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The Connect icut Assoc iat ion of SchoolsThe Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic ConferenceAffiliated with:

• National Federation of State High School Associations• National Association of Secondary School Principals

• National Middle School Association • National Association of Elementary School Principals

NOVEMBER 20101

On Thursday, October 28th, CAShosted its ninth annual celebrationof educational leadership at Saint

Clements Castle in Portland. The event was conceived ten years ago following a resolu-tion by the CAS Board of Directors to findways to recognize and pay tribute to individ-ual school leaders as well as to "celebrate" the profession of school administration.

Six individuals from the ranks of Connecti-cut's school administrators were honored atthis year's event:

h Jackie Gilmore, North End M.S., Waterbury 2010 Middle School Asst. Principal of the Year

h Stacey Gross, Western M.S., Greenwich 2010 Middle School Principal of the Year

h Jeff Provost, East Lyme High School2010 High School Asst. Principal of the Year

h Ellen Stokoe, Edward W. Morley School, West HartfordCT's 2010 National Distinguished Principal

h Tim Sullivan, Jr., Classical Magnet School, Hartford2010 High School Principal of the Year

h Michelle Zeuschner, Andover E.S.2010 Elementary School Assistant Principal of the Year

More than two hundred educators, friends,and family members packed the WaterfordBallroom at Saint Clements to join in hon-oring CAS' 2010 Distinguished Admin-istrators. Guests were greeted at the door bythe mellifluous tones of the GlastonburyHigh School Resident String Quartet featur-ing Victoria Hervieux, Jena Mitchell, BaileyPoesnecker, and Nola Campbell.

continued on page 6

A Principal’s Message:A time to be sentimentalBy John Dodig, Staples High School

BULLETIN

Itry to keep under control the many timesduring every day when I become senti-mental or emotional about something a

teacher, parent, or student says to me. I cantell you honestly that it happens quite often.Not long ago, a young boy who had a prob-lem on a bus months ago stopped me in thehall to apologize to me because he thought hemay have sounded rude when he and I spokeabout the incident. I assured him that he hadnot been rude and that I had completely for-gotten about the verbal exchange. I thankedhim for seeking me out to be sure that I didnot think ill of him. When he left, I becameemotional because this seemed like such anunlikely thing for a teenage boy to do. I canassure you that it made my day.

Someone sent me a letter posted on a person-al blog that I thought was worth sharing. Theauthor was prompted to write the letter to herdaughter because of the tragedy at RutgersUniversity, but it really could be written toanyone's teenage son or daughter at any timejust because it needs to be said. I hope youenjoy reading it and will share it at dinnerwith your children. continued on page 4

Editor’s Note: As horrific as the recent Rutgers tragedywas, there has to be a way that good can come from it.It is with this hope that we are sharing John’s beautifuland important message with our membership. Letterslike this can be written and conversations can take placebetween parents and their kids that might otherwise not.Maybe as a result of those letters and conversationsfuture tragedies will be prevented.

In This Issue:CAS Assumes Role with Teacher Evaluation

Council - pg 4

CAS Hosts NAESP Regional Conference - page 6

CAS Names Outstanding 1st Year Principals - pg 9

CAS CELEBRATES SCHOOL LEADERS AND EDUCATIONALLEADERSHIP PROFESSION

Master of Ceremonies Scott Gray Commissioner of Education Dr. Mark McQuillan

Members of the Glastonbury High SchoolResident String Quartet

CAS President Kit Bishop (left) and AssistantExecutive Director Karen Packtor

DEAR MAILBAG: After a student gotinto a fight, I questioned him. He admit-

ted that he started it, and I imposed conse-quences accordingly. Now his mother has insist-ed that I cannot talk to him unless she or herlawyer is present. I don't see how I can run myschool unless I can talk to all students. Doesshe have the right to impose this requirement?

- Captain of this Ship

DEAR CAPTAIN: She does not. Whenstudents come into your school, they are

subject to your supervision and control, andsuch authority includes the right to talk to stu-dents and, yes, even ask questions. The impor-tant thing here is that you should not simply putthe letter in the trash, as tempting as that maybe. Rather, you should write back to the motherand inform her that you will not be granting herrequest for the reasons stated above. You canbe nice about it, and you can even tell her thatyou will be sensitive to her preference that younot talk with her child. However, you have theright and responsibility to reserve your authorityto talk to any student in your school as you seefit.

DEAR MAILBAG: Before we get too faralong this school year, I want to under-

stand who is tenured and who is not. One of myteachers worked for us for three years under aDSAP, and he got his certificate over the sum-mer. I heard that they changed the law so thatDSAP holders are now "teachers." When thisteacher completes forty months at the end ofthis year, will he achieve tenure?

- Crunching the Numbers

DEAR CRUNCHING: You are to becommended for thinking ahead. Happily,

this time you are about three years ahead ofyourself. The certification regulations state thata DSAP (durational shortage area permit) isissued "in lieu of a certificate." However, theTenure Act defines "teacher" as a "certified pro-fessional employee below the rank of superin-tendent." Since an employee with a DSAP isnot "certified," he/she is not a "teacher" underthe Tenure Act, and he/she does not accrue time

Q.

LEGAL MAILBAG

2 THE CAS BULLETIN NOVEMBER 2010

Editor’s Note: Legal Mailbag is a regular feature in the CASBULLETIN. We invite readers to submit short, law-relatedquestions of practical concern to school administrators.Each month we will select questions and publish answers.While these answers cannot be considered formal legal

advice, they may be of help to you and your colleagues. Wemay edit your questions, and we will not identify the authors.

Please submit your questions to: <[email protected]>

LEGAL MAILBAGBy Attorney Thomas B. Mooney, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut

Q. for tenure while so employed. What you areremembering is that the definition of theteachers' bargaining unit was expanded in2003 to include DSAP holders. Accordingly,DSAP holders are entitled to all of the bene-fits under the teachers' contract, but they donot earn time for tenure. Your teacher, there-fore, just started accruing time for tenure thisyear.

DEAR MAILBAG: I am under a lot ofpressure from my superintendent to

improve student performance. Some of myteachers are with the program, but others arenot. Last week, I notified staff members bymemorandum that I will include on their eval-uations my assessment of their individualcontributions to the school's progress. Iexplained that they will be given credit fortheir contributions on committees and thelike. Now the teachers' union representativeis all over me. He is claiming that I mustrescind the memorandum because teacherscannot suffer consequences if they choosenot to volunteer their time. Do I really haveto ignore the contributions made by the dedi-cated teachers?

- Color Me Incredulous

DEAR INCREDULOUS: Stay thecourse. You have every right to take

special contributions of teachers into accountin evaluating their performance. Moreover,evaluation is a management prerogative.That said, there are two things to keep inmind. First, you must be careful to follow theprocedural provisions of the evaluation plan.In 2004, the General Assembly gave teach-ers the right to file a grievance if the estab-lished procedures of the teacher evaluationplan are violated. Second, anytime youmake announcements, you should thinkabout what you are doing. If you announcea "new" expectation, you may be inviting aunion claim that you have changed workingconditions without negotiations. However, ifyou are simply clarifying your current prac-tices and/or expectations, such communica-tions should not cause any problems.

O The Connecticut Commission onEducational Achievement, established ear-lier this year by Governor M. Jodi Rell,has issued a 32-page report proposingdozens of reforms designed to close thestate's academic achievement gap. Amongthem are:

• providing quality preschool education for all low-income students

• requiring high school students pass the 10th-grade Connecticut Academic Performance Test to graduate.

• expanding alternative routes to certi-fication programs for teachers and school administrators and holding teacher preparation programs account-able for producing effective teachers.

• linking student performance to teacher and principal evaluations and giving weight to teacher performance over seniority when layoff decisions are made.

• establishing a School Turnaround Office with authority to aggressively intervene in the lowest achieving schools, granting it significant latitude to form innovative schools and extend the learning day or year.

• developing, over a five-year period, a new state funding system to allow money to follow students to the public school of their parents' choice.

To view the full report, Every child shouldhave a chance to be exceptional. Withoutexception, visit: http://www.ctachieve.org/pdf/commission_report.pdf

(Source: New Haven Register, ConnecticutEighth Healthiest State for Kids, July 27,2010)

ct news & notesct news & notes

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3THE CAS BULLETIN NOVEMBER 2010

O A new study from the Century Foundation findsthat low-income students in Montgomery County,Md. performed better academically when theyattended affluent elementary schools, suggestingthat economic integration is a powerful but neg-lected school-reform tool. Instead of the currentfocus on improving individual schools through bet-ter teaching and expanded accountability, the studyaddresses the impact of policies that mix incomelevels across several schools or an entire district,indicating that such policies could be more effec-tive than directing extra resources at higher-pover-ty schools. The implications lend fresh support tothe premise of 1954's Brown v. Board of Educationruling: Segregated schools of any kind are rarelygood at educating low-income students. "Today, 95percent of education reform is about trying tomake high-poverty schools work," said RichardKahlenberg of the Century Foundation. "Thisresearch suggests there is a much more effectiveway to help close the achievement gap. And that isto give low-income students a chance to attendmiddle-class schools." The study tracked 858 ele-mentary students in public housing acrossMontgomery County from 2001 to 2007. Afterseven years, children in lower-poverty schools per-formed eight percentage points higher on standard-ized math tests than their peers at higher-povertyschools, even though the county had targeted theseother students with extra resources. The report canbe accessed at http://tcf.org/publications/2010/10/housing-policy-is-school-policy.

O Delaying high school openings by 30 min-utes each day may pay dividends for studentsand teachers. A report in the Archives ofPediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found thatwaiting an extra half hour before startingschool is physically and emotionally benefi-cial to students. After one semester of thestudy of a Rhode Island high school, studentswere sleeping longer by 45 minutes and morethan 54 percent of students reported gettingat least eight hours of sleep per night, anincrease from 16 percent before the study.This coincided with less daytime sleepinessand fatigue during the day. Students alsoreported to be less depressed and hadimproved motivation at school with improvedclass attendance. After the study was over, allfaculty, students and staff voted to keep thedelayed start time. (Source: Archives ofPediatric & Adolescent Medicine, July 2010)

O A new study indicates participation in theNational School Lunch Program (NSLP) maylead to better education attainment and oppor-tunity. The study, published in the Summer2010 issue of the Journal of Policy Analysisand Management, is the first in the NSLP's64-year history to examine the long-termhealth and educational impacts of the pro-gram. While the study found positive educa-tional benefits based on a correlation betweenfree food and increased attendance as deter-mined by U.S. Census education statistics, itdid not show significant long-term healthimpacts on students into adulthood. (Source:Science Daily, 6/29/10)

O Two independent studies at the Universityof Illinois have found that aerobic exerciseimproves cognitive function in pre-adolescentchildren. Researchers recruited separategroups of 9- and 10-year-olds to run on atreadmill to assess their fitness levels andsort them into highest- or lowest-fit cate-gories. Afterward, the children were givena series of cognitive tasks followed by anMRI scan of the brain. The areas of the brainthat help students pay attention and retaininformation were larger in the highest-fitgroup. Previous studies found that aerobicactivity increases blood flow to the brain andnew brain cells are accompanied by the for-mation of blood vessels. Since the researcherscontrolled for socioeconomic background,body mass index, and other variables thatmight influence cognitive ability, they wereable to conclude that the increase in brain sizewas a direct result of physical fitness.(Source: New York Times, 9/15/2010)

national news & notesnational news & notes

CAS, in partnership with NAESP, has opened nominationsfor the 2011 National Distinguished Principal Award.The program is designed to recognize outstandingelementary school principals who have demonstratedextraordinary leadership, a passion for educationalexcellence, a commitment to their students and staff, andservice to their communities. If you know an elementaryprincipal who may be eligible for and worthy of this honor,please submit a nomination form by December 17, 2010.Two one-page letters of recommendation and a copy ofthe nominee's resume must accompany the nominationform. Specific award criteria, program guidelines, andprocedures for submitting a nomination can be found at:www.casciac.org/ pdfs/ndp_11.pdf.

NOTE: All nominees must be members of CAS andNAESP; have at least five years of experience as aschool principal; and be in active service in a position of school leadership during the 2011-2012 school year.

Please contact Karen Packtor (203-250-1111, x. 3910 [email protected]) if you have any questions.

Do you know an outstanding elementary school principal?

O Absenteeism at the elementary levelis a concern that is receiving increasedattention given recent reports detailingthe long-term implications of chronictruancy in the early grades. Whilemany think of recurrent absenteeism asa secondary school problem, research isbeginning to suggest that the start ofelementary school is the critical time toprevent truancy—particularly as thoseprograms become more academic.Statistics show that rates of absen-teeism in kindergarten and 1st gradecan rival those in high school. An aver-age of one in 10 students younger thangrade 3 nationwide is consideredchronically absent, defined as missing10 percent or more of school. That'sabout 18 days in a normal 180-dayyear. According to the Annie E. CaseyFoundation, the problem is particularlyacute among students from low-incomefamilies. The foundation reports that, in2009, more than one in five poorkindergartners was chronically absent,compared to only 8 percent of youngstudents living above the poverty line.The National Center for Children inPoverty found in 2008 that, on average,students who missed 10% or more ofschool in kindergarten scored signifi-cantly lower in reading, math and gen-eral knowledge tests at the end of 1stgrade than did students who missed 3percent or fewer days. Moreover, theresearchers found chronic absenteeismin kindergarten predicted continuingabsences in later grades. A BaltimoreEducation Research Consortium studyreleased this year showed that highschool dropouts show steadily increas-ing chronic absenteeism for yearsbefore they actually leave school."Early attendance is essential. This iswhere you really want to work onthem," said Kim Nauer, the educationproject director at the Center for NewYork City Affairs, which studies atten-dance issues. "By the time you get to5th or 6th grade, you can really get acascade effect that you can't recoverfrom. How much money do we spendin a school system on all of this recu-perative stuff in high school—gettingthe kid back and reengaged—asopposed to making sure the kids don'tslip off in elementary school?" (Source:Education Week, October 14, 2010)

In May of this year, the Connecticutlegislature enacted PA 10-111, AnAct Concerning Education Reform

in Connecticut, which includes compo-nents such as secondary school reform,charter schools, and school governancecouncils. It requires the formation of aPerformance Evaluation AdvisoryCouncil which is charged with provid-ing to the state board of educationrecommended guidelines for a teacherevaluation program. Such guidelines,which must be submitted to the stateboard by July 1, 2013, shall includemodels that involve the use of multipleindicators of student academic growthin teacher evaluations.

Connecticut Commissioner ofEducation, Dr. Mark McQuillan, hasdesignated CAS as the administrativesupport center for the council and hehas asked the group to assume theadditional task of developing a modelfor principal evaluation as well.

The statute specifically stipulates thatthe membership of the council shallinclude the Commissioners ofEducation and Higher Education, ortheir designees; representatives fromthe Connecticut Association of Boardsof Education, the ConnecticutAssociation of Public SchoolSuperintendents, ConnecticutFederation of School Administrators,the Connecticut Education Associationand the American Federation ofTeachers-Connecticut; and personsselected by the Commissioner ofEducation who shall include, but not belimited to, teachers, persons withexpertise in performance evaluationprocesses and systems, and any otherperson the commissioner deems appro-priate.

Other appointments to the councilinclude representatives from the CASstaff, the Regional Educational ServiceCenters, and the State Department ofEducation.

The statute gives the charge of thecouncil:"The council shall be responsible for(1) assisting the State Board ofEducation in the development andimplementation of the teacher evalua-tion guidelines, pursuant to subsection(c) of section 10-151b of the generalstatutes, as amended by this act, and

(2) the data collection and evaluationsupport system, pursuant to subsection(c) of section 10-10a of the generalstatutes, as amended by this act. Thecouncil shall meet at least quarterly."

The statute further stipulates that theguidelines shall include, but not be limited to:"(1) Methods for assessing student aca-demic growth; (2) a consideration ofcontrol factors tracked by the state-wide public school information system,pursuant to subsection (c) of section10-10a, as amended by this act, thatmay influence teacher performance rat-ings, including, but not limited to, stu-dent characteristics, student attendanceand student mobility; and (3) minimumrequirements for teacher evaluationinstruments and procedures."

CAS and CT Principals' Center com-mittees are currently engaged in pro-viding input to the work of the council.The Critical Issues Committee has beenworking with state department of edu-cation personnel to consider the adop-tion of the Interstate School LicensureConsortium (ISLLC) Standards forSchool Leaders. Connecticut has hadits own leadership standards and willbe deciding whether to adopt thenational standards as the guiding set.In addition, the CAS ProfessionalStudies Committees are investigatingmodels of principal evaluation fromother states and from current research.

Defining "student growth" is a criticalfactor in developing evaluation modelsand the focus of considerable attentionat the state and national levels. Thenational media and political agendasare replete with discussion and debateabout how student growth should beassessed and utilized. The input fromCAS committee members and otherschool leaders will be important indeveloping growth models here inConnecticut and in guiding the work ofthe Performance Evaluation AdvisoryCouncil.

This work is timely and essential toteaching and learning and is of consid-erable interest to CAS member schools,as well as to all interested stakeholdersand the public at large. Please be alertto this effort and to subsequent com-munications about progress toward themodels.

CAS TO FACILITATE STATE ADVISORY COUNCILON TEACHER EVALUATION

by Dennis C. Carrithers, Director, CAS Principals' Center

Principal’s Message, continued from page 1

LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER (in the wake ofsenseless tragedy) <http://vicky-bell.blogspot.com/2010/10/letter-to-my-daughter-in-wake-of.html>

Hello my girl,I wanted to say hi and tell you how much I miss you and that I hopeyour classes are going well and that you are having fun too. But Ialso have to have a mommy moment- bear with me here. I won'ttake long, and I won't be saying anything I haven't already said inone form or another, but it is important.

You may or may not have heard about the NJ college student whokilled himself last week because his room-mate had posted videotapeof him having sex with another guy. A terrible, senseless tragedy.

My mommy job requires that I remind you of two essential things:One: Nothing ruins your life forever. NOTHING.Two: Nothing ruins your life forever. NOTHING.

If that young man had only waited a couple of weeks nobody wouldhave cared- he'd have gotten past it. People have short memories -life would have gotten better, much better. His parents and friends?They loved him prior to the tape- they would have loved him after-ward too. A few awkward moments and then life goes on.

But when you are young you don't know that even the awkwardmoments are fleeting. On this, you just have to trust the old people.Remember when you were really small and cried and cried oversomething? Well, it didn't last. That's kind of what it's like- awfulthings happen, you feel like there's a rock in the pit of your stomach, somehow time goes by and it gets better. I promise you, it ALWAYS gets better.

The students, a girl and boy, who were involved in the taping and posting-- they are being charged with bias crime, invasion of privacy and possibly other things. Their college life is over. Theywill have to live with this death the rest of their lives-- and their families are devastated. What they did was so wrong- but also so kid-stupid. Not to mention mean. And so their lives will be different forever- but even so- their families will love them and they will have time enough to hopefully live in such a way as to make meaning from their mistake.

So, my beautiful girl, never, ever think something is unfixable.NOTHING you do will ever keep us from loving you. NOTHING you do could be so awful you can't get past it.

And if someone is mean to you, and it isn't something you can ignore-- seek out people to talk to about it. Surround yourself withpeople who are supportive. If you ever need help and don't knowhow to ask- try writing a letter instead. And right now- before youmight need such help- think about who you would talk to if needed.In the midst of turmoil sometimes we don't always think as clearly-having a plan makes it easier to find help in crisis. And rememberthere are always alternatives. Always.

Finally, don't be mean. Don't let other people be mean. Stand up for the under- dog, protect those who aren't as smart or confident or easygoing as yourself. Treat people's feelings like fragile littlepuppies. If you play with them, be gentle.

I love you so much and I know you really don't need me to tell youthis stuff.... but it's my job.Love and hugs,Mommy



Adelegation from Connecticutattended the 2010 NAESPNational Leaders Conference

in Washington D.C. from July 14 toJuly 16, 2010. The delegation includedCAS President, Kit Bishop, principalof Daisy Ingraham School, Westbrook;Rosie Vojtek, principal of Ivy DriveSchool, Bristol; Karissa Niehoff,deputy executive director and ReginaBirdsell, assistant executive director.

The group spent the day on CapitolHill visiting legislators and encourag-ing an increase in federal funding foreducation. To ensure that legislatorsunderstand the full implications of fed-eral policies on principals' abilities to

increase student achievement, dele-gates encouraged them to oppose theautomatic replacement of principals asa means of school turnaround effortswithout first evaluating the principals'and schools' circumstances. Delegatesalso lobbied legislators to preserve for-mula funding and to provide high-quality professional development,especially for principals who areengaged in pre-K through grade 3learning.

The Connecticut delegation met withJoseph Courtney, Rosa DeLauro,Melinda Leidy of Senator ChrisDodd's Office, John Larson,Christopher Murphy, and Jim Hines.

NAESP LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE HELD IN D.C.

By Regina Birdsell, Assistant Executive Director

The Connecticut delegation met with Congressman Jim Hines during theNational Leadership Conference to discuss principals' priorities in federal educa-tion funding. From left: Karissa Niehoff, Congressman Jim Hines, ReginaBirdsell, Kit Bishop, Rosie Vojtek, and Bob Vojtek.

At an assembly at SmithMiddle School inGlastonbury on October

13th, a student leadership teamwas presented with the 2010Arthur Director StudentLeadership Award. This award ispresented annually to a schoolthat exemplifies outstandingapplication of the themes of the CAS Middle Level StudentLeadership Conference. DavidDirector created the award tohonor his father, Arthur, founderof the Connecticut LightingCenters. Longtime corporatepartners with CAS, theConnecticut Lighting Centerssponsor the annual student lead-ership conference and, due to itsgenerosity, students from middleschools throughout the state, regardless of their circumstances,can attend this wonderful annualevent.

The theme of this year'sconference was "MakingAcceptance Acceptable" andthe program focused on creatingclimates of acceptance and inclu-sion for all students. Smith clear-ly models these ideals in numer-ous ways.

"I believe that our school is asuccessful representation of thequalities that this award cele-brates," commented RobbyKasper, 8th grader and studentcouncil president at Smith.

"Conduct based on the small,simple acts of student leadersand the community as a wholehelp build a better learningatmosphere for students," Kasperstated. "It promotes a better placefor everyone. The goal of mak-ing Smith a better place foreveryone is what attracted meinto my leadership position."

Smith was chosen as therecipient of this year's award fornumerous reasons. To start,acceptance, community anddiversity are important at Smith.Evidence of this is in its"Americans Who Tell the Truth"program. "Americans Who Tellthe Truth" is a traveling exhibitof portraits of past and currentAmericans, from a variety ofbackgrounds, who made a differ-ence by simply living a life oftruth and having the courage to

stand up for their values. Theintent of the program is toremind people of the dignity,courage and importance of theAmerican truth tellers and to cre-ate a dialogue to encourage stu-dents and members of the com-munity to pursue the truth andmake a difference in the worldaround them. As a result thisbrought truth into all academicand elective areas of study atSmith, as well as discussion andlearning.

Community involvement isever present at Smith. Students,teachers, administrators and par-ents together take part in numer-ous community service projectsthroughout the year. They organ-ize Toys for Tots, raise moneyfor cancer research, collect dona-tions for the Community FoodBank, and participate in Hoopsfor the Heart - a basketball gamethat raises money and awarenessfor heart disease. There is also avibrant PTSO (note the S for stu-dents), as well as the SpecialEducation Parents Association(SEPTA), which is dedicated toraising awareness about the chal-lenges of special needs studentsand the programs available tothem.

Smith School is diverse. Notonly do they have a curricularfocus on the many cultures repre-sented in Connecticut, but theyare also a CHOICE school. As achoice school, Smith participateswith neighboring students fromHartford, Bloomfield and Derby.Smith has also gone global andregularly hosts students fromcountries such as Spain,Venezuela and Russia.

During the recent award cel-ebration at Smith, it was withgreat pride that Arthur Directorpresented the 2010 StudentLeadership Award in his name tothe students. Not only were thestudents and faculty of Smithpresent for the celebration, butthe entire Director family was inattendance as well. CAS is bothgrateful and proud of its associa-tion with the Director family, andit is most fitting that the award isnamed for a man who symbol-izes civic responsibility and phil-anthropic endeavors.

SMITH MIDDLE SCHOOL RECEIVES ARTHUR DIRECTOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARDBy Stephanie Ford, Director of Marketing

Front row: Smith Middle School student leaders;Back row (l to r): CAS Assistant Executive Director Earle Bidwell, CT LightingCenters President David Director, CT Lighting Centers Founder Arthur Director


Celebration, continued from page 1

Janet Garagliano, principal of JonathanLaw High School in Milford and chair ofthe "Celebration Committee" which organ-ized the event, warmly welcomed guestsand introduced the evening's master of cer-emonies, Mr. Scott Gray, 39-year veteransports commentator for WTIC AM 1080.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Gray stated, "Iknow that your job is a roller coaster ride.My wife is an educator. Some days shecomes home dancing through the door;other days she drags herself into the houseas if she were carrying the weight of theworld on her shoulders. Some days, I seeelation; other days I see defeat. And it hasnever been more difficult to be an educatorthan it is today. I congratulate tonight'shonorees for their fortitude at a time ofgreat challenge and adversity. They contin-ue to inspire, motivate and keep up moralein the face of an uncertain future."

Connecticut Commissioner of Education,Dr. Mark McQuillan, and CAS President,Kit Bishop, extended congratulatoryremarks to the honorees prior to the pres-entation of awards. During the awardsintroductions, each of the six distinguishedadministrators was entertained with a shortslide-show containing pictures and quotesfrom friends and colleagues. All honoreesreceived a plaque, an engraved desk clock,a copy of Stones into Schools: PromotingPeace with Books, Not Bombs, inAfghanistan and Pakistan by GregMortenson, and a proclamation fromGovernor M. Jodi Rell lauding their dedi-cation and tireless efforts in raising thestandards of excellence in the state ofConnecticut. Thanks to the generosity ofJostens, one of CAS' newest corporatepartners, all honorees also received a cus-tom-designed ring to commemorate theirachievement.

Each of the award recipients was given anopportunity to make some brief remarks.Below are some excerpts from the veryinsightful and stirring thoughts theyshared.

Jackie Gilmore:"It is a privilege to touch a child's life. I gohome every evening and ask myself thesame question, ‘Did I make a differencefor a child today?' If the answer is yes, Iam satisfied. If the answer is no, I havenot done my job."

Stacey Gross:"To quote the legendary B.B. King, ‘Thebeautiful thing about learning is that noone can take it away from you.' Embracinga love of learning and instilling that love in

The National Association of ElementarySchool Principals (NAESP) NortheastRegional Conference was held at the Hilton

Mystic September 23-25, 2010. This year's confer-ence was hosted by the Connecticut Association ofSchools. Principals and executive directors attend-ed from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, NewHampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Rhode Island and Vermont. Also in attendancewere NAESP President Barbara Chester, NAESPZone 1 Director David Cobb, NAESP Zone 2Director Fidela Sturdivant and NAESPMembership Coordinator Deborah Bongiorno.

The conference commenced with a welcome recep-tion in the Hilton's Mooring Restaurant sponsoredby Horace Mann. Following the reception and din-ner, guests were entertained with "The Magic ofEducation," a magic act presented by Connecticut'sBob Hale, Jr., principal of Westbrook High School.Everyone left asking, "How’d he do that?"

Friday morning's session, "Rethinking TeacherSupervision and Evaluation," was directed by KimMarshall (The Marshall Memo). The afternoon ses-sion, in keeping with the morning's theme, waspresented by a distinguished panel from the statesof MA, RI, NY, CT and ME. Each state executivedirector shared the status of his/her state plans fordeveloping the new teacher and administrator eval-uations, and disclosed information on the Race tothe Top funding. Following a busy and productiveday, the group boarded a DATTCO Bus at the hoteland was whisked away to the Mohegan Sun Casinofor a delightful dinner at Todd English's TuscanyRestaurant and a little time playing and shopping.

On Saturday, NAESP President Barbara Chestergave an update on the activities of the nationalassociation. The NAESP Board of Directors had ameeting with Education Secretary ArneDuncan."Even though we had to agree to disagree on someissues, it was an important step for the state depart-ment to ask our opinion,” said Barbara. “We werepleased that Secretary Duncan called and invitedour NAESP executive director to a follow up meet-ing." Barbara responded to a question regardingthe national convention and the possibility ofchanging to regional meetings. She shared that theNAESP board is having ongoing conversationsabout making changes that will meet the needs ofprincipals with the changing demands they are fac-ing as administrators and members of the associa-tion. Additional options, such as hosting a jointconvention with NASSP and holding the conven-tion during the summer, are also being weighed.

Jill Flanders from Massachusetts reported on theNAESP Resolutions Committee's work whichresulted in narrowing the scope of the nationalplatform. The committee was now looking at

assessment, standards-based education, and nation-al assessment programs. Concerns were raisedabout the impact of some national regulations onsmall districts as well as about removing principalsfrom under-performing schools without a fullunderstanding of the factors leading to under-per-formance and how having a new principal mightchange the situation. Questions as to where doesNAPE testing fit in pay for performance, teachersleading schools, and union contracts being the sin-gle biggest roadblock to change were raised.Barbara commended the Resolutions Committeefor the powerful work they did last year.

Dave Cobb, Zone 1 Director, reported that chal-lenging opportunities were coming up for the asso-ciation. "There is a need to determine what the21st century learner looks like and how we canprepare to meet the challenge of leading 21st cen-tury learning communities," said Dave.

Next year the Northeast Conference will be heldSeptember 22-24, 2011 in New York State.

CAS HOSTS NAESP NORTHEAST REGIONAL ELEMENTARYSCHOOL PRINCIPALS' CONFERENCE

By Regina Birdsell, Assistant Executive Director

State executive directors from New England discuss teacher and administrator evaluation

reforms.

NAESP President Barbara Chester reports onrecent activities at the national association level.

our students is critical to our success as educa-tors ...We face many challenges today. But as Ilook around this room, I feel great optimism as itis clear that we are all deeply committed tomeeting those challenges."

Jeff Provost:"A school's success is built on relationships,especially those between students and staff. Weneed to make sure that there are no unknownstudents in our schools, that every student feels asense of belonging and connection to theschool."

Ellen Stokoe: "I am here today because I had an exceptionalrole model. My father was an administrator in Hartford and the example that he set for me is what put me on the path to success. Heshowed me that being a good principal meanstreating people fairly, bringing them together,honoring their ideas, offering opportunities forleadership, and always doing what is best forchildren."

Tim Sullivan, Jr.: "We are in the age of accountability. As an urbaneducator, I am disappointed in the national dia-logue which is currently demonizing teachers'unions and, by extension, teachers. We need toALL come together under a unified tent if weare going to do right by our children."

Michelle Zeuschner:"With all of the new initiatives and acronymsthat we are confronted with every day, it isessential that all constituents work together as ateam to make a unified investment in our chil-dren. It takes trust and collaboration if we are tosucceed in preparing our students for the worldthat lies ahead of them."

Mr. Gray concluded the evening by praising allthe educators in the room. "What you do livesfor generations," he said. "You leave your foot-prints on this earth. No one has a greater impacton mankind than those who teach future genera-tions."

Many thanks to the members of the CASCelebration Committee - Janet Garagliano, BobHale, Jr., and Mike Rafferty - and to our officialphotographers, Grynn & Barrett.

For more pictures fromthe Celebration of

DistinguishedAdministrators, visit:

www.casciac.org/celebration10


Michelle Zeuschner receives the ElementarySchool Assistant Principal of the Year Award

Janet Garagliano.

Jackie Gilmore receives the Middle SchoolAssistant Principal of the Year Award from

Celebration Committee Member Mike Rafferty.

Ellen Stokoe receives the NationalDistinguished Principal Award from Celebration

Committee Chair Janet Garagliano.

Stacey Gross receives the Middle SchoolPrincipal of the Year Award from

Mike Rafferty.

Jeff Provost receives the High School AssistantPrincipal of the Year Award from

Celebration Committee Member Bob Hale, Jr.

Tim Sullivan, Jr. receives the High SchoolPrincipal of the Year Award from

Bob Hale, Jr.


Student-lleaders iin ggrades 66, 77, aand 88 wwill:

i participate in team-building activities with students from other schools;

i respond to role-playing situations;

i talk with student leaders from Connecticut high schools and universities;

i share leadership experiences and ideas with peers;

i go back to school and share new knowledge, ideas, and initiatives with decision-makers.

Same GGreat CConference iin aa NNew LLocation!

For more information, contact Earle Bidwell at [email protected].

SAVE THE DATE!The MMiddle Level SStudent Leadership

Training CConference

"Making Acceptance Acceptable"January 11, 2011 i Wesleyan University

GENO'S READING TEAM SET TO TIP-OFF

The Connecticut Association of Schools Elementary Division is pleased to report that reg-istration is open for your school to partner with UCONN Coach Geno Auriemma and theUCONN Huskies and join Geno's Reading Team, an incentive reading program designed toimprove your students’ reading skills. The expectation is that your students will read atleast 20 minutes a day for enjoyment. The CAS Elementary Board has prepared everythingthat you need to enroll your students - including a suggested list of books, journal/summarylog, information page for parents and much more - all linked to the themes that have madethe UCONN Women Basketball Players world class student-athletes!

Periodically, once your school registers for the program, your students will be able to login and watch video lessons made by the UCONN players as they describe and read their alltime favorite books. The schedule, set to begin November 1 and end on February 28, is:

Book Title Player Release Date

Students, classes, grades and entire schools will also be able to tally the minutes read and/orpercentage of students involved in Geno's Reading Team. At the end of the program yourstudents will be invited to a practice/pep rally at Gampel Pavilion to promote reading inConnecticut's Elementary Schools - Date/Time T.B.A. Direct inquiries/questions to ReginaBirdsell or Dave Maloney at CAS - 203-250-1111.

KIDSMARATHON

What is KiDSMARATHON? KiDSMARATHON is an 8 - 10 week training programthat enables kids to complete a full marathon by running incremental distances each weekleading up to the finish in front of hundreds of fans! During the project, elementary stu-dents, ages 7-12, develop life-long fitness skills, positive nutritional habits, social-emotionallearning, a feeling of accomplishment, and self-confidence for themselves. The mantra ofthe program is "finishing is winning and winning is finishing."

Who participates in KiDSMARATHON? Each CAS Member Elementary School canadminister the program for any number of students in any shape they choose. From PE /Health classes to recess to parent supervised running activities, kids are welcome to partici-pate and benefit from this amazing fitness program. Because the goal of the program is to"FINISH", kids of all shapes, sizes, and ability levels can participate and be successful.

Will I Receive Training Materials? Included in the program is a wonderful training guidecontaining all the information to start: warm-up exercises, nutritional guidelines, drills,games, cool-down activities, and much more! The information is delivered in a way thatkids can understand and enjoy. Students record their distances on a personalized guide sheetand are offered other learning activities in the training guide that accompanies the program.There is NO COST for the training manual to CAS member schools!

When Can We Begin? The ideal start date for KiDSMARATHON is anytime during thenew year but not later than the end of the first week of April 2011. KiDSMARATHONCelebrations will be held at Fairfield Ludlowe High School on May 14th, Cheshire HighSchool on May 21st, Norwich Free Academy on June 4th, and Litchfield on June 11th inconnection with the Litchfield Hills Road Race. On line registration will be available atwww.casciac.org/register in early December.

How Much Does It Cost? The cost for each participant is $5. Each student will be award-ed a certificate, and receive a T-shirt and medal for participating in KiDSMARATHON!

The CT KiDSMARATHON program is supported by Rod Dixon's KiDSMARATHONFoundation (http://www.kidsmarathonfoundation.org) and is viewed by Rod's organizationas the public-schools model for other states to follow.

Questions? Contact Dave Maloney at [email protected] or 203-250-1111, ext.3936.

"The Rainbow Fish""One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish""The Little Engine That Could""The Bike Lesson""Love You Forever""Clifford And The Big Red Dog""Duck On A Bike""More Parts""Down By The Cool Of The Pool""The Cat In The Hat""Brenda & Belinda & The Slam Dunk"

Kelly FarisLorin DixonCaroline DotyMaya MooreStefanie DolsonLauren EngelnHeather BuckBria HartleySamarie WalkerMichala JohnsonTiffany Hayes

Nov. 1-9Nov. 10-19Nov. 20-28Nov. 29-Dec 9Dec. 10-18Dec. 19-Jan. 2Jan. 3-14Jan. 15 -28Jan. 29-Feb.8Feb. 9-17Feb. 18-28

Student Advisory WorkshopAre you planning or have you implementeda student advisory program?

CAS is pleased to offer a workshop for memberschools contemplating personalizing the schoolcommunity through a student advisory program.The workshop will explore the ways in which anadvisory program can be the centerpiece in pro-moting community, personalizing the school expe-rience, and improving the school climate.Advisory programs hold great potential for sup-porting the school mission, Connecticut SecondarySchool Reform, student success plans, communityservice, capstone projects and portfolios.Participants will use the nine components of the"Advisory Puzzle Planning Process" to customize aprogram for their school.

Date: December 13, 2010Time: 8:30 - 3:00 Coffee & Lunch

Participants: Teams of 3-4 from each school

Location: CT Association of Schools30 Realty Drive, Cheshire

Fee: $250. for the school team

Registration: On line at www.casciac.org/register

Presenters: Dave Maloney, CAS and Scott Brown, LEARN


The Connecticut Association ofSchools is pleased to announcethat Desi Nesmith, principal of

America's Choice at SAND ElementarySchool in Hartford; Nathan Quesnel,principal of East Hartford MiddleSchool; and, Paul Brenton, principal ofPutnam High School, have been selectedas the recipients of the WilliamCieslukowski Outstanding First-YearPrincipal Awards. These awards recog-nize first-year school principals from thehigh school, middle school and elemen-tary school levels who have had a posi-tive impact on their school and/or districtand have demonstrated exemplaryinstructional and organizational leader-ship, a willingness to take risks, and theability to overcome adversity.

Desi NesmithDesi was nominated for the First Year PrincipalAward by Leon McKinley, Director of ElementaryEducation in Hartford. In his nomination, Leonwrote that, in his first year, "Mr. Nesmith effec-tively hired and built a team of highly capablefaculty who under his leadership produced thehighest gains on the 2010 CMT of any school inthe district. He used his knowledge and skills indata driven decision making, effective teachingstrategies, priority standards, common formativeassessments and holistic accountability planning

to provide instructional leadership on a dailybasis."

Desi went door-to-door in his school neighbor-hood and spoke face-to-face with existing parentsand parents new to the school and shared withthem the change of the new school model, articu-lating his vision of success and providing themthe opportunity to share their questions, concernsand suggestions. Parents quickly understood thatthe school building was the center of learning andstudents had to come to school prepared in theirschool uniform and with books and materials inhand. Desi is an effective passionate leader whoknows how to deliver because student achieve-ment is non-negotiable when he walks into hisbuilding every day.

Desi has made a conscious decision to refer to hisstaff as the "A Team." Elka Spencer, a teacher atthe school, summarized his leadership this way:"It appears that he may be on to something. Inrecognizing and appreciating the vast talent of hisstaff, rapidly bonding with staff and communityvia a shared vision and steadfastly implementingmajor academic changes, he has started a recipeof success at America's Choice."

Nathan Quesnel"The role of principal in today's dynamic andchallenging society demands an individual ofgreat energy, vision, wisdom and integrity. In theshort period of time that Mr. Quesnel has assumedthe role of educational leader in our school, hehas exceeded the limits of ordinary performanceand has proven to his staff, students and parentsthat he is extraordinary on all accounts." Theseremarks by East Hartford Middle School AssistantPrincipal Dr. Edward Orszulak sum up the per-sonal attributes and accomplishments of CASMiddle Level First Year Principal of the Year,Nathan Quesnel. In his brief tenure, Nathan hasinstilled a sense of pride and tradition among allconstituents emerging from a feeling of belongingto the "Falcon Family." He has energized the

faculty to a point where every staffmember is involved in membership onbuilding-wide committees established topromote positive action within the aca-demic, organizational and socialdomains at the school. One result of hisefforts was the school receiving anExemplary School Climate Award fromCAS.

CAS Middle Level Exemplary EducatorJill Wnuk, a social studies teacher atE.H.M.S., marvels at what Nathan hasaccomplished since assuming the princi-palship just one year ago. "Under hisleadership, our school has once againbecome a shining example of what agood school is, a place where teacherswant to teach and students want tolearn," wrote Jill. "Nate Quesnel is a

principal you want to follow,” she added. “Heworks hard every day and expects the same fromteachers and students. With him as our buildingleader, I see nothing but success in our future."

Paul BrentonPutnam Superintendent of Schools William Hull,in his nomination, summarized Paul's first yearthis way: "What was once a culture of failure hasnow been transformed into a culture of success,where the sole focal point is on student learning.Parents, staff, and students are happy. Staff andstudents are challenged and supported. All thishas been facilitated by a beginning principal whohas a vision and the skills needed to make a dif-ference in young adults' lives."

When he started as principal, Paul quicklyimproved school climate by setting clear expecta-tions for student behavior and providing consis-tent and fair enforcement of school policies. Heestablished a parent advisory council to involvemore parents in school governance and improvedcommunications with parents by initiating a par-ent newsletter. He provided instructional leader-ship by regularly getting into classrooms to pro-vide constructive feedback to teachers, and offer-ing professional development programs thatfocused on instruction. Further, he led muchneeded curriculum revisions.

Paul established himself as a good listener who isavailable to all constituencies of the school com-munity. He is highly visible at school and com-munity events. He attends meetings of communi-ty service organizations and has appeared on localradio. He initiated student community serviceprojects. He brought needed improvements towhat was an already successful FreshmanAcademy. One indicator of the school's improve-ment is a reduction in the number of eighth gradestudents who choose other high schools. As aresult of his leadership in just one year, his nomi-nators stated that a tradition of "Putnam Pride"has returned to the school and district.

Left to right: CAS Deputy Executive Director Karissa Niehoff, Principal Desi Nesmith, Principal Nathan Quesnel, Principal Paul

Brenton, and CAS President Kit Bishop

CAS NAMES OUTSTANDING 1ST YEAR PRINCIPALSBy Regina Birdsell, Assistant Executive Director

President: Kit Bishop, Daisy Ingraham Sch, WestbrookPresident-Elect: Janet Garagliano, Law High SchoolVice-President(H): Francis Kennedy, Stafford High SchoolVice-President(M): Dave Russell, John Winthrop Middle SchoolVice-President(E): RoseAnne O’Vojtek, Ivy Drive SchoolSecretary-Treasurer: Donald Macrino, Waterford High School

Michael Savage...........................................Executive DirectorKarissa Niehoff................................Deputy Executive DirectorEarle Bidwell.......................................Asst. Executive DirectorRegina Birdsell...................................Asst. Executive DirectorKen Bragg.............................Asst. Director of Unified Sports®Michael Buckley..............................Director, Principals’ CenterDennis Carrithers................................Asst. Executive DirectorMatt Fischer............................Director of Information ServicesStephanie Ford........................................Director of MarketingPaul Hoey........................................Assoc. Executive DirectorSusan Kennedy..................................Asst. Executive DirectorRobert Lehr.............................................CIAC Executive StaffDavid Maloney....................................Asst. Executive Director Karen Packtor..........................Editor, Asst. Executive DirectorLou Pear.........................................Director of Unified Sports®Beth Rasmussen..............Young Athlete Program CoordinatorGeorge Synnott.....................Asst. Director of Unified Sports®Joseph Tonelli.............................................Director of Officials

Published monthly except July, Aug. and Sept. by the CT Assnof Schools at 30 Realty Dr, Cheshire, CT, 06410. Phone: 203-250-1111. Third class postage paid at New Haven, CT. Permit#561. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to -- BUL-LETIN, 30 Realty Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410.

CAS OFFICERS: 2010-2011

CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF

THE BULLETIN


ciac newsciac news

O The implementation date for NFHSSoccer Rule 4-1-1b has been delayed untilfall 2013. The current uniform rule, whichwas originally adopted in January 2010, iswritten in the current rules book to reflect astart date of fall 2012. This rule will nowread:

"The home team shall wear white or lightjerseys and socks, and the visiting team shallwear dark jerseys and socks. Beginning withthe 2013 fall season, the home team shallwear solid white jerseys and solid whitesocks, and the visiting team shall wear darkjerseys and socks. Prior to and during thegame, jerseys shall be tucked into the shorts,unless manufactured to be worn outside."

The reasoning behind this change is to allowan additional year for member schools to bein compliance. This change will be reflectedin the 2011-12 NFHS Soccer Rules Book.

O A new report from the University ofLouisiana shows students who get more exer-cise during the school day do better on stan-dardized tests. A comparison of Fitnessgramand standardized test scores of 25,000Louisiana students from the 2009-10 schoolyear by The Cecil J. Picard Center for ChildDevelopment and Lifelong Learning at theUniversity of Louisiana found physically fitstudents scored better than their less-fit peerson the state tests. The Fitnessgram assess-ment checks students' body mass index, bodystrength, flexibility, and cardiovascularendurance. "We can say with confidence thatin Louisiana, our students' physical fitness isimpacting their academic performance," aPicard Center spokesperson said. "In short,the healthier and more physically fit a studentis, the more likely he or she is to performbetter on academic tests. The study alsofound that 53 percent of Louisiana studentshad an unhealthy body-mass index and 31percent were obese. Only 39 percent metminimum aerobic fitness levels. Source:Shreveport Times (9/2/2010)

O The number of children ages 8 to 19 whosuffered sports-related concussions has morethan doubled in the last decade. Researchersat the Hasbro Children's Hospital inProvidence, RI analyzed emergency roomrecords from ERs across the country from1997 through 2007 and found there were502,000 concussion-related visits. About halfof these were sports-related. Although highschool athletes suffer the most concussions,children from 8-13 years were involved in 40percent of reported cases. Approximately95,000 of all sports-related concussions werefrom football, basketball, soccer, and icehockey. Source: Pediatrics (8/30/10)

Court Finds Drug Testing Programthat Applies to Athletes Is EnoughA California state appeals court has affirmed a lowercourt's granting of a preliminary injunction in a casewhere a group of students and their parents success-fully challenged a school district's expansion of a ran-dom drug testing policy beyond just the district's stu-dent athletes. The Shasta Union High School Districtexpanded its random drug testing policy from cover-ing only student athletes to covering all students whoparticipated in competitive representational activities,such as band, choir, future farmers of America (FFA),and science bowl. Three students and their parentssuccessfully challenged the policy, obtaining a prelimi-nary injunction against implementation of the pro-gram, which tests for methamphetamine, chlorochro-mate, amphetamine, phencyclidine, cocaine, marijua-na, methadone, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opi-ates, oxycodone, nicotine, and alcohol. The schooldistrict, the superintendent, and members of the dis-trict's board of trustees appealed the trial court's rul-ing, arguing that the random drug testing programdoes not violate the right to privacy, the prohibitionagainst unreasonable search and seizures, or equalprotection under the California Constitution.

Upon review, the appeals court noted that "unlike thefederal Constitution, California's Constitution grantsan express right to privacy. Thus, we focus onCalifornia case law on the right to privacy rather thanfederal law on the Fourth Amendment. The plaintiffsput forth a showing sufficient to establish the thresh-old elements of a claim for invasion of the constitu-tional right to privacy. In balancing that invasionagainst the district's justification for the expandeddrug testing, the trial court could reasonably find thatthe plaintiffs were likely to prevail due to the district'svague and shifting justifications for expanding drugtesting to these participants in competitive representa-tional activities and the lack of any showing thatselecting only these students for testing was reason-able to further the district's goal of deterring drug andalcohol use. We affirm the preliminary injunction andlet the matter proceed to trial on the merits." (Source:Legal Issues in High School Athletics, July-August2010)

ERRATA:On pages 10 and 13 of the October 2010issue of the BULLETIN, NorthwestCatholic High School was incorrectlyreferred to as being in Manchester, CT.Northwest Catholic is located in WestHartford. Our apologies to the schooland its principal, Margaret Williamson.

ELIGIBILITY CENTERUPDATESO Tournament packets for all winter sportsare now available on the Online EligibilityCenter's "Downloads" tab. They are alsoavailable in the publicly-accessible portion ofthe site on the mainpage for each sport.

O Non-CIAC sports are now available asoptions to the general public when signing upfor e-mail notifications on changes. Thesemean schools that enter schedules for crew,girls ice hockey, bowling, etc. can direct theirparents to sign up for change notifications.

O A new "QuickEditor" feature has beenadded for entering uniform numbers, heights,weights, etc. to eligibility lists for display onrosters. You can access it under the optionsfor each sport.

O Regular season roster downloads of allschools' rosters in all sports will be madeavailable via both the Eligibility Center andCIACSports.com. Ever since schedules weremade available via the site, rosters have beenthe next most requested feature from schools,the media and the general public. A few addi-tional notes regarding roster downloads:

If a school has designated roster levels forathletes on a team then only those athletesmarked as "Varsity" will be shown on thepublic roster. If no levels have been desig-nated then all athletes will be shown.

Rosters will include uniform numbers,positions, heights and weights if they havebeen entered by the school. Entry of thatadditional information is optional, howeverit is recommended. If people can retrievethe information directly from the site theywill not need to contact you to request it.Also the info will be automatically carriedover when you are entering tournament ros-ters, so entering it up front will save youtime at that point.

We highly suggest that you look at the newQuickEditor option - it makes entering ofthe info much faster. We have also made aversion of the QuickEditor available for useby coaches using a coaches access code.That tool can be found on the "Rosters" tabat CIACSports.com.

Downloaded rosters will include the logowe have on file for the school. You can seethe logo we have on file for you under the"Edit General School Information" optionnear the top of the Eligibility Center. If youwish to have a different logo appear onyour rosters, send it to us and we willreplace it.


. . . more ciac news. . . more ciac news

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS PARTICIPATION INCREASESFOR 20TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Despite cutbacks in funding in many high schools acrossthe country, participation in high school sports has never been higher - increasingfor the 21st consecutive year and establishing records for both girls and boys participants. According to the 2009-10 High School Athletics ParticipationSurvey conducted by the NFHS, participation for the 2009-10 school year reached an all-time high of 7,628,377. The survey also showed that 55.1 percentof students enrolled in high schools participate in athletics - a negligible decreasefrom 55.2 percent last year.

Outdoor track and field gained the most combined participants in 2009-10, with an increase of 25,561 participants, followed by soccer with 19,597 combinedparticipants and cross country (11,925). In girls sports, soccer gained the mostparticipants (11,582), followed by outdoor track and field (11,445) and fast-pitchsoftball (9,290). Outdoor track and field led the way in boys sports with 14,116additional participants, followed by cross country (8,156) and soccer (8,015).

Texas remained the state with the most participants with a combined total of780,721. California was second with 771,465 participants, followed by New York(379,677), Illinois (344,257), Ohio (334,797), Pennsylvania (317,426), Michigan(313,818), New Jersey (253,097), Florida (247,428) and Minnesota (230,043).

Connecticut saw an overall increase in sports participation with 114,414participants in 2009-2010 compared to 112,883 in 2008-2009. However,a few of Connecticut’s most popular sports experienced marginal decreases inparticipation. Boys’ baseball dropped from 6,176 participants in 2008-2009 to6,124 in 2009-2010. Girls’ soccer and girls’ softball also saw dips in participa-tion levels. In 2008-2009, girls’ soccer drew 5,821 participants versus 5,813 in2009-2010. Softball attracted 4,610 girls in 2008-2009 in comparison with 4,456in 2009-2010.

NationwideSport # of Participants

1. Football (11-player) 1,109,2782. Outdoor Track 572,1233. Basketball 540,2074. Baseball 472,6445. Soccer 391,839

(Source: National Federation)

ConnecticutSport # of Participants

1. Football 10,7892. Outdoor Track 7,4313. Soccer 7,1184. Baseball 6,124 5. Indoor Track 5,245

5 MOST POPULAR BOYS’ SPORTS: 2009-2010

5 MOST POPULAR GIRLS’ SPORTS: 2009-2010

NationwideSport # of Participants

1. Outdoor Track 469,1772. Basketball 439,5503. Volleyball 403,9854. Softball (fast-pitch) 378,2115. Soccer 356,116

(Source: National Federation)

ConnecticutSport # of Participants

1. Outdoor Track 6,6902. Soccer 5,8133. Indoor Track 4,7854. Volleyball 4,457 5. Softball 4,456

LOOK OUT NEBRASKA, HERE WE COME!

By Karol Brzozowski, Administrative AssistantCIAC Unified Sports® Program

Nerves and excitement were abounding for threeConnecticut students from three different highschools who were given the chance of a lifetime -travel across the country to Nebraska to attend theYouth Activation Summit hosted by SpecialOlympics and Project Unify. At the same time thisconference was taking place, the Special OlympicsNational Games were also underway in Lincoln,Nebraska. These students arrived in Omaha just intime to join the huge welcome celebration at the uni-versity there and view the opening ceremonies on ajumbo screen.

The Connecticut representatives, of which I was one,learned much about social justice and attended sever-al youth-directed workshops. Ideas were shared;group sessions held; and a terrific role playing seg-ment was performed by the youth leaders on how toreach out to administrators and adults. We traveled toGallup International to discover our own strengthtraits, which enlightened many students and adults.This enabled us to view our strengths and learn howto apply them in everyday situations. By knowingour strength traits, we will be able to overcomeobstacles which could standin our way of makingthings happen.

As part of the Youth Activation Summit, we alsoattended the first commissioned play by SpecialOlympics Incorporated called "It's Our School Too," put on by local students. We then were lucky enoughto see SOCT teams play basketball and to attend a

continued on page 12

Left to right: Lizzie Wienick, April Perez, Special OlympicsCEO Tim Shriver, and Gabby Brzozowski


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. . . more ciac news. . . more ciac newsYAS, continued from page 11track & field event. One of the girls evenfound her friend who was competing intrack. We helped roll out the new flag foot-ball program with athletes - as well as afew celebrities - from many states. (InNebraska, football players ARE celebri-ties).

The ideas and possibilities that were taughtenabled our students to bring back new andexciting concepts to their schools. To date,two students have approached their princi-pals, athletic directors, school clubs andorganizations in their schools to start an"R" word campaign. They have made somesuggestions to change a few things in theirown schools’ Unified Sports programs.Another student has initiated discussionwith her athletic director and the coaches

from her middle school to start a team ather new high school.

The three Connecticut student-representa-tives will be presenting at the YouthActivation Leadership Summit that will beheld at Wesleyan in January. The opportu-nities that were given to the studentsthrough this conference will give them thechance to promote social justice and com-munity awareness in each of their hometowns. They hope to spread the work ofthis conference by rolling out the YAC(Youth Activation Committee) inConnecticut which will be holding its firstmeeting in November.

Pictured below are, left to right: AprilPerez, Vincent Egan, Lizzie Wienick, andGabby Brzozowski

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