by Intern on November 30, 2008
By Regina C.
For about 20 years The Family Foundation School has been offering Spanish as the one and only foreign language. Beginning in January, a first year Russian course will be offered as well. Natalya Kuchukov, student advisor and native of Russia, will be teaching the class.
This is Kuchukov’s first classroom teaching assignment, so she has been working with other teachers to come up with a lesson plan, and developing her own exciting teaching style. She plans to teach about Russian culture as well as the language.
The class has various eligibility requirements. Students must already have two years in a foreign language class or not have any other language credits. The class will also be open to new students.
FFS students are looking forward to the start of the class. It will give them an option to choose what type of language they would like to take and also give them the opportunity to learn about other cultures.
by Intern on November 29, 2008
Family Foundation School Students Enjoy Last Race Before Graduation
By Raja A.
The Rock Hill, NY 8K race was the last race of the season. Family Foundation School December graduates made sure they finished this 5.3 mile long race with a bang.
For quite some time, The Family School’s students have enjoyed running in community races. Students have proved themselves worthy of a great reputation, with the vigor and great agility they have displayed during their participation in the races.
Stephanie H. placed 3rd in her division. Yoni S. won 1st place in his division. Several FFS graduates plan to continue to involve themselves in races after they leave, making this race not really the last run.
by Intern on November 29, 2008
Jeff Brain Begins To Implement I RESPECT Program
By Louis L.
The Family Foundation School has recently added new activities to the middle school. The two middle school students, Anthony W. and Jimmy S. along with Jeff Brian, Vice President of External Affairs, have created the ‘I RESPECT’ group. The group meets at the end of the school day during the middle school activity periods.
‘I RESPECT’ stands for identity, reality, excellence, significance, purpose, extraordinary, character, and trust. The students from the middle school try to develop these qualities during the activity. The first project that the ‘I RESPECT’ group accomplished was preparing and cooking a pizza and calzone dinner. The students, along with Brain, made their own half meat, half cheese pizza and three different calzones.
The following week the group carved pumpkins. The idea came in part because Anthony had never carved a pumpkin before, yet he had grown this pumpkin on his own. Both Anthony and Jimmy were given kits and picked out designs to put on their pumpkins.
“It was awesome! I had a great time,” said Anthony.
The group is planning to do a different activity every week.
by Intern on November 28, 2008
Grassroots Ad Hoc Group Keeps 13,000 Acres Lease Free – For Now
By Jeremy S.
When gas lease negotiators come to the doors of residents in Otego, NY, they’ll find that money talks and bad lease offers walk.
The gas companies will have Dick Downe and Anna Hein, founders of the Otego Area Landowners Association, to thank. The two started the association when a company offered their neighbor a lease for $25 an acre. “I had read about $1,500 and $2,500 leases in The Family Times, so I rushed down there to tell him he was being snookered, but it was too late. He’d already signed,” said Downe.
Other groups had held meetings at local high schools, but none organized landowners successfully.
On July 21, Downe and Hein began the association, hoping to prevent other individuals from signing the boiler-plate leases, which they say are “all skewed for the gas companies.”
They also claimed that initially, people “didn’t know what they were signing, and signed away their water rights.”
After finding that contiguous acres were more important than the sheer number, they prioritized membership locally. Currently, 13,000 acres are organized in the association just within in the town of Otego. Among methods the association used for promotion was Burma Shave-style signs along the country roads in Otego, each with one word, to spell out “Don’t sign lease yet.”
When the group was initially formed, members agreed to hold off from leasing pending a presentation given by a geologist and a lawyer. But according to Downe, they resolved that they “don’t need a geologist anymore. People know what’s going on; the price is now what matters.” The group has hired a lawyer, Scott Kurkowski, an attorney from Levine, Goulden, and Thompson of Binghamton, to represent them and negotiate the best lease possible from gas companies.
Results are already visible. “There seems to be a gentleman’s agreement between gas companies for what area is targeted by which company. Lenape Energy has a full-court press going in the Otego area via mass-mailings and calling around the clock. Our pushback as an organization has made them sweeten their deal in monetary terms and start answering our concerns,” explained Downe. The group is now in the process of looking over real applications.
Although their primary concern is to negotiate the best financial deal, environmental concerns have come into play. They gave testimony at the New York State Assembly Committee on Environmental Protection on October 15, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission hearings in Albany on October 22, and the Department of Environmental Conservation’s hearings on December 2 in Oneonta.
“We’re a local organization and we love our land. We’re up here for a reason; it’s a beautiful place to live,” said Downe.
For more information, visit http://sites.google.com/site/otegogasleasegroup.
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