In May ’86, students had eye on the prize (with photos)

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jeff Wilkin

Share on Facebook

Save

Debbi Stanton became a princess. Angela Vellano contemplated the title of Miss Teenage New York.

Musicians from Mohonasen High School showed off new trophies — and young people from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Junior High School considered a journey . . . to the center of the mind.

May days in 1986 bustled in Schenectady schools, as students prepared for final exams and summer recess. Teens at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School said “Hello” to Dolly Levi for a stage production. Other kids followed Steinmetz — their outstanding achievements earned them honors at the annual Charles P. Steinmetz Memorial Awards.

Stanton was a student at Cobleskill High School and knew the dairy game. Her parents, Ken and Juanita Stanton, operated a 500-acre, 150-Holstein dairy farm.

Vellano, who was a freshman at Schalmont High School, received advice from her mother as she prepared for the Miss Teenage New York competition. Holly Connelly Vellano had won the title in 1967; she loaned Angela her winner’s banner for luck. And while Angela had a great showing at the pageant at the Albany Hilton, she did not win the crown.

Special journeys

Music director Dave Bournazian was proud of his team at Mohonasen. The school’s marching band had taken first place in the parade competition at Canada’s Wonderland Showcase of Music in Toronto. The stage band had taken first place in the jazz competition. So the man known as “B” at Mohonasen was proud to pose for a picture with his pals.

The Odyssey of the Mind team at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School had won the “treasure hunters” competition at the state “Odyssey” competition. The eighth-graders were now eligible for the world championship in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Heather Frenz played Dolly Levi in Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake’s “Hello Dolly!” Old-fashioned skirts and suits were parts of the fun for the teen actors.

Schenectady’s celebrated electrical engineer, Charles P. Steinmetz, would have appreciated the crew at the Turf Tavern for the Steinmetz Awards. Nine teenagers were honored for outstanding educational achievement, ethical conduct and concern for serving people.