User:DoC352/Shenendehowa/CSD

The Shenendehowa Central School District (more commonly reffered to as Shen) is a public school district located in New York's Capital Region. The district's 232-acre main campus is located off of Route 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 9,600 students in grades K-12 from throughout it's 86 square mile 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.

District History
from About Shenendehowa Central Schools The Shenendehowa Central School District was organized on January 14, 1950, by a vote of the residents of 21 former common school districts and one union-free school district. These 22 schools in the towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta, Waterford, Ballston and Stillwater (representing approximately 86 square miles) became officially centralized on July 1, 1950. From 1950 through 1953, the district housed grades K-8 in 16 one-, two- and three-room school houses plus an eight-room school house in Round Lake. All high school students (gr. 9-12) were transported to one of four high schools: Ballston Spa, Mechanicville, Waterford or Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. In 1951, the School District voted to purchase 160 acres to build an 1,800-pupil school for kindergarten through grade 12. This land was part of the Shenondahowe or Clifton Park Patent of 1708. The Iroquois word “Shenondahowe” means Great Plains. That’s how the district became know as Shenendehowa Central Schools.

Schools
Today, Shenendehowa is a district of 12 schools, including eight elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school.

Elementary Schools
The four elementary schools on the districts main campus are located in two buildings, one of which houses Skano and Tesago elementary schools, and the other which houses Orenda and Karigon elementary schools.

The four neighborhood elementary schools include Okte Elementary School which is located on CR-92 Crescent Road off of Exit 8 of the Adirondack Northway, Chango Elementary School which is off of CR-80 Round Lake Road at Exit 11 of the Adirondack Northway, and Arongen and Shatekon elementary schools, which are located in one building just off of the main campus.

Middle Schools
The district's three middle schools are all located in one large complex on the main campus. The middle school building is technically the oldest building on campus, but has undergone extensive renovations and reconfigurations over the 54 years since it began housing all of the district's kindergarten students as well as all students in grades 8 through 12. 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.

Shenendehowa High School
While many of the district's eight buildings house more than one school, the High School is the one school in the Shenendehowa District which 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 of 2004, that building has housed all of the districts sophmores, juniors, and seniors, and the West building has housed only the district's freshmen.

Board of Education
At the district level, shenendehowa is governed by a Board of Eductation 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:
 * William Casey (President - term expires in 2010)
 * Janet Grey (Vice President - term expires in 2009)
 * Sharon Bowles (term expires in 2009)
 * Gary DiLallo (term expires in 2010)
 * Charles Huff (term expires in 2008)
 * Richard Mincher (term expires in 2010)
 * Mary Wiggins (term expires in 2008)

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 recieved his PhD from the University at Albany in 1996 and who was more recently the superintendent of Mohonasen Central School District and recieved The Business Review's Best and Brightest Under 40 Award in 2004

Past Superintendents Include:
 * Dr. L. Oliver Robinson (2005- )

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.

Athletic Teams
Shenendehowa's athletic teams are called the plainsmen, and their mascot is the stallion. They participate in 34 varsity sports over 3 seasons, as well as competing at junior varsity, freshman, and modified levels in many of these sports. Fall Varsity Sports include boys cross country track, football, golf, soccer, and volleyball, as well as girls cross country track, field hockey, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and cheerleading. In the winter season, the plainsmen compete in boys and girls alpine and cross country skiing, basketball, bowling, and indoor track, as well as boys wrestling, swimming, 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.