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Student and Staff Achievements JUNE 2016

Connecticut Bar Foundation Essay Contest Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) senior Stephanie Walsh was named a runner up in the Connecticut Bar Foundation Essay Contest. Stephanie submitted the essay, “Minors and Medical Decisions,” which she wrote for her Advanced Debate class taught by D. Claude Morest. Essay submissions were judged on content/originality, organization, use of resource materials, and writing. She was awarded $1,000 prize at a ceremony in early June at the Connecticut Supreme Court.

NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) students Nina Bellusci and Peter Pawelski were selected from among hundreds of applicants across the United States to participate in the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) along with AITE Mathematics Teacher Vin Urbanowski. All three will receive advanced instruction from astronomers Dr. Varoujan Gorjian and Dr. Luisa Rebull at the California Institute of Technology & Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in late June. They will then research observational data from Spitzer and other telescopes. The three will present their results at the 228th AAS conference in San Diego in 2017. This program is fully funded by JPL.

Fairfield County Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) student Dylan Martin took first place; the Westhill High School (WHS) team of Brookelyn Conte, Caitlin Cooney, and Paige Sottosanti took second place; and WHS student Michael Tompkins received Runner Up recognition, in the recent Fairfield County Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. The competition was hosted by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and sponsored by MasterCard. Competitors were required to demonstrate command of entrepreneurship principles by presenting and defending plans before a panel of judges and an audience of business leaders and community members. Martin’s winning business plan was for Mill Brook Honey, a small local business that farms its own natural honey. Martin is a student of AITE Business Teacher Brenda Zanga. The WHS team under the direction of WHS Teacher Tanesha Poyser, presented Sole Mate, a shower mat designed to help a wide range of people especially those with limited mobility. Michael Tompkins, a WHS student of Stephen Temelini, received Runner-Up recognition for his Cartoon Motivational Notebooks.

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Delta Epsilon Phi Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) student Juliana Burke,who is also a student at the German School of Connecticut, was recently initiated into Delta Epsilon Phi (ΔΕΦ), the National Honor Society for High School Students of German. To be eligible, students must have completed three semesters of German with a 3.6 GPA in German, have a cumulative GPA above 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and have scored 80% or higher on the level 3 or 4 American Assocation of Teachers of German exam. Juliana also was recently selected as a Net Generation of Youth (NGY) Summer Scholar. She will be studying engineering, international diplomacy, and journalism with the National Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., this summer.

In recognition of outstanding achievement in Softball Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) student Adriana Gambino was recently awarded the North Stamford Exchange Club’s Jack Keegan Award, as well as the 2015 Allyson Rioux Award for female athletes. Among her many other softball accomplishments, Adriana was named 1st Team All-FCIAC, 1st Team Academic All-State, and Scholar-Athlete. She is also highly accomplished in shot put and volley ball. Adriana will attend Manhattan College and play Division I Softball for the school.

SHS Gives Back Program Stamford High School (SHS) sophomores Nikhil Rao, Scott Krupa, and Katherine Reiter were recently recognized for their work in the development of a food pantry through the SHS Gives Back program. Acknowledging the connection between hunger and poor academic performance, Nikhil, Scott, and Katherine wanted to find a way to provide their peers with a regular source of nourishment, to help more students be academically successful. With the support of Dean of Students Michele Malave and Principal Raymond Manka, the students created an on-sight food pantry equipped to store both perishable and non-perishable foods. Students in need of nourishment are able to get food items anonomously through the pantry.

2016 Air Force Association Educator Grant Hart Magnet School teacher Susan Christiano has been selected as this year’s Air Force Association Educator Grant recipient. This grant program was created to fund STEM education programs in K-12 classrooms. Susan will use the allocated funds to make “Rocket Science” come alive to every student in the fourth grade. In addition to her fourth graders, a separate rocket activity will be presented at Hart’s upcoming STEAMfest and will be available to every student in the school.

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Student and Staff Achievements MAY 2016

U.S. Presidential Scholar Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) Senior Tanusri Balla was among those high school seniors named by U.S. Secretary of Education John King to the 52nd Class of U.S. Presidential Scholars. Balla is one of 160 outstanding American high school seniors, out of 689 semifinalists, who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to school and community. The U.S. Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington D.C., from June 19-21. Each honoree will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion. Balla was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the category of Career and Technical Education, one of only three Presidential Scholars in the state.

LearningMedia Digital Innovators Stamford High School Media Specialist Mary George and Rippowam Middle School Teacher Jimmy Sapia were named LearningMedia Digital Innovators. The program, which is in its fourth year, recognizes tech-savvy K-12 educators who are serving as leaders in education technology and incorporating digital media in classrooms. They were chosen from a pool of hundreds of talented and innovative educators throughout the U.S. and its territories and are two of among the 18 teachers selected from across Connecticut. Each of the 2016 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators will receive year-long professional development opportunities that include virtual trainings, access to premium and exclusive resources from PBS LearningMedia Custom service, a free PBS TeacherLine professional development course, networking opportunities and more.

Optimum Community Black History Month Essay Contest Cloonan Middle School sixth grader Aline Correa was selected as a finalist in the Optimum Community Black History Month Essay Contest. The contest was open to elementary and middle school students across the Optimum service area. The essay topic was, “Name an African American, past or present, with whom you would choose to spend a day, and why”. Aline wrote her essay on Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas. As a finalist Aline was awarded a mini-tablet computer in a presentation at her school.

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Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete Stamford High School (SHS) Seniors Kaitlyn Hutter and Gilmar Barrios were recently named Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Scholar Athletes. The Scholar-Athlete Program annually recognizes two high school seniors, one boy and one girl, whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary, whose personal standards and achievements are a model to others, and who possess high levels of integrity, self-discipline, and courage. Kaitlyn is a three-sport athlete, competing in Swim, Indoor Track, and Lacrosse. She has one of the highest GPA’s of all female athletes at SHS. Gilmar is also a three-sport athlete competing in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track. Gilmar earned first-team all FCIAC honors in Cross Country. Both student athletes were recently honored at the annual Scholar-Athlete awards banquet.

Clinical Social Worker of the Year Joseph O’Callaghan Stamford Public Schools Social Work Department Head was recently named Clinical Social Worker of the Year, by the Clinical Social Workers Network of the National Association of Social Workers—Connecticut Chapter (NASW/CT), in recognition of his outstanding service in the field of clinical social work. He was nominated by SPS Social Workers James Cooney and Elizabeth Gentile and was selected by members of the NASW/CT Clinical Social Workers Network steering committee for meeting or exceeding all award criteria.

Fulbright-Hays Scholar Toquam Elementary School Native Language Support Teacher Mary Enright was recently selected to receive a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship to study in Peru this summer. The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program is open to educators and administrators with responsibilities for curriculum development in fields related to humanities, languages, and area studies. Mary is one of only 16 teachers chosen to attend this seminar. The purpose of the seminar is to share a vision of modern Peru that takes into account its unique historical and cultural heritage. It is expected that at the end of the seminar, the participants will have a better understanding of Peru’s cultural heritage that will enable them to enrich the educational curriculum they use in the United States.

National Latin Exam Each year the American Classical League (ACL) and the National Junior Classical League (NJCL), sponsors the National Latin Exam, a 40-question, multiple-choice test offered to Latin students on seven levels. This year, three Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) students, Cara Emano, Nicholas Ricci, and Brianna Soto, all students of AITE Latin Teacher Anna Koltypin, received perfect scores on the exam. Up until now, only one student from AITE ever received a perfect score. The purpose of the exam is to promote the study of Latin and to encourage individual student achievement. An additional 35 AITE students, along with more than 154,000 students from all 50 states and 19 countries, participated in the exams last month.

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Student and Staff Achievements APRIL 2016

School Counseling Intern of the Year Westhill High School Intern Guidance Counselor Mindy Midy was recently named “School Counseling Intern of the Year,” by the Connecticut School Counselor Association (CSCA) Recognition Committee. Midy was nominated by Fairfield University Clinical Coordinator Adjunct Professor Pam Anderson. According to the committee, Midy was selected from among all nominees based on the qualities and characteristics that make her an exceptional school counselor; evidence of programs, lessons, or groups implemented by her to benefit students’ needs; and evidence of her initiative and hard work during her internship experience. She was honored at the CSCA Annual Conference in March at the University of New Haven.

2016 Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows Scofield Magnet Middle School Technology Teacher Louise McMinn was selected as one of the 2016 Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellows, in recognition of her commitment to geographic education. According to the program, every year, K-12 educators are encouraged to apply for this professional development opportunity that allows them to bring immersive geographic learning experiences back to their classrooms and communities. McMinn is one of 35 highly respected educators from the United States and Canada to receive this honor. Later this year, she will embark on a 10-day Lindblad voyage aboard National Geographic Endeavour to the Galapagos Islands for a one-of-a-kind field experience, accompanied by LindbladNational Geographic expedition experts.

Connecticut Drama Association Festival Stamford High School (SHS) Strawberry Hill Players and Westhill High School (WHS) Northstar Playmakers participated in the Connecticut Drama Association (CDA) Festival, in early March. Ten schools competed at the festival, which was held at Pomperaug High School in Southbury. Each of the two drama clubs took home an impressive number of awards. SHS’s Erin Maher and Lily Fine were among only four students to win Outstanding Actor Awards. Five students from Stamford, of only 12 students from across the state, were awarded All Connecticut Cast Awards for their acting. Those winning were WHS’s Sebastian Matrullo and Marco Pinto-Leite and SHS’s John Bolognino, Cara Grasso, and Chase Rodan. As a result of their success, both schools have been invited to perform at the New England Regional Festival in April.

Persuasive Writing Contest Four fifth grade students from Roxbury Elementary School, Caleigh Coguhlin, Savanna Colon, Amalie Harper, and Patrick Mariak, were recognized last month for their convincing essays on preferred school meal foods. The writing contest, which was introduced by Denise DiBlasi,

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Grade 5 writing teacher, and Kim Lapolla, instructional support teacher, inspired students to write opinion essays that used standard based literacy skills. The staff of Chartwells Dining Services, the food service provider for all Stamford Public Schools, selected the winners. As part of the celebration, the Roxbury kitchen staff served yogurt parfaits, one of the winning food selections to all fifth graders.

Fairfield Regional Connecticut History Day Contest Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) juniors Andrew Brito and Jessica Ulbrich placed first and second respectively in the Senior Paper category of the Fairfield Regional Connecticut History Day (CHD) Contest. As a result of their top placements, both students have qualified to compete in the State Contest. The CHD Fairfield Regional Contest is one of six regional contests in the state where more than 400 middle and high school students, from 26 schools presented their History Day projects to judges at Sacred Heart University in March. All entries were judged on historical quality, relation to the theme, and the clarity of the presentation. Since 2007, AITE has had five, first-place winners and 15 award recipients overall at the state competition.

Fund for Teachers Fund for Teachers (FFT) named nine Stamford teachers as recipients of grants totaling more than $25,000. As FFT Fellows, grant recipients will embark on self-designed professional learning odysseys this summer. Stamford’s FFT Fellows will be learning in five countries, spanning Costa Rica to Germany to Canada. These teachers will return with new insights, connections and tools to benefit their students. Melissa Castiglia, Toquam Magnet Elementary School: Participate in Lindamood-Bell literacy training in sensory-cognitive instruction to improve special education students' sight word recognition and assist belowgrade-level readers. Mary Enright, Toquam Magnet Elementary School: Enroll in a three-week French immersion course in Quebec to develop language skills for accommodating the school's influx of Haitian-Creole speaking students and families. Lauren Hofer, Toquam Magnet Elementary School: Participate in the Staff Development for Educators National Conference on Differentiated Instruction in Las Vegas to gather new instructional strategies for making more individualized curricula for students of various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Joshua Sette and Christian Witschy, Rogers International School: Study the music of post -World War II Berlin, Germany, and how the music of 1945-1990 reflects the growing tensions and cold war to create a unit on music as a tool of expression during a tumultuous time period. Louise McMinn, Scofield Magnet Middle: Participate in the Inquiry in Rain Forests: A Field-based Professional Development for Teachers course in Costa Rica, to develop proficiencies in teaching Next Gen science inquiry and video production. Kristin Veenema, Janell Iyer and Kristi Lawson, Stamford High School: Volunteer with the Children of Haiti Project in Port-au-Prince, gaining in-depth knowledge of the country's culture and education system to better serve the Haitian population at school.

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Student and Staff Achievements FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

CMEA Western Region High School and Middle School Festival Connecticut Music Educator’s (CMEA) Western Region Festivals are comprised of the top high school or middle school instrumental or choral students in the western part of Connecticut. Following a regional audition process, students are selected to play in the festival weekend performance. Under the direction of Gloria Sinaguglia, two SHS Concert Choir and Madrigal Singers qualified to perform at the High School Festival in January. At the middle school level, nine Rogers’ International students, under the direction of Music Teacher Josh Sette, qualified to perform at the Middle School Festival, which took place in early March.

Stamford High School

Bryan Amaya, senior

Jayce Schwartz, freshman

Rogers International School

Michelle Espinoza, 6th grade

Briana Ortiz, 6th grade

Emmy Sigtryggsson, 6th grade

Brandon Ansah, 7th grade

Gabriella Argenio, 7th grade

Mary Chobanyan, 7th grade

Brendan O’Brien, 7th grade

Tia Bakshi, 8th grade

Katherine MacDonald, 8th grade

Fairfield County String Festival Turn of River Middle School seventh grader Maddie Martignoni and eighth grader Zoe Kallenekos were recently selected to perform with the Fairfield County String Festival (FCSF). FCSF is a county-wide festival for high-achieving string players in grades 6, 7, 8, and 9 and is sponsored by the Fairfield County String Teachers, Inc. Any student chosen to perform must be recommended by a teacher as well as audition for the honor. Both students are cellists and were nominated by their Strings Teacher Wendy Delson and were chosen from top strings students in Fairfield County. Since its inception more than 40 years ago, the festival has maintained a high quality of musical performance and the number of student participants has increased each year.

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UCAN Inspire Award Westhill High School (WHS) Senior Running Back Aaron Pettiford was awarded the UCAN Inspire Award by Generation UCAN and the Walter Camp Football Foundation in mid January at the 2016 Breakfast of Champions Football Banquet. The UCAN inspire Award is given to a Connecticut High School Football Player who symbolizes the unwavering desire to find success in the face of a great challenge. Aaron was also recognized earlier in the season as a 2015 recipient of the Heart of a Giant Award. WHS Head Football Coach Frank Marcucio nominated Aaron because of the personal challenges he has overcome in battling a rare kidney disorder.

National Geographics Geo Bee

Newfield Elementary School fourth grader Thomas Surette and Scofield Magnet Middle School eighth grader Alex McLeod each won their school’s competition of the National Geographic Bee. Thousands of schools across the United States and in five U.S. territories participated in the 2016 Bee. The school champions from each participating school will take a test online. Up to 100 of the top scorers in each state are eligible to compete in their state Bee, scheduled for early April. By winning, both boys have qualified to compete in the first round of the state competition, which brings them closer to the grand prize of a $50,000 college scholarship.

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, which was established in 1995, represents the largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service in the United States. The awards are open to nominations from all public and private middle and high schools, as well as a number of community organizations. Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) senior Daniel Ruskin, of Westport, was among four Connecticut students named as distinguished finalists. Daniel was recognized for his many hours of volunteer work with the Westport library, including serving on the Grant Advisory Board and helping to lead an expanded 3D printer program and training.

Stamford High School Athlete to Play for St. John’s University Stamford High School girls’ basketball senior guard Tiana England recently signed her national letter of intent to play for her first-choice school, St. John’s University, in the fall on a full scholarship. This season Tiana averaged 19 points per game, 6.1 assists, and 5.7 steals. She is the all-time leading scorer at SHS. The team won its first FCIAC Championship since 1979 under the leadership of Tiana. She was named tournament MVP. The team also played in, and won, their first-ever State Championship game in March at Mohegan Sun. Tiana is a McDonald's All-American Nominee and Gatorade Player of the Year Finalist.

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Scholastic Art & Writing Awards The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented annually by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The mission of the alliance is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their work through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In 2016, students across America submitted nearly 320,000 original works in 29 different categories of art and writing. At the regional level, our students competed against submissions from 130 participating schools. The following students were honored:

Academy of Information Technology & Engineering

Stephanie Hausman, Honorable Mention, Flash Fiction

Brittany Martin, Honorable Mention, Flash Fiction

Victoria Rosenblum, Honorable Mention, Poetry

Aaron Thomas-Russell, Honorable Mention, Poetry

Stamford High School

Matt Denicola, Gold Key, Portfolio

Sophie Lyons, Silver Key, Photography

Brandon Hoak, Silver Key, Drawing

Lizbeth Rosario, Honorable Mention, Jewelry

Cristian Peralta, Honorable Mention, Photography

Westhill High School

Ewa Misiak, Silver Key, Digital Art

Sarah Shattuck, Silver Key, Digital Art

Emma Cali, Honorable Mention, Sculpture

Presidential Scholarship Candidates

Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) Seniors Tanusri Balla and Alice Schaumann were selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United States Department of Education as candidates for the U. S. Presidential Scholars Program. The program was established to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Application to the program is by invitation only. Approximately 800 candidates are named semifinalists and forwarded to the Commission for further review. In April, the Commission on Presidential Scholars reviews the applications of all semifinalists and up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.

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White House Champion of Change In January the White House recognized nine individuals from across the country as “White House Champions of Change for Computer Science Education,” including Cloonan Science Teacher Jim Forde. The Champions of Change program was created to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. Jim was among those selected by the White House for their leadership and innovation in expanding access to computer science education and for inspiring the next generation to use 21st century tools to better their communities. The program featured remarks by Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Acting Secretary for the United States Department of Education John King, Chief Technology Officer of the United States Megan Smith, actress and director Gillian Jacobs, and co-founder and executive director of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls Meredith Walker.

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Student and Staff Achievements January 2016

Western Regionals Honors Ensemble

Western Regionals is an audition-based honors ensemble comprised of the top high school

musicians in the western part of Connecticut. To qualify, students auditioned before a panel of

professional musicians in mid-November, competing against many other high school musicians

from across our region. Those students who scored above an established threshold, including

seven Westhill High School students, were chosen to become members of the Western

Regional Honors Ensemble. All those who qualified benefited from 10 hours of rehearsal time

with guest conductors and performed a very advanced repertoire in their specialty area:

Orchestra, Concert Band, or Chorus. Acceptance into the Western Regional Honors Ensemble

also qualifies these students to audition for the All-State Honors Ensemble in late January.

• William Bruno, 11 (Vocal Bass, 3rd highest score) • Forrest Ego, 12 (Tuba, 1st Chair) • Brian Kaether, 10 (Violin, 1st Chair & Concertmaster) • Julia Matusiewicz, 12 (Clarinet, 2nd Chair) • Andrew Putterman, 11 (Vocal Tenor) • Noah Schaffer, 10 (Snare & Accessories, 2nd Chair) • Emily Skaug, 12 (Vocal Alto)

Stamford Volunteer Day Awards

Each year the United Way of Western Connecticut recognizes individual youth, adults, and

seniors, as well as groups, for volunteer efforts in the Stamford community. This year AITE

Junior Andy Anorga was chosen as Outstanding New Individual Male Youth for his work with

Person-to-Person, and AITE Junior Alexandra Walker was chosen as Outstanding New

Individual Female Youth for her work at Soundwaters. Additionally the AITE PTSO was chosen

as Outstanding Adult Volunteer Group, for its work in engaging the AITE community. All were

honored at the Stamford Volunteer Day Ceremony in early January.

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Columbia Scholastic Press Gold Medal

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), a department of Columbia University in New

York City, recently awarded a Gold Medal to Stamford High School’s The Round Table, for the

second year in a row. The Round Table was critiqued by CSPA judges and received a total of 951

out of 100 points in the following areas: Essentials, which includes reviewing layout, contact

information, credits, coverage, and interactivity; Verbal, which includes good reporting, use of

quotes, journalistic writing, grammar, and punctuation; and Visual, which includes design,

photography, the use of images, art, and layout. This year’s score is an increase of 41 points

over last year. The points earned in the categories of Verbal and Visual scored in the 95th

percentile or higher, which qualified the publication for an “All-Columbian” honors citation in

both categories as well.

Faculty Advisors: Jon Ringel and Krista Deiana

Editors-in-chief: Andrew Young and Gissel Campos

News Editor: Klara Hoherchak

Features Editor: Alexa Baer

Arts editor: Shaina Lubliner

Opinions Editor: Madison Johnson

Sports (Print) Editor: Teddy Marantz

Sports (Broadcast) Editor: Bryan Schwartz

Fashion Editor: Jenny Trejo

Science / Technology Editors: Joe Comia and Juan Estanislado

Distractions: Katelyn Cody

Multimedia: Matt DeNicola

Twitter: Mery Fajardo

Instagram: Annie Archer

Facebook: Sarah Druckman

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Student and Staff Achievements

November 2015 NAfME All-National Orchestra

Westhill High School sophomore Brian Kaether recently qualified to participate in the NAfME

All-National Orchestra in Nashville, Tennesse. Brian qualified for the honor in January at the

Connecticut All-State Orchestra where he placed as Assistant Concertmaster, 2nd Chair violin.

At the NAfME All-National Orchestra, Brian also achieved the prestige of being chosen Assistant

Concertmaster, 2nd Chair violin. He performed at the famous Grand Ole Opry House as part of

an orchestra comprised of the best high school musicians from across the nation.

New England Cross Country Championships

Stamford High School senior Gilmar Barrios earned an individual medal in the State Open Cross

Country Championships, placing 18th out of 188 runners at Wickam Park in Manchester.

Gilmar’s 16:27 run over a hilly 3.1 mile course earned him a spot in the New England

Championships, in which he competed earlier this month at Thetford Academy in Vermont.

Westhill High School Athletes Sign Letters of Intent

Rachel Burston recently captured her fourth consecutive FCIAC diving championship making

FCIAC history. Burston earned 505 points, setting a new FCIAC record. She is also a Class LL

Champion and a two-time State Opens Champion. Rachel has signed a letter of intent with

North Carolina State.

Matthew Conte has been captain of the wrestling team for the past two years and has a career

record of 111 wins and 29 losses, including 59 pins. Among his many accomplishments, he is a

three-time, top-10 FCIAC placer, coming in 2nd, 3rd and 6th. He was also the State Class LL

Champion last year. He plans to continue his wrestling career at American University in

Washington, D.C.

John Spoto is a four-year varsity baseball starter and has been captain of the team for the past

two years. In his sophomore and junior years, John was an all-FCIAC West receipient. He has

been awarded the Mickey Lione Scholarship. John has signed on to play next year at Southern

Connecticut State University.

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Teen Visions Student Art Show

High school students from all three Stamford high schools were recently recognized for their

outstanding artistic contributions in Teen Visions, a student art show hosted by Silvermine

School of Art. Nearly 75 students participated in the show, which was judged by an artist and

teacher from Silvermine. Best in show was awarded to Stamford High School student Sophie

Lyons.

The following students were also awarded prizes in the show.

First place:

Michele Vuong, AITE

Matthew Denicola, SHS

Mark Gjuraj, SHS

Hannah Katz, WHS

Tomas Pinto-Leite, WHS

Madison Thibodeau, WHS

Second Place:

Carly Barocas, AITE

Sebastian Neufuss, AITE

Carly Bennett , SHS

Byron Najera, SHS

Sarah Zsembik, SHS

Tomas Pinto- Leite, WHS Long-Term Engagement in Authentic Research with NASA (LEARN) Conference

The NASA LEARN Project is an innovative program that provides educators with on-site

research and training with NASA Scientists at the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia. The

program also provides guided research projects that continue throughout the school year.

Stamford High School Special Education Teacher Susan Dougherty was selected to participate.

She presented her interactive unit on climate change and the polar ice cap at the recent LEARN

Conference.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

AITE Mathematics teacher Vin Urbanowski was selected to present at the recent regional

conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Atlantic City. His

presentation, “A Mathematical Tour of the Grand Piano,” took conference attendees through

algebra, geometry, algebra 2, and trignonometry to explain the extensively engineered

acoustical musical instrument—the piano.

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Student and Staff Achievements

October 2015 Commended Students in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named 10 Stamford Public School seniors as Commended Students. This year’s Commended students are those who achieved a Selection Index score of between 202 and 219 and are among the top 50,000 students of the 1.5 million who participated. These students may become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.

Academy of Information Technology & Engineering Brian Fleischer Daniel Ruskin Stephanie Walsh

Westhill High School Christopher Colon Hannah Katz Thomas Pinto-Leite Julianna Goldfluss Richard Greenbaum Rhett Hoskinson Emily Yamron

CFES Named Cloonan a “School of Distinction” College For Every Student (CFES), a global leader in helping underserved students become college and career ready, recently named Cloonan Middle School a "School of Distinction," for the sixth year in a row. Cloonan is among 33 schools in nine states and Ireland to achieve the award, which recognizes schools with exemplary programs that incorporate the three CFES core practices: Mentoring, Leadership through Service, and Pathways to College. These schools provide intensive exposure to the three practices for targeted students, known as CFES Scholars, and also create a culture that promotes college and career readiness for all students.

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2015 Hands for Life Hands For Life is an organization committed to training residents of Stamford and Fairfield

County in Hands-Only CPR and in the use of Automatic External Defibrillators. During

September, some 8,500 Stamford middle and high school students and staff members

participated in the “2015 Hands for Life” program. On Saturday, September 26, an additional

2,280 community members participated, helping the organization meet its goal of educating

more than 10,000 people. Thanks to the many volunteers for their role in making Stamford and

our neighboring towns one of the safest communities for cardiac arrest in Connecticut.

Hands for Life Committee Members

Craig Andrews

Margarita Arenas

Erica Bates

Elizabeth Carlson

Michael Coady

Lynne Colatrella

Deborah Fedeli

Michael Fernandes

Anne Fountain

Sandy Goldstein

Michael Handler

David Hsi

Joe Larcheveque

Dr Tom Nero

Ernie Orgera

Jay H. Sandak

Jami Sherwood

Denise Theil

Tony Williams Participating Schools

Cloonan Middle School

Dolan Middle School

Rippowam Middle School

Rogers International School

Scofield Magnet Middle School

Turn of River Middle School

Academy of Information Technology & Engineering

Stamford High School

Westhill High School

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Student and Staff Achievements

September 2015

2016 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Eight Stamford Public Schools students were recently named by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE) seniors Viraj Attre, Tanusri Balla, Daniel Berger, Ian Handler, Alex Hatzis, and Alice Schaumann; Stamford High School senior Matthew Sieh; and Westhill High School senior Nicole Smina are among the top 16,000 students nationwide who earned the honor of semifinalist. According to NMSC, about 1.5 million students entered the 2016 program by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The semi-finalists comprise the highest scoring entrants in each state and represent less than one percent of the top scoring U.S. high school seniors. These academically talented students earned the opportunity to compete for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million to be offered next spring.

Exemplar Designation of “Coming to America: A Nation of Immigrants”

Earlier this year, Stamford Public Schools was presented with a grant to partner with Student Achieve Partners and Achieve to adapt existing instructional materials to align more closely with Connecticut Core Standards. Student Achieve Partners worked directly with the Central Office team and Stillmeadow Elementary School principal and teachers to focus on specific identified areas. An English language arts unit of study, “Coming to America: A Nation of Immigrants,” was designated as Exemplar, by the peer review panel. Among their comments, the panel stated, “This is a very strong unit that would engage students in deep learning about immigration.”

Central Office Natalie Elder, Director of School Improvement and Professional Development, Elementary Dr. Lisa Armstrong, Curriculum Associate for Elementary Literacy Karen Francis-Barnes, Curriculum Associate for Elementary Social Studies Stillmeadow Elementary School Dr. Michael Sanders, Principal Lisa Cammarota Pam Hall Marcella DeCarlo Ryan McNally Cara Garzancich Iuliana Roata Jennifer Grant Francesca Sikorski

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“Top-10 Teens” in Stamford magazine

Each year Stamford magazine features 10 Stamford teens who were nominated by their schools for their accomplishments and potential. Though the magazine considers academic achievement, they also feature other fields of excellence, such as athletics, philanthropy, art, music, entrepreneurship, and drama, to name a few. This year, from among the many submissions received from both Stamford public and private schools, the following five Stamford Public Schools seniors were chosen and featured in the September/October issue of the magazine. AITE Daniel Silverstein Stamford High School Erin Maher Namrata Ramakrishna Westhill High School Casey Benzaken Arya Bhalla