The Rensselaer City School District #fRAMily joins the greater Rensselaer community in recognizing the sacrifices of New York Army National Guardsmen Staff Sergeant Jacob Pratt, Aviation Crew Chief, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Frankoski and their families.
Jacob is the son of Kenny and Kelley Pratt. The Pratt family has been an integral part of RCSD for many years. Kenny served as a long time member of the School Board and Kelley was often taking on volunteer roles as a PTA officer as well as spearheading major fundraising efforts for a new playground, enjoyed for years by the community in Riverfront Park until recently. Their daughter, Olivia, is a 2010 graduate of RCSD and son Jacob, is a 2013 graduate. Jacob could often be found hanging around the music department putting his creative talents to use and was a student who was beloved by faculty and peers.
Jacob was recently critically injured in an accident while serving our country at the Texas-Mexico border. As he continues to receive medical treatment for his injuries, Jacob’s family has uprooted their life to be in Texas by his side. The Pratts have a Go Fund Me account started by New York State Council of School Superintendents to support their expenses during this very trying time.
Casey is the daughter of Jim and Jill Frankoski who are deeply rooted in our Rensselaer community. Jim Frankoski helped to keep our school and community safe in his role as the Chief of Police for the City of Rensselaer. Casey’s brother, Jesse now continues that tradition as a detective in Rensselaer. Her beloved Aunt Roseann has been working with us here at Rensselaer for 30 years and we’ve grown to know Casey better through her. Casey graduated from Columbia High School in 2013 and lived in Rensselaer between deployments. Casey tragically lost her life in the accident and our school community joins the masses in mourning the loss of a young woman who was a dedicated community servant from her early days as a Girl Scout, to volunteer firefighter, to her service in the New York Army National Guard. In honor of Casey, a Memorial Scholarship has been established as a way to honor Casey’s legacy of service.
Our hearts go out to these Rensselaer families, along with New York State Trooper John Grassia and US Border Patrol agent Chris Luna and their families in the wake of this tragedy.
Please share our Grief & Loss Resources with anyone that you think may need them.
For those interested in donating, please use the following links:
#PrattStrong - Help New York Army National Guardsman Jacob Pratt https://gofund.me/0f0e70c9
Casey Frankoski Memorial Scholarship
Venmo: @CaseyFrankoski-MemorialScholar or visit any Broadview location to donate.
