Cambridge should get back to education
Queensbury graduate to appear at Wood Theater in September
By Ken Tingley
The Cambridge Central School website touts how some of its students did on the recent National Latin Exam.
Its probably something you didn’t know about Cambridge.
They have students actually studying Latin.
I was impressed.
Sadly, you’ve probably heard a lot more about the tussle over whether the school should keep its “Indian” mascot than how it did on the National Latin Exam.
At a recent meeting, one speaker said that 95 percent of residents supported fighting to keep the “Indian” at its mascot. That’s a bit of hyperbole because in these controversial times, you aren’t going to find 95 percent of residents who agree on anything, although I suspect 95 percent of Cambridge folks have not heard of the National Latin Exam.
Cambridge has a pretty good reputation as a community school. The Post-Star reported earlier this year that 93 percent of its students had graduated in each of the past two years. Considering the impact of the pandemic, that is pretty remarkable.
But graduation rates are just one measurement of the quality of a school district.
What school boards should be spending their time on - rather than arguing about mascots - is how well prepared their students are for the real world.
They should be asking how they can keep their best teachers and make their average teachers better.
That discussion is certainly not happening in Cambridge, at least not in public.
I suspect the Cambridge mascot controversy is not so much over the mascot as it is about someone from the outside telling them what to do.
If Cambridge folks feel like they are being picked on, they are probably right. If the state education commissioner is going to axe the “Indian” in Cambridge, then he needs to axe the “Indian” in Glens Falls and the “Warrior” in Lake George and the “Tomahawk” in Corinth.
But is it worth legal action and using taxpayer money?
Is it worth putting your state aid at risk?
At least two members of Cambridge’ Board of Education were elected so they could advocate for keeping the “Indian” as mascot. I hope they bring other attributes to the table because in the grand scheme of things, it is not that big of an issue.
These board members need to be evaluating whether their students are prepared for the world.
Can they speak some Spanish if they get a job in the Southwest?
Will their math and science skills allow them to pursue technology fields in college and beyond?
Do they understand how media and government work?
Can they recognize “fake news” on social media?
They may have a soft spot in their heart for being an “Indian” for the rest of their lives, but that is nostalgia. It will not provide opportunity. It will not change their lives.
After being ordered by the state to take down all references to its mascot, the school complied, but some are unhappy about that.
They want to continue to the fight.
But why?
What do they have to gain?
How will this help educate their students?
How will it prepare them for the world beyond Washington County?
That’s the discussion they need to be having.
The T-shirt they need to be wearing should just say simply, “Let’s educate our kids.”
Don’t ever lose sight of that mission.
If you do, you are lost.
Queensbury grad
The Wood Theater announced this weekend that Queensbury High graduate Delaney Silvernell would be performing on its Cabaret stage on Saturday, Sept. 3.
Silvernell made it past the first round of “The Voice” a couple years ago.
If you are a Queensbury parent, like me, I saw her perform at the high school musicals from 2014 to 2018.
Tickets range from $25 to $35.
Hospital rating
As a newly classified senior citizen, Medicare sent me a link on the ratings for local hospitals. It gave Glens Falls Hospital a 3 out of 5 star rating.
One interesting statistic was the that the average treatment time in the emergency department was 195 minutes before leaving. The average median time nationally was 162 minutes.
Saratoga Hospital was given a 4 out of 5 star rating. Its median time in the emergency room was 208 minutes.
A good piece but you have fallen into the same trap as almost everyone else by saying that Commissioner Rosa is picking on Cambridge. That's not true. She was ruling on a 310 petition filed by four families of students in the Cambridge school district (I'm one of the petitioners). These are legal proceedings and are not decided on a whim. Her rulings are based on research done by the NYSED legal department and are based on policy and existing precedents. Rosa issued her decision that the Cambridge BOE had been arbitrary and capricious in reversing the retirement on the Indians mascot and had abused their discretion. Rosa did not "axe" the Indian, she just reinstated the original BOE decision to retire it. She didn't rule on other districts, because nobody filed appeals in those districts.
Hopefully this will be addressed through legislative action to ban Native mascots in NY soon. There is a bill in committee now.
At least newspapers are 5 points above television news.
The only televised news I trust is YouTube clips of Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers monologues.