EXPLORING HISTORY
Saratoga Springs students complete research projects
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Nearly 20 students at Saratoga Springs High School decided to learn more about the history of Yaddo and the city, completing independent research-based projects that explored conservation in the Adirondack region and architecture of Saratoga Springs, among others.
Tuesday night, Yaddo held a reception to honor the students, along with their family and school administrators, at Yaddo West.
The club, which began in 2013, spent the majority of this year, for the second time in the club’s history, researching a topic, then researching some more at the New York City Public Library before demonstrating their projects in April at a gallery walk at the high school. Yaddo Club’s opened for any Saratoga Springs High School student, which mission seeks to engage students in a unique perspective on the arts, to demonstrate the importance of the arts to our community and the local economy, to impart research and presentation skills, to illuminate career possibilities in the arts and to help students from diverse backgrounds stand out as competitive applicants and capture scholarships.
“Having that interaction with the students is incredibly important [to Yaddo] and the fact also that we are able to support them as they explore New York City and explore their independent research projects,” said Yaddo’s VP of Branding & Strategic Initiatives Catherine Kelley. “I just think it’s an incredibly fruitful partnership. We both benefit from it.”
Megan Bissonette joined the club for the first time this year as a sophomore.
“I thought it was a really great experience, getting to go to the library and the research room was just really amazing and interesting,” said Bissonette. “We were in there doing research with professional people who were doing research in their field. It was just so interesting.”
Bissonette was one of four sophomores that made up the club. It’s something she sees herself joining the club as a junior, although she’s uncertain what type she’ll pursue.
“I’m excited to look into new records and find out more interesting things about Saratoga,” Bissonette said. “Just
look at history from different perspectives.”
The idea of researching her home city is something that appealed to Megan Schorpp.
“This club has brought a whole new perspective on history. We’ve found out so much about the town I live in. I had no idea about the background,” said Schorpp. “For instance, the Canfield Casino was a huge part of our history that we had no idea about. It used to be a huge clubhouse. It was run by John Morrissey. I just thought that was very interesting, because it’s a building we pass by every day.”
Sophomore Ronak Fansiwala, just like his classmates Bissonette and Schorpp, joined for the first time this year. Fansiwala remains passionate about history.
“When you talk about history, you really look at how the past shapes up the present. Working with Yaddo, you can really see details of how the past did shape the present,” Fansiwala said. “Yaddo really helped us strive to aim for the best, and have the projects come out the way that we really wanted them to.”
Each student referenced the impact of the club’s three advisers.
“Throughout the year, the advisers Jennifer Duchaussee, Kimberly Nemeth and Humanities Coordinator Freya Mercer, gave so much support,” Bissonette said. “They made it a really fun experience without a lot of pressure which made it really great.”
Seniors involved in the club include, president Ellie Craver, secretary Stephanie Wertheim, treasurer Elizabeth Fox, Ben Doern, Eugenia Moore, Sara Phillips, Nayeli Selkis and Jakob Wiegand.
Juniors include vice president Bailey Kerr, Tucker Wurtmann, Julia Sanders, Emily Hausam, Sydney Locke, Quinn Montgomery, Grace Alberti and Drew Burke.
Abbi Derlinga was the other sophomore involved in the club.
Kelley hopes the end of the year reception continues as the Yaddo club grows.
In April, Kelley explained, she said it was incredible to see the finished projects.
“They had really done the work; they really put in the time. They spoke so convincingly and so articulately,” Kelley said. “It was amazing. It was very impressive.”