Discover Latham & Boght
January 29, 2020 | COLONIE SPOTLIGHT 9
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The days that have gone by LATHAM — What you recall of the world may differ with the person next to you. This sight once greeted visitors that they had made it to Latham. The checkered white and red markings on the water tower once stood a few hundred feet away from the Latham Circle, and could be seen by those flying into Albany International Airport. But, that was more than 15 years ago, and Latham has certainly changed. In this month’s Discover edition, we revisit the days of a one-room schoolhouse that taught the children of Boght about the world. Another example of how the world has changed for those who have lived here long enough.
It’s not uncommon to see the name of the town on the side of a water tower, serving the community as a welcoming sign to visitors. Latham’s unique red-and-white checkered pattern once helped airplane pilots to see it as it stood within their flight path into Albany International Airport. The beloved landmark, however, was torn down in 2011. Spotlight file photo
10 COLONIE SPOTLIGHT | January 29, 2020
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Discover Latham & Boght
January 29, 2020 | COLONIE SPOTLIGHT 11
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The Boght School Children learned of the world from one room LATHAM — Skip Guptill remembers a metal pipe with a coat hanger on it. The area, a cubby as much removed as it could be, became Guptill’s locker space. A place he could call his own. At a one-room schoolhouse, scoring a space of your own is worth its weight in gold. Guptill, one of the patriarchs of the Guptill brand, was a student at The Boght School, once located by the lot where Guptill’s Skating Arena now is, until he eventually landed at Cohoes High School. “Everything was much simpler back then,” Guptill
A photo dating back to 1893 shows 18 students of varying ages standing in front of the Boght School with their teacher. The school would continue to be used well into the 20th century. Town of Colonie
well.” Guptill remembers the varying temperatures of the room. As the coal bin glowed, only one side would really feel its warmth. If you were sitting on the other side, at one of the desks with an inkwell attached, you were chilly. Guptill and O’Hearn remember playing games, like one where you throw
a ball over the roof of the building to a group on the other side. A recess staple, the game attracted all ages and became the ultimate bonding experience away from the books. O’Hearn remembers students taking turns ringing the bell, an honor to whoever was bestowed the opportunity. Guptill,
Continues on 12
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By KAITLIN LEMBO lembok@spotlightnews.com
happening in the grade above yours.” The schoolhouse, said. “We looked forward located in the Town of to going to school. We took Watervliet before Latham it seriously and enjoyed the was incorporated, taught its process.” students real-life experience Guptill’s peer was as well as academic Century House owner aptitude. There was no silly Tim O’Hearn. O’Hearn, business; no one came to a year apart from Guptill, remembers no misbehaving. school with the carelessness With only 35 to 40 kids in many students show today. the room total in the 1950s, Students wanted to be there and improve. Unlike today, each student was diligent where kids can occupy and respectful of the one themselves with television teacher responsible for six and endless tech gadgets, grades. school was the prime social “Each row was one grade, and there were about event and the best way to keep busy. six students in each row,” “We all knew one O’Hearn said. “Our teacher provided plenty of one-on- another and were very friendly,” O’Hearn said. one attention to students “There were no cliques and you were always ahead of the game because or outcasts. We all were you listened to what was friends and got along very
Discover Latham & Boght
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From page 11 ...
Town by the North Colonie School District and moved to the grounds of the Pruyn House. The Verdoy School and the Pruyn House itself are National Register the owner of the house district instead of the where the schoolhouse Properties.” dozens of stand-alone once was, still has the bell, institutions. The Boght School is according to O’Hearn. now a private residence. “In time, the old Town Guptill said the annex of Watervliet (Colonie by 1895) had about two dozen many people see on the home, now a laundry school districts scattered room, was once where the throughout the nearly 60 The Boght School, coal bin was. To convert square miles of the town,” also known as School No. the schoolhouse into a Colonie Town Historian 18, was established in the one-family residence, the Watervliet School District. Kevin Frankin said. “By Guptill family erected the mid to late 1950s, The district, founded in sensible walls, added centralization divided 1813, included this corner modern fixtures and the town into two main of Latham. Boght is the amenities and made it into districts. The first to form Dutch word for “Bend,” was South Colonie Central a quaint but cozy abode. meaning the “bend in the School District, followed by Guptill said he never river” where the Mohawk River makes a bend around the North Colonie District. intends to sell the house out of the family, calling the northern tip of Colonie, “Many of the original it a piece of the area and where Route 9 crosses the one-room schools were something he wants to Mohawk. demolished,” Franklin preserve. Eventually, the growing continued. “Very few, like the Boght, were converted school population forced into private residences and a change, according to a document about North remain. Probably the most Colonie School District’s prominent school structure, early history. The state was being the Verdoy School, advocating for a centralized which was donated to the Today, North Colonie
Good ol’ days
The History
The Growth of a District
schools, the district that services the area where the Boght School once stood, is developing faster than you can blink. The district currently boasts eight schools, six of those elementary schools sprawled across the expansive geography that is Colonie and Latham. The elementary school that services the particular area, Boght Hills Elementary, has 522 kids in grades kindergarten through six, according to niche.com. The student to staff ratio is 17 to 1, a more one-on-one experience than the schoolhouse’s 35 to 40 students to one teacher. It isn’t only the elementary school that increased the population of its student body by a huge amount. In the 2016 to 2017 school year, the whole district taught over 4,000 students, according to data.nysed.gov. Of those students, males and females were an even 50
percent of the population. A diverse student body, with 31 percent of students identifying as either black, Asian American, multiracial, Native American, Hispanic or Pacific Islander, was reported. This is a stark contrast from the smaller, farming-based population of School No. 18. According to a press release by North Colonie School District, New York State granted an extra $1 billion in education funding in April 2018, meeting a need for more resources. “The newly approved state budget calls for total education spending of $26.7 billion, which represents an increase of 3.9 percent,” according to the press release. “The overall state aid increase includes $619 million in additional Foundation Aid and growth of $240 million in reimbursements for designated expenses such as transportation,
construction and BOCES services. These two categories – Foundation Aid and expense-based reimbursements – are the predominant sources of state funding for everyday school operations.” North Colonie Superintendent D. Joseph Corr said the school is continuing to adapt to the growing student body, using innovative techniques and existing resources in different ways to make the most of what it already has. “We are committing more resources to English as second language programs, special education programs and the expanding need for mental health support in our schools,” Corr said. “We are hosting continuous professional development courses for staff to meet these growing areas and hiring more staff as well.” Corr added the district, which is expanding the buildings itself, is allocating
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January 29, 2020 | COLONIE SPOTLIGHT 13
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different spaces of various sizes for these programs. The district’s main goal — creating, innovating and discovering — hasn’t changed despite the challenges it faces with the booming population. Corr said the needs of students has changed as much as the population, forcing the district to take a different approach than it once did. While the district is receiving more aid through state aid and receives revenue from property taxes, Corr concedes the aid doesn’t fully meet the needs and expenses of the district. “We’ve had to rethink, reinvent and recreate ways to use our existing resources,” Corr concluded. “We’re always dedicated to keeping the needs to students and families forefront while staying mission-focused on meeting academic and social needs.”
When Things Were Simpler
O’Hearn and Guptill feel they received the best education they could have from a school structure that is no longer feasible. Both have gone on to become revered names in the Capital District and successful businessmen who contribute to the community in many ways. “We succeeded because we had real-life experience,” Guptill said. “Our families were in the business before we were, but we were able to apply our education to our lives.” Guptill added he worries about how education has changed. Students are now transfixed with screens, able to access a multitude of things he wasn’t. He referenced how kids can turn on a television and watch “15 murders a day.” While he and his peers were often born and raised two to three miles from
“When [The Boght School] was open, that’s when we were truly free. That’s when America was what it’s supposed to be.”
— Skip Guptill, former student of The Boght School, a one-room schoolhouse home, students now are a bit more nomadic. “There is a quote I once read that talks about the mourning of common sense and parents attacking teachers for doing their jobs,” O’Hearn said. “Teachers can no longer control unruly children. Schools need parental consent for everything.
The days of local children learning about the world in a one-room schoolhouse are no gone. The Boght School continues to stand, now as a home to a private citizen. Town of Colonie
There’s no aspirin and no sunscreen.” O’Hearn ended up at Christian Brothers Academy, a different world than Guptill at Cohoes High School. Yet, both agree they were well prepared for the next step. Because CBA was so regimented, it wasn’t far off from the respectful
population at Boght. Guptill was a bit more overwhelmed, but soon adapted to the change of pace. “When [The Boght School] was open, that’s when we were truly free,” Guptill said. “That’s when America was what it’s supposed to be.”
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Discover Latham & Boght
14 COLONIE SPOTLIGHT | January 29, 2020
Latham
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by the numbers The number of people who reside here as of 2010.
According to Zillow.com, the median value of a home here exceeds $250K as of Dec. 31, 2019.
Education The percentage of residents who have attained a high school education or higher.
94.4%
The median household income. United States Census Bureau
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January 29, 2020 | COLONIE SPOTLIGHT 15
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LOUDONVILLE — William K. Sanford Town Library will host a cruising seminar on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. You can explore the world on a cruise. Ships have dazzling amenities, including five-star accommodations and dining, onboard thrills from casinos to water slides, and unique cultural. Join Michael Pascua from Liberty Travel as he presents cruising tips. To register, visit colonielibrary.org. William K. Sanford Town Library is located at 628 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville.
Lego and WeDo Club
LOUDONVILLE — William K. Sanford Town Library will host Lego and WeDo Club on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 4 p.m. Play games, mazes, races, and more with Lego, and learn coding skills using WeDo Kits! For kids in grades kindergarten through six. Drop in program. William K. Sanford Town Library is located at 628 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville.
SAGA Social
VOORHEESVILLE — Voorheesville Public Library will host SAGA Social on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m.
The Voorheesville Sexuality and Gender Alliance would like to invite community members to an open conversation about LGBTQ+ topics, acceptance and our club. To register, visit voorheesvillelibrary. org. Voorheesville Public Library is located at 51 School Road, Voorheesville.
Magic of Respect VOORHEESVILLE — Voorheesville Public Library will host Magic of Respect with Jim Snack on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. Celebrate “Take Your Child to the Library Day” in a magical way with the widely entertaining Jim Snack. Through an exciting magic show, children and families will explore important character lessons about respecting people and their property, taking care of the environment, and treating others with respect and dignity. For grades kindergarten through sixth grade with families. Voorheesville Public Library is located at 51 School Road, Voorheesville.
Beading Workshop VOORHEESVILLE — Voorheesville Public Library will host a beading workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m.
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