VOORVEESVILLE – Colleen Bates was in math class when she first learned about Tech Valley High School.

Her Voorheesville Middle School guidance counselor came into the class and told the students about the new school and encouraged anyone who was interested to apply.
She went home and looked at the website and showed it to her parents, Gary and Betsy Bates. They decided "it looked like a pretty good idea," Bates recalled.
While on a family vacation in Williamsburg, Bates received a phone call from Principal Mark Diefendorf informing her that she "got it," she said.

At that point, Bates thought she would be going to school in Voorheesville, and had decided to try out for the junior-varsity volleyball team.

McKenzie Campbell had originally been selected to attend Tech Valley High School, located in Troy, but her family moved out of state.

This week, Bates was in the midst of volleyball tryouts. If she makes the team, she will be about 45 minutes late for practice every day because of the commute from Troy into Voorheesville, she said. The coach has said that wouldn’t be a problem.

Her first day of school at Tech Valley is also the team’s first game – in Cobleskill, she said with a bright smile.

Her best friend from Voorheesville is also trying out for the JV team, she said, indicating that she feels pretty sure that her friend will make the team.

If they both make the team, Bates said, it would be great to see her friend every day at practice, now that they won’t be in school together.

Mrs. Bates phoned The Enterprise late Wednesday afternoon to proudly report that her daughter had made the team.

Though she has already made one friend, Bates admits that she is a little nervous about making friends at her new school.
At a recent barbecue for the new students and faculty, Bates said she met a "horsey-friend" – a friend who has horses. Bates has been riding "since I was old enough to ride," she said. She rides every week in Guilderland.
Bates also had a chance to meet Tech Valley’s principal, Daniel Leibert, whom she said is "very funny," as well as the teachers.
"The principal and the teachers are all very enthusiastic," said Mrs. Bates.
Colleen Bates classifies herself as an "avid bookworm," and says she likes to play on the computer.
She is looking forward to working more with computers, as well as other people, she said. "I don’t have a good public speaking voice" or public anything," said Bates, anxious to hone those skills.
Bates is "really, really, really excited," she said, about being able to go out of the school to learn, citing an example of going to the Hudson River and testing the water and locating fish.

She is also excited to work with people in her areas of interest, she said. She can envision herself becoming a veterinary assistant, a zookeeper, or a kindergarten teacher, she said.
Her parents are excited for their daughter. "We can’t help but be excited for Colleen," Mr. Bates said. "I think it’s a great opportunity," he added.
Bates’s younger brother, Kevin, is also excited for his sister. He is going into the seventh-grade at Bethlehem Children’s School. "I think it’s a great opportunity for her to meet new friends," Kevin said. "I’m looking forward to the day when I might apply to Tech Valley High School," he added.

Bates said that she isn’t bothered by the fact that her class will be the first at Tech Valley High – the first of its kind in New York State, though there are hundreds throughout the nation.
"Being the first class is actually going to be a benefit," she said. "We get one year where we can be all by ourselves," she said.
"It’s all going to be a new experience," said Mrs. Bates.
"We look at it as an opportunity, not just for Colleen, but for New York State education as a whole," said Mr. Bates. He is happy that the school places so much importance on teamwork, he said. "If you don’t work as a team, and work well with them" you don’t get the knowledge of the whole group," he said.
"I was very pleased that she was interested, and approached the subject," he said of his daughter’s interest in applying. "She’s very open to new ideas," he said. "She’s taken a step out on the risky side, and I’m proud of her for it."