Best Buy winners choose GHS for $25K award

— Photo from the Guilderland School District

Guilderland High School students pose with a giant check on Jan. 10, signifying the award they got from the Best Buy at Crossgates Mall as part of the Intel Retail Edge Program. Flanking the students, in blue shirts on either side, are Best Buy managers Matt Pothier and Doug Cusano. One in from the right is James Connors who works with the Intel Retail Edge Program. Standing behind them is the high school principal, Michael Piscitelli.

GUILDERLAND — “Computers are becoming more and more pivotal to the education of our youth,” said James Connors, who works with the Intel Retail Edge Program.

He was addressing the Guilderland School Board on Tuesday night, Jan. 10, as he announced the workers at Best Buy at Crossgates Mall had competed with 19,000 workers at Best Buy stores across the nation and were ranked “number one.”

This allowed them to choose a school to receive $20,000 worth of equipment and $5,000 in cash. 

They chose Guilderland, the district in which the store is located.

Eight Guilderland High School students who are exceptional in their use of technology — some of them electronic or esports players and others who volunteer to staff the Help Desk, assisting students and staff alike with tech challenges — were on hand to say thank-you and to accept the award.

The prize package is valued at $25,292.72, according to the school board’s meeting agenda, and includes seven Alienware Gaming packages valued at $20,292.72 as well as the $5,000 in cash.

More Guilderland News

  • The proposal looks to improve stormwater drainage, which currently runs to Route 20. The town’s engineer, Jesse Fraine, said he was still in the midst of reviewing the proposal but told the board, “From what I’ve seen, everything is meeting or at least reasonably meeting" requirements from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

  • The Guilderland School Board was chosen for the “nice” list because it filled a board vacancy by conducting interviews in a public videotaped session. Mark Grimm was lauded for his push for government transparency.

  • Consulting engineer Bill Hennessy told the board that the current building is approximately 1,775 square feet and an additional 550 feet will be added.

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