222000111444---222000111555

SSSTTTUUUDDDEEENNNTTT AAANNNDDD SSSTTTAAAFFFFFF

AAACCCHHHIIIEEEVVVEEEMMMEEENNNTTTSSS

_____________________________________________________________

Student and Staff Achievements

June 2015

United States National Chemistry Olympiad

The United States National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) is a contest held by the American Chemical Society (ACS) used to select the four-student team that

represents the United States at the International Chemistry Olympiad. Each April,

ACS hosts more than 1,000 students from across the United States who are invited to sit for the three-part exam. Westhill High School student Nicole Smina

received Honors Designation for her score, which was among the top 150 students

in the country.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Essay Contest

The Gilder Lehrman Institute held its annual Age of Revolution Essay Contest for

Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School students. The contest encourages high school

students to examine the transformations in social and political ideas and movements from the late 1600s to the early 1800s. The Academy of Information

Technology & Engineering (AITE) had the more winners nationwide than any

other school. AITE sophomores Ayah Elmansy, Shannon Guerra, and Luis

Quesada placed in the top 10. Each student was awarded $1,000 for their success.

James Madison Memorial Fellow

AITE Social Studies Teacher Michelle Pusser was selected as a 2015 James Madison Memorial Fellow, one of only 51 awarded this year. James Madison

Fellowships support the graduate study of American history by aspiring and

experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government, and social studies. Named in honor of the fourth president of the United States and

acknowledged "Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights," a James Madison

Fellowship funds up to $24,000 of each Fellow’s course of study toward a master’s

degree, which includes a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Ernie DiMattia Emerging Young Artist Scholarship Award

AITE Junior Stephanie Walsh was recently awarded first place in the annual Ernie DiMattia Emerging Young Artist Scholarship Award competition. The annual

competition, which is open to Fairfield and Westchester County high school

students, required each participant to write an original 15-minute, one-act play. As the grand prize winner, Stephanie received a $2,000 scholarship, which was

presented at the Palace Theatre’s annual gala. Additionally, professional actors

performed readings of each of the finalists’ plays at the theatre earlier this month.

Avon Scholarship Essay Contest

The Avon Theatre Film Center Board of Directors presented the Annual Avon Scholarship Essay Contest awards at a ceremony at the theatre in June. The

contest included high school seniors in both public and private schools throughout

Fairfield and Westchester Counties. Students were asked to submit an essay on

"Why Film Matters," based on a film that was released in 2014 or 2015. Each essay was reviewed by two independent judges, either a journalists or published author.

Four of the winners were from Westhill High School:

Natalie Skigen , 1st place, $2,000 Jessica Schwartz, 4th place, $500

Samantha Halm, 5th place, $500

Ashley Rich, 8th place, $500

Fairfield County Bar Association Law Day Art and Essay Contest

Each year for more than 20 years, the Fairfield County Bar Association invites

students in lower Fairfield County to participate in an art and essay contest. This year’s topic was “Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom under Law.” Winners were

selected by grade based on creativity and content. Superior Court Judge, the Hon.

Alex V. Hernandez along with some 15 other Superior Court Judges congratulated winners at an awards ceremony held on Law Day at Stamford Superior Court. Last

month Westhill winners were recognized. There also were seven 8th grade winners

from Rogers International School:

Anna Chakravarti, Teacher Javan Goulbourne Phillip Caruso Evan Stamboulopoulos,

Maryam Flores Wilmer Guevara

Nicole Chichester Kevin Llamas

Outstanding Secondary School Resident Teacher Award

The University of Bridgeport’s Association for Supervision and Curriculum

Development (ASCD) Award’s Program, which is sponsored by the School of Education, recently selected Cloonan Middle School Teacher and Alumnus

Stephen Serafino as a recipient of the Outstanding Secondary School Resident

Teacher award. The award recognizes professionals who have demonstrated excellence through their work in the field of education. The University recognized

him and other award winners at an event in early May.

2015 Afterschool Video Challenge

As one of two winners of the 2015 Afterschool Video Challenge, Westhill High

School Senior Jossenka Hoyos was selected as a keynote speaker for the Capitol

Region Education Council (CREC) State Afterschool Showcase event. Her video, which featured the benefits of her participation in the ALTA program, was selected

from among 20 entries from across the state. Entries were judged on presentation

and content. Jossenka shared her success with ALTA before a crowd of more than

100 participants.

_____________________________________________________________

Student and Staff Achievements

May 2015

Connecticut Debate Finals This year the Connecticut Debate Finals tackled the topic of: “Businesses should

have the right to freely exercise their religious beliefs.” Debaters from both

Stamford High School (SHS), coached by Jeremy White, and the Academy of

Information Technology & Engineering (AITE), coached by Claude Morest, performed impressively against 200 debaters from 35 schools across the state.

SHS’s Sam Aldershof was ranked the Individual Speaker State Champion. He, and

his teammate from Greenwich High School, also took 2nd place overall in the tournament. AITE students Tanu Balla and Brian Fleischer were undefeated and

took 5th place; Tate Aronstein, and his partner from Trinity Catholic, were ranked

10th, and the team of Eduardo Morales and Daniel Berger placed 12th overall.

FCIAC and CIAC High School Basketball Tournaments The Westhill High School (WHS) basketball team, under Coach Howard White,

had a remarkable 2014-15 season. WHS won 25 out of 27 regular season games. They are the 2015 FCIAC Champions, going undefeated during the tournament, and

are the 2015 Class LL State Runner-Up. The team:

Tyrell Alexander, Junior Lenold August, Junior

Justin Chase, Senior Juan Delacruz, Senior C.J. Donaldson, Senior Joshua Gordon, Senior

Nathanial Jefferson, Junior Samir Johnson, Senior

Ross Levenshon, Senior Jeremiah Livingston, Senior, captain Vashon Natteal, Junior Giovanny Noel, Senior

Torrie Perry, Senior Parish Rowell, Junior

Brendon Thomas, Senior Jared Yaghoubian, Sophomore Milcah Sajous, team manager

Education Leadership Internship Outstanding Cooperating

Administrator Award The University of Bridgeport recently selected Carrie Chiappetta, Director of

School Improvement and Professional Development, as a recipient of the Education

Leadership Internship Outstanding Cooperating Administrator Award for her

demonstrated excellence in the field of education. She was honored, along with others in the field, in early May as part of the Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development (ASCD) Award’s Program.

Fairfield County Bar Association Law Day Art and Essay Contest Each year for more than 20 years, the Fairfield County Bar Association invites students in lower Fairfield County to participate in an art and essay contest. This

year’s topic was “Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom under Law.” Winners were

selected by grade based on creativity and content. Superior Court Judge, the Hon.

Alex V. Hernandez along with some 15 other Superior Court Judges congratulated winners at an awards ceremony held on Law Day at Stamford Superior Court. There

were seven winners from Rogers International School, whom we will recognize

at a later date, and five winners from Westhill High School: Alexandra Jordan, Sophomore, 1st place, Essay

Katy Lepturin, Senior, 2nd place, Essay

Gerardo Maguina, Senior, 2nd place, Art Jarrod Trief, Junior, 3rd place, Essay

Maria Yeremeev, Sophomore, 1st place, Art

The COLT Poetry Recitation Contest The COLT Poetry Recitation Contest is a statewide contest organized annually for

the past 33 years by the Council of Language Teachers (COLT) in Connecticut for

World Language students. More than 400 hundred students, representing 49

schools across the state, took part in the contest, reciting poems in 14 languages. Students were evaluated by the judges on pronunciation, intonation, interpretation,

and expressions of emotion thorough voice. AITE students earned the following

awards: Carlos Arias Vivas, 1st place, Spanish Heritage 9-10

Alexandra Brokowski, 1st place Russian 2

Cassidy Colosi, 2nd place Chinese 1 Michael Faugno, 2nd place Russian 3

Brian Fleischer, 2nd place Chinese 3

Rachelle Frederic, 1st place French 3

Taylor Garland, 1st place Chinese 5-6 Xavier Larino-Maymi, 2nd place Spanish Heritage 9-10

Cynthia Lupo, 1st place in Chinese 2

Brett Mayer, 1st Place Russian 4 Louis Solomon Ray, 1st place Latin 3

Allison Tovar, 2nd place Spanish 4

Barnes & Noble “My Favorite Teacher Contest” Barnes & Noble, Inc., named Turn of River Middle School teacher Elba Simms

as the local winner of the Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest. An essay

written by Jireh Sierra, Simms’s student, was chosen from entries at the Stamford Town Center store. Students were invited to nominate their favorite teacher by

writing essays, poems, or thank-you letters that explain how their teacher has

influenced their life and reveal why they appreciate and admire him or her. Entries

were judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation, and the quality of expression and writing. Elba and Jireh

were honored at a recent awards ceremony in the Stamford store.

ACL/NJCL National Latin Exam The American Classical League (ACL) and the National Junior Classical League (NJCL) sponsored the 2015 National Latin Exam, a 40-question, multiple-choice test

offered to students on seven levels. The purpose of the exam is to promote the

study of Latin and to encourage individual student achievement. Students of AITE

Latin Teacher Anna Koltypin participated in the exam, along with more than 153,000 students from all 50 states and 20 countries. Among several AITE students

who performed well, AITE freshman Fernando Suarez achieved a perfect score on

the Level One exam. This is the first time, in the 14-year history of AITE students participating, that any student received a perfect score.

Connecticut Bar Foundation James W. Cooper Fellows Essay Contest Each year the Connecticut Bar Foundation sponsors the James W. Cooper Fellows Essay Contest. This year students were asked to prepare a paper taking a position

on the issue of transgender students’ use of school facilities. AITE Senior Michelle

Printsev, a student of Claude Morest, was one of two runners up chosen from among all entries for her essay. Essays were judged on their support for the policy

position taken, policy citations, statutes, case law in other jurisdictions, and

constitutional ramifications. The winner and runners up were honored by Connecticut Supreme Court Justices at a ceremony in the Connecticut Supreme

Court earlier this month.

19th Annual CABE Student Leadership Awards program This year, Cloonan students Shamar Bryce and Sabrina Ahamed, and

Scofield students Nicholas Otis and Grace Hanson were chosen from among the

416 students recommended to the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education,

(CABE) to receive a CABE Student Leadership Award. This award honors Connecticut high school and middle school students who exhibit exemplary

leadership skills, including willingness to take on challenges, making difficult

decisions, concern for and ability to work with others, commitment, diplomacy, and understanding issues.

_____________________________________________________________

Student and Staff Achievements

April 2015

Juneteenth African Heritage Knowledge Bowl In an effort to share the rich history, heritage, and culture of Americans of African

Heritage with children, students, and families, The Juneteenth of Fairfield County®

organization sponsored its first Juneteenth African Heritage Knowledge Bowl, a friendly “Jeopardy-style” educational competition. The team of AITE students,

Justin Frederick and Louis Ray competed against four area schools and took first

place in the competition. AITE received a grand prize of $1,000.00

Connecticut State Odyssey of the Mind Tournament Working through the Stamford Youth Foundation, 10 teams of Stamford public

school children went to the state finals with 160 other teams from around the state.

The teams from Scofield/Rippowam and Westover placed first in their problem category, with Roxbury taking second place. A third place finish was awarded to a

second Roxbury team. The first place teams both earned the Jill Riggles Award for

Excellence, for achieving first place in the spontaneous portion of the competition. Three SPS teachers were coaches of the winning teams.

Scofield/Rippowam, Coach: Kim Kempton

Alba Alizoti, Annalise Fabricatore, Abby Guttman, Emily Sasser, Meredith

Ford, Julia Kempton

Westover, Coaches: Tanya Anderson, SPS teacher and Marne Spingola

Kayla Craner, Aiden Neigler, Luke Noonan, Jake Smith, Preston Smith,

Brynn Spingola, Anika Tandon

Roxbury, Coach: Kelly Dibble, SPS teacher

Tigist Aronica, Emma Burston, Caleigh Coughlin, Wyatt Lisack, Sawyer

Neyer, Ali Pennella

2015 National Science Teachers Conference Presenter Stillmeadow reading teachers Jennifer Jimenez Grant and Iuliana Roata were chosen from among hundreds of applicants to present at the recent 2015 National

Science Teachers Conference in Chicago. Their presentation, entitled “Making

Content Comprehensible for ELLS,” provided teachers with effective strategies and tools to make content understandable for linguistically diverse learners.

Participants experienced what it feels like to be an ELL student while engaging in an

integrated science literacy lesson taught in a foreign language.

Fairfield Regional History Day in Connecticut Competition AITE Juniors Tanusri Balla, Alice Shaumann and Gillian Woodman placed first, second, and third respectively in the Senior Paper category of the Fairfield

Regional History Day in Connecticut Competition. Turn of River eighth grader

Hannah Nekritz, came in second place in the Junior Division of the Individual

Documentary category. More than 300 students participated and entries were judged on historical quality, relation to the theme, and the clarity of the

presentation.

World Irish Dancing Championships Four students who attend Stamford Public Schools competed recently in the 45th

World Irish Dancing Championships, which was held in in Montreal Canada.

Abby Lupinacci, Rippowam Middle School and Lisa Martin, Stamford High School both competed with teams for the Pender-Keady Academy of Irish Dance at

the Worlds. Patrick Fleischer, Dolan Middle School, who also dances for Pender-

Keady, and Abby Coyman, Westhill High School, who dances with Lynn Academy, both qualified at either the Regional or National event last year to be

eligible to compete in solo competition at the event. The World competition is the

highest level one can achieve in Irish Dance, making these dancers among the top

in the world.

Distinguished Alumni Award from Norwalk Community College Each year Norwalk Community College honors an alumnus at their graduation ceremony. Rebecca Wilson, Stamford High School guidance counselor, was

chosen from among all the colleges’ alumni to be honored this year. The honor is

given to an individual who has gone on to achieve professional distinction and is

committed to the advancement of the college.

Governor’s Scholar of Connecticut Namrata Ramakrishna, a junior from Stamford High School, was named a

Governor’s Scholars of Connecticut for 2015. The Governor’s Scholars Awards recognize academically talented high school students across the state. High school

principals nominate one junior who ranks in the top five percent of the class.

Members of the committee, who are professional educators, judge the applications and consider class rank and test scores, as well as a student essay. The top 30

students from across the state are named “Governor’s Scholars,” and will be

honored at a luncheon in May.

SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite essay competition Usually it takes years to build up the financial savvy to navigate the markets, but

Andrew Brito, Academy of Information Technology & Engineering, sophomore, is decades ahead of the game. He was the first place Connecticut state

winner in the SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite® essay competition with McGraw Hill

Financial. Brito was among some 20,000 students nationwide to take the InvestWrite challenge. Brito and AITE Finance Teacher Ray Milo were recently

recognized by SIFMA Foundation at a school event.

__________________________________________________________________

Student and Staff Achievements

March 2015

Scholastic Arts & Writing Competition

AITE Junior Sydney Hofhine received an honorable recognition award for her short story, “Never Forget,” which she wrote as part of a Creative Writing Class, taught by AITE

English Teacher Edward Donnelly. The Awards were presented by The Alliance for Young

Artists & Writers. Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 visual and literary-

arts organizations across the country. Submissions from students in grades 7 through 12 in 28 categories of art and writing are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts.

Panelists recognize works that best exemplify originality, technical skill, and the

emergence of a personal voice or vision.

Connecticut State DAR American History Essay Contest

Shiloh Rene Williamson, eighth grader from Cloonan Middle School was named both

the local and state winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) American History Essay Contest. The contest was established to encourage young people to think

creatively about our nation's great history and learn about history in a new light. Shiloh’s

essay, which was written as part of his eighth grade social studies class taught by Tom Moulketis, is now entered for consideration in the Divisional Contest and will be judged

against all other eighth grade winners from the seven regional states. Essays are judged

for historical accuracy, adherence to the topic, organization of materials, interest,

originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness.

FCIAC Hall of Fame

Rick Lewis, Westhill High School (WHS) Boys and Girls Swimming Coach, was recently elected by the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) to be inducted

into the FCIAC Hall of Fame for his service to the league, the students, and the

community, as well as excellence in coaching. Rick has been coaching for 36 years. He was named the Connecticut Coach of the Year twice—in 1997 for Boys Swimming and in

2001 for Girls Swimming. Rick also received the Mickey Lione Award from the Stamford

Old Timers in 2003. His teams have finished as the Class LL State runners up four times

and have won more than 450 swim meets under his instruction. Prior to joining WHS, he was an All-State swimmer at Greenwich High School and a six-time All-Yankee Conference

swimmer for UConn. Rick will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the FCIAC Annual

Awards Program in June.

Art Awards

Seven Stamford High School (SHS) students were recently recognized for their

outstanding artistic contributions in one or more of four exhibitions. The 2015 Connecticut

Regional Scholastic Art Awards exhibition is the largest juried student art exhibition in the state; The Stamford Art Association's 42 Annual High School Scholarship Show and Senior

Portfolio Competition is a professionally juried show that included entries from 10 Fairfield

County high schools; and Teen Visions, Connecticut High School art exhibitions and shows

at Silvermine and Sacred Heart University featured and awarded work from among 12 area high schools. The award-winning SHS students are taught by Art Teachers Paul

Cusano, Carolyn Daher or Margaret Zielinski

Lewis Derogene 2015 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards

Silver Key, Drawing

Honorable Mention, Printmaking Teen Visions—Silvermine

1st place, drawing

Teen Visions—SHU

2nd place, drawing

Michelle Skowronek

2015 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards

Silver Key, Photography Honorable Mention, Photography

Teen Visions—Silvermine

Best in Show

Margaret Simpson 2015 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards

Honorable Mention, Ceramics & Glass

Chantelle Allot The Stamford Art Association's 42 Annual High School Scholarship Show and Senior

Portfolio Competition

2nd place, Mixed Media/3D

Isabel Gomez

The Stamford Art Association's 42 Annual High School Scholarship Show and Senior

Portfolio Competition

2nd place, Senior Portfolio Competition, drawing and painting portfolio

Meghan Rowley

The Stamford Art Association's 42 Annual High School Scholarship Show and Senior

Portfolio Competition 3rd place, Senior Portfolio Competition, photography portfolio

Carina Dempsey

Teen Visions—SHU

1st place, Digital Photography

Stamford High School Senior Assembly

Stamford High School (SHS) Senior Joseph Vukel envisioned a Senior Assembly

featuring prominent local government officials. As president of the “SHS Steps to

American Greatness Club,” which has a goal of recruiting motivational and educational speakers, Joseph secured Governor Malloy, Congressman Himes, and Mayor Martin to

share their personal experience and advice with all SHS Seniors in late February.

Stamford Public Schools Teacher of the Year Finalists

Each year the district recognizes outstanding teachers through its Teacher of the Year and

Spotlight on Teachers Awards Program. From among the more than 30 individuals and

teams who were nominated for consideration, the committee selected Jessica Chaapel, Grade 3, Davenport; Dr. Samah Chadli, World Languages, AITE; Nicholas

DeAntonis, History, AITE; and Sean Peterson, Business, AITE, as finalists in the

program. All finalists are now required to submit a video of a lesson for consideration by

the committee. The Teacher of the Year will be selected in late April and celebrated at the Teacher of the Year and Spotlight on Teachers Awards Program in May.

50 Most Influential Latinos

Stamford Public Schools Family Resource Facilitator and Westhill High School Social Worker Juan Pazmino was named one of “50 Most Influential Latinos” in Connecticut, by

Latinos United for Professional Advancement (LUPA). The list includes Hispanics from all

backgrounds and careers who have made a positive impact in the community. Those recognized are nominated by their peers. The designation celebrates those who have a

track record of selflessly working to benefit the Latino Community in Connecticut, as well

as those with stories that may inspire others to advance their own careers and make an impact in communities.

_____________________________________________________________

Student and Staff Achievements

January/February 2015

Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal

Stamford High School’s online student newspaper The Round Table and

Westhill High School’s online and print student newspaper The Westword

were recently awarded Gold Medals by the Columbia Scholastic Press

Association’s Annual High School Journalism Review. Both schools’

newspapers earned more than 900 points out of a possible 1,000 points from judges who reviewed and critiqued the publications in a number of

categories.

Stamford High School

The Round Table

Faculty Advisors: Jon Ringel and Krista Deiana

Editors-in-chief: Mike Nunziante and Paulomi Rao

Staff:

Sam Berkrot Rebecca Rakowitz

Bailey Bitetto Soren Rodriguez

Olguyne Ermilus Brian Roman Kerry Fahan Dorothy Toth

Kayla Gioielli

Westhill High School

The Westword

Faculty Advisors: Michael von Wahlde and David Wooley

Editors-in-chief: Lauren Schechter and Julia Zimmerman

Select Staff:

Jamie Eimbinder

Morgan Berman

Laura Felenstein Jonathan Pollack

Natalie Skigen

Long Island Sound and Its Watershed “What it Means to Me?”

The artwork of three Cloonan Middle School students is featured in the

2015 Long Island Sound and Its Watershed, “What It Means to Me” calendar. Alexandra Exantus and Ruth Oliva were chosen as two of the 14 winners,

and Claudia Calle Zhicay was selected as one of only 20 honorable

mentions, from among more than 2,600 contestants. The students were

honored in a ceremony and received a prize from one of the sponsors. Their artwork will be on a rotating display for one year in the sponsors’ locations.

Newfield School’s National Geographic Bee

Newfield School, among thousands in the United States, held a first round competition of the 27th Annual National Geographic Bee in their school last

month. Nine finalists were required to answer geography questions orally or

on individual white boards. Fifth grader Arjun Anand won the school’s

competition, qualifying to compete in the first round of the state competition in March.

Newfield finalists:

Jose Alegria Kelly Falcon Siya Yinti

Horberth Alvarado Maria Figueroa

Arjun Anand (winner) Shivansh Khandelwal Claire Cody Joseph Padilla

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) World Series of

Innovation

“Team Cassidy,” comprised of Academy of Information Technology &

Engineering (AITE) students Cassidy Colosi, Jenny Millien, and

Alexandra Walker, was named the Adjudicators’ Choice Winner in the

NFTE World Series of Innovation competition. The students participated in the competition under the leadership of AITE Business and Technology

Teacher Brenda Zanga. The international contest, which generated nearly

800 innovative entries, allows students to think creatively and invent new

products or services that address every-day opportunities. “Team Cassidy”

submitted a concept for an app aimed at helping teens fight depression, suicide, and bullying, by providing them access to live video, text, and audio

chats.

The Fairfield County String Festival

Two middle school students, under the direction of Strings Teacher Wendy

Delson, have been selected to participate in The Fairfield County String Festival. Cellist Zoe Kallenekos, a Turn of River Middle School seventh

grader and violinist Chris Chung, a Cloonan Middle School sixth grader

were selected to represent Stamford at the festival which showcases the

most talented and proficient string players in Grades 6 through 9. The festival will take place at Western Connecticut State University in March.

Long-Term Engagement in Authentic Research with NASA (LEARN)

Stamford High School Special Education Teacher Susan Dougherty is one of only 10 highly qualified teachers selected from around the country to

participate in this year’s Long-term Engagement in Authentic Research with

NASA (LEARN) program. The NASA LEARN Project is an innovative program

that provides educators with on-site research and training with NASA Scientists in the summer at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton,

Va., and guided research projects that continue on throughout the school

year.

FCIAC Coach of the Year in Field Hockey

Westhill High School Field Hockey Coach Kevin DeAngelo was chosen

by his peers and has been named by the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC), “Coach of the Year,” in Field Hockey. Kevin has

been coaching WHS Field Hockey for 10 years, the past three as Varsity

Head Coach. Under his leadership the team was 10-4-1 this past season and

received the Lucy Goodrich Sportsmanship Award, which is given by officials to the team that demonstrates the fundamental values of respect, fairness,

honesty, and responsibility. Kevin has also served as the assistant Track and

Field Coach for the past 10 years and for two years as the Ski Racing Team

Coach. He will receive his award at the FCIAC Annual Awards Program in June.

_____________________________________________________________

Student and Staff Achievements

October 2014

Renewable Resources Solarize Stamford Competition In conjunction with the Solarize Stamford program, solar energy company Renewable Resources sponsored a contest for all elementary schools in Stamford earlier this year. Students from Davenport Elementary school, under the direction of Teacher Kelly Dibble, took first place in the competition. The goal of the contest was to further educate children and the community on the benefits of solar energy, as well as engage students creatively while doing so. Each participating team created a story, piece of art, poem, poster, or video illustrating why they believe solar energy is good for their school or our community. All entries were judged and rated on creativity, quality of submission, and quantity/accuracy of facts. Davenport-Graduate First Place Winners: Alba Alizoti Jesus Betancour David Reyes Fajardo Stephanie Fernandez Valeria Martin Hernandez Sabine Matthew Daniela Perez Karen Ramos Daniel Ryan Rachana Somaskandan Hari Srinivasan Patrick Teasdale

2014 Connecticut Statewide Career and Technical Education Assessment Westhill High School was recently ranked number one in the area of Personal Finance, as a result of the 2014 Connecticut Statewide Career and Technical Education (CTE) Assessment. Forty seven schools across Connecticut tested students in the area of personal finance. Under the direction of WHS Academy of Finance teachers Kim Kumar, Karen Kurtz, and Steve Temelini, Westhill students’ mean score was 11% higher than the state’s average. Additionally, 92% of Westhill students who took the assessment met the state requirement compared with 62% statewide. Westhill also had the third largest number of students tested in this concentration in Connecticut. The school was presented with an award at the recent CTE Conference.

Semi-Finalist in the 2015 National Achievement Scholarship Program Thomas Miller from the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) was designated a Semifinalist in the 51st National Achievement Scholarship Program, which is run by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Students are selected based on scores achieved on the 2013 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT). Thomas is among the 1,600 Black American high school seniors named as semi-finalists. He now has an opportunity to continue to compete for some 800 Achievement Scholarship® awards worth some $2.5 million that will be offered next spring.

Commended Student in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named 13 Stamford Public School seniors as Commended Students. Commended students are those who placed among the top five percent of the more than 1.4 million students who entered and qualified for the 2015 competition, based on their 2013 PSAT scores. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Academy of Information Technology & Engineering:

Stamford High School:

Maigh Attre Rebecca Rakowitz Boone Ayala Ethan Tom Michelle Printsev Westhill High School: Jessica Chen Leshan Fang Maitreyee Kale Sarah Lederman Calvin Macdonald Jonathan Pollack Lauren Schechter Nikita Zemlevskiy

New York Jets High School “Coach of the Week Award” In early October, The New York Jets named Stamford High School Football Coach Jamar Greene the New York Jets High School Coach of the Week. The award, which is presented by Chase, is given to coaches in the tri-state area who serve the best interests of the game through the teaching of sound football fundamentals, motivating young players to achieve, and the promotion of youth football through dedication to their communities, schools, and student athletes. Coach Greene received $2,000 to benefit the school’s football program and is invited to watch the Jets vs Patriots game in December at MetLife Stadium.

Caring Coach of the Year Nominee In September, Westhill High School Football Coach Shawn Foster was nominated for the first Dove Men+Care Deodorant “Caring Coach of the Year Award.” The award honors coaches whose mentorship fosters a caring environment for both players and fans. This award is part of Dove’s “Care Always Wins” advertising campaign. The winners will receive a trip to Atlanta to be honored by the College Football Hall of Fame and funding for their local football programs. In the meantime, you can see a video featuring Coach Foster and some of his players on the Dove website at http://www.dovemencare.com/caringcoach/

_____________________________________________________________

Student and Staff Achievements

September 2014

2015 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist Westhill High School Senior Natalie Skigen has been named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists in the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship® Program out of the 1.4 million students who entered. As a semifinalist, Natalie is among 16,000 students nationwide who will have an opportunity to continue to compete for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $33 million that will be offered next spring. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, to be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

Highly Certified AVID schools Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) trains educators to use proven practices that develop students’ critical thinking, literacy, and math skills across all content areas in order to prepare them for success in high school, college, and a career, especially students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. In the summer of 2014, Dolan Middle School and Westhill High School were designated as “Highly Certified” AVID schools, indicating that they exceeded certification standards in at least six of the 11 “Essentials,” which are AVID’s areas of measurement. The following teachers are congratulated for this achievement: Westhill High School Christina Badini Amy Calandro Jennifer D'Arrigo Joe Devellis Dan Devine Emily Handy Jeanie Melfi-Smith Barbara Mroz Asaka Niwa Marianna Paolini Tom Pereira Kim Stow Danielle Waring Dolan Middle School Joy Bodnar Kristen Corbi-Miller Laura Dickey Karen Francis-Barnes Andrea Kozak-Cohen Patti Robustelli Barbara Ryan Jeff Tavolacci Lauren Wells

Get Active With MLS Challenge Julia A. Stark Elementary School Fifth Grader Kevin Fleischer, was named a Runner Up in the Get Active With MLS Challenge. The Major League Soccer competition challenged students to create a campaign through poster, song, video, or radio announcement, telling their friends how important it is to be active. Kevin earned one of only three runner-up awards for his rap song entitled “Me and My Playas.” After being selected as one of the top 10 entries, Kevin’s rap was posted on the MLS site and received the most on-line votes. His lyrics encourage kids to: “Get active by runnin’ and hoppin’ and skippin’ and jumpin; and throwin' and rollin' and walkin' and talkin' and climbin' and divin' and slidin' and glidin' . . .” Runners-up will receive a soccer skills clinic for their grade, including an MLS player appearance and the donation of soccer equipment.

9/11 Tribute Center Contributor Academy of Information Technology & Engineering’s Social Studies teacher Nicholas DeAntonis, is one of only 16 teachers nationwide chosen to be included in the 9/11 Tribute Center’s recently launched online education toolkit. The toolkit, entitled “Teaching 9/11,” provides a variety of methods and examples of how teachers can incorporate the understanding and history of the events of September 11, 2001, in a number of subjects throughout the academic year. According to the Center’s curator, teachers were selected based upon the creative and in-depth approaches they took to introducing students to 9/11. Nicholas and members of his Middle East History class are featured in a video that opens the Global History section of the toolkit. Two of his lesson plans, “Understanding the Background of the US Role in the Middle East – 1953 Iranian Coup & America’s Role” and “Negative Stereotypes in the Media” were chosen to be included in the toolkit for educators around the world to utilize in their classrooms.