The AC Blog

Robert (Bob) C. Tait, II ’75 Honored with 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award

Posted on June 14th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

This year, we recognized Bob Tait ’75 as the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Bob has been a tremendous contributor to Allendale Columbia School throughout his lifetime.

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Students Celebrate Earth Day with More Than 100 Brown Trout

Posted on April 25th, 2019 by cnickels

As News 8 Anchor Adam Chodak said, “You can add that to the list of things I never did in school.” Allendale Columbia’s 7th-grade scientists got out of the classroom and into knee-high water boots to survey a portion of Irondequoit Creek in the hopes of returning more than 160 trout back to nature. Just another Earth Day at AC.

It was all part of a Trout in the Classroom project that AC Science and Math Teacher Beth Guzzetta initiated back in September. She received brown trout eggs from the Bath Fish Hatchery and guided the students through the lifecycle stages of caring for the eggs, watching them hatch, and keeping the fish strong and healthy in a classroom aquarium. Students helped to set up the 60-gallon aquarium and monitored the water quality daily (even over breaks!) to make sure it was safe for the fish. If the students weren’t sure about something, they had to do the research and then make adjustments based on what they learned. Regular water changes were a must, so students learned how to safely complete 25-gallon water changes. (more…)

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AC Alum Recognized as 2018 CNN Hero

Posted on November 9th, 2018 by cnickels

Veterans Day celebrates our soldiers and marines who served this country or, in some cases, made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But what about all those people who help our troops? The people who live in the country that is being torn apart by war. The people who risk their lives to help our soldiers communicate, navigate, and survive. What about them?

Matt Zeller, an AC Class of 2000 alum, left our campus with ideas of being a lawyer or a politician and went on to earn degrees from Hamilton College and Syracuse University before joining the U.S. Army.

In 2008 his life, and his future, changed forever. (more…)

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AC Middle Schoolers Help Nicaraguans With Bikes for School

Posted on January 4th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia School

Allendale Columbia has deepened its global impact in Nicaragua by initiating a relationship with the 2 Wheels Bike Project. The project’s founder, Alejandro Solano, believes that every child should have the chance for an education to help them break out of the cycle of poverty. Therefore, he provides bikes to children in need to help them get to school and assist their families with daily life.

AC middle schooler Keira Donnelly led the initiative to sell hand-made Nicaraguan bracelets to students in order to support the project. Due to her efforts and the generosity of the Middle School students, AC raised and donated $100 to the project. This means that two young children in El Sauce, Nicaragua, won’t have to walk over an hour to school any more. They will be able to use their new bikes to arrive safely and quickly to school.  (more…)

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Music and Stories Bring Tradition to Life at Holiday Breakfast

Posted on December 21st, 2017 by Allendale Columbia School

Bountiful music and touching stories brought one of Allendale Columbia’s oldest and dearest traditions, Holiday Breakfast, to life on Friday, December 15th, kicking off the winter break.

The AC Brass Ensemble greeted family members with holiday songs, the Kindergarten children thrilled all with their traditional number, choruses sang, and joyful tunes from students across the school joined together for a rousing finale.

In between, students spoke of heritage, history, and the future, and the “Lifers” (students who have attended AC since Kindergarten — and some since Nursery!) regaled the crowd with humorous and heart-felt tales of their experiences at AC. Head of School Mick Gee continued the tradition of reading a story. This year, he told the tale of “The Penguin and the Pinecone”, complete with prop penguins, a giant pinecone, and scarf-wrapped trees, reminding us all of the importance of nurturing friendship and kindness.

Please enjoy the gallery below of some highlights from the event, and have a very merry holiday break!

Want 300 more photos? Click here to open the Holiday Breakfast Google Photos Gallery.

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Alum Greg Byers ’04 in Rochester Fringe Fest

Posted on September 14th, 2017 by Allendale Columbia School

Allendale Columbia alumnus Greg Byers ’04 will be performing two shows in the Rochester Fringe Festival. Both shows, on Thursday, September 21st, at 9:00 p.m. and Friday, September 22nd, at 8:30 p.m., will be presented at the Geva Theater Center’s Fielding Stage. The following information is from the Rochester Fringe Festival website, where you can get more information and buy tickets for Greg’s and other shows, at http://rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/memento-anima.

Greg Byers (cello, composition) and Hannah Nemer (film) have collaborated to create MEMENTO ANIMA, a sensitive exploration of movement, entropy, and the soul’s journey. Latin for “remember life,” MEMENTO ANIMA focuses on lost moments spent traveling, so that we might see their inherent beauty. This innovative suite for cello with effects is performed live alongside immersive visual accompaniment. Byers is a native of nearby Honeoye Falls, while Nemer draws inspiration from her time in Rochester documenting Civil War reenactments.

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Exciting First Day of School 2017!

Posted on September 6th, 2017 by Allendale Columbia School

Students arrived on the Allendale Columbia campus for the first day of school with joyful looks as they met their friends and were greeted by the senior class, Wolfie, and faculty and staff.

In the video below, the seniors gave a spirited welcome as cars and buses pulled in to drop off students.

Enjoy the photos from the first day!

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AC Students Presenting at Science Writing and Research Symposium April 28th

Posted on April 28th, 2017 by Allendale Columbia School

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