I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

SMARTs Night 2

Athletics 3, 4

& 7

STEAM Night 3

WPS

Achievements

3

WATERFORD

Drama

5

MSD 2018 5

Avery Point

Transition

Program

6

J U N E 2 0 1 8 W A T E R F O R D P U B L I C S C H O O L S

Update from the Waterford Board of Education Bringing the

accomplishments

and initiatives of the

Waterford Public

Schools to the Town,

Community and

beyond to create a

Connection that

will reinforce a

strong commitment

to coming together

to educate the whole

child.

highlighted the numerous oppor-

tunities middle school students

can choose to become involved

in throughout the year. The night

was hosted by teachers and stu-

What happens when you bring

together middle school orchestra,

band and chorus, add a cooking

demonstration, a 3D Printer,

some robots, a service dog, add a

dash of Art , PE and World lan-

guage, and surround the entire

event with dozens and dozens of

clubs, electives and other fun and

fascinating activities enjoyed by

students? You get SMARTS Night!

The second annual SMARTS Night

to be precise! On May 31st, the

entire Waterford community was

invited to Clark Lane Middle

School to get a taste of all of the

unique and intriguing opportuni-

ties students can take part in out-

side their core studies. The night

was filled with demonstrations,

performances and exhibits that

With the construction of the new high school and three new elementary schools during the early

2000’s, the Town of Waterford and the Waterford

Board of Education made a commitment to using

clean energy and harnessed the eco-friendly, re-

newable energy source geothermal energy as the

source of power for these buildings. Recently

with the collaboration of Eversouce, Clark Lane

Middle School will be able to tap into this renewa-

ble energy source as well and not be dependent

on fossil fuels. With the construction of Ever-

source’s new gas lines down Clark Lane, our mid-

dle school will now be converted to all natural gas,

a significant cost savings to the district as well as

alignment with our commitment to cleaner energy

use.

Community Event - CLMS SMARTS Night dents who were there to share

with the public what their inter-

ests are and how they become

reality at Clark Lane. Alexis My-

ers, grade 8 student, and mem-

ber of the Wingman Mentoring

program begun at Clark Lane this

year, reflected upon SMARTS

Night, “It helped us have stronger

relationships with different

grades and kids we wouldn’t nor-

mally talk to.” Mack Jackson, also

in Grade 8 and a Wingman, stat-

ed, “The program helped me feel

more comfortable speaking in

front of large classes, and

SMARTS Night informed the com-

munity what exactly Wingman

does.” The Drama Club per-

formed two skits from their spring

production of High School Musical

II. The Ukulele group performed

CLMS Drama Club

performing skits from

their Spring production

High School Musical for

SMARTS Night.

The

Connection

WFCT Retirees 7

Waterford Rotary

Student Leader-

ship Awards

8

P A G E 2

CLMS SMARTS Night (cont. from pg. 1)

with the CLMS Chorus, and guests were greeted with other fantastic musical treats throughout the evening! The World

Language team hosted a contest to build the most realistic Eiffel Tower out of newspaper, and students enrolled in 3D

Design “printed” useful items raffled off to those in attendance. Over 350 people visited Clark Lane for SMARTS Night,

including the many fifth grade students and parents transitioning to the middle school this fall.

"It was really exciting at SMARTS Night to see all the things I'll get to consider when I get to Clark Lane." -- Abby

Gerboth, entering sixth-grade. SMARTS Night turned out to be a great opportunity for new students to get a taste of

what is to come and what a comprehensive middle school can offer. SMARTS Night creators Jeanne Morgan and Laura

Provo-Parker, teachers at the school, had their work cut out for them bringing dozens and dozens of extracurricular

activities together for a night of showcasing. “Clark Lane offers so many opportunities for students to access multiple

intelligence interests and talents. It’s wonderful to see students share their passions with the community,” said Jeanne

Morgan. “Smarts Night enhances our students’ education through their public presentation of their work, interests, and

ideas. I could not be more thrilled or inspired by the high level of participation by students, parents, and community

members, and the cross-discipline awareness and appreciation that was generated as a result,” added Laura Provo-

Parker. Principal James Sachs noted, “SMARTS Night is a chance for students to explain their interests to the communi-

ty, demonstrate their talents, and for the school to show the many choices students have to enhance their middle school

experience. I think it sends the message that we have a club, elective or activity for everyone and if you are interested

in getting involved, there are plenty of ways to do that!” Technology teacher Ed Torres supervised students demon-

strating 3D Printing and Design, an elective available to student, “It was amazing to see the students and staff come

together to show the community all the various opportunities there are here at Clark Lane. There is something for eve-

ryone!” SMARTS Night has become a tradition at Clark Lane and will be a yearly feature of the Waterford Public

Schools, along with Waterford High School’s STEAM Night.

The Connection June 2018 www.waterfordschools.org

Girls Lacrosse

All-Star

Jacklyn Lavoie- Attack

Meghan Foley – Midfield

Olivia Gianakos – Midfield

Grace Erricson – Defense

Courtney Dishaw – Goalie

MVP

Courtney Dishaw

Coaches Award

Meghan Foley

Team Sportsmanship

Kaylee Swansen

Class S All-State

Jacklyn Lavoie - 1st team

Olivia Gianakos – 2nd team

CT Women’s National Team

Olivia Gianakos

Baseball

All-Star

Michael Burrows

Walker Sutman

Sonny Pezzello

MVP

Michael Burrows

Coaches Award

Sonny Pezzello

Team Sportsmanship

Joey Scotti

Class M All State Players

Michael Burrows

Walker Sutman

Boys Outdoor Track

All-Star:

Kayvon Negahban

MVP

Shayne Beckloff

Coaches Award

Kayvon Negahban

Team Sportsmanship

Samuel Lenes

Golf

MVP Boys Golf

Ryan Sadosky

Coaches Award Boys Golf

Nicholas Hynes

Team Sportsmanship

Joe Lathrop

Nick Zanghetti

ECC Sportsmanship

Nick Hynes

ECC Scholar-Athlete

Joseph Lathrop

MVP Girls Golf

Caroline Petchark

Coaches Award Girls Golf

Vanessa Schenking

ECC Sportsmanship

Katie Welch

ECC Scholar-Athlete

Sydney Tabor

"Learning is never limited to a traditional classroom, so being able to experience firsthand Clark Lane's robust

extracurricular options across such areas as music, drama, science, culinary, community service, and even the

Rubik's Cube Club reaffirmed for us the middle school's strong commitment to engaged learning at every level.

We look forward to seeing what clicks outside the classroom for all our children at Clark Lane." -- Karen Gerboth,

mom of two entering students.

P A G E 3 WHS STEAM Night

WHS Senior Sophie Wang and Junior

Cadin Maynard were honored at the

Greater Mystic Chamber of Com-

merce's annual Southeastern Connecti-

cut Student Leaders Breakfast.

WHS Senior Samuel

Kasem-Beg was

awarded the 2018

Chelsea Groton Schol-

arship in recognition

for his community ser-

vice through his volunteer efforts,

academic excellence, and strong

leadership skills.

WHS Seniors Walker Sutman

and Sophie Wang were named the

CIAC Scholar athletes of the year.

Quaker Hill 5th grade stu-

dent Jamarys Olivero was

a featured reader during

the Ana Grace Project,

“Love Wins Because She

Persisted”, at Central Con-

necticut State University. This program

included Chelsea Clinton and Nelba

Marquez-Greene and discussed the

necessity of leadership among women

and girls.

WHS Senior Marissa

Walker was honored

as the Connecticut and

National winner of the

Spirit Of Sport Award

from the National Fed-

eration of State High

Schools Association.

WPS Achievements

Softball

All-Star

Ciana Chiappone

Madison Nott

Rachel Miller

Riley Mazzella

Sportsmanship

Molly Reagan

Scholar Athlete

Ashley Goldstein

MVP

Rachel Miller

Madison Nott

Coaches Award

Ashley Goldstein

Girls Outdoor Track

All-Star:

Sophia Podeszwa

Zora LaBonte

Jennifer Keth

Alicia Sanders

MVP

Sophia Podeszwa

Coaches Award

Zora LaBonte

Team Sportsmanship

Rayne Rivera

Tennis

MVP Boys Tennis

James Zhu

Coaches Award Boys Tennis

Fadi Hage

Team Sportsmanship Boys Tennis

Kevin McEntarfer

MVP Girls Tennis

Sophie Wang

Coaches Award Girls Tennis

Megan Goldschneider

Team Sportsmanship Girls Tennis

Stacey Tasoulas

Boys Lacrosse

MVP Offensive

Caleb Holdridge

MVP Defensive

Kevin Close

Coaches Award

Logan Bowdish

Team Sportsmanship

Harrison Searle

Class M All-State

1st Team

Caleb Holdridge

Logan Bowdish

2nd Team

Kevin Close

Go to page 5 for more Athletic

Accomplishments

The Transportation

Technology Department

demonstrating remote-

operated underwater

vehicles they built at

WHS STEAM Night

The Waterford High School STEAM Departments hosted the

first annual Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math

Night on May 16th. This informative night was open to all Pre-

K to 12 students, families and community members and high-

lighted the many STEAM opportunities available to students at

WHS and throughout the district. Department chairs, staff,

and students set-up hands on demonstrations of items such as

marine animal touch tanks by the marine science department,

remote-operated underwater vehicles built by the Transpor-

tation Technology Department, as well as explanations of gel

electrophoresis by the biology department to name a few.

Student art work was also on display and Principal Hauser

provided an overview of the many STEAM courses available

for College Credit at WHS. WPS STEAM Night will be an an-

nual event and will continue to highlight the important areas

that are available at WPS to succeed post secondary in col-

lege and career.

P A G E 4

The blistering speeds of Clark Lane Middle

School’s Rubik’s Cube Team 1 and solo competitor,

Jacqueline Tran, have earned them Elite Team and

Elite Cuber status, as well as top rankings in the

You CAN Do the Rubik’s® Cube Speed League. The

team solved twenty-five 3x3 Rubik’s Cubes in 3:53

(three minutes, fifty-three seconds) at the

Waterford, CT Rubik’s Cube Competition. During

the solo portion of the competition, Jaqueline Tran

solved a single 2x2 Rubik’s Cube in 12.9 seconds.

The Clark Lane team ranks 2nd in Connecticut for division 2 (grades 6-

8) teams. Tran ranks 3rd in the state among middle school students who

competed at the You CAN Do the Rubik’s Cube competitions in the

2017/18 school year.

In the CT Rubik’s Cube Competitions, during the timed competition,

teams of eight students work collectively to solve twenty-five Rubik's

Cubes in the fastest time. Members of teams who solve the cube in

under two minutes could also compete in solo events to solve one cube

in the fastest time.

About You CAN Do the Rubik’s Cube

You CAN Do the Rubik's Cube is an educational outreach program that provides resources and support to

schools and youth organizations to teach STEM/STEAM standards and 21st century skills by using the Rubik's

Cube.

CLMS Rubik’s Elite Cubers

The Connection June 2018 www.waterfordschools.org

Congratulations to our talented CLMS musicians who performed

in the 36th annual (CMEA) Connecticut Music Educators

Association's Eastern Region Middle School Music Festival. Our

students auditioned in the fall, competing against all middle

school music students from Southeastern Connecticut. The

concert festival took place recently at Connecticut College with 2

days of rehearsing and an afternoon concert.

1st row: (left to right) John Morgan, Amelia Allen

2nd row: Michelle Liu, Samantha Silva, Emma Grimsey

3rd row: Jesse Price, Ella Ortiz, Emma Costa, Sara Dombroski

4th row: Zachary Gamble, Ian Balfour, Luke Bartlett, Ella Murray,

Nicole Li, Katy Scullion

Musicians at Clark Lane

P A G E 5

The Waterford High School Drama Club had the

honor to rehearse their Spring production, Avenue

Q: School Edition at the Eugene O’Neill Theater

Center on May 4th. During this time, cast members

had the opportunity to meet with National Theater

Institute Instructors who provided valuable insight

on ways to enhance their performance. This

wonderful collaboration with the Eugene O’Neill

Theater Center allowed our students the

opportunity to rehearse this Tony Award winning

play at the venue where it was originally developed

in 2002 at the National Music Theater Conference.

WATERFORDrama wowed staff, students, family

members and the community with their amazing

production of Avenue Q: School Edition on May 10th, 11th, and 12th at the Waterford High School

Auditorium.

WATERFORDrama at Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

Students at Quaker Hill Elementary School participated in Marine Sci-

ence Day, MSD 2018, on May 29th, an exciting event at Waterford Beach

organized by the Marine Science Department at Waterford High School,

Waterford Public Schools staff and Waterford High School students.

Groups from Project O, Mystic Seaport, Seaview Scuba, New England

Sailing and Science and many community and parent volunteers setup

stations for students to visit that highlighted marine science learning.

Stations included Whale Exploration, Team Sandcastle Building, Orient-

eering, Marsh Study, Scuba Diving, Touch Tanks, Project O Seine Nets,

NESS Rockin Coast, Millstone Lobster Study, Knot Tying with Captain

Kenyon, Mystic Seaport Sea Chanty, Millstone Lobster Study and Remote

Operated Vehicles. 370 students participated in this hands on learning

environment that was made possible by the numerous WPS staff and stu-

dents, parent volunteers and community members. Visit https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcFL2hHeOw0&feature=youtu.be to view a

comprehensive video of MSD 2018.

Marine Science Day at Quaker Hill

P A G E 6

MISSION OF THE AVERY

POINT TRANSITION

PROGRAM:

A commitment in

providing purposeful

work experiences and

job exploration while

integrating a

postsecondary

education to prepare

individuals in

effectively

contributing to our

society.

Waterford/Avery Point Graduates

Tropics, an organization in

Mystic that focuses on com-

bating climate change

through education and re-

forestation. Organizations,

such as schools, can raise

funds to purchase a hectare

(approximately 2 acres) of

land in Costa Rica where

foresters plant trees, such

as the Klinkii tree in hopes

of capturing carbon diox-

ide, which is one of the cul-

prits of global warming.

The Klinkii Tree (also

known as the Dinosaur

Tree) is a species of fast-

growing, extremely tall,

long-lasting tree that is used

to absorb carbon dioxide

from our atmosphere.

Thank you to Reforest the

Tropics for donating a

Klinkii tree to the Clark

Lane Middle School stu-

dents.

On Friday, June 8th, sixth

grade students at Clark

Lane Middle School enjoyed

long-distance learning

when they skyped with for-

esters in Costa Rica! Mr.

Hugh Birdsall from Reforest

the Tropics (RTT) has been

working with Ms. DeLea’s

and Ms. Venditti’s science

classes teaching the stu-

dents about how humans

impact the climate, climate

change, and solutions such

as reforestation, specifically

in Costa Rica. He arranged

for this up close learning

experience.

This connection with RTT

began with a summer Next

Generation Science Stand-

ards (NGSS) workshop that

Ms. DeLea and Ms. Venditti

attended at LEARN put on

by members of Reforest the

Through this learning experi-

ence, students were moved to

take action, writing persua-

sive essays to a variety of

people including political

leaders, Ellen DeGeneres,

local politicians and even

family members! Our stu-

dents are really looking to

make a difference which

gives us all hope!

Congratulations to our Waterford/Avery Point Grad-

uates: Onkar Preet Bhinder, Alexander Comfort

and Quenton Knight. The graduation from Water-

ford’s UConn Avery Point Transition Program was

held on Thursday, June 7th on the Avery Point

Campus. Thomas Giard, Superintendent of

Schools, Craig Powers, Assistant Superintendent,

Kathy Vallone, Special Service Director, Kristin Crump and Bill Scanlon Special Education

teachers as well as job coaches Kathleen Grillo-Dow and Susan O’Farrell were all in attendance

as well as other Waterford staff. Many Avery Point staff and Mohegan Sun administration were

also present. A reception was held afterwards for the students.

The Avery Point Transitional Readiness Pro-

gram is an initiative that prepares students,

ages 18—21, with vocational opportunities

while fostering independent living skills and

community interactions for students with disa-

bilities. These three young men have all

brought their individual talents to the transi-

tion team and have acquired skills to lead

them onto successful employment.

Congratulations - we wish them the best of

everything as they pursue their endeavors.

CLMS Science News

The Connection June 2018 www.waterfordschools.org

Hugh Birdsall, RTT

Teacher, and Greg

Powel l , executive

Director of RTT pre-

sent the Klinkii tree to

students at CLMS.

Eileen Boyce – Clark Lane Middle School

Virginia Campbell – Oswegatchie Elementary

School

Gregory Dowd – Clark Lane Middle School

Peter Hunt - Waterford High School

Janice Hybel – Clark Lane Middle School

WFCT Honors Retirees

Edward Kolnaski – Great Neck Elementary

School

Linda Markesich – Clark Lane Middle School

Christopher Ozmun – Oswegatchie Elementary

School

David Sousa – Waterford High School

Joan Winters – Clark Lane Middle School/

Waterford High School

On June 6th, the Waterford Federation of Classroom Teachers had the privilege of honoring members who will

retire after the 2017-2018 school year. We are thankful for the years of service that the following staff dedicated to

the Waterford Public School district and students. We wish them well in retirement!

P A G E 7

Boys Golf – Placed 4th in ECC Championship, Placed 14th in Division II State Championship; Ryan Sadosky tied for 11th

as an individual in D-II states and earned All-State honors

Girls Golf– Won Girls’ ECC Championship; Caroline Petchark was a medalist of the ECC Championship with a 38,

placed 11th as an individual in girls’ states out of 106 individuals and earned All-State honors. She tied for 25th in the 1st

CIAC State Open and earned a spot to play in the New England Junior Championship on June 20th.

Softball - ECC Medium Division Champions, ECC Tournament Semi-Finalists, Class M State Tournament Quarterfinalists;

Ciana Chiappone selected to play in the CIAC Junior Select All Star Game, Marissa Walker received the NFHS National

Spirit of Sport Award

Baseball - ECC Championship Game Finals, Game Time CT Overall State Ranking: 13th; MLB Major League Draft Selec-

tion - Michael Burrows 11th Round by the Pittsburgh Pirates

Boys Lacrosse - ECC Division II Champions, ECC Tournament Runner up, State Tournament #2 Seed; First 100 point

scorer in a season – Caleb Holdridge, First 200 point scorer – Logan Bowdish, Day All-Area Player of the Year: Caleb

Holdridge

Girls Lacrosse - Olivia Gianakos was selected to play on the CT Women’s National Team; Jacklyn Lavoie will play D1

women’s lacrosse at Stetson University next year, and Kaylee Swansen will play D2 women’s lacrosse at Southern CT

State University.

Track - Sophia Podeszwa came in 2nd overall at New Englands in the 300m hurdles and broke her own school

record.

In the Spotlight - Athletics… continued from pg. 2

Rotary Student of the Year Awards The Waterford Rotary recently recognized students in all of the Waterford Public Schools who have exempli-

fied leadership qualities as well as community service. The Waterford Rotary, founded in 1973, is part of an

International service organization that prides itself on the motto “Service Above Self”. One student from

each elementary school, one student from each team at Clark Lane Middle School, and one student from

each grade level at Waterford High School received the Rotary Student of the Year Award. Four WHS Juniors

received the Rotary Scholar Award.

The following students were recognized by the Rotary as the Rotary Student of the Year and for portraying the

Rotary Ideals:

Stay Connected…

WPS Website - Visit

www.waterfordschools.org for up to date

BOE, school and event information.

BOE meetings are held on the 4th

Thursday of each month. For the

complete schedule of meetings, go to

the BOE section of the WPS Website.

Download the WPS App to ‘stay

abreast’ of all the happenings at our

schools.

Follow us on Twitter : @WPS_CT and

@WaterfordSupt

Waterford Public Schools

Gregory A. Benoit, Board of Education Chairperson

Thomas W. Giard III, Superintendent

15 Rope Ferry Road

Waterford , CT 06385

Phone: 860-444-5852

Fax: 860-444-5870

Contact: Caroline Whittaker - Executive Administrative

Assistant to the Superintendent

E-mail: cwhittaker@waterfordschools.org

Great Neck Elementary School - Sophia Avin

Quaker Hill Elementary School - Addison Macdonald

Oswegatchie Elementary School - Alex Casper

Clark Lane Middle School 6th Jade - Alexa Collins

Clark Lane Middle School 6th Garnet - Madeline Parent

Clark Lane Middle School 7th Ruby - Brianna Smith

Clark Lane Middle School 7th Turquoise - Ella Murray

Clark Lane Middle School 7th Sage - Mia Petrini

Clark Lane Middle School 8th Emerald - Zachary Gamble

Clark Lane Middle School 8th Gold - Lily Marelli

Clark Lane Middle School 8th Sapphire - Melina Walker

Waterford High School – Freshman - Sabrina Tolppi

Waterford High School – Sophomore - Kristopher Dow

Waterford High School – Junior - Mikayla Brucoli

Waterford High School – Senior - Brent Rutchick

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Alex Fayan

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Shannon Fitzpatrick

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Ellie Lokken

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Chloe Wilson

Waterford Public Schools is a community of learners that fosters

and supports high aspirations, ensuring every student acquires the

skills and knowledge necessary to be a responsible citizen, prepared

to contribute and succeed in an ever-changing world.