Staples High School has altered its bus schedules because of final examinations scheduled for June 14-17, it was announced today. Makeup exams will be given on June 20.

Bus pickup in the mornings will be at the usual time, but buses will leave the high school on those days at 12:30 p.m., at the end of the second exam of the day, the announcement said. There will be no morning or afternoon buses on make up exam day, June 20.

Retiring Long Lots Elementary School Principal Barbara Lasher (center in purple) was honored by past and present Long Lots Elementary School PTA board members and Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon tonight.  The Long Lots PTA is donating funds to renovate the school library in honor of her 12 years at the school and her dedication to children. Participants are shown listing the “Top 10 Things Barbara Lasher Will Miss About Long Lots.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Julia Mally for WestportNow.com

Gov. M. Jodi Rell proclaimed Thursday “Staples High School Day” in Connecticut to recognize the science achievements of Westport’s high school. Simultaneously, she proclaimed it “Shane E. Mulligan Day” to honor a Staples senior who won a top science award.

The governor’s proclamations were announced at a dinner Thursday night in Rocky Hill hosted by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering that honored the state’s most talented young scientists and engineers, including two Staples students.

Mulligan received the Joseph H. Gerber Medal of Excellence for his science research efforts. Sophomore Nina Lintermans was honored for her studies of global warming and bird migration which won first place at the 2005 Connecticut Junior Sciences and Humanities Symposium

Mulligan received a $1,000 prize in addition to a certificate, while Lintermans was awarded a certificate and Staples was awarded a $300 prize for its science department.

Hans Wilhelm, a Weston author and illustrator of more than 180 books for children and adults, recently visited Westport’s Kings Highway Elementary School.  The kindergarten through third grades did an author study of him which culminated in his visit. The kids loved it, especially when he collaborated with them on telling a story with characters the students created. With him is Suse Marciano, a longtime admirer. Contributed photo

Diana Lindsay: finalist candidate withdraws.WN photoOne day after meeting with Westport teachers, parents, and community members, Diana Lindsay, the finalist candidate for Staples High School principal, abruptly withdrew her candidacy for the position, Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said today.

Lindsay, principal at Ridgefield High School, called him this afternoon to inform him of her decision, Landon said. He did not give a reason for her change of mind but said it followed an early morning meeting with Ridgefield school officials.

“It’s strange because she said on Monday that Ridgefield wasn’t right for her, then today she said Westport wasn’t right for her,” Landon said.

In an e-mail distributed to Ridgefield parents, Ridgefield Schools Superintendent Kenneth R. Freeston said: “Dr. Lindsay announced today that she is staying in Ridgefield and has declined the overtures of the Westport Public Schools to recruit her from Ridgefield to Westport.”

Diana Lindsay: finalist candidate. WN photoThe principal of Ridgefield High School, Diana Lindsay, met with community members today as the single finalist for principal of Staples High School.

Lindsay, a Massachusetts native who had spent most of her teaching and administrative career in Ohio and Illinois, met with parents, teachers, and community members in meetings that began this morning and continued this evening.

A search committee identified her as the finalist candidate to replace interim Principal John Dodig who has held the post for a year. Dodig has filled in for John Brady, the Staples principal who left for a superintendent’s job in another Connecticut district

“This candidate has the support and endorsement of the Staples High School Principal Selection Committee, a group consisting of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and the Superintendent of Schools,” Landon wrote in a letter to parents last week.

The community will have three opportunities Monday, May 23, to met with the single finalist for principal of Staples High School, Westport School Superintendent Elliot Landon said in a letter to parents.

A meeting with middle school and high school parents is scheduled from 9:55 to 10:45 a.m. in Room 609, the Staples band room. Those unable to attend, Landon added, can come to community meetings set for 1:20 to 2:15 p.m. and from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Room 1028 at Staples.

The name of the finalist, who will replace interim Principal John Dodig who has held the post for a year, has not been released. Dodig has filled in for John Brady, the Staples principal who left for a superintendent’s job in another Connecticut district.

“This candidate has the support and endorsement of the Staples High School Principal Selection Committee, a group consisting of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and the Superintendent of Schools,&#822#8221; Landon wrote

Still, he welcomes community input. “Your input is vital to the success of our search.” Landon said.

A Westport teacher, in a letter to The New York Times, said the newspaper inaccurately reported that the No Child Left Behind Act is causing a hard look at the achievement gap.

“A Westport teacher with urban and suburban experience, I know that urban teachers’ efforts are misunderstood by No Child Left Behind, which only exacerbates their challenges, driving them to suburban jobs,” wrote Anne Lutz Fernandez-Carol of Norwalk.

The letter appears in the newspaper’s Sunday Connecticut section.

“It is as absurd for me to take credit for my suburban students’ success on state tests as it would be to take the blame for the underperformance of students, many nonwhite, I taught in the city,” she said.

Nine Staples High School students were among those honored Friday night by the American Association of Teachers of German at a dinner at Fairfield University. The event recognized high school students who achieved the highest scores in Connecticut on a nationally administered test. Carol Kochefko, a Staples German language teacher, led the Westport contingent. Shown are: (standing, l-r) Lucas Rose, Emily Abramson, Jordon Cotton, Christopher Miller, Dan Mueller and Carol Kochefko; (seated, l-r): Emma Mersmann, Sophie Mersmann, Katrina Leo and Emma Robson. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Hadley Rose for WestportNow.com

From robotics to bridge building to designing a safer automobile, Westport’s Staples High School Engineering Team took first place in a recent competition of 25 high schools in Rochester, N.Y., according to school officials.

Staples grabbed the top trophy for being the only school to compete and place in three events.

Held at Monroe Community College on April 28, the event matched the engineering wits of 15 Staples team members against several hundred contestants.

For the robotics competition, known as the SumoBot, the Westport team had to design a less than foot-high robot weighing no more than two kilograms but powerful enough to knock another robot off a seven-foot diameter table.