New York State Education Department Visits Rensselaer

On Thursday, the Rensselaer City School District hosted five members of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) as a part of the New York Inspires. Assistant Commissioner Dr. Gemma Rinefierd, Assistant Commissioner JP O'Hare, Associate in Instructional Services Christine Shields, PLAN Pilot Program Manager Nicole Lennon, and Supervisor of Education Programs, Career and Technical Education, Dr. Brittany Kitterman toured some of of our programs, highlighting how Rensselaer is preparing for the new Regents requirements rolling out next year.

Our Fire Science CTE program with the Rensselaer City Fire Department gives students a path to a career as a firefighter or emergency medical services personnel. The students also learn valuable leadership skills and get to be a part of the fire house on a daily basis.

The E-Sports club is transitioning into a CTE program starting next year, but the focus will expand beyond the screen. Mr. Bieter will be teaching the students the intricacies of event management, tourism, and hospitality. 

Our guests also learned about Project AWARE, which is funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  The grant is designed to embed a public health framework directly within the schools to support the social, emotional, and psychological well-being of K-12 students Ms. Loliscio-Drescher spoke about how the team is building capacity to provide a robust MTSS program.

The group visited a high school history class, where students were learning about how a bill becomes a law. They also met with instructional coaches about the newest innovations in our elementary math and science curriculum. 

We thank our partners at NYSED for their time this morning and look forward to working together on New York Inspires moving forward.