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January: Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts By QHS
On Tuesday, December 18, at 5 a.m. one yellow Queensbury school bus left the back parking lot of QHS destined for Rockaway Beach, Queens. After five long hours on the bus, a group of 28 students, six faculty, and two bus drivers from Queensbury High School connected with Larry Holcomb, head of the Beach Church Relief Organization.

This grassroots organization has been a presence in the Rockaway Beach area of New York City since cleanup efforts from Hurricane Sandy began at the end of October. Their main goal is to provide assistance with supplies (food, water, clothing, toiletries, etc.) from their small warehouse and general cleanup in the 100th - 95th blocks of Rockaway Beach. In addition, they also operate a makeshift soup kitchen in front of a small property on the main road several times per week. This has become a community gathering point for those that have lost so much in the aftermath of such a terrible storm.

Students worked in groups with Relief Center volunteers to organize the warehouse, prepare and serve food and drink to local residents, cleanup debris and trash from an entire one block radius, and perform community outreach through distribution of invitations to an Italian dinner that would be happening later in the week at the warehouse. Tim Dawkins, High School Assistant Principal, said students and faculty were eager to help and definitely made a difference in the neighborhood.

“I am so proud of the work that our students and faculty did throughout the day,” he said. “They were engaged with efforts from the moment that they got off of the bus until the moment that they were rounded up six hours later. I even had a couple of students ask if we could stay longer. The Relief Center's head, Mr. Holcomb, told me multiple times how impressed he was with the initiative our kids took on particular jobs.”

Dawkins went on to say that Holcomb noted that it would have taken relief center volunteers weeks with their small crew to accomplish what our students were able to do in one day. Appreciation from neighborhood residents was demonstrated by a number of people coming out of their homes to meet our students and thank them personally on the street.

Hannah McCasland, a junior, shared the following reflection about the trip:

“One day. Made up of some combination of alternating hours, minutes, seconds. Less than one complete day we spent in the destination of Rockaway Beach. 24 hours sometimes passes and it is difficult to imagine what even occurred. Not on this less than one day. We had a distinctive purpose, to provide some sort of help to the many displaced families, friends and neighbors affected by the life altering Hurricane Sandy. As the hours passed, we began serving and preparing treats, hot meals and drinks, tirelessly clearing streets of trash and organizing a makeshift warehouse of supplies. As we completed our tasks with smiles, I never heard one person complain. In that less than one day, we met with an abundance of people from all walks of life, most of whom had just lost everything they ever owned. We engaged in conversation, catered to their requests of cookies and coffee with two and a half sugars, and then smiled and laughed at their endless plethora of jokes and positivity. As I got on the bus at the end of our adventure, I realized what this less than one day had been. Every person I met, we all met, was just so eternally grateful not just for the food we gave and the streets we cleaned, but because we took that second, a less than one day. Just thinking solely about their home, showing them a smile, having a chat or a laugh and no matter what language they spoke they always managed to say thank you. Something I think we all can learn from, and it only takes less than a day.”

Thank you to our students and faculty for reaching out to help others in need. Dawkins also extends a special thanks to bus drivers Lori and Vicki who "navigated the hectic NYC traffic with grace and patience."

Student Participants:
Zane Belden, Lauren Bolz, Savannah Brayton, Cameron Brown, Jenna Bureau, Courtney Cogdill, Carly Fielding, Casey Fitch, Emma Francett, Molly Gajewski, Lynsey Barber, Alec Greenspan, Kyle Gross, Nicholas Harding, Juliette Harris, Colby Harvish, Courtney Keys, Hannah McCasland, Rachel Molloy, Noah Morse, Amanda Pellerin, Tyler Raymond, Carli Schlinger, Annaliese Schmiel, Jason Simmes, Mckenzie Symons, Kennedy Williams, and Emma Wuerdeman.

Faculty Chaperones:
Tim Dawkins, Mary Tully, Dawn Green, Janelle Sipowicz, Anthony Aquino, and Liz Daley.

December: Three Seniors Inducted Into National Honor Society
Three seniors were inducted into NHS this fall. Newly inducted students include: Lindsey Barber, daughter of Michelle and Tim Barber, Colby Harvish, son of Kimberly and Anthony Harvish, and Anna Shultes, daughter of MaryAnn and Philip Shultes. These students have been very involved in academics, community service, and extracurricular activities both in and outside of school. Congratulations to these students and their families!

November: The Power of Pink Succeeds!
Last Sunday morning, the Queensbury High School campus once again hosted the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.  This year’s fundraising goal was over $90,000. The annual breast cancer walk raises thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society. Mr Bob Jones and the American Cancer Society would like to thank the following people and teams for their hard work and cooperation in making this years event a huge success!

• Mr. Matt Dreimiller and Mr. Eric Wright, for assisting with the use of our facility and providing the required equipment.
• The boys and girls soccer teams raised almost $1,000 dollars combined, and the Cross Country and Football teams helped in setting up and leading the course.
• Student volunteers also gave up their Sunday morning and afternoon to assist with both set-up and clean-up.  
• Special thanks to: Reed Farrier, JP MCCauley, Alston Moses, Nate Clary, Matt Legault, Jon Legault, Brett Rodriguez, and Amelia Rivette.

This event was one of a series of activities throughout the month of October in which members of the Fall sports teams, students and staff participated. A large portion of the fundraising came from the Power of Pink girls volleyball tournament. There were auctions, baked goods and t-shirt sales in the high school all day. Twenty different teams participated this year, and the event raised over $18,000. The girls from every school were excited to play and be a part of such a special event!

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September: Charity Volleyball Tournament
QHS will host a Power of Pink Charity Volleyball Tournament between Queensbury and Lake George teachers on Thursday, October 11 @ 7:00 PM in the Blue Gym. Girls Varsity Volleyball coach, Tyler Carey, is coordinating this charity event to raise money for the American Cancer Society. He was approached by Lake George volleyball coach, Cathy Stanilka, this past summer with the idea of a challenge match between teachers from the two schools to raise money for charity. After coordinating all the arrangements, the contest was scheduled to coincide with the Queensbury Power of Pink volleyball tournament for high school varsity teams in the area on October 13.

Last year alone, the Queensbury tournament raised almost $15,000 for the American Cancer Society. Each school that attends helps cover officiating fees and must donate a minimum of $5.00 per athlete to the American Cancer Society. The event has turned into a competition between coaches to be the team that raises the most money. QHS has hosted the tournament for the past three years.

According to Coach Carey, “This year, with a girl on our team affected [by the disease], we are more motivated than ever to raise money, and be the team that raises the most.” A trophy is awarded to the team that brings in the most money. Donations will be accepted at the event. All money raised from t-shirt sales and concessions will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

The Power of Pink is a school-wide event that runs through the month of October to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Students participate in activities through sports teams, clubs and classroom events. The initiative was the brainchild of Terry Martin, longtime Queensbury physical education teacher and field hockey coach. Terry is a breast cancer survivor and a strong advocate for the American Cancer Society.