Th e Middleburgh Student Press

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       If you have questions, comments, corrections, tips, suggestions for stories, or letters to the editor, please contact the Middleburgh Student Press through one of the means below.

U.S.Mail-   The Middleburgh Student Press
                 Robert Kerley, Editor
            C/O Mr. Jonathan Bright
                Middleburgh High School
                Main Street, P.O. Box 400
                Middleburgh, N.Y. 12122

E-Mail-     mcsnewsman@yahoo.com

Personal Contact- Talk to Robert Kerley

    The concert above the Conglomerate last Saturday was three-plus hours of brutality. All the bands put forth a stellar performance, but two stood out. Surmise, was able to blend a gothic feel into their hardcore sound. Scourge also played an amazing, if short, set. Unfortunetly only about twenty five people stayed for the Scourge performance. The fans that did stay seemed to have run out of steam towards the end of the night.
       The concert was supposed to go from 8pm - 10pm, but Scourge didn't even take the stage til shortly after 11pm, rounding out a long night for the county's metal fans. Due to time constraints, they were only able to play three or four songs, but they made up for it with a near studio quality sound and their trademark violent and wicked music and lyrics.
      MCS's finest, and Scourge guitar player Ryland Wiseman was peddling the band's new CD, self-titled Scourge. It was and impressive first release that didn't leave me dissappointed, and I hope to see more from them soon.
     All in all it was three dollars well spent, and I look forward to the next one. It should be known that all proceeds go to the Middleburgh Renaissance Council, and our hats off to them for hosting the event.

"She's one of the people I respect the most; she is a tremendous teacher", said Earth Science instructor Mrs. Susan Peter. These words were referring to none other than Mrs. Pat Clements, a professional who has been an English teacher in the Middleburgh Central School District for almost twenty-four years.
After graduating for SUNY Potsdam with a B.A. in English, she went on to receive her M.A. in the subject area from the College of St. Rose. When first out of school she taught for a little while at St. Johnsville High School until she was offered a permanent position in the Middleburgh School District, and now she has been here ever since 1979. When asked if she was satisfied with her

career she responded, "I can"t imagine a better job". She also went on to say that she thinks the area is beautiful and believes that Middleburgh has the best students around. "I love my job", explained Mrs. Clements. She intimated that she truly likes teaching, especially the ninth graders, but she also stated that she very much enjoys being able to interact with seniors as she instructs the University in the High School class Women's Writers. She expressed that she has a devote passion for teaching and will most likely continue in this district until retirement.
        After Mrs. Clements finishes up her career at MCS, later on in life she hopes to do some traveling, as she has always wanted to visit Italy. In addition, she also commented that she wants to hear some great writers speak, possibly work in a bookstore on the side, become more involved with her church, and take an integral part in the work of the organization Habitat for Humanity.
        In the classroom Clements has said that one of her ultimate goals is fairness. "Being a parent has made me realize the importance of doing my job well", she declared, and one key to gaining respect and authority is executing "consistent discipline". She explained that treating everyone equally gives students a sense of worth, and she strongly maintains that all kids have the right to dignity and respect. This opinion has come as the result of over two decades of teaching in the public school. "There's no substitute for experience", said Mrs. Clements. In fact, she expressed that she likes being an older, more seasoned teacher, because it means that she often times does not have to put up with many problems younger teachers must deal with.
        At the end of our discussion, Mrs. Clements closed with reiterating that she truly has a passion for her job and she greatly enjoys working with the "ninth grade team" of teachers. She expressed that she feels that they are "all equally strict, yet [at the same time] equally human". Also she said that she believes that it is a huge benefit to the Middleburgh School District when the administration trusts its teachers to do what needs to be done in the classroom. Further, she went on the say that having confidence in the professionalism of instructors aids in the overall success of the educational process and displays a very positive image of the institution.