#1 School
Altamont Elementary named a Blue Ribbon School



GUILDERLAND — Altamont Elementary School received national recognition this week as a Blue Ribbon School and its principal is crediting the entire community.

The Guilderland school is one of 16 schools state-wide and 287 schools nation-wide to be so designated by the federal Department of Education.
"Altamont is a great school because of the sense of community it has, with the students, teachers, staff, and parents all working together," said Principal Peter Brabant. "To me, it’s just a wonderful place to drive to every morning, at the base of the Helderbergs, to see the balance between joy and learning and the caring for one another."

Brabant got the word Friday from the Department of Education that Altamont Elementary would be on the list of Blue Ribbon Schools announced Tuesday by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
Did he keep the news quiet till Tuesday"
"I didn’t even come close," Brabant said with a laugh that turned into a cough. He was home Wednesday, sick with pneumonia, but eager to talk about his school’s virtues.
"I called the staff together on Friday," said Brabant. "Everybody was just elated."
Brabant dispatched letters to his colleagues and to the parents of every student in which he quoted Secretary Spellings: "It takes a lot of hard work by teachers and students to become a Blue Ribbon School, and it’s a privilege to celebrate their great efforts."
Each state can nominate schools that are "dramatically improving" or, like Altamont, that are "high performing," in the top 10 percent of all schools in the state based on test scores, according to the federal Department of Education.

A large part of the application involved putting together data on Altamont test scores, said Brabant, crediting Mary Helen Collen, the school district’s data coordinator, for her work on assembling that data. The federal No Child Left Behind law, of which the Blue Ribbon program is a part, requires states to administer tests in English and math; New York tests students in third through eighth grades.

In the 2005-06 school year, 81 percent of Altamont’s students met or exceeded state standards in English and 93 percent in math. Over the past three years, 96 percent of Altamont’s fourth-graders met or exceeded state standards in the science tests and 98 percent of the fifth-graders did the same in social studies. By fifth grade, over 90 percent of Altamont’s students have scored at or above state standards on tests in the four core areas.

Brabant, who is in his third year as Altamont’s principal, credited his predecessors, especially former principal, Susan Tangorre, now the assistant superintendent for human resources.
"An award of this caliber includes both past and present teachers and administrators," said Brabant.
He also said, "Altamont Elementary School is a Blue Ribbon School in a blue ribbon district. This couldn’t happen without the leadership of the Guilderland administration and its emphasis on staff development."

Brabant and an Altamont teacher will travel to Washington, D.C. on Nov. 12 to accept a banner and plaque on behalf of the school. An assembly will be held at the school to celebrate the honor, he said.

"We work together"

The application process was lengthy and involved and the staff handled it through teamwork.

Brabant was contacted last November by the State Education Department, saying Altamont Elementary School had qualified to enter an application. He met with the school’s teacher leaders and union representative and they decided to proceed.
"Everyone in the building worked on the application," said fifth-grade teacher Yvette Terplak. "There were so many facets, we broke it down into small tasks."

Faculty members, working as a team, reflected on such aspects of the school as its history, curriculum, and assessments.
"We had to paint a picture of Altamont," said Terplak.
Third-grade teacher Dana Doak said the process wasn’t arduous. "We do this every day," he said. "We try to educate the children to the best of our ability; we try to get them to do their best work."
This involves activities outside of the classroom as well. Doak himself volunteers every year to be the target in a "Soak the Doak" game at the school’s well-attended Carnivale.

Activities like the Carnivale, which involve the entire community, are part of the learning process at Altamont, said Terplak.
"What we do here," said Doak, "is we try to facilitate learning in an enjoyable way for the kids. We work together with the kids and each other."
"Guilderland as a district fosters leadership in all of us," said Terplak. "All of our schools work at it."
Fifth-grade teacher Allan Lockwood said that the model the Guilderland School District uses, with teachers as leaders, developing curriculum, fosters excellence in learning. He said of the Blue Ribbon designation, "It could have been any one of the elementary schools in the district."
He concluded, "We’re all grateful our work and effort has been recognized."