Youngsters and their families from the Caccamo Lane and Juniper Road neighborhood got together today for their annual back-to-school party prior to getting on the school bus. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

By Jarret Liotta

Her burgeoning care for — and education about — the natural world has motivated one local young woman to take stewardship into her own hands.

Sydney O’Brien: cleaning Cockenoe Island is “just kind of satisfying.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jacquelyn O’Brien for WestportNow.com

Sydney O’Brien, a 21-year-old upcoming college senior who was born and raised in Fairfield, has made caring for Westport’s Cockenoe Island the object of her concern.

“I kind of enjoy it,” she said of the many times she has taken it upon herself to walk part of the town-owned, 28-acre island (pronounced “kah-KEE-nee”) one mile off the coast of Westport and collect garbage.

“I know that sounds kind of weird, but it’s just kind of satisfying doing it.”

By Jarret Liotta

As summer draws toward closing, school officials are gearing up for what will be one of the more unique school years in Westport’s history.

One of the new structures, which will house a total of six classrooms, account for 5,600-square feet of new space at BMS. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com

“I am feeling positive, optimistic and excited for the new school year to arrive,” said Adam Rosen, principal at Bedford Middle School (BMS), which for the 2019-20 school year will house the town’s entire population of students in grades six, seven and eight while Coleytown Middle School (CMS) remains closed for extensive renovations.

“For this upcoming school year … we’ve combined all students and staff into one population,” Rosen said, unlike last year, when CMS and BMS students were kept separate, with eighth grade students from CMS attending classes at Staples High School.

“Now that we’ve had adequate time to prepare and redevelop a new master schedule, students from both CMS and BMS have been fully blended onto the teaching teams,” he said, “and we’ve integrated the staff.”

The Goddard School, a preschool system, opens at 20 Saugatuck Ave., on Monday, according to owner Kristin Bodenstein. An open house was hosted tonight. Established in 1988 by entrepreneur Anthony A. Martino, the high-quality, play-based learning program has grown to 500 locations across 37 states. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

A vendor for the Westport school system has informed school authorities its database has been hacked and offered the more than 5,000 students impacted free credit monitoring services.

An email today from Interim Superintendent of Schools David E. Abbey and Natalie Carrigan, director of technology, to parents followed up on a communication about the incident sent Wednesday.

They said the schools were informed on Monday by Pearson Clinical Assessment that Westport and many other districts use for “assessment services” that the breach occurred on or about Nov. 30, 2018 and the FBI alerted the company in mid-March.

“The district has been informed that the incident affected 5,084 students’ ‘directory information,’” the email said. “To help clarify, the ‘directory information’ was limited to first name, last name, and date of birth.”

Mark Mathias, at almost 16 years the longest serving member of the Westport Board of Education and its chair for a year, said today that he will not seek reelection in November to another four-year term.

Mark Mathias: longest serving board member. Contributed photo

He announced his intent in a statement almost four weeks after the nominating committee for the Democratic Town Committee endorsed two others for seats on the seven-member board, which has a Democratic majority. (See WestportNow June 20, 2019)

“I have recently heard from many people encouraging me to run for a fifth term,” said Mathias, 61. “Their positive comments regarding my contributions to the Board of Education are deeply appreciated.”

He referenced the turmoil that the board faced over the past year, including the sudden departure of the superintendent of schools, the resignation of the high school principal, and efforts to deal with the sudden closure of Coleytown Middle School because of air quality and mold issues.

By James Lomuscio

Westport’s Board of Finance tonight voted unanimously to approve $31,972,235 with bond and note authorization to restore the mold plagued and shuttered Coleytown Middle School (CMS) back into a sixth through eighth grade facility.

Don O’Day: “I hope this will be the beginning of a healing process.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

“It’s been a long, long 11 months,” said Don O’Day, chairman do the CMS Building Committee. “I hope this will be the beginning of a healing process.”

The amount, the largest appropriation the town has witnessed in the past 15 years, includes a 15% contingency of $4.5 million.

“If we don’t need the dollars, we won’t spend them,” said O’Day, a former Board of Education chairman. “We will treat every dollar like our own, and we’re going to oversee the work at Coleytown Middle School like it’s our own because it’s our kids.”