Goff School Turns 50!

Celebrating Half a Century

By Catherine Sager

East Greenbush

 

On Wednesday, December 8th, Goff Middle School celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a day packed with special events.

Students and staff arrived before school to watch Principal, Ryan Groat and Assistant Principal, Steve Taylor open the time capsule that had been placed inside the building’s cornerstone 50 years ago.


The items within the copper lined box were newspapers from 1960, a full set of uncirculated U.S. coins from 1959, and a history of East Greenbush on its 100th Anniversary. There was also a playbill from the East Greenbush Centennial Committee's "Forever Young," an historical pageant. The show was written, directed and produced by Robert J. Shillinglaw and performed on Saturday, July 2, 1955.  Perhaps the most interesting item left inside the box was roll of white paper with a hand-written list with the signatures of student and employee from 1960.


All day, the day the school held a number of  activities centered around Goff's 50th anniversary and district literacy initiatives. Events included a discussion of the book. Schooled, by Gordan Korman, a story exploring the life of a student growing up in a hippie community as he struggles to adjust to life in middle school. Librarian MaryAnn Prendergast organized an ad-hoc book club, inviting staff and students to read the book and meet to discuss it as a group.

At the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting in the Goff cafeteria, students, staff and community members assembled for a special presentation celebrating Goff’s 50 years in education. The evening showcased the students' projects and displays created to celebrate literacy as well as Goff’s half a century. Projects included artwork, poetry, and a presentation on important scientific events over the last five decades. Students in the 7th grade composed letters to students of the future telling them about life in 2010. 

Ms. Jeanne Casatelli is a former EGCSD student. In the November 14, 1960, edition of the Knickerbocker News, at the age of 14, she was photographed with then President of the EG Board of Education, Dr. Raymond O. Clinton, Principal of the East Greenbush Junior High School (as it was named then), Charles  Patricia and Superintendent Howard L. Goff as she helps to place the cornerstone, with the time capsule encased, in its place.

As honored guest at the celebration, she spoke about being a part of the baby-boomer generation and how with the influx of children following the war made for some creative solutions to house the many students. Split sessions for students at the Old Columbia High - which is now the Genet Elementary School and the need for classes in the basement of the church next door to what was the Clinton Heights Elementary School (now the EG Town Hall) on Columbia Turnpike. She spoke of her time as a middle school student walking into the school built "especially for us" and recalled that the new building was so bright and "modern."

Nearly 300 people packed the Goff School's cafeteria and viewed a video of the time capsule being removed from the cornerstone and its contents being revealed. Later, the contents of the time capsule were available for viewing in the school’s library. The historical significance of the time capsule will be continued as new items are place inside and locked away for another 50 years.  Students opening the corner stone in 2060 will find a copy of the Times Union, a complete set of the 50 state quarters, information about New York's sports teams, a DVD of the day's events, a current list of employees and students and the most recent District Newsletter.

Catherine Sager is a freelance writer and photographer, living in Schodack. To contact Catherine email csager2@nycap.rr.com