By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
In response to the public outcries against the proposed selling of the Beecher Street property during a public hearing last month, the Southington Town Council created a bi-partisan “ad hoc” subcommittee to obtain additional information before making a final decision on the former home of the school system’s administrative offices.
The ad hoc Beecher Street Use Subcommittee will consist of four voting members: two sitting members from the Town Council—one from each party and two sitting members from the Planning and Zoning Commission—one from each party. They will recommend and analyze all issues of 49 Beecher St., including remediation, additions, demolition and sale of the property, according to a news release from Town Manager Garry Brumback.
“It became very clear after the September 9 meeting that there needs to be more bipartisan discretion on this,” said Council Chairman John Dobbins during Monday’s Town Council meeting.
During the meeting, the Democratic Party agreed on the establishment of the subcommittee, but expressed concerns with it. Minority Leader Chris Palmieri said his party knows a local resident who qualifies to serve on the subcommittee.
“They have a great sense of community down there, and we think it would be a valuable component of this committee to have a resident be a part of it, and that is not included here,” Palmieri said during the meeting.
Palmieri and his party also expressed their concern about serving as members on the subcommittee.
“I also communicated directly…that the three of us, on behalf of my caucus are not able to serve on this committee,” Palmieri said.
Dobbins agreed to add the resident as a member of the subcommittee, but disagreed with Palmieri’s second concern.
“I agree with you on the resident…I’ll make it an ex-officio as a nonvoting member, but this truly has to be a bipartisan board,” Dobbins said. “The criteria have always been a sitting council member.
Dobbins said the Town Council would determine who would serve as members of the subcommittee during a regular meeting later this month.

By Ed Harris
Editor
Citing safety concerns, the Board of Education has gone on record against the Bread for Life proposal to establish a new home next to Derynoski Elementary School.
“We do not support the proposal,” Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski said at last week’s school board meeting. “Our priority will always be the safety of students and the schools.”
Goralski said the school board supported Bread for Life’s efforts, but not this particular proposal.
The school board chairman said Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Michael DelSanto had emailed him asking for the board’s stance on the issue. Goralski told the school board that he would respond to DelSanto’s inquiry with details in the near future.
Bread for Life is a non-profit organization that helps provide food to the needy in town. The organization is seeking to utilize a 3,200 sq. foot building on 296 Main St., next to the school.
Parents have come out against the proposal, expressing safety concerns.
In a press release on its website, Bread for Life Executive Director Eldon Hafford said the organization was open to hearing people’s concerns.
“We have a tremendous relationship with the Southington School System, including recently launching the successful breakfast program,” Hafford said in the press release. “We know this relationship will grow in the future and have begun to talk about ways to deepen the bond.”
Residents will have an opportunity to voice their views on the Bread for Life proposal at a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on October 15.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Southington High School will soon induct four local individuals from different walks of life into its Wall of Honor.
Two of the honorees are Rosemary and James Champagne, who remain active in local community service projects including Relay for Life.
When the Champagnes found out that the Wall of Honor chose them this year, the honorees said they felt surprised and honored at the same time.
“Once we learned more about the wall, we were more proud to be a part of it,” Jim said. “I am extremely honored,” Rosemary said.
As organizers of Relay for Life, the Champagnes said the event is always “close” to their hearts. Rosemary said she has been a cancer survivor for over 20 years, and she finds joy in bringing the community together during the event.
“My goal was to teach people that you can live with cancer,” she said.
Rosemary also recalls that as a student, she had no idea how she would make a positive impact on the community in the future.
“When you are in school, you never know what you will accomplish as an adult,” she said.
Other honorees include Christopher Jones, a biomedical research chemist and Karl Pytlik, an environmental activist who works in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The Champagnes have had a huge impact on this community, especially in helping organize our enormously successful Relay for Life every year,” said Bob Brown, the Wall of Honor chairman at the high school. “Both Chris and Karl have an impact that goes far beyond our community.”
He also said the ceremony marks a special moment for the town that reminds students how they can make a difference in the future.
“Many significant and well-known townspeople have been put on our wall, from veterans to famous people to professors to inventors to scientists,” he said. “Often they do not see the future in what they do, but this shows them bright, positive possibilities,” he said.
The ceremony will take place Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. in front of the high school auditorium.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
The Southington Education Foundation welcomes the public to its fifth annual Fan of the Foundation Gala on Friday, Oct. 25.
With a theme of “Tailgate at the Turf,” the event gives attendees an opportunity to dress in their favorite sports gear and apparel while eating tailgate-style appetizers and entrees. The gala will also feature the new STEM University Lounge, a dorm-style reclining area that has a pinball game and a professional photographer to take photos of all attendees.
“It is a fun, informal evening,” said SEF Chair Dawn Miceli. “Every year we have some different things going on.”
Besides the new STEM University Lounge, the event will feature live entertainment from local DJ Butch Gray along with open bar and silent auctions. Miceli said the auction items are “unique,” and include student artwork, principal and gym teacher for the day opportunities, Graduation 2013 seating and more.
Tickets cost $75 each, and all proceeds will benefit the Southington public schools. Currently, the SEF has warded nearly $100,000 to local classroom initiatives that increase educational opportunities. The SEF has also started a new initiative with its long-term commitment to advancing STEM education within the entire school district.
Miceli said the community’s presence at the gala will play a role in these new classroom initiatives.
“The education budget can only do so much,” she said. “Our teachers want innovative programming for the students.”
Superintendent Dr. Joseph Erardi said he feels appreciative of the work that SEF puts into the entire school, and hopes to see members of the community attend the event.
“I am hoping the community recognizes just how hard this group works,” Erardi said. “I look forward to being there.”
Anyone interested in buying tickets or sponsoring the event can contact Dawn Miceli at (860) 681-8006.

File photo
The Southington Education Foundation gala mixes fundraising with tailgating.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Town employees and members of the Board of Education, along with UConn Professor Thomas Worthley, put on their boots and hard hats to take part in a timber harvest at Crescent Lake last week.
Prof. Worthley from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources cut down at least five ash trees as part of the town’s ongoing forestry maintenance project, and milled logs into lumber for Southington High School’s vocational agriculture (vo-ag) and technical education departments.
About a dozen students from the vo-ag department spent the morning hours learning the basics of felling trees and safety issues from Professor Worthley. Pat O’Keefe, a teacher of the Carl M. Vocational Agriculture Center, said he hopes to apply what he learned from Professor Worthley to the classroom.
“What we are learning today—we can bring to students in the classroom,” O’Keefe said. “Students will benefit from this project, and hopefully we can return some lumber to the town.”
Juniors Kelly Toomey, of Southington, and Donald Pringle, of Waterbury, who are students in the vo-ag program, observed the demonstration at Crescent Lake. The students said it was a great opportunity to enhance what they have learned in class.
“It was eye-opening—I did not realize how much work was put into milling,” Pringle said. “I did not know there was so much lumber equipment involved,” Toomey said.
Town Councilor Dawn Miceli also learned from the milling process. Calling the project “experiential learning” that will serve as a real-life application for vo-ag students, Miceli said the project is a win-win for students and the town as a whole.
“It is a sharing of resources between the town and the Board of Education,” Miceli said. “We are providing lumber that taxpayers do not have to pay for the school.”
Miceli and Professor Worthley also said this is just a small project within a larger project for the town that would involve a commercial operation at Crescent Lake, which has withered trees from previous storms as well as other plants that pose environmental threats including the Japanese Barberry that attracts ticks, which carry Lyme disease.

By Tammi Naudus
UConn Professor Thomas Worthley shows students how to use a machine to mill a felled tree.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
After accepting an offer from Southington school officials, Bread for Life has asked the Planning and Zoning Commission for a 60-day continuance for its application to build a new facility across from Derynoski Elementary School, according to a press release.
Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski announced during last week’s meeting that Superintendent Dr. Joseph Erardi, along with school administrators, will help Bread for Life find another location for its facility.
“We are excited as a board to collaborate,” Goralski said during the meeting. “I am confident that with the parents’ support and the community’s support, we could find a way to make this work best for the people that need it the safest possible way for our schools.”
Although it was unclear how often Bread for Life will meet with school officials, Southington School Supt. Dr. Joseph Erardi said in an e-mail that the scheduled meetings may depend on “how quickly we propose an alternate site.”
Erardi also said he decided to help Bread for Life because it plays an important role in the community.
“I hold the organization in a very special place,” he said. “They do an extraordinary work for so many.”
Bread for Life, a non profit organization that provides hot meals to people in need five days a week, has proposed to bring its property to 296 Main Street. The 3,200 sq. foot building would meet Southington’s growing demand of its residents, according to a press release on Bread for Life’s website. During a Planning and Zoning mission several weeks ago, parents of students at Derynoski rejected Bread for Life’s application, expressing concern for their children’s safety.
Eldon Hafford, the executive director of Bread for Life, refused to comment on the collaboration with school officials, but Bill McDougall, the chairman, said in a press release that his organization looks forward to working as team with school officials to “explore other possibilities.”
“Our mission at Bread for Life is to feed the hungry in Southington and for 30 years we have fulfilled that mission with a collaborative spirit,” McDougall said in the release. “We have looked for a suitable property for a decade and hope the focus of town officials will be helpful.”

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Democratic and Republican school board candidates tackled key issues on student growth, the new teacher evaluation system and budget cuts at a recent Board of Education debate.
The debate was hosted by the Southington Education Association.
With the implementation of the new teacher and administration evaluation systems in the state, candidates discussed how they would work to make the systems more effective.  Linking student achievement to how teachers perform on the assessments, the unfunded mandate from the state requires at least several evaluations per year. Candidates agreed that more evaluations per year are unrealistic, but explained how they would work through the challenge.
“I would support an evaluation system which measures growth through the year—as series of tests, which would measure a child’s growth as the year progressed,” said Democratic candidate William Lutz, who served on the executive board for the Southington Education Foundation for four years. “The evaluations of teachers and administrators must be based on real data, not just one time.”
Republican incumbent Colleen Clark, who serves on the school board’s Policy and Personnel Committee, said the unfunded mandate adds more stress on teachers and administrators, but provides them an opportunity to work together.
“The administrator who is doing the observation can collaborate more with the teachers, and perhaps be more of a resource than they presently are because they will have to sit down and have a conversation,” Clark said.
Candidates also discussed how they would change the schools to make them 21st century schools, despite the fact that the Southington school district has scored 144 out of 169 schools statewide for student spending.
Incumbent Republican candidates Brian Goralski and Jill Notar-Francesco said despite that number, the school district has done its best to achieve student success.
“We manage our dollars very wisely—we have offered more AP and Honors courses for students at Southington High School, and full-day kindergarten,” said Notar-Francesco, who serves as chairperson on the Finance Committee. “We communicate with the boards at a level that never happened before,” said Goralski, who is the current chair of the school board. “Our students end up where they want to be because our community works together.”
Democratic incumbent Zaya Oshana agreed, emphasizing that the district should focus on preparing students who plan to attend college and other students who plan to join the workforce after high school.
“We must focus on the entire student population,” said Oshana, who serves on the Finance Committee as well as the Policy and Personnel Committee. “We need to get students prepared for that global marketplace—it is not just for those students that are graduating at the top of their class.”
Lutz added that the district should use its money to integrate foreign languages into the curriculum at the elementary level in order to prepare students for the 21st century.
“We need languages in the elementary schools,” Lutz said. “We need to get Italian, German, French, Russian, Chinese—we need to start that process and we need to start it now.”
Besides discussing these challenges, candidates also tackled a question that emerges every year during budget time addressing which items board members should leave untouched, and which items they should cut. Candidates agreed that cutting items on the budget is challenging, but emphasized that school safety, small class sizes, technology, classroom resources like textbooks, music and art serve as essential items on the budget that should always be included.
Both Democratic incumbent Patricia Johnson and Clark said the budget should also include capital improvement projects.
“We need to maintain the buildings,” said Johnson, who has served on the board for 20 years. “As unglamorous as they may be, they are also important because if we do not have a building, where are you going to teach,” Clark said.
Republican incumbent Terry Lombardi said she would like to see additional funding, including grants with the Southington Education Foundation as well as from leveraging shared services with the town departments.
“I would like to look at alternate funding to implement and add to our budget,” Lombardi said.
Other candidates running for Board of Education include Republican incumbents Terri Carmody and Patricia Queen, along with Democratic incumbent David Derynoski, who could not attend the debate due to a death in the family, and Jerry Belanger, a former board member who served from 2003 to 2007. A new candidate running for the board is Democrat Gail Doerfler, who worked as a full-time teacher in the district.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Students throughout the Southington school district expressed their patriotism and appreciation for military men and women through Veterans Day celebrations, welcoming family members and friends who have served in the past and present.
During a ceremony at Derynoski Elementary School, fifth graders took the stage to honor veterans through a musical ensemble, playing patriotic songs on the flute, clarinet and other instruments. Students also presented a brief history of Veterans Day as well as the history of the five branches of service, including the Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines.
Keith Tomlinson, a fifth grade teacher at Derynoski, said the celebration serves as a way to make children aware of the meaning of Veterans Day.
“It is not just about someone who fights in a war—it is about anyone who serves his or her country,” Tomlinson said.
During the ceremony, select students walked up the stage holding hands with a veteran they knew personally, presenting a small American flag to show their appreciation. Over a dozen veterans filled the stage of the auditorium as each name was called. Students also displayed boxes of donations for the Rocky Hill Veteran’s Home, filled with toiletries and other basic necessities.
“It is a meaningful day,” said Wayne White, a Vietnam era veteran who attended the celebration. “We are happy to do what we do.”
After the ceremony, the fifth graders continued their program with a reading and performance of “The White Table” for their guests, each playing a different role. “The White Table,” written by Margot Theis Raven, centers on a mother who explains to her children the meaning of each item placed on a white table, which symbolizes service members who went missing or died in the line of duty. Displaying a table in the center of the classroom, select fifth graders took turns setting the table with a white cloth, an empty chair, an inverted wine glass and a lemon slice with grains of salt on a plate.
Maryann Castrilli, a fifth grade teacher, said it was an honor for her to see the students learn about the true meaning of Veteran’s Day through the performance.
“They are learning appreciation for a world outside their own, and a sense of citizenship,” Castrilli said.
Students at Kelley Elementary School also performed a ceremony of “The White Table” during their Veterans Day celebration. As they filled the cafeteria wearing red white and blue outfits, the fourth grade chorus also sang patriotic songs, including “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “God Bless America.” Each student then presented a flag and certificate to a family member or friend who served in the military as names of veterans were called.
Fourth grader Trent Campbell played a part in the White Table ceremony and also honored his grandfather Charles Hilton who served in the Air Force, traveling all over the world.
Hilton, who served as a second lieutenant, said he felt appreciated throughout the program.
“It means a lot to be honored by the community,” said Hilton, who traveled to Japan, Korea and Alaska while serving in the Air Force.
The meaning of the program also resonated with faculty members. Music teacher Julia Thomas, who has served in the National Guard for nine years, returned home from a mission trip in Afghanistan this past June. Leading the fourth grade chorus, Thomas said she felt thrilled that her students expressed their appreciation for veterans through songs.
For Principal Marilyn Kahl, the ceremony hit home for her. Both her husband and father served in the Navy, and Principal Kahl also honored her uncle, a veteran, during the program.
“I grew up understanding the importance of veterans,” Kahl said. “Honoring them must be instilled in children at a young age.”

All photos by Tammi Naudus

By Ed Harris
Editor
The Southington High School robotics team will have a new practice space thanks to Mohawk Northeast.
The engineering company, based in Plantsville, recently stepped forward to provide the team a place to practice after it lost its former space at Saucier Mechanical, an issue that the team had an agreement on and knew was coming ahead of time. The team still has six classrooms, a shop and meeting space donated through Saucier.
“We’re really excited to sponsor the kids,” said Joe Ortowski, public relations administer for Mohawk. “The Southington team is very successful. There are a lot of bright minds there.”
The Cyber Knights team is now in its 17th year and currently consists of 65 students. The team is supported by more than a dozen mentors that donate their time to help teach the students.
Over the years, the team has traveled the country, winning titles and creating a legacy of success. Last year, the team made a return trip to the world championships, held in Missouri. In 2006 the team finished second in the global competition.
In March, the team will host its first FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition. The competition will feature 40 teams from Connecticut and other New England states.
Mohawk is donating a 4,000 sq. foot area for the team to practice. The practice field is an important component of the team’s success, said Sandra Brino, a Cyber Knight mentor.
“The practice facility is critical to our on field success,” Brino said. “It allows the programmers to test the programming on an exact replica of the scoring mechanisms on the real FIRST field.  In addition, it allows our drive team practice using the robot functions.”
The Cyber Knights will also invite other Connecticut teams to come join in scrimmages, Brino said.
Each season, the team is tasked with creating a robot that can complete a specific objective. The team has six weeks to create the robots.
Brino said this year’s objective will be released on January 4. Last year, the robots were required to throw Frisbees into scoring slots. The year prior, the robots had to play basketball.
In the meantime, the Cyber Knights are working on smaller VEX robots to help teach the basics of robotics to newer team members.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Besides participating in a Veteran’s Day celebration last week, students at Kelley Elementary School worked together to create a candy care package for three local platoons serving in Afghanistan.
With the help and support of faculty and staff, students Colton and Analeigh Thorpe spread the word about their uncle’s deployment overseas to collect boxes of leftover Halloween candy as a surprise through morning announcements and memos.
Colton, a third grader, along with his sister Analeigh, a first grader, said they wanted to show their uncle and 120 other servicemen appreciation for their duty.
“People in the army do not get Halloween or candy,” they said.
Between November 1 and November 8, students piled at least several boxes with sweet treats. Jillian Thorpe, Colton and Analeigh’s mother, helped her children organize the project, delivering the care packages once the drive finished.
“I like to give kids moments where we can celebrate the good things we do,” Jillian said. “It is amazing how everyone pulls together and supports one another.”
Jillian’s brother, Thurman Musshorn, also known as “Uncle TJ,” serves as a specialist for the 344th Military Police Company. She said TJ left for Afghanistan this past April, and is expected to return next February.
“I was just amazed,” said Principal Marilyn Kahl, who watched the progress of the ever-growing boxes of candy.  “It has been a huge success. I am so proud of how our students are helping our troops.”
Other youngsters throughout the school district also participated in “The Halloween Candy Buy Back” drive, held by The Southington Dental Associates (SDA). SDA bought each pound of candy for $1, and all the sweet treats will be donated to the American Legion of Southington and Kiltonic Post 72 to be forwarded to the troops. From November 1 to November 7, SDA collected up to 100 pounds of candy.
Sue Lockery, the practice manager of SDA, said children from town donated their candy with smiles on their faces, and one family even donated 14 pounds of candy. Some families participated in the cause without even accepting the money.
“We loved doing it,” Lockery said. “It is worthwhile.”

By Lisa Capobianco
Colton and Analeigh Thorpe started a candy drive for their uncle serving overseas in the military.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Southington parents expressed their concern to the Board of Education last week about a survey administered by the Southington Town-Wide Effort to Promote Success (STEPS) to middle school and high school students.
Three parents confronted the board about the content of the survey, disappointed that they did not have the opportunity to voice their opinions before their children answered the questions. Over the past three years, STEPS has given seventh, ninth and eleventh graders the survey, which covers topics including suicide, violence, eating disorders, sexual orientation, drugs and sexual activity.
“How do these topics pertain to our school curriculum,” questioned Julie Oreilly, a concerned mother. “My concern is with the way some of the questions were framed. They are almost blue-print-like.”
Oreilly also said she wished that the school district required parents to give permission before her daughter took the survey, wanting more information about the content of it.
Jeanne Segrue, the parent of a seventh grader, agreed. Calling the survey offensive, Segrue said parents should make the final decision on whether or not their children should take the survey.
“I do not want my children exposed to this age-inappropriate content,” Segrue said. “Next time let us as parents see the entire survey, and decide for ourselves when our children are ready for it.”
Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski addressed parents’ concern about the survey, promising to improve communication next time students take the survey.
“Our board’s responsibility is to communicate,” Goralski said during the Board of Education meeting. “Perhaps in this case we may not have communicated to the best of our ability.”
In regards to the content of the survey, which has also been administered to 48 different communities in Connecticut, Goralski said children learn about those topics on prime-time television on a daily basis, and such topics start affecting students in middle school.
“The statistics we have gathered over the years through STEPS do show that those areas are a grave concern starting in the middle school ages,” Goralski said.
Southington school superintendant, Dr. Joseph Erardi, also addressed families, promising to give parents a voice before students take the survey next time.
“It makes sense to offer every parent in grade seven the opportunity the month before at a PTO meeting…to have a conversation around the survey,” Dr. Erardi said. “This is the first time we had parents come to us in the past three years in regards to the survey. Our protocol has been the same: the school board looked at the survey in 2009-2010 and endorsed it.”
Sue Saucier, the director of Youth Services, assured parents during the meeting that no research shows any correlation between reading a question on the survey and performing a self-destructive behavior mentioned in the question.
“Just reading a question is not necessarily going to make a student try any of that,” Saucier said.
STEPS Coordinator Kelly Leppard said parents will receive more information about the survey, giving them the opportunity to express any concerns and to ask questions. In additions, STEPS plans to release the results of the survey next March during its annual Community Forum event.
“It is good that parents brought the survey to our attention,” Leppard said. “The more parents know about these issues, the more successful we will be in making a difference in the community.”

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
For Southington parent Prajakta Dravid, preparing her four-year-old child for kindergarten is on her top priority list. She sends Atharva to preschool five days a week, receiving daily assessments of his language skills among other skills he must start developing before kindergarten.
Although early childhood educators play a role in her son’s academic development, Dravid said she makes an effort every day to prepare Atharva for kindergarten by becoming more involved. From making a grocery list with Atharva to counting grapes with him to talking with him about what he learned on a daily basis, Dravid has incorporated small activities into her daily routine to help foster Atharva’s problem-solving and literacy skills.
Dravid said she has done this with the help of attending the workshops provided by The Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington (ECCS), a group of concerned educators, parents, teachers and early childcare providers who work together to ensure that all Southington children are ready to learn once they enter school.
“I definitely feel a lot less stressed about sending him to Kindergarten,” Dravid said. “I learned how to be more involved in activities, to get him thinking a lot more.”
Last week, Dravid attended another workshop, hosted by ECCS called, “Southington’s Report Card: How Are Our Families Doing.” ECCS recently completed several months of research which discovered a variety of challenges that families in town face. The group gathered information through surveys, interviews, data reports and focus groups since 2005. ECCS is currently writing a Community Plan to ensure that families can overcome these problems in order to provide the best possible future for their children. A grant from The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund and The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain made the plan possible.
Jim Williamson, the president of the foundation, said fostering high-quality, early childhood education serves as the foundation’s number one priority.
“It is about helping communities get stronger, and particularly it is helping you, your friends and your neighbors prepare your child for success,” Williamson addressed to the community during the event.
Michelle Slimak, the co-chair of ECCS, said during her presentation that children who do not receive a high-quality, early childhood education have a higher risk of dropping out of school, becoming a teen parent, getting arrested for a violent crime, being placed in special education and never attending college.
“Research shows that the achievement gap appears long before children reach kindergarten,” said Slimak, who is a parent herself. “In fact, it can appear as early as nine months old.”
The research findings interested parents like Dravid. According to ECCS, 83.2 percent of entering kindergarten students had at least one year of preschool experience between 2003 and 2004. However, this rate decreased to 77.9 percent between 2009 and 2010.
ECCS also found that since July 2012, 1,639 Southington children under age 19 were enrolled in HUSKY A health program, and during the 2012-2013 school year, 334 students received a free or reduced lunch, compared to 461 students for the current school year.
“Southington families have less money now than they did in the past,” Slimak said during the presentation. “More people are qualifying for HUSKY, more people are qualifying for free/reduced lunch.”
According to ECCS, low birth weight also serves a problem that Southington families face. Slimak said that the number of babies who weigh less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces has increased in Southington. From 2007 to 2009, an average 8.3 percent of babies born each year had a low birth weight, compared to 7.2 percent from 1999 to 2001. Slimak said babies born with a low birth weigh have a “greater risk for cognitive problems.”
Another finding that struck ECCS dealt with the kindergarten entrance inventory scores. An assessment that examines what children learned before they entered school, the kindergarten inventory takes place each fall, and measures six different areas: creative, personal, physical, language, literacy, and numeracy. Kindergarten teachers score each student on a scale of one to three for each area depending on how consistent he or she demonstrates those skills.
According to ECCS, less than 9 percent of kindergarten students in Southington scored in the first highest quartile. Meanwhile, 18.79 percent of students scored in the second highest quartile and 51 percent of students scored in the third highest quartile.
“Southington is doing better in language, and literacy is also doing better,” Slimak said.
“Southington is not doing well in numeracy at all.”
After the presentation, parents and other members of the community broke up into groups, sharing ideas to help turn early academic success into a reality. Some ideas included making videos for parents on school readiness and potty training, and even offering cooking classes for parents so they can learn how to make healthy meals for their children. Toward the end of the month, the groups will meet again to pull their ideas together, developing strategies on how to implement their ideas in the near future.
Strategies that members of ECCS presented to the community included establishing outreach teams to communicate the importance of early childhood education, engaging community groups and business organizations through Pre-K scholarships, advertising, materials, and sponsorships, as well as offering information to families about kindergarten expectations, and developing support for preschool programs.
“People are not aware of what kindergarten is,” Slimak said. “Now it consists of academic work.”

By Ed Harris
Editor
Southington has received more grant money from the state to better safeguard the schools.
Governor Dannel P. Malloy recently announced that an additional 75 school districts, covering 435 schools, will receive funds as part of the School Security Grant Program, part of the Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety Act.
An additional $16 million in state funding will be used to reimburse municipalities for a portion of the costs associated security infrastructure improvements made in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
The first round of grants went out in September.
“This allows us to continue to get resources out to the cities and towns that have begun work to modernize their security infrastructure and ramp up safety procedures at school buildings in the wake of the horrific events on December 14,” said Gov. Malloy, in a release.  “We will never be able to prevent every random act of violence, but we can take the steps necessary to make sure that our children and our teachers are as safe as possible.  This funding allows an additional 435 schools to implement modern security measures that will make schools safer.”
Southington received $3,459 from the state in the first round of grants. The grant money is planned to be used to implement security measures at ALTA, including a walkie-talkie system that will allow the director to speak directly with Southington School Supt. Dr. Joseph Erardi in the case of an emergency.
In the second round of grants, Southington will receive $90,183. This money will be used to fund security measures at the remaining schools.
“I am pleased with the second round of grant funding as our district will receive $90,000 reimbursement from our original expenditure of $160,000,” Dr. Erardi said. “I applaud the governor for his commitment to school safety.”
While he did not go into specifics, Erardi said the school’s safety plan embraces “buying time” in the case of a crisis.
“We have put measures in place in all of our schools that will allow us to appropriately respond to a crisis, and to do so, in partnership with local safety officials,” Erardi said. “I am proud of the work that the school board did to bring us to this point.”
With the additional round of grants, a total of $21 million has now been allocated to the school security grant program.  Governor Malloy was able to secure an additional $6 million in state bond funds to enable all schools that applied in round one to be funded.  This brings the total school districts funded in round one to 111, covering 604 schools.  In September, Governor Malloy announced that $5 million in state funding would support school security projects at 169 schools.
The awards, administered by the Department of Emergency Services (DESPP) and Public Protection in consultation with the Department of Education (SDE) and the Department of Construction Services (DCS), were based on a school security assessment survey conducted by each local school district that applied. Each municipality will be reimbursed between 20 and 80 percent taken into account factors such as municipality’s grand list and overall number of need based students, as defined in subdivision (26) of section 10-262f of the Connecticut General Statutes.
The grant money can only be spent on infrastructure expenditures, including, but not limited to, the installation of surveillance cameras, bullet proof glass, electric locks, buzzer and card entry systems, and panic alarms.
The governor’s office expects another round of funding in the near future.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Since the seventh grade, Southington resident John Mastroianni knew he wanted to become a professional musician and a music teacher. By time he reached high school, Mastroianni never doubted he wanted to have an impact on students similar to the way his own music teachers influenced him.
“I never wanted to do anything else,” Mastroianni said.
Today he has become an acclaimed composer, saxophonist, and arranger, as well as the director of bands at William Hall High School in West Hartford.
An educator for 32 years, Mastroianni recently receiv-ed the title of Conn-ecticut’s 2014 Teacher of the Year.
“I was really in shock,” said Mastroianni, who performs with his own quartet and leads his own 16-piece jazz orchestra. “This is the most significant achievement—it is humbling.”
Chosen among four finalists, Mastroianni underwent a rigorous selection process, including on-site visits, observations, interviews and candidate applications, all conducted by a statewide council of former Teachers of the Year and representatives from education organizations, businesses, and the community, according to a press release from the Connecticut State Department of Education.
“It is an honor to recognize an educator as distinguished and talented as John Mastroianni,” said Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor in the release. “Mr. Mastroianni identifies and fosters the artistry in every young person and, in so doing, inspires life-long learning in our students.”
Mastroianni also works as an adjunct jazz faculty member at the University of Connecticut, and started a summer jazz workshop for young artists.
He has also taught at New York University, the University of Bridgeport, Albertus Magnus College and New Canaan High School. In 2004, Mastroianni received the title of the Secondary School Teacher of the Year from the Conne-cticut Music Educators Asso-ciation, according to the release.
Haig Shahverdian, a former supervisor of Fine and Performing Arts for the West Hartford schools, has known Mastroianni for years, co-producing the high school’s annual production of “Pops ‘n Jazz.” Calling his colleague a compassionate individual, Shahverdian said working with Mastroianni is an honor.
“John is the most humbling person you could ever know,” Shahverdian said. “He goes out of his way to be helpful and caring.”
The band director said he not only enjoys making music, but he also takes pleasure in inspiring young artists in the classroom, developing a close relationship with his students.
“You have such a profound affect on the kids you work with everyday,” said Mastroianni, who also taught at the New York State Summer School for the Arts and Bridgeport Central High School. “That is such an amazing thing—I have always wanted to give back.”
As Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year, Mastroianni said he will have the opportunity to meet with President Barack Obama and the U.S. Secretary of Education in the spring. He also becomes Connecticut’s representative for National Teacher of the Year, whom President Obama will select next March.

DePaolo Middle School has announced its honor roll for the first marking period.

Grade 6, First Honors: Elizabeth Abrahamson, Abigail Abram, Emma Angelillo, Ryan Asido, Jordan Beaudoin, Patrick Bennett, Kelly Bergland, Julliette Bicknell, Emily Biscoglio, Matthew Biscoglio, Jordan Bishman, Samuel Bouchard, Joshua Brilla, Gabrielle Cantoni, Trinity Cardillo, Eric Carrier, Francesca Casale, Alexa Chaltas, Christopher Chaplinsky, Amy Chudy, Jonathan Cocchiola, Joshua Cofrancesco, Mark Colaccino, Rielley Coles, James Cratty, Ashlyn Curtis, Sydney Cusson, Ryan Daddona, Katherine D’Agostino, Kimberly Delfino, Steven DellaFera, Jacob DelMonte, Evan DeSandre, Kelsie Downey, Austin Doyle, Faith Drachenberg, Katherine Drechsler, Cassandra Dubitsky, Robert Fantoli, Delaney Farr, Bianca Ferreri, Connor Fishbein, Bryce Fournier, Hunter Fox, Jacob Gius, Victoria Godlewski, Kristen Gorham, Kathryn Hardy, Brianna Harris, Tyler Heidgerd, Madison Hepp, Timothy Hughes, Madison Hulten, Alexis Izzo, Mekenzie Joseph, Amanda Kaczor, Dinah Kavanah, Jordan Knibbs, Avery Korp, Anthony Kosienski, Richard Krampitz, Marek Kryzanski, Carlie Kubisek, Kathryn Kubisek, Jolene Lacasse, Heather Landino, Brett Langland, Johanna Lasbury, Matthew Lee, Isabella Maindon, Nicholas Makles, Noon Mamoon, Rachel Martins, Sarah McAuliffe, Andrew McGinnis, Lili McKinstry, Olivia McPherson, Dylan McVicker, Ashley Meade, Jack Meade, Sarah Meade, Evelyn Micacci, Megan Mikosz, Natalie Millerick, Samuel Miranda, Marlee Mirisola, Zachary Mitchell, Isabell Myrick, Ifrat Nabo, Dylan Napoletano, Jake Neuman, Audrey Norton, Rebecca Nunn, Erik Olson, Emma Panarella, Andrew Paradis, Natalie Pare’, Ryan Parent, Era Pasha, Matthew Penna, Anthony Penta, Maximilian Peruta, Noah Pierce, Connor Pringle, Katelyn Przybylski, Jillian Rappi, Jack Reilly, Lauryn Reinhardt, Ethan Rembish, Lucca Riccio, Caleb Richert, Kalani Rodriguez, Nebeeka Saha, Lily Scalise, Francesca Scavone, Manal Sheikh, John Simard, Westen Soule, Tyler Spinelli, Mikaela Spooner, Rachel Strillacci, Autumn Swain, Chase Swain, Emily Swanson, Caitlin Taylor, Megan Tedeschi, Jason Teixeira, Anjali Thakkar, Anh Tran, Alison Turner, William Wadolowski, Jordan Wagner, Alyssa Watrous, Matthew Weir, Gianna Young, Daniel Yu

Grade 6, Second Honors: Emily Abrahamson, Dante Accetura, Betul Agirman, Mackenzie Alvarado, Alberto Ayuso, Jacob Barry, Joel Beach, Bryson Bernier, Bailey Bonito, Victoria Borghese, Jonathan Breski, Nicholas Breutzmann, Karlie Briscall, Garrett Brown, Mackenzie Brown, Julia Bruno, Katherine Brush, Kyle Buchanan, EmmaLeigh Bujak, Jeremy Capobianco, Mackenzie Carrera, Emma Castellano, Mario Castorino, Jaden Cayer, Frank Cerra, Nathan Chamberland, Alyssa Cohen, Taylor Cox, Kaitlyn DeLorenzo, Richard Delvecchia, Madison Derynioski, Sabrina Dibble, Shane DiPietro-Bean, Gary Donahue, Anthony Donato, Morgan Duling, Daneliza Espinosa, Arthur Fleischmann, Owen Folcik, Jack Francis, Matthew Frechette, Jesse Freeman, Sydney Garrison, Elias Gates, Brando Gaudio, , Emily Goulet, Austin Greenslate, Glenn Halliday, Abbey Halloran, Justin Ierardi, Devin Ireland, Riley Irwin, Julia Kolesnik, Daniel Kuziora, Quentin Leahy, Edmond Lumani, Kayla Markette, Jenna Massi, Nicholas Mastroianni, Connor McAteer, Kevin McIntyre, Jared Meadows, Skylar Michaud, Erika Miller, Katelyn Montefalco, Brianna Morales, Jeanes Nguyen, Nathan Olchanowski, Jordan Palmisano, Bonnie Partiss, Vanshitaben Patel, Dustin Patterson, LeeAnn Pilbro, Jacqueline Rogus, Caleb Rollins, Isabella Rosario, Alexandra Schloesser, Jewell Stanwix, Madison Teeples, Brandon Thai, James Theriault, Evan Toce, Martyna Tomczyk, Nathan Tufts, Madalin Verderame-Malachowski, , Shawn Weed, Alexcya Wight-Jefferis, Jacob Wroblewski, Amanda Ziegler

Grade 7, First Honors, , Natalia Adamczyk, Praise Adekola, Tyler Bade, Joshua Badgley, Matthew Joe Balaoing, Jake Beaupre, Kaitlyn Bertola, Joseph Bethencourt, Abhiram Bhamidipati, Owen Bouchard, Sydney Bradshaw, Chiara Burgio, Daniel Butlien, Robert Cantillon, Valente Castillo, Caitlin Cochran, Mikayla Costello, Sarah Csuka, Jenna Curley, William Downes, Kelly Doyle, Jennifer Duncan, Isabella Feest, Logan Fischer, Justin Fontano, Tyler Garry, Mitchell Geary, Chantelle Gimenez, Michael Goralski, Megan Graff, Kate Gray, Jessica Griffin, Maxwell Heath, Lily Heidgerd, Benjamin Hoffman, Russell Hotchkiss, Michaela Hughes, Adam Hunter, Timothy Jagos, Katherine Jez, Brendan Kavanagh, Erica Klem, Jason Krar, Karolina Kurzatkowska, , , , Cade LaChance, Haley Larrabee, Noah Lee, Molly MacAllister, Phillip Mallett, Nathan McDevitt, Brandon McKnerney, Craig McPherson, Lillyanna Miceli, Julia Michnowicz, Ryan Mikosz, Justin Miranda, Ryan Monte, Hailey Morelli, Sabrina Morelli, Cameron O’Hara, Kate Olsen, Benjamin Palladino, Hieu Phan, Rocco Possidento, Olivia Potter, Lidia Prusak, Samantha Przybylski, Elaina Rivers, Sandra Robel, Jacob Romano, Kyra Rosenberg, Charlene Roy, Anthony Sagnella, Ethan Salsbury, Jeremiah Segrue, Julia Semmel, Olivia Sherwood, Alina Shkuryna, Jake Siedel, Nicholas Stevens, Luke Tedeschi, Matthew Thompson, Alijah Vega, Natalie Verderame, Gabriella Verderame-Malachowski, Timothy Walsh, Jillian Watson, Olivia White, Diane Williams, Emma Wojcicki

Grade 7,  Second Honors: Julianna Alvani, Sarah Anderson, Zachary Badgley, Yousef Badr, Samantha Baleshiski, Emily Blaszko, Nathan Borkowski, Kyra Brayall, Jillian Bryan, Samantha Bucci, Colin Burdette, Samantha Callaghan, Sarah Callaghan, Victoria Callahan, Steven Cavallo, Zachary Christensen, Joseph Colaccino, Isabelle Crowley, Carmen-Anne Cyr, Vanessa Cyr, Zachary Day, John DeGumbia, Shane Domian, Jacob Drechsler, Gabrielle Fiora, Emily Gagnon-Vile, Nico Gaudio, Ryan Gavronski, Derek Gendreau, Anita Ghodsi, Jacob Gravel, Derek Guida, Calvin Gumprecht, Taylor Hamlin, Isabella Hancock, Matthew Howard, Brett Hunter, Ian Keroack, Andrew Krasuski, Lauren Laius , Gianina Lambert, Abigail Lamson, Charles Lansdale, Anna Laone, Aundray Latiff, Emma Lockwood, Nicholas Mangene, Brendan McCarthy, Logan McInnis, Jake Miceli, Julia Mindek, Gabriella Mondo, Giulianna Montana, Caitlin Mulligan, Hayden Nadeau, Caroline Natelli, Joshua Nocera, Ivan Taras Panchyshyn, Isabella Paulus, Anthony Rio, Natalia Rivera, Pedro Rodriguez, Hailey Root, Ethan Samselski, Michael Sandulli, Kailey Schmarr, Tessa Schneider, Matthew Semmel, Bianca Spataro, Eli Steindl, Nicholas Steminsky, Connor Stifel, Julia Theriault, Ethan Thomson, Matthew Tumolo, Michayla Turner, Julia Uba, Mychele Vaillancourt, Mary Velazquez, Joseph Verderame, Nathan Wagner, Dylan Whillock, Hannah Zagryn, Hailey Zak

Grade 8, First Honors, , Rosanna Airo, Nolyn Allen, Jacob Anderson, William Barmore, Andrew Bauer, Madison Beaudoin, Jordan Beaupre, Mackenzie Beaupre, Emma Becotte, Evan Bender, Megan Biscoglio, Julia Brilla, Amanda Brocki, Allison Brown, Zachary Burleigh, Shalyn Butkiewicz, Marissa Calandra, Carolyn Callahan, Gina Calo, William Ceruti, Sophia Chaltas, Kevin Chudy, Cameron Clynes, Chelsea Cocozza, Abigail Connolly, Kira Dethlefsen, Molly Dobratz, Michael Dorsey, Elizabeth Etter, Kaylee Fantoli, Mario Ferreri, Olivia Fournier, Matthew Garry, Lauren Graef, Julia Groll, Emma Guzauckas, Jeffrey Hannigan, Jacob Hayes, Jack Herms, Taylor Hubert, Daniel Hunter, Katelyn Ierardi, Rea Kelolli, Quintin Kimmel, Eric Langland, Alex Le, Abigail Legere, Sarah Lew, Claire Macioce, Rylee Malone, Jacob Manente, William Marshall, Julia McPherson, Jessica Monte, Sarah Myrick, Erin Palinkos, Amy Paul, Tyler Peruta, Jessica Pesce, Anthony Riccio, Tayler Riddick, Andrew Robel, Holly Ross, Sylvia Rutkowski, Brittney Sao, Isabella Scalise, Ashley Shafran, James Starr, Robert Taylor, John Terray, Jennifer Thai, Zachary Thomas, Emily Tinyszin, Daniel Topper, Emma Topper, Vincent Viturale, Shivali Vyas, Janette Wadolowski, Madina Welcome, Julia Wells, Adriana Wimler, Sean Young, Lydia Yu, Patrycja Zajac, Hannah Zelina, Stephanie Zera, William Zesut

Grade 8, Second Honors, , Anthony Abbatiello, Nandani Adhyapak, Syed Ahmed, Haley Allen, Cora Altomari, Catrina Aszklar, Samantha Barmore, Gabriella Bassi-Belanger, Allison Blaszko, Nicholas Borkowski, Victoria Bouyea, Erica Bruno, Aryanna Bujak, Evan Bumbera, Collin Burbank, Hayden Burbank, Kayleigh Carmichall, Benjamin Caron, Nicole Carter, Gabrielle Cerra, Odalys Chavez, Adam Cianci, Emily Cole, Jacqueline Coley, Devon Cunningham, Jared Curtis, Madison Daddona, Natasha Davis, Noah De Jesus, Rachel DePonte, Mason Dibble, Aleksander Doleqi, Sara Doleqi, Zachary Domian, Isabella Dominello, Drew Downey, Trevor Dufresne, Jacob Ellard, Maritza Flowers, Ryan Flynn, Katherine Foley, Jakob Forrest, Kirsten Gersbeck, Savanna Gilbert, Avery Gillis, Derek Hagan, Deborah Hannigan, Heather Hannigan, Amanda Howe, Aisha Hussain, Medina Iljazi, Alexa Imme, Julia Kahl, Joseph Kisluk, Joseph Koczera, Radoslaw Konopka, Joshua Krenke, Jessica Kroeber, Jonathan Kryzanski, Jake Kubisek, Leah Kurtz, Alexis Lapointe, Stephanie Lavoie, Ellie Leavitt, Joseph Lee, Andrew Lohneiss, Davian Lopez, David MacKay, Faryn Malley, Jeremy Meadows, Mahima Mehta, Ryan Montalvo, Jared Morrissey, Isabel Najarian, Michelle Nogaj, , Thomas Palko, Joshua Panarella, Alexander Paquette, Safiyah Pathan, Angelo Pederson, Tyler Pereau, Tiana Perez-Toro, David Perlot, Laini Pizzitola, Kayla Powers, Gaelan Rushing, Brett Rycki, Timothy Sadlowski, Sean Scanlon, Samantha St. Pierre, Corey Sturgis, Garrett Susi, Owen Tacinelli, Amit Thakkar, Phuong Trinh, Jasmin Vega, Shaun Wagner, Matthew Wallach, Nathan Wivell, Karolina Wneta, Cheyanne Young, Sammi Zhang

Kenendy Middle School has announced its honor roll for the first marking period.

Sixth grade, first honors: Keegan Allister, Lexi Almeida, Morgan Barnum, Ryan Barretta, Jessica Bartsch, Dean Bauchiero, Hailey Becquey, Dion Beerbaum, Mischelle Beerbaum, Nashita Begum, Cameron Beidler, Alexander Belanger, Kayley Benson, Sahiti Bhyravavajhala, Faith Breen, Caleb Brick, Mary-Claire Brick, Tara Brock, Evan Brown, Emma Brush, Christian Cahill, Xavier Callender, William Carr, Austin Carta, Aaron Case, Max Casella, Ryan Catlin, Maxwell Chubet, Brooke Cooney, Mackenzie Coppola, Avery Cowen, Christian Cox, Katherine Crouse, Victor Czernecki Anair, Jessica Dammling, Zachary DelVecchia, Cameron DeSteph, Sophia DiBattista, Daniel DiCorpo, Lindsey Dizenzo, Emma Doran, Jillian Dow, Christian Drost, Jack Dunham, Brian Egan, Sarah Falcetti, Zachary Florian, Danielle Flynn, Gabriella Flynn, Natalie Foligno, Megan Fortier, Marco Fusciello, Jake Gagnon, Joseph Gaudio, Nathan Gorr, Chloe Grabowski, Katherine Gundersen, Jenna Hall, Riley Hall, Kelsey Henderson, Leah Hinckley, Abigail Howard, Kade Huang-Savino, Emily Hubeny, Gregory Jamharian, Myah Joiner, Jared Kelly, Adel Khan, Troy Kieras, Ryan Klinzmann, Zachary Kohli, Erida Koxha, Andrew Kudla, Melody Lacombe, Anthony Lagana, Thomas Lebel, Olivia Liberti, Katelyn Lipsky, Justin Lockhart, Mackenzie Longley, William Loose, Brooke Lynch, Juliet Lyon, Joshua Maccione, Matthew Maciejewski, Jessica Mamula, Jenna Mariani, Hailey Marziarz, Kasey Mason, Daniel Mauro, Ethan McDonough, Ashlynn McGrail, Christopher McIntyre, John McLaughlin, Derek Melanson, Christian Mohr, Avielle Nanfito, Jake Napoli, Jessica Nguyen, Samuel Nichols, Emily Nivison, Nicholas Obuekwe, Riannon Oddo, Jordan Ouellette, Chetan Patel, Gianna Perugini, Karissa Pfeiffer, Kaylee Phen, Haley Picard, Emma Plourde, Nicole Popowicz, Ryan Posadas, Kathryn Purushotham, Benjamin Ragozzine, Tucker Raymond, Jeremy Rinaldi, Jack Ringrose, Justen Roberts, Jio Rodriguez, Alexandra Rogers, Kristin Rose, Keon Russ, Hailey Ryder, Sawera Saeed, Christine Sargent, Ella Shamus-Udicious, Jenna Sheehan, Evan Sheen, Michael Shore, Zachary Silvaggio, Benjamin Smith, Brenna Smith, Emily Solomon, Hannah Sousa, Victoria Sousa, Vincent Spizzoucco, Chloe Stanish, Taylor Starr, Stephen Statkevich, Morgan Stavisky, Olivia Stich, Lee Stomsky, David Sullivan, Mia Sullivan, Ethan Sutton, Jacob Sutton, Justin Taddeo, Christopher Taylor, Samuel Terry, Jackson Thibeault, Natalie Thomas, John Tracy, Hailey Vargo, Jacob Vecchio, Meredith Veilleux, Stefania Votino, Kiralyn Wadman, Gianna Wadowski, Julia Wakefield, Olivia Walling, Nicole Wang, Cody Wankerl, Shane Witkoski, Brandon Wolff, Andrew Wong, Lawrence Woods, Madeline Wright, Zachary Zembrzuski

Seventh grade, first honors: David Ackerman, Emma Agli, Ethan Agli, Kristen Angeli, Celia Bajrami, Reilly Baker, Abigail Barbour, Connor Baston, Domenic Bernard, Mary Bilodeau, Michaela Blumetti, Seth Bogoslofski, Taylor Borla, Jason Brault, Ally Breen, Elijah Buck, Danielle Cammuso, Desiree Cammuso, Olivia Carpenter, Asami Castellano, Madelyn Chasse, Alex Crawford, Riley Daly, Lynsey Danko, Avery DeLong, Natalie Diaz, Nisa Dilaveri, Rebecca Dorzens, Jacob Drena, Julie Duszak, Elena Famiglietti, Elizabeth Feest, Ian Fisher, Jacob Flynn, Chase Galayda, Christopher Gambardella, Erica Golia, Adam Green, Emma Higley, Julia Jackman, Kate Kemnitz, Caitlyn Kesilewski, Morgan Kolb, Justin Kupcho, Michael Kwok, Jamie Lamson, Alyssa Landrie, Mia Langston, Kyle Leifert, Peter Leppones, Michael Lewicki, Abigail Lo Presti, Ryan Loring, Chrisala Marotto, Heather Martin, Jenna Martin, Sarah Mathew, Daria McCabe, Michael McLaughlin, Alexander Mitchell, Jehvanni Morgan, Anthony Napolitano, Max Noonan, Kathleen O’Reilly, Charles Panke, Connor Patenaude, Catherine Pawlaczyk, Amanda Perkowski, Hannah Platt, Ryan Prendergast, Natalie Pyle, Jordan Rinaldi, Marissa Robarge, Madison Rocha, Jonathon Rossi, Tyler Salzillo, Aliya Sarris, Casey Selinske, Mallie Selinske, Allison Stanton, Tyler Strong, Melissa Tracy, Nicholas Truncali, Chloe Wieleba, Cameron Zawada, Jianella Zegarra, Colby Zegzdryn

Eighth grade, first honors: Jacob Albert, Victoria Aldieri, Katarina Aulbach, Aneesh Avancha, Chloe Becquey, Amanda Boccio, Brandy Brinton, Timothy Budnik, Jacqueline Carbone, Sarina Cardona, Allison Carta, Ryan Case, Christian Culp, Thomas Danby, Carlie DeFelice, Kaitlyn DeMaio, Brianna Dixon, Kathryn Dondero, Melissa Drexler, Katerina Eaton, Francesca Ferrante, Lauren Foligno, Ariana Gazaferi, Erica Gerrish, Jessica Gesnaldo, Casandra Govoni, Adam Gwara, Taylor Harton, Nathaniel Huff, Keegan Jarvis, Mikaela June, Brandon Jurkowski, Allison Kalvaitis, Ashley Kane, Ananya Karanam, Felicity Keyworth, Kelly Koba, Brandon Kohl, Nathan Kulas, Conner Leone, Shane Leone, Ariana Llabani, Ariana LoCascio, Teresa Maffiolini, Sydney Marecki, Joseph Martin, Nicole Martocchio, Marissa Mastroianni, Ariella Matarazzo, Ashley McMeans, Donna McNeill, Hartlee Meier, Noah Mendoza, Jeremy Mercier, Sarah Minkiewicz, Daniel Minton, Kayleigh Moses, Emily Nadile, Katthy Nguyen, Katherine Oshana, Timothy O’Shea, Amisha Paul, Spencer Perry, Samantha Petro, Julia Rafferty, Nicholas Ragozzine, Emma Reney, Rachel Roberts, Julia Rodman, Katarina Rothstein, Dorian Sa, Christina Sack, Anna Shugrue, Niko Sophroniou, Faith Sporbert, Caitlyn St. Jarre, Jack Storm, John Terry, Cade Testa, Kieran Tindall, Vanessa Tischofer, Amanda Travers, Thomas Tsangarides, Ester Vynar, Benjamin Wakefield, Joelle Wankerl, Rosalie Whitehead, Rachel Williams, Emily Zakrzewski, Kara Zazzaro

Sixth grade, second honors: Mackenzie Adams, Eva Agnew, Joseph Albanese, Alyssa Aulbach, Lauren Avery, Makai Banks, Katherine Barner, Brody Barrows, Samantha Barrows, Kristine Beerbaum, Lauren Boucher, Jacob Brooks, Nicholas Buonanni, James Burke, Caelen Cain, Olivia Calandra, Victoria Calandra, Carissa Cayer, Zane Chubet, Raymond Cocozza, Anissa Concepcion, Noah Crafts, Gabriel Czajkowski, Gianna Dangelo, Samantha D’Averso, Heaven Davis, Morgan Desiderio, Tyler DosSantos, Nina Fabrycki, Kelsey Fernandez, Nathaniel Fortin, Katie Gaedeke, Matthew Garrett, Olivia Genovese, Ryan Giudice, Anna Haberski, Joshua Hamilton, Vanessa Heigel, Maya Hennessey, Javon Hicks, Kiara Hourigan, Kayla Hunt, Isabel Iovanna, Kathryn Iverson, Taylor Johnson, Ethan Judd, Dillon Kohl, Adam Kosko, Evan Kwok, Skylar Longley, Haley Ludecke, Evan Maguire, Aidan Marchand, Alexander Mason, Amanda Maud, Matthew Mauro, Dylan McDonald, Shawn McKnerney, Alexander McPartland, Patrick Mercier, Trevor Messina, Nikola Mladen, Jeffrey Moore, Justin Moravsky, Stephen Murray, Noah Nanfito, Kara Nardi, Tyler Nogueira, Alexander Olechowski, Sean Olson, Marina Oulundsen, Alexandra Padden, Xavier Pastor, Lukas Peaslee, Leah Pliego, Colby Powell, Daniel Ragozzine, Jack Ramsey, Aidan Reilly, Jayden Renehan, Ethan Ritchie, Vivein Rizzuto, Sara Roccapriore, Zachary Rogalski, Kelly Rose, Nicholas Sabino, Aqsa Saqab, Bridget Scricca, Mark Secondo, Lauren Seitz, Elizabeth Selmi, Ryan Shurkus, Audrey Sliker, Alicia Spatafore, Paul Stocking, Joelle Stublarec, Emerson Suski, Karolina Swinicki, Justin Taricani, Joseph Tellerico, Portia Testa, Thomas Turci, Carter Uhlman, Amanda Venice, Joshua Vitti, Thomas Waiksnoris, Avery Whitehead, Connor Wood,

Seventh grade, second honors: Ian Agnew, John Aligata, Ashley Anglis, Caroline Appelle, Aparna Athreya, Dylan Aylward, Kylin Banks, Eary Banushi, Evan Belcourt, Kylie Benton, Karla Blake, Haley Boucher, Mackenzie Boudreau, McKayla Bowker, Adam Bull, Anthony Buonocore, Alina Calderone, Jacob Cardozo, Matthew Carragher, Caleb Chesanow, Matthew Chevalier, Kevin Coleman, Sean Crean, Audrey Cyr, Silvio D’Agostino, Mason Daley, Rachael Daniels, Antonio Davino, Alyssa Davis, Alexander Dearborn, Kerry Decker, Carolyn Del Debbio, Kevin Dlugos, Zachary Doty, Hailey Dow, Joshua Dziob, Georgia Falk, Kaitlyn Feeney, Caden Fisher, Victoria Flynn, Olivia Fusco, Michael Gaudiosi, Ryan Gesnaldo, Kalli Gianacopolos, Katelyn Gilbert, Mariah Goldberg, Vincent Golia, John Griffin, Connor Grucza, Amna Hamid, Nicole Hatheway, Morgan Hedges, Cory Hemsen, Ryan Henderson, Taylor Holland, Cole Huang-Savino, Hannah Hubeny, Colby Johnson, Jessica Kerchis, Adeline Kilgore, Carlyn Kosienski, Kyle Kraft, William Krom, Alexa Kulas, Robert LaCluyze, Jessica Lamb, Kristen Longley, Madison Longley, Devin Lord, Juliette Lord, Kiana Lowrey, Daniel Lyon, Sarah Mafale, Oliwia Marchut, Jared Martin, Megan Matthews, Sarah Matthews, Tyler Matukaitis, Samuel McCarty, Lauren Messner, John Miller, Zachary Morgan, Charles Napolitano, Ryan Nelson, Corin Paskov, Daniel Pestillo, Trevor Porter, Nathan Price, Ashley Pulvermacher, Colin Reynolds, Brandon Robinson, Kolby Rogers, Keishla Rosario, Allison Roy, James Rusiecki, Nickolas Russo, Ashley Schiffer, Jackson Schroeder, Ty Selinske, Kian Siadat, Ryan Slesinski, Victoria Sperry, Samuel Teper, Nicholas Testa, Luca Veneziano, Cassidy Vinal, Reilley Walden, Connor Watson, Stephen Witte, Jillian Zakrzewski, Nathalan Zmarlicki

Eighth grade, second honors: Renn Abramczyk-Dubiel, Michael Abucewicz, Kaili Anziano, Samantha Appelle, Bryan Arsan, Matthew Babicz, Jessica Baillargeon, Alexis Benvenuti, Christopher Bonomi, Ali Borkowski, Logan Brayfield, Connor Brush, Jenna Bujak, Samantha Bunting, Jordan Cammuso, Lauren Cannata, Kaitlyn Carrubba, Amy Cayer, Zachary Chapman, Dylan Chiaro, Jonathan Clark, Steven Cova, Evan Daddona, Mark D’Agostino, Amber Daley, Brian Davis, Julia Dietz, Isabella DiFusco, Gabrielle DiValentino, Daniel Edgerly, Michelle Flynn, Shawn Fortier, Anthony Gandolfo, Brooke Garcia, Jenna Garcia, Brianna Gee, Cameron Gotowala, Ethan Greig, Maegan-Rylee Griffin, Kenneth Henriksen, Jacob Holbrook, Megan Humphrey, Kristian Izydorczak, Isabelle Kaufmann, Taylor Klein, Alex Klinzmann, Allyson Kudla, Alexander Kuhr, David Kupcho, Megan Lamontagne, Benjamin Lavertu, Alexander Lipsky, Zachary MacDonald, Lindsay Marziarz, Christopher Matusik, Sydney Mauro, Alyssa McDonald, Christopher McManus, Daniel Mendoza, Hannah Michaels, Ryan Middendorf, Emily Miller, Jacob Mohr, Jake Monson, Joshua Moravsky, Kyle M’Sadoques, Killian Murray, Delaney Nadwairski, Michaela Nanfito, Zachary Nason, Gustaf Nelson, Sarah Newhart, Kara Oakes, Matthew Olson, Eric Padden, Stephen Pannone, Jagvi Patel, Madison Penna, Jacob Petruzzi, Katryna Pfeiffer, Nicholas Picone, Jonathan Pierson, Andre Plourde, Megan Posadas, Ethan Rathbun, Rebecca Renehan, Sydney Rice, James Ringrose, Alex Rodriguez, Benjamin Rossi, Sana Saeed, Keegan Smith, Ashley Son, Kendall Suski, Amanda Szymanski, Samuel Thomson, Timothy Torelli, Quinten Vanduinen, Christian Vargas, Anthony Vecchio, David Wadman, Stephanie Wang, Ashley Ward, Tagan Welch, Nathan Wilson, Brett Wolff, Molly Wright, John Zapata, Cameron Zegzdryn, Nicholas Zollo

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
For Southington high school teacher John “Brian” Durbin, serving in the military has become a family theme. Durbin, who goes by his middle name, “Brian,” is a retired infantryman who served in the U.S. Army for 23 years. His father, uncle and a first cousin also served in the military. Besides his immediate family, Durbin’s father-in-law, who emigrated from Poland during World War II, was an army veteran who served in the Korean War.
Durbin said his father-in-law, who passed away several years ago, inspired him to write a military fiction novel called “Paine: Time of Anarchy, Volume 1,” published this past June. The plot deals with a CIA-manufactured plague, bioengineered to kill coca plants to eliminate the production of cocaine. The plague destroys food plants worldwide, leaving billions dead. Michael Paine Martin, the son of a mercenary leader, tries to protect himself and his family from the effects of anarchy.
“It is complete fiction based on what could happen if an apocalypse event breaks down society,” said Durbin, a self-publisher.
All the proceeds of this futuristic novel benefit wounded warriors through “Returning Heroes Home,” a support center in Texas where wounded soldiers and their families can have a comfortable healing environment, equipped with a “Therapeutic Garden” and a six acre recreational area.
Currently, Durbin said he has sent $2,000 to the support center.
“My father-in-law appreciated soldiers serving,” said Durbin, who teaches history. “He came to this country with five dollars in his pocket and made a great life for himself.”
“Paine” originated as a short story, written about nine years ago as a way to spark interest among young adults. Durbin said he wanted to turn the short story into novel, but took a hiatus from writing to focus on other aspects of his life. Toward the end of last year, Durbin’s “writer’s block” disappeared, and he wrote 300 pages in just three days.
“My motivation was still there,” said Durbin, who also works as a conditioning coach for the high school football team. “It was set up to have short chapters, with crisp writing.”
Durbin got his students involved in the book by creating a cover design contest. With the help of 24 students at the high school, Durbin chose among a variety of design covers for the novel’s first volume.
Tyler Gillis, a junior, won the contest with a prize of $120. Designed with neon colors, a space photo and a picture of Michael Paine Martin, Gillis said the cover exemplifies both aspects of the future and the military.
“The design went through many phases,” said Gillis who spent a total of 14 hours in the course of a month to complete the design. “I sketched up multiple designs, but found the current one the most applicable.”
Durbin’s novel is on display at the high school’s library, and the history teacher said he plans to publish the second volume next spring. Although he hopes to bring entertainment to his audience through his novel, Durbin also hopes to bring comfort to soldiers wounded in battle, especially since the military veterans in his family came back from battle untouched.
“We are truly blessed, and I am trying to give back to those who sacrificed their limbs,” Durbin said. “I will do anything for them.”
Durbin’s novel is available for purchase on Amazon and Smashwords.com.

Tyler Gillis, a junior at Southington High School, designed the cover for a book written by SHS teacher John “Brian” Durbin.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School left 20 children and six educators dead on December 14, 2012, the Southington school district implemented additional security measures to enhance safety throughout the district in response to the tragedy.
Brian Goralski, the chairman of the Board of Education, said board members have worked collaboratively to improve communication with parents, town and law enforcement officials as well as to update safety practices, procedures and door safety. Although he could not explain the improvements in full detail, Goralski said overall, the district has improved cameras and door security with the help of the advice from the Southington Police Department. Officers have also conducted more patrols in the schools, looking out for suspicious behavior and red flags.
“The safety of our schools will be the number one priority for the Board of Education,” Goralski said.
For the Southington Police Department, improving communication with the school district has served as a major priority in response to the Newtown tragedy. Although their response plan has remained the same in the event of an emergency, officers have increased their level of interactions with faculty members and students during their patrols every morning and afternoon five days a week. Lieutenant Mike Baribault said each officer is assigned to a particular school to patrol during a shift, and by doing so, takes the time to address concerns, observes any red flags, and gets to know students and faculty members.
“They can tell if something is out of place,” Lt. Baribault said.
Southington Supt. Dr. Joseph Erardi added that police and fire officials have maps of every school as well as keys to enter the schools in the event of an emergency. He said improving communication with local officials serves as just one way the school district has enhanced school safety in response to the Newtown tragedy. Dr. Erardi explained that in the past year, the district has established a parent-safety advisory committee to receive input from families about improving school safety. Although he could not explain the improvements in specific details, Dr. Erardi also said that the Board of Education and the Board of Finance established a “sustainable” safety plan for the school year, which focused on enhancing technology, so safety officials could respond in less time and taking measures to keep the perpetrator away from faculty and students for a longer period of time.
“We have shatter-proofed a number of our buildings,” Dr. Erardi said.
The Southington school district has also received help from the state. Governor Dannel Malloy recently announced in a press release that Southington will receive $90,183 in grants to fund security measures in the schools. The town was one of 435 schools to receive the second round of funds as part of the School Security Grant Program, which stems from the Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety Act. With the second round of grants, Connecticut has allocated a total of $21 million to the school security grant program.
In the first round of grants, Southington received $3,459 from the state. That grant money will help implement security measures at ALTA, including a walkie-talkie system that will allow the director to speak directly with Dr. Erardi during an emergency.
Although he feels proud of the way the district responded to school safety after the Newtown tragedy, Dr. Erardi said he plans to continue improving security in the district.
“We always need improvement,” Dr. Erardi said. “The work is never finished.”

Kennedy Middle School students were sent home early today, following a morning gas leak at the school.

According to police, the construction crew handling the renovations at the school ruptured a gas line.

Students were evacuated and were placed on busses to keep them warm.  The students were transported from the school to the Aqua Turf until the severity of the leak could be determined and a decision could be made on the remainder of the school day.

The school was checked by officials and deemed to be safe.  The students were transported back to the school and the decision was made to dismiss the students at 1:30 p.m.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Southington Public Schools welcomed two new educators to the district during a Board of Education meeting last week.
The Board of Education appointed Susanne Vitcavage to the position of Assistant Principal at John F. Kennedy Middle School and John Duffy to the position of Pre-K-Grade 12 Science Coordinator.
Duffy has served as the science department chair at Canton High School as well as the middle school, supervising teachers and teaching Integrated Science and Physics. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Northwest Connecticut Community College, teaching physics and elementary statistics. Besides teaching, Duffy was a coach for the boys track team and the girls’ varsity soccer team at Torrington High School. Prior to his experience in education, Duffy worked as a mechanical engineer for General Electric/Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. Duffy starts his position January 27.
“I am looking forward to bring my love of science, my energy for doing science, newer ideas for instruction, and building upon what is already a high-performing school district, but making it better,” said Duffy, who has experience in extensive teaching and curriculum development in math and science.
Vitcavage has worked as the Director of School Counseling at Orville Platt High School in Meriden since 2005, managing and evaluating counselors and preparing an annual budget for the department. As the director of counseling, she also has experience developing a master school schedule, coordinating administration of student assessments, including CAPT, PSAT, and SAT. As an instructional associate at Nathan Hale Elementary School in Meriden, Vitcavage assisted the principal in the overall administration of the school, reinforcing school rules and procedures while maintaining effective student discipline. She also has experience performing administrative duties in the absence of the principal and assisting the principal in the development of an effective educational program. Vitcavage  starts her position February 1 with a salary of $118,606.
The current assistant principal, Pamela Aldi, will retire at the end of the calendar year.
Vitcavage said she looks forward to her new role as assistant principal, especially since her children attended Kennedy.
“I am a proud parent of two students who are currently at the high school—we were blessed with our experiences at Kennedy Middle School,” said Vitcavage, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and a Masters degree in school counseling.  “I am so excited to be a part of that team.”