Fulton students launch five‑year park revitalization as part of junior high capstone

FULTON, N.Y. — Junior high students in the Fulton City School District presented the results of a yearlong capstone project Thursday and unveiled plans to adopt and revitalize public sites across the city for five years, district staff said.

The initiative is tied to New York Staterequirements for a seal of civic readiness: students earn points through civic knowledge and civic participation, and the district said its capstone work helped 203 of 223 students earn the point this year. The program pairs students with city officials, parks staff and community groups to plan, fund and carry out improvements at sites such as North Bay and Canal Landing.

District leaders and teachers said the capstone gives students hands‑on civic experience, helps them develop career and grant‑writing skills, and strengthens ties between younger and older residents.

Teachers and instructional coaches outlined a plan to sustain the work by creating a City and School Synergy committee made up of city and school members. Under the plan, an initial cohort of students chose Canal Landing as a five‑year project and future cohorts will adopt additional sites. Students work with city parks and recreation staff on budgeting, accessibility improvements and long‑range maintenance.

The district said students who completed the capstone this year used local data to develop action plans and — when necessary — completed community service hours to meet the state requirement. Teachers reported that the cohort of students who completed the project are on track to earn the seal of civic readiness at 100% for their cohort.

Student leaders described specific projects. Julia DeMarco, freshman class president, told the board the class had "cleaned, beautified and enhanced the campground," and that the work "brought our class together and gave us a sense of accomplishment." Other students said the program improved public‑speaking, teamwork and applied learning in areas such as science, math and budgeting.

District staff and students said they have secured philanthropic seed funding — $8,500 from the Shannon Foundation and $6,000 from Brookfield — and plan additional fundraising and grant applications. Staff also said they are producing a short commercial to publicize the projects and recruit volunteers and in‑kind donations such as mulch and rakes.

City parks staff attended the presentation and described practical needs identified by students, including accessible playground swings and nature‑trail improvements. Staff noted the projects also create informal career exposure — students learn about jobs in parks, hydroelectric facilities and grant administration.

The district described next steps as expanding the committee, adding a new cohort next year and continuing grant writing and city collaboration to sustain multi‑year stewardship.

The presentation closed with the board thanking students and staff and encouraging continued community support.