of state forest, and, in Malta, benches donated and installed by our club.

This week we return to our regular meeting site at The Ugly Rooster diner.

Concerns about long-term care

 

At the center of this photo on Thursday were our speakers, Lynn and Peter Young (not to be confused with Doug and Cynthia Young on left; the two couples are not related to each other). 

Lynne and Peter recently retired from careers in senior care, at places including The Eddy in Troy and the New York State Department of Health. They recommended planning for old age, eg having a health-care proxy, making your directions clear, and considering purchase of long-term care insurance.

 Hospice care, said Peter, "is dramatically under-utilized in the US," while some people find themselves receiving "aggressive care" in hospitals which they may not want. At the state policy level, staffing levels are "extremely low" in nursing homes, while reimbursement rates (eg for Medicaid) are also "extremely low," and the two problems are connected.

They recommended websites for research including www.medicare.gov/care-compare/ .

RIP Paul Perreault

 

Paul Perreault, who is seen at the center of this photo taken at our meeting last November 21, was an outstanding Rotarian and a friend to most of us. We mourn his recent death at the age of 82 and send condolences to his family. Paul exemplified the ideal of a gentleman and a scholar. His obituary, along with information about calling hours, can be found here. At this morning's meeting, we named our annual scholarship in his honor.

Also this morning, Town Supervisor Cynthia Young discussed water districts, police funding, and a "budget crunch." She said a pedestrian crossing will be constructed across Route 9 from Town Hall to Ellsworth Commons.

Last week, our speaker was Joyce Crawford, RN, manager of clinical operations for The Community Hospice in Saratoga, Washington and eastern Montgomery counties.  

Not all patients die in hospice, she said. Some recover and "graduate" from the program, which is mostly funded by Medicare and free of charge. Some younger patients are covered by private insurance. Most are at home or in a nursing home. She also mentioned Mary's Haven and The Gateway House of Peace, two small local facilities where patients are usually in their last months of life. While hospice is professionally run with doctors, nurses, aides and social workers, it is also supported by volunteers, along with private donations which fund "extras" such as massage.

School Boards Association

Caroline Bobick, deputy director of governmental and external relations for the New York State School Boards Association, was our speaker on Thursday.

She said NYSSBA will be focused on potential changes in the Foundation Aid formula coming up for review in the Legislature. Among local concerns, she said, are what are widely seen as unrealistic state mandates regarding the conversion of school bus fleets from gasoline to electric power. 

NYSSBA is also concerned about issues relating to student mental health, such as phone use restrictions and shortage of counselors. 

Caroline and her husband David live in Luther Forest in Malta with their two young children. She has taught and done volunteer work in Turkey, Honduras and Nicaragua, and has been involved with the International Center of the Capital Region.

The previous week, we had an excellent holiday dinner at Buona Sera restaurant on Route 9P in Malta. We will take a break this week, and meet next on Jan. 2 back at The Ugly Rooster. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

 

Mindfulness and Meditation

 

Nicholas Cassius Clay, at rear on left, prepares to speak at our meeting last Thursday. 

A coach and advocate of mindfulness and brain-heart coherence, he talked about "nonjudgmental awareness" and "the challenge of being present." Meditation exercises can start the mind-body connection, he said, and "the bridge is courage."

Clay is a past president of the Schenectady Rotary Club.

No meeting tomorrow, Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving.

Business, Food, Books, Water

 

At our business meeting Thursday, President Chris Havens discussed the possibility of continuing to aid the area in Lesotho served by Qholaqhoe Mountain Connections, which is winding down its operations. QMC's Linda Gorham told Chris in a Nov. 6 email that "there is definitely a need for donations for the food/hunger crisis in the area", which has been stricken by drought. Linda suggested that donations for that purpose could be arranged via wire transfer to St. Charles High School in the QMC area, and club members agreed to pursuing this option.

Members also agreed with Chris's suggestion that we undertake a food drive next February or March to benefit the food pantry at the Malta Community Center. 

Later Thursday, our member Bob Conner spoke about Juneteenth to the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club, and sold and signed copies of his books with all proceeds (about $140) donated to the club's planned water project in Kenya.

Bob was invited to the Rensselaer County meeting by Phil Kellerman, who spoke to our club last month.