Annual Membership Drive Newsletter

November 2024

 

Dear Alumni Friends,

 

The Alumni Association of the Rensselaer NY School District hopes you are having a wonderful year! We proudly come to the close of the 13th year as an organized association. We have had a busy 2024 and are planning some exciting projects and events for 2025.

We have been working at updating, maintaining, and increasing our database of over 6,800 alumni from the graduating classes of 1902-2024. As an association, we have been working diligently at publicizing activities, projects, and events through print, email, our website, and social media platforms for members to enjoy. It has been outstanding for us to meet many alumni at events like the Rensselaer Police Department's National Night Out, Rensselaer Farmers' Market, and Parents Night at the High School.

Our fundraising through our membership drive, memorial contributions, raffles, donations, yearly craft fair, and Hall of Fame dinner has assisted us with awarding two $1,000 Centennial Awards to graduating seniors, a tradition begun by the Class of 1948. Our Community Service Award in loving memory of long-time association member Deborah Reimann, which celebrates the community service of a graduating senior has been a wonderful opportunity to highlight young people who help the Rensselaer community. Your generous donations assist us with providing a yearly $2,500 Enrichment Grant to the schools for educational purposes outside the curriculum as well as donating to the Rensselaer drama and music programs. We also had the opportunity to help sponsor a trip for 9^th grade students to go to Museum of Modern Art. These programs encourage students to demonstrate their Ram pride and be the best creative student citizens they can be. We have also donated to the Rensselaer Little League program, the Supporting Families program, and the Student Weekend Regional Food Bank program. These programs support the youth and families within the city of Rensselaer.

This year we are donating to the school a monument to honor alumni that served their country in times of war and peace. The monument will be placed at the school by the auditorium entrance. We are hopeful that the elementary students will be able to incorporate it into their yearly Veterans’ Day program.

Besides fundraising, we love organizing activities for alumni to enjoy. This past year, we enjoyed attending a Valley Cats game together, going to the Saratoga Race Track, and having an all-class reunion picnic at Schodack Town Park. We are planning our third annual craft fair on March 29, 2025, at the high school from 10 am-3 pm. Please mark your calendars; we need as many hands as possible to make the event successful. Even if you could help for an hour or two, it would be greatly appreciated. It should be a great deal of fun with a variety of crafters and vendors, so please stop by to do some shopping as well.

Our annual Hall of Fame dinner, which celebrates the accomplishments of Rensselaer alumni, has been scheduled for Saturday April 26, 2025, at the Franklin Terrace Ballroom in Troy, NY (Near Hudson Valley Community College). We hope you will be able to join us for this heartwarming evening. If you want to nominate someone for the Alumni Hall of Fame, please email us at or visit our website at https://rensselaernyalumni.org/ for an application and information.

Please visit our website at rensselaernyalumni.org and on Facebook at groups/RenssSchoolsAlumni to keep up with our news and reunite with classmates. You can also find us on Instagram (search rcsdalumni). There is an Alumni News page on the school's website at rcsd.k12.ny.us under the high school menu. General membership meetings are usually held in the Large Group Instruction (LGI) room in the High School at 6:30 pm on the first Tuesday in October-December and February-June. In September, we meet on the second Tuesday of the month. If you can't join us in person, please feel free to watch meetings on our YouTube channel (Alumni Association of Rensselaer City). I can’t stress to you enough how much we appreciate your monetary support but we would absolutely love to have some of your time as well. We all can think back to our high school career and remember faculty, staff, volunteers and coaches who gave their time which made a difference in our lives. Just a few hours of your time at a meeting or event, could truly make an impact for Rensselaer students.

We would love to have your input and ideas! Don't hesitate to contact me via our email . If you have a question about your donation, email our treasurer at .

Your Alumni Association membership is vital in helping us achieve our goals. Your membership donation helps us provide a wide variety of educational and scholarship opportunities for Rensselaer students and support the treasured legacy of the Rensselaer City School District. Please complete the MEMBER FORM  in this letter and return it in the enclosed envelope. All donations are tax-deductible and will assist us greatly!

On behalf of the other officers, the membership, and the students of Rensselaer, I thank you for your continued generosity and support. I wish you all the best in the coming year.

 

 

 

Best wishes,

 

 

 

Denise Roberts Wright '83

President

Alumni Association of the Rensselaer NY School District

 

 

 

Vice President: Tracey Stock’80

Treasurer: Liz Rooney Ryan ‘89

Secretary: Tracy Boniface Foust ‘83

Ex-officio Advisor: Doris Nichols Roberts ’61

Ex-officio Advisor: Lynne Beiermeister’69

Webmaster: Tom Mulyca ‘69