Newsletter August 29, 2026
Dear CCS Alumni and Friends:
The new website is on the horizon. We think that you will like the updated links and new features. Launch day will be next week September 2 to coincide with the first day of school. I will send out an email on that day to reveal the new URL and some of the new features. Thank you to Ken Gottry for the expensive work that he has done on it.
Fun fact: This September will be the 75th anniversary of this school building opening.
Reminder from Linda Record: Someone left a sweater/jacket behind at Saturday’s event. Describe and claim with Linda Record, 518-677-3327 or linda.record 84@gmail.com
From Barbara Moses: re Obituary Virginia “Ginger” Taylor Class of 1956: Ginger Nennstiel was her maiden name.
• Thank you for the info. Classmates may remember her by her maiden name only.
From Ted Presler Class of 56: My sincere condolences to the Taylor family. I have fond memories of Ginger in Pirates of Penzance playing Mable and myself as Frederic the royal Pirate apprentice. I believe it was one of the first musicals we did in school but then memories do fade.Sincerely Ted
From Anne Thiessen: Obituary Virginia “Ginger” Taylor Class of 1956: FYi- you might want to add that this is Ginger Nennstiel (maiden name ) and her brother is Duke. Many people will know them by those names. Thanks.
Thank you for the additional information. I hope it helps people remember her and her brother.
From Paul Netusil: In response to the Garret Albert obituary. This is a great write-up. Made me wish I had met him and had a beer together.
From Richard MacDougall: Luke MacDougall, a 2026 graduate of CCS continued his laurels recently this summer on the golf course by competing in the New York State Golf Association Men’s Amateur at Glen’s Falls Country Club in Queensbury recently. The amateur is NYS only event. Well over 100 golfers participated and were comprised of the best non-pro golfers in the state. Luke made an impressive showing by placing somewhere in the middle of the pack. Luke will be entering his first year of college this fall at the State University at Adirondack in Queensbury.
From Betty Jeskie White, Class of ’55: Garret was a classmate of mine. He and Betsy came to several of our “picnic” reunions and we were all very happy to see them. He was such an interesting guy. Up until a few years ago, he used to call me in the early evening (our time). He could talk on any subject and I certainly enjoyed listening to him. And somewhere, I do have his book of poems!!
From Peggy McLenithan, Class of 1985: I think this was the way I started on my Science of Reading weekly writings.
Historical Context of Literacy Instruction
It has only been more recently that humans were taught how to read and write. Johannes Guttenberg invented the printing press in the 1450s (Cartwright, 2020). During this time, books became more common.. During the time of the 1600s to the 1800s, the primary way to teach reading was by using the alphabet method. Eventually, children advanced to reading syllables and were able to read their prayers as found in their Lord’s Prayer Handbook (Monahan, 2003). The 19th century was a time when educational leaders began to question the teaching of reading. From 1839-1852 Horace Mann served as the first Secretary to the State Board of Education in Massachusetts. There was a debate about which methodology of reading should be taught. The phonic approach was what the teachers were advocating for during the 19th century. Essentially, they were proponents of the alphabetic principle. However, it was Mann who wrote that focusing on the alphabet was wrong because letters are “skeleton-shaped, bloodless, ghostly apparitions” (Association of Masters of the Boston Public Schools, 1844) that are meaningless. Today the historical reading debate continues to be waged.
In the mid-20th century Rudolph Flesch wrote “Why Johnny Can’t Read – And What You Can About It.” Many members of the Science of Reading Community have referenced Flesch’s book (Chall, 1967; Kilpatrick, 2015). In his book, Flesch discussed how schools were teaching reading all wrong. He advocated for the phonics approach. It has been nearly seventy years since Rudolph wrote his book. Speaking of books, don’t let it be the end of reading.
Although I do not have a digital or print subscription to The Atlantic , I went in search of a way to read an article called “The End of Reading” by Rose Horowitz.. My fulltime job involves teaching children how to read. We are not born to read. Humans have no innate cognitive machinery designed for the alphabet principle. We need to be taught about sound and symbol correspondence. During the summer, I also tutor children from Happy Kids Farm. Encouraging children to read books sparks their imaginations and fosters a sense of wonder.
Eventually , I was able to get my hands on the Horowitz article. Here are some critical points : Every year older a child gets, the less they like to read (Horowitz, 2026). Many kindergarten teachers say that the children in their classrooms do not know fairytales or nursery rhymes.
When I was a child TV shows aired on a certain day at a certain time. If you missed the show- you would have to wait for a rerun. Now this is no end to entertainment. Teachers struggle to teach learners who have shorter attention spans. There are many studies which have shown that people comprehend less when reading on a digital device. Schools understand that asking students to read books will require sustained focus as well as reading stamina. According to Horowitz, successive waves of education reforms have led districts to favor short passages over full books, the better to mimic multiple-choice reading-comprehension exams. Many of the most popular school curricula now rely on excerpts (Horowitz, 2026).
If you would like to help your child increase their attention span, encourage them to read books. It may seem impossible to believe, but higher education will need to become more remedial because many of the students can not read or write at the college level. Read to your child, read with your child and have your child read to you. It is worth the investment.
Dr. Peggy McLenithan
References:
Association of Masters of the Boston Public Schools. (1844). Remarks on the seventh annual report of the Hon.Horace Mann, secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. Boston, MA: Charles C. Little and James Brown.
Cartwright, M. (2020). The printing revolution in Renaissance Europe. Ancient History Encyclopedia.
https://ancient.eu/article/1632/the-printingrevolution-in-rennaissance-europe (дата
обращения: 24.12. 2020)
Chall, J. S. (1967). Learning to read: The great debate. McGraw-Hill.
Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015). Essentials of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties. John Wiley & Sons.
Monaghan, E. J. (2005). Learning to read and write in colonial America. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press.
Thank you, Peggy, for this very interesting submission.
Thank you to all who have contacted me with comments and suggestions. Please keep them coming!
Kathy
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