Wednesday, November 8th, 2023: Everyday is STEM Day at the Science Academies of New York, but we’re honoring National STEM Day today. Let's celebrate the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and math! STEM is an important part of our education at Syracuse Academy of Science. From powering our technology to inspiring new ways of thinking, students who learn essential STEM skills have the potential to revolutionize our society.

On National STEM Day, honors Chemistry students conducted the flame test during chemistry lab. The flame test is used to visually determine the identity of an unknown substance based on the color the flame turns on the Bunsen burner.

We promised something special for the spooky season, and we are delivering. Coming to you straight from Nevermore Academy… I mean SANY… we present “The Atoms Family.” Don't miss out on this highly unique take on a classic where cartoon-like gothic macabre meets a twist of contemporary humor. Plus, you’ll definitely want to see Wednesday’s killer dance moves. 

Whether you’re a newcomer to the Addams Family or a seasoned veteran, there’s something here for everyone to love. 

So do us all a favor, grab your friends and neighbors, no don’t you wait ‘till later…. Here’s the Atoms Family! *Snap* *Snap*

If you want to be part of the Atoms Family, visit apply.sany.org.

Saturday, September 9th, 2023: Mr. Kovar and Mr. Zengin took Syracuse Academy of Science High School robotics members to the First Tech Challenge Kick-Off event at Mohawk Valley Community College. This year's mission was revealed, and the game is called "CenterStage." It challenges our students to unleash their creativity and problem-solving skills as they design, build, and program robots. The game's objective is to collect hexagon-shaped plastic pieces, known as pixels, in four different colors, lift them to the desired level, and then place them on the backdrop panel. 

Participants include Andre McClain, Migual Mathis, Jenel Virgilio, Yakina Sika Amoah, Mickayla Pagan, Samara Hurtado, Araceli Goodyear, Quatice Williams, Aamiran Ridha, Lester Gonzales, Arna Boatema Amoah, and Elda Goodyear.

Congratulations Atoms, and good luck!

Greetings, Science Academies of New York Families and Staff, 

With great pleasure, I welcome you to another exciting year at the Science Academies of New York. Serving SANY Charter Schools with nearly 3,000 students in grades K-12 in Syracuse, Utica, and Rochester as the Superintendent for the 2023-24 school year is a privilege. I look forward to working with you. I hope you had a safe and enjoyable summer and are ready to tackle anything the new school year brings. I am especially looking forward to introducing Virtual Reality learning at the High School.

SANY Scholars completed 2022-23, including graduating with an associate degree, completing many college-level courses for free, receiving nationwide known micro-credentials through cybersecurity, regional championships in robotics, Gold and Silver Medals from the Congressional Award Program, science fairs, and many more. I hope that the list will grow this year. SANY celebrated the milestone of serving the community for 20 years. SANY continues to be the most extensive Charter School system in Syracuse. We pride ourselves on offering high-quality public education with a college preparatory STEM-based curriculum. Incredible things take place in our classrooms thanks to our outstanding teachers and staff, as well as the hard work and dedication of our Atoms. From music and art to sports and extracurricular activities, our scholars are well-rounded in and out of the classroom.

Almost one-third of  SANY High School graduating scholars completed most college-level courses needed to earn a two-year associate's degree, and a few even graduated with both a High School and Associate’s Degree Diploma. Through this program, SANY Charter Schools cover the cost of classes, books, technology fees, and lunch. Last school year, SANY celebrated its first student in history to graduate high school with an associate's degree. Our philosophy is the money SANY receives from the New York State per-pupil funding belongs to each student and will be spent for whatever helps make them successful. It is a beautiful feeling building a village through partnerships with higher education institutions like OCC, MVCC, SUNY ESF, LeMoyne College, Utica University, and D'Youville University and partnering with community business leaders. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" comes from an African proverb and conveys that it takes a large group of people to provide a safe, healthy, loving environment. I am grateful to our community for working together and looking forward to seeing caring, contributing citizens from our beautiful Syracuse, Utica, and Rochester communities. 

Safety remains the top priority of our school. Our teachers and staff received safety and crisis management training over the summer, and I am confident we will have a safe and healthy year with the implementation of our safety protocols. Seeing recent events in the news can be highly upsetting, but with our vigorous efforts, I know we can continue to keep violence out of our school. While we succeeded in our efforts last year, we must always be active regarding safety. Your efforts in assisting with this are highly appreciated. While looking ahead to this year, please take the time to go over our emergency and safety plan: https://www.sascs.org/about-us/required-notifications/emergency-and-safety-plan.

Our faculty and staff care significantly about every student who walks through the door. I admire how teachers diligently plan their lessons while catering to each student’s ability. This year, I will continue my school visits and special events like Breakfast and Lunch with the Superintendent. I cherish the days that I get to spend with our bright students. They always teach me something new!

Thank you for all you do, and I look forward to working with you for the 2023-24 school year. 

Warmest Regards,

Dr. Tolga Hayali, Ed.D
Superintendent
SANY Charter Schools

Grab your headset and get ready to explore a new way of learning. Syracuse Academy of Science high school is delving into the technology of the future. During the 2023-24 school year, the school will add Virtual Reality and META software to its learning library, where teachers and students can immerse themselves in a new world of education. Software programs have been installed on the VR headsets where students can talk with people from the past, dive into plant and animal cells, and explore virtual artifacts which make learning come to life. We are so excited to be able to offer our students and educators this opportunity.

Friday, August 11th, 2023: Caleb Crowder was selected to perform in the First World Premiere of the “Rip Van Winkles” Opera at the Glimmerglass Theatre in Cooperstown, New York! Caleb is going into 11th grade at Utica Academy of Science. He’s been a singer and performer since the age of three. He has sung for many events in the Utica area and cities all around the East Coast. He has won First place twice and second place in three local talent shows. Caleb dreams of becoming a professional actor/singer, songwriter, and philanthropist. 

Caleb is also a young entrepreneur and business owner with his two younger twin brothers, David and Andrew. Their business, We3Cre8, is a tie-dye and apparel business serving the greater Utica area. We3Cre8 was also recognized by the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) program led by Michelle McCarrick Truett.

Come support Caleb in the finale on Friday, August 18th, at 1:00 pm. Break a leg, Caleb!

Wednesday, August 9th, 2023: Dr. Basic, SANY District Safety Coordinator, provided a presentation to SANY parents, families, students, staff, and stakeholders for the annual public hearing for the District-Wide School Safety plan. The Science Academies of New York places huge importance on school safety and works with all stakeholders to ensure we are constantly improving our policies and emergency plan.

The 2023-24 SANY Safety Plan can be found here.

Thank you for working together to make our school safer for all Atoms.

Friday, August 4th, 2023: More than 50 Syracuse Academy of Science and Syracuse City School District students are now officially digital ambassadors. The AT&T Cuse Youth Digital Ambassador Program, powered by Tech4Kidz and Syracuse University, graduated its first class of local digital ambassadors in grades 5 through 7. These students live in areas impacted by the digital divide, meaning the households can't access or afford internet or computers. Students spent a week of their summer vacation learning skills like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, coding, and media literacy. On the program's final day, participating scholars were surprised with new laptops presented by Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, State Senator Rachel May, and State Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter. Students also received an AT&T Digital Ambassadors certificate for their hard work and dedication.

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023: Syracuse Academy of Science Elementary School combined learning with fun in July at the Summer Enrichment program. During the three-week session in July, students worked on various projects and science activities. Some highlights include a Rube Goldberg Machine, where scholars created a chain reaction using marbles, cardboard tubes, and dominoes based on Rube Goldberg Machines; Paper Making, where students made paper using paper pulp and confetti pieces and were able to draw on it and create with it again!

There was also a paper airplane contest, skittles rainbows, borax crystals, and daily building challenges! Students also made kaleidoscopes and penny spinners!

We can't wait to continue the enrichment program next year.

Wednesday, June 14th, 2023: Several Syracuse Academy of Science and Utica Academy of Science students participated in the Genius Olympiad. Genius Olympiad is a prestigious international competition bringing together the best and brightest students from different countries worldwide. Founded and organized by Terra Science and Education, the Rochester Institute of Technology hosted this year’s competition. High School students from nearly 60 countries enter projects in five general disciplines with an environmental focus.  

Winning medals at an International science fair is no easy task; however, our Atoms pulled it off with grace and a lot of hard work. Please congratulate the following students:

Project name: Creating a Synthetic Violacein Fabric Dye Out of Transformed E. Coli.

Silver Medal- Migual Mathis & Grace O'Neill

Project Name: A novel study to solve the global threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): Herbal remedy; Hibiscus Sabdariffa bactericidal invasion on the molecular composition of Fusarium Oxysporum Fungi

Yakina Sika Amoha-Bronze Medal

Robotics: Bronze medal- Samara Hurtado, Lester Gonzales, and Mickayla Pagan 

Honorable mentions: Andre McClain, Jenell Virgilio, and Theodore Simon

Aamiran Ridha, Araceli Goodyear, and Elda Goodyear. 

Honorable mention in the Creative Writing category: Almin Husovic.