Category: Education - Page 64

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Music to Their Ears

Adele Cutrali-Valovich, director of orchestral music at Staples High School, today brought the Staples Chamber Orchestra to the Saugatuck Congregational Church to play for the Y’s Men of Westport Weston. Thirty-two musicians played three numbers while Cutrali-Valovich introduced the musicians and talked about the schools’ instrumental music programs. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com

Saturday, May 6th, 2017

Top Honors for Staples Underwater Robotics Team

A team of Staples High School students engaged in underwater robotics today won top honors at a competition in Sandwich, Massachusetts and a right to advance to an international competition. Team Curriodyssea, made up of students Nick Durkin, John McNab, and Daniel Westphal (all 10th graders) and Nathan Wang (9th grader), competed in the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center’s (MATE) New England Regional Competition. The MATE competition requires teams to design, build, and program underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), utilizing math, engineering, and computer science skills. The ROVs are challenged to perform missions (in a swimming pool) modeled after scenarios from the undersea workplace. Curriodyssea came home with first place awards in engineering evaluation, mission (for highest scoring ROV on the underwater challenges), technical report, and poster display. By winning first place overall, they qualified to compete in Long Beach, California on June 23-25, where their underwater ROV (named H2rOver) will face 27 other teams from the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, and Africa. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Letter: BOE Says RTM Vote Investment in Future

To the Editor:

This week’s vote by the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) is an investment in the future of our town, our schools, and our children It also sends a strong signal of support to Dr. Palmer, our outstanding new superintendent, and her vision for an academically-thriving, fiscally-disciplined, and kind organization.

We’d like to thank the many, many members of the Westport community, including our wonderful students, who were engaged and effective throughout this budget process.

We also would like to thank all of the hard-working, thoughtful volunteers on the PTA, RTM, and Board of Finance who help keep our schools on a track of continuous improvement. Most importantly, we’d like to thank the truly excellent staff of the Westport Public Schools who meet the mission for our children every day.

Westport Board of Education

Michael Gordon, Chair
Jeannie Smith, Vice Chair
Elaine Whitney, Secretary
Karen Kleine
Mark Mathias
Vik Muktavaram
Candice Savin

Westport

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017

Palmer: School Bus Drivers Authorize Strike

Westport school bus drivers have voted to authorize their leadership to call a strike if needed, Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer said tonight.

School buses at the Dattco lot on Post Road East. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

But, in tweets and an email to parents, she said such authorization does not mean they will strike.

A contract with the drivers, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371, expired at midnight Wednesday, April 26.. Negotiations resumed on Monday.

“This vote does not mean they will strike,” Palmer said. “Dattco assures us drivers do not plan to strike now as negotiations continue.”

Letter: Thank You for Restoration of Educational Funds

To the Editor:

I want to send out two massive thank you messages to our town. All of our town.

First, thank you to the RTM for delivering this rare supermajority vote to restore more money back to our great schools than the Board of Finance was willing to do. Secondly, a big heartfelt shout out to all the parents, PTA, and especially the students for engaging in this process.

I am proud that our petition, just one month old, gave people a voice. In that short time to secure over 1,700 online signatures and more than 500 written signatures is an achievement for the community — not for me.

To have more than 500 written comments from the public in one document was more than we expected or asked for. To see our students stand up to speak, one after another last night, made me proud for all of our town and its future.

RTM Restores $390,000 to School Budget

By James Lomuscio

UPDATE After four-and-a-half hours of discussions, debates and comments from parents, PTA members, students, and Board of Finance members, Westport’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) voted narrowly early today to restore $390,000 to the 2017-18 school operating budget.

Staples sophomore Arthur Shapiro told the meeting, “The reason we moved to this town was because of the schools.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The 12:10 a.m. vote — coming after two-thirds of the exhausted members backed a motion to cut off debate — was 26 to 7.

Voting no were: Catherine Calise, Sylina Levy, Kristan Hamlin, Seth Braunstein, Peter Gold, Dee Chapman, and Carla Rea. The 26 yes votes were 2 more than the 70 percent of those present needed to restore what the Board of Finance had rejected at its April 5 meeting.

At that session, finance members restored $310,000 of the $700,000 requested by the Board of Education. (See WestportNow April 6, 2017)

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017

An Educational Plea from a 7-Year-Old

Among those addressing the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) tonight as it considered restoration of $390,000 to the education budget was Nakul Sethi, 7, a Long Lots Elementary School first grader. “Please restore the budget so I can have a good education in Westport,” he said. Nakul and his family arrived in Westport this year from Singapore. Even though RTM members could not see him behind the podium, they could hear his loud and clear voice. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Letter: Signs Gone But Campaign More Active

To the Editor:

It was great to see our signs on WestportNow today.

Unfortunately, every single sign about the school budget on North Avenue was removed — presumed stolen — overnight. I contacted the police, and they were clear they would not have removed them.

Some of the signs on North Avenue before they disappeared overnight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

It’s great that you were able to post a picture before these signs that were intended to promote a local issue and tonight’s public meeting were removed.

Rather than get angry, our campaign is getting more active. We don’t have time or the money to print and replace the signs. So we are getting creative and doing everything we can to promote tonight’s important town meeting.

Signs of a Debate to Come Tonight—Now Gone

UPDATE Signs supporting the Board of Education’s budget have appeared along two stretches of North Avenue near Staples High School and Bedford Middle School in advance of tonight’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) consideration of the budget. However, resident Robert Harrington said someone removed them all early today, and a report has been made to Westport police. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Monday, May 1st, 2017

Staples Names Students of the Month

Staples High School today announced its latest Students of the Month. The award program recognizes students who help make the school a welcoming place for their peers and teachers alike. They are nominated by their teachers, who are asked to select all-around good school citizens. Pictured areback row, l-r) Eli Debenham, George Kane, Enrique Pesantez, Ethan Vosper, Conner Frank, Alexandra Milberg and Spencer Stefani; (middle row) Claire Meehan, Kristin Amato, Zachary Kornbluth, Conor Hanley and Philip De Munck; (front row) Maria Hodge, Art Kelly, Kate Lewis, and Federica Nagar; (front) Peyton Anderson; missing from picture: Katie Simpson. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo