THANK YOU TO OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS!

During the month of October, school communities are recognizing the tremendous efforts of their Board of Education members. The Broadalbin-Perth Central School District is extremely fortunate to be have the volunteer services of Board members: Sam Jackling, Wendy Perry, Kimberly Hentnik, Thomas Hart, Sari Stewart, Rev. Paul Moyer, John Pecora and student representative Leah Mazzarelli. High school students in Mr. Casey's English class interviewed our Board members and wrote the following summaries:

BOARD OF EDUCATION PRESIDENT – SAM JACKLING

Sam Jackling is the president of the School Board of Education, and he also works as a chemist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He joined the Board of Education about eighteen years ago and has been actively volunteering in the community for many years. Mr. Jackling is also a member of the Broadalbin Volunteer Ambulance Corps, plays an active role in the church, and referees soccer matches. He believes that people should give back to the community in their free time. The Board of Education plays a big role in the education of students today; it is their job to set the division of excellence for the community along with the administration, they are also responsible for discussing and making policies, and the hiring of new staff. The most rewarding aspect of being a board member to Mr. Jackling is the fact that he knows he is helping and that he is proud of the school and community. Sam Jackling plays a big part in the school and the community. INTERVIEW BY STUDENT AARON H.


BOARD OF EDUCATION VICE-PRESIDENT – WENDY PERRY

Ms. Wendy Perry has been Vice President of the Broadalbin-Perth Board of Education since July 2007. She was asked to run, and glad she did. Ms. Perry says, “I love serving on the Board of Education”. The role of the School Board is to oversee the workings of the district, whether it be financial, safety, or educational. As vice president of the Board of Education, Ms. Perry is the head of the Finance Committee. And she also sits on the Audit Committee. She is responsible for upholding school policy and representing a financially sound budget for district taxpayers. Ms. Perry is the bookkeeper of the Fulton County YMCA as well. She coaches soccer and basketball for BYC. She is involved at her church, loves scrap booking, and she even has a party planning business as a hobby. Ms. Perry loves helping and volunteering where she is needed. In high school, her favorite subject was social studies. She is proud to give back to the district from where she graduated and very much enjoys serving this district; most importantly are the many needs that the district strives to meet each day. She's learned many things while being a member of the Board of Education. As a parent of a fourth grader, Ms. Perry hears the voices of the parents in the community, and knows what it is to want the best for our children so they can go into the world prepared for what the future holds for them. Ms. Perry says the most rewarding aspect of being a board member is “being able to ensure that the children in our district are getting the best education we can provide and that out taxpayers pay fair school taxes”.
INTERVIEW BY STUDENT LISA M.


BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER – KIMBERLY HENTNIK

Mrs. Kim Hentnik is a register nurse and serving her eighth year on the Board of Education. She first ran for the Board because of an incident that happened at the school that she did not approve of and thought a way to solve this and prevent it from happening again would be to run for the school board. After her five years were up she decided to run again because she felt she was making a difference. Mrs. Hentnik considers her role on the Board is to provide the best education for all students. As a member she believes her responsibilities are to make sure policies are being followed, the curriculum has met all the standards and all the students are being equally educated. Mrs. Hentnik believes the most rewarding aspect of her job as Board member is seeing all the students flourish and be the best they can be. Her favorite subject in high school was math. Some of Mrs. Hentnik's hobbies are bowling and sewing. She is also part of the veteran's organization where she represents NYS and raises money for nursing school scholarships, child welfare and youth sports. Mrs. Hentnik would like the community to know about all the volunteer work in which she is involved.
INTERVIEW BY STUDENT STACCI R.


BOARD OF EDUCATION STUDENT MEMBER – LEAH MAZZARELLI

Leah Mazzarelli is the Board of Education Student Representative. She has been on the School Board for a month. Leah thought that the School Board was a great opportunity to express her opinions and to help with the betterment of the school district. She also is not afraid to address certain situations and speak for the good of the whole. She believes that the School Board's purpose is to represent the school district and decide on and discuss issues involving all aspects of the school. As a member, she must attend all Board meetings and address issues when asked. She also has to write a report for each meeting addressing issues or activities occurring in school. Leah feels that being on the School Board is a great honor. She loves being apart of what's going on in the school and being able to represent the student body. In her spare time, she plays varsity soccer and is a varsity cheerleader during basketball season. She is also a member of the school band and teaches church school to younger children. Leah is currently a senior and her favorite subject is psychology because she thinks that learning about behavior and how your mind works helps you to understand a lot more about what goes on from day to day. Leah intends to show her community and her school that she will do a good job and will work her hardest to do what's best for the whole school.
INTERVIEW BY STUDENT LEXI A.


BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER – SARI STEWART

Mrs. Sari Stewart is a registered nurse but she is also a Board of Education member of Broadalbin-Perth Central School District for over five years! She decided to run for the School Board in order to be involved with the community. She considers the role of the School Board is to make the most positive and safety learning environments for all ages. As a board member of BPCSD her responsibilities are to attend all of the board meetings, to set policies and procedures. What is rewarding about this job for Mrs. Sari Stewart, is being able to watch children evolve and being proud of them and her community. She usually spends her free time in the stands supporting her children. She also likes to spend time with her children in the outdoors and to travel. When she attended high school, her favorite subject was history. Mrs. Sari Stewart would like the school community to know how much she enjoys what she does and to thank them for allowing her to be on the School Board.
INTERVIEW BY COURTNEY S.


BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER – JOHN PECORA

Mr. John Pecora teaches Criminal Justice at HFM BOCES. He is the newest member of the School Board. This is his first year as a member. He decided to run for the School Board because he wanted to make a difference in both the board and the school. Mr. Pecora believes the role of the school board is to create and oversee policies and procedures or issues to make sure they match the New York State learning standards. His primary responsibility on the Board is serving as a member of the Policy Committee and the Building and Grounds Committee. The most rewarding aspect of being on the School Board is to help improve policy and standards and help students receive a higher level of education. Mr. Pecora enjoys football and boxing. His favorite subject in high school was English. Mr. Pecora would like the community to know that he is dedicated to the School Board and the education of the students at Broadalbin-Perth.
INTERVIEW BY KATRINA O.


BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER – THOMAS HART

Tom Hart is currently a teacher and has been a Board Member for thirteen years. His decision to become a board member started a few years before he actual ran. He was a chairman for the merge committee of the school with stated to involve him with Broadalbin in 1983. It was not until around 1992 he became really involved with the school when it was having budget issues and a few people asked for his help because he was a New York State accountant and was good with finances. Tom Hart is no longer an accountant, but none the less, he became a teacher. As a board member his main objective is the policy settings of the school and it is a New York State law that requires board members to adopt a budget for the school every year. He became a board member for one very important reason to support the children. At the time his own children were in the school and he wanted to help out to make sure they got the best education and now that they have both graduated he is looking out for the other children of the Broadalbin-Perth School District. Mr. Hart has one of the most interesting hobbies; he is a pilot and likes to fly. “You see the world in a whole new way and it's wonderful.” Other than being a pilot, he likes visiting art institutes because his favorite subject in school was history and he believes art has a history and explains history in a different but wonderful way. Mr. Hart is and was close to the school because as a child he attended Perth school. He would like the community to know even if he hadn't won the last election, he would have been happy and supportive of any of the winners. (I just want to add that Mr. Hart was one of the most interesting people I have ever talked to, we didn't meet in person, but the answers he gave me were so detailed that I felt like I knew him for years and frankly, I'm glad such a smart wonderful man is helping with our school.)
INTERVIEW BY AMY F.