To the Editor:

I am worried about the cost and availability of health care.  I know I am not alone.  I have Medicare today, and secondary insurance from my employer.  But how many Westport residents do not have either of these?

There is a proposal before our state legislature that would provide health care for almost everyone. It is called SustiNet. It was created by people who really understand the needs and the dilemmas. It is build on the experience and input of doctors, nurses and hospitals; small business owners and corporate leaders; people without health insurance and with inadequate coverage; labor unions; faith leaders; and health care advocates.

Connecticut can be a leader in health care reform for our country.  SustiNet combines the best of our public and private systems.  SustiNet offers a comprehensive, affordable benefit package including mental and dental health care. SustiNet offers the same health insurance benefits as a typical large employer in Connecticut.

I support this plan and have asked our state representatives to vote for it.  I hope you will join me.  Call today – the vote may come any day.

Catherine Onyemelukwe
Westport

To the Editor:

My name is Katie Cioe and I am a student at Staples High School. My father, Crispin Cioe, is a renowned musician and my mother is a retired reporter and currently owns her own business. We live on 4 Valley Road in Westport. I want to thank you for being an entertaining source of information and every time I visit your Web site I am thoroughly informed of recent happenings in Westport.

I wish the sole reason for this letter could be to express how I love when a picture of myself is posted when I am involved in a town event or how I want to publicize a new club or event. However, unfortunately I am writing to you on the more serious manner of the education budget cut that Westport is faced with today.

I am currently a student in the Collab (Collaborative) course which is a class that has been affected by this horrific budget cut. Collab is a non-traditional U.S. history course where students are engaged in-depth discussions and exposed to important texts such as “A Peoples’ History of the United States” by Howard Zinn and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.

This is a course where U.S. History Honors and English Two Honors are combined and students learn educational units as a collaboration of both Social Studies and English. Students learn how to synthesize information and at the end of each quarter write an in-depth analysis of their performance.

According to the new budget, Collab will not be available to students next year. Along with this course, Robotics, Latin American Studies, Senior Option, and many other unique classes will be erased from the Staples curriculum. I am deeply saddened by this drastic cut because it affects my future and my career at Staples. Collab has helped me realize my serious inclination toward government.

Through exposure to current events, Collab is a place where my critical thinking skills have developed. Due to this, I have joined Junior Statesman of America and will participate in my first debate at Staples High School on Saturday, April 25 against prestigious schools like Hunter, Horace Mann, High School of Math and Science, and many various other esteemed private schools. One of the reasons a public school can go up against such highly ranked private schools is because of the dedication this town has to education.

Staples High School was recently ranked No. 1 in the state and the entire Staples community was thrilled at this fact. However, this budget cut seems to disagree with our status because we are cutting the classes that make our school “the private school with no tuition” anomaly it is. Robotics, Collab, and other unique courses are vital to helping students realize their interests and helping them gain the drive to pursue their interests in the future. It would be a shame to let our children’s future go to waste.

Staples High School is one of the crown gems of Westport society. From Wreckers football games to Players’ Productions to Teacher of the Year ceremonies, there is a lot to be proud of at Staples. We truly deserve our No. 1 ranking, or at least we did. I realize we are in a deep economic recession and no one understands this more than students at Staples. We are the ones who are going to have bills to pay and have to try and restore our country in the future.

Clearly, we, as the youth, feel this burden as much anyone in Westport. However, if this budget is replenished, it comes out to a mere $12 a household a month, and $144 per household a year. We need to invest in our children’s future and make this sacrifice.

It is these classes that make Staples what it is. If we let the value and reputation of Staples High School, then other aspects for Westport will decline as well. Housing prices will drop and town will lose many important members of our society. The youth will lose trust in the board and will exude less Westport pride

The main reason my parents moved me here from Fieldston Ethical Culture Private School in New York City was the education system. If we instate this budget cut, then house prices could go down and we could no longer have the same Westport pride. I implore you to make this decision and help the future of our children and the future of America. Thank you for your time.

Katie Cioe
Westport

To the Editor:

We were so disappointed and devastated to hear of the potential cancellation of Collab.

This class teaches students in a unique way—one that encourages individual thinking instead of the practiced memorization of facts, asks students to question surroundings and what is expected and known, and has proved to be a progressive teaching style.

We have been taught the importance of thinking for ourselves, working with peers, and how 21st century skills are vital to the learning process.

Westport prides itself on the superior education, individuality, and support it provides to its students. Our town was recently honored with having the No. 1 school in Connecticut.

With these supposedly necessary budget cuts, our class is finding it hard to believe we will be able to maintain this status without the many classes that make Staples unique.

In addition to Collab, many other distinctive classes are being canceled, including ones that are critical to an average high school. French 1, music lessons, Latin American Studies, Senior Options, Current Issues, British and Irish Literature, and A.P. Computer Science are among the courses being cut.

This fight is not simply about Collab. We believe that restricting educational opportunities is a critical error, no matter what the class.

We spent almost an entire quarter researching and studying American education. From this examination, we learned how easy it is for funds to be mismanaged.

Education should never be limited, so we urge the Town of Westport and all interested in furthering the education of its children to help us.

Please join us on Monday night, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Staples cafeteria to protest the outrageous cancellation of these classes. With any questions or comments, please e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Sincerely,

The Staples High School Collab Class 2008-09
Westport

To the Editor:

Today at around 5:30 a.m., my phone rang with an automated message that the schools were closed. 

I think the idea of this phone call is great, but I have to say that as a parent of three children ages 6, 4, and 2, it’s ridiculous that they would call anyone at 5:30 a.m.  I could always get this info on your site, News 12, the radio or any local TV station. 

I don’t need to have my entire family woken up at 5:30 for information I can get easily.

What were they thinking sending this at 5:30?

Christopher Pepin
Westport

To the Editor:

Too many local families and individuals are suddenly struggling for food, housing, employment and protection from domestic violence. Fairfield County nonprofits are trapped in a Catch-22; just as demand for their services is skyrocketing, donations are plummeting.

Where can one give to help the most? As a board member of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, I’m convinced we offer a smart solution: The Fairfield County Community Foundation will match donations to its Safety Net Giving Circle, which helps area residents hit hardest by the economic crisis.

Thanks to a matching grant from an anonymous donor, donations made to the Safety Net Giving Circle by January 15, 2009, will be matched up to $100,000. Ultimately $200,000 will be pumped into 10 area nonprofits that help residents throughout Fairfield County meet their basic needs. A giving circle pools individual donations to focus on one cause, amplifying the impact of each gift.

The 10 nonprofits are: Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, Neighbor to Neighbor, Catholic Charities, Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging,
Person to Person, Operation Hope, Norwalk Community Health Center, Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Center for Women and Families, and
TBICO.

Anyone can donate online or by check. To learn more, visit www.fccfoundation.org.
Bernicestine Bailey
Westport

Dear Westport Residents,

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued vote of confidence and support this Election Day.

It has always been an honor and a privilege to serve you!  Having been re-elected for a third consecutive term as your state representative in Hartford, I look forward to bringing more positive changes at the Capitol to benefit the Town of Westport and the State of Connecticut. 

Positive change is made possible with dedication, collaboration, integrity and honesty.

Please join my family and me for coffee, bagels, doughnuts and whatever on Sunday, Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Westport Pizzeria, so I can personally thank you and celebrate our victory together.

Warmest Regards

Joe Mioli
State Representative
Westport

Open Letter to Westport Teens:

I, 7 months pregnant, was strolling down Main Street with my husband the other evening. A few small packs of teenagers were hanging around the area. We slowly neared one gang of teens whose scooters were blocking the sidewalk. One of them spotted us, told his buddies, “We have to get these off the sidewalk” and promptly moved his gear out of the way to let us through.

We walked through. I didn’t say “thank you.” I’m not sure why. Possibly because I was too busy being impressed that a bunch of adolescents would notice a random pregnant woman and her husband out for a quiet evening walk.

So thank you. Not just to the boy who moved his and his friend’s scooters, but to every young person in this town who steps out of their way to let me through, who smiles at my children, opens a door for us, or performs some other act of grace and kindness.

There are many of you in this town, and I notice every single one of you. I may not verbalize it (fine example I’m setting), but it’s young people like you who make me happy we moved here, and who make me hope our children grow up with the same courtesy and thoughtfulness.

Robin Chung
Westport

To the Editor:

The Westport Soccer Association (WSA) would like to thank Dan DeVito for the last minute securing of both the Wakeman B and the Ginny Parker turf fields for our travel soccer tryouts on Friday afternoon, May 16.

Soccer is a game that typically is played even in inclement weather (they say it builds character!), but surely it is not an enjoyable experience for the kids when it is raining and cold, as was the case this past week.  Despite the poor weather conditions, the children persisted – thanks to our ability to play on synthetic turf.

It seems that lately we’ve only heard the negatives about synthetic turf fields.  I think most players and parents would agree that the synthetic turf fields provided a clean, safe playing environment in less than optimal playing conditions. 

After being rained out on our first scheduled attempt to hold tryouts, the turf fields allowed us to “get it done.” It brought meaning to the term “grin and bear it” as we had record numbers attend our tryouts this year, and it certainly was a Field of Dreams for many hopeful children vying for spots on next year’s team rosters.

Thanks again Dan.

Paul Rossi
Director
Westport Soccer Association

To the Editor:

Since announcing I will not seek reelection to the State Senate on April 21, 2008 it would be remiss of me if I did not thank you, your readers and my constituents for the support they have given me over the last 22 years.

I am appreciative of the honor bestowed upon me by the voters and the residents of this district through 11 elections. I have listened to you, have worked with you to resolve the problems you have brought to my attention and, when appropriate, taken your advice to pursue legislation. 

As I said in my statement to the press, when one serves as a legislator there is always unfinished business that needs to be addressed and, so, one can always rationalize running for reelection. But this is the right time for me to go forward with my life.

I have met some wonderful, devoted people in all seven towns. I will treasure the many friendships I have made during this time. I have some wonderful memories of my colleagues in both legislative chambers and on both sides of the aisle.

I hope the legacy of my 22 years is one that will encourage more people to become involved in what is happening in our state and to become part of the process that sets Connecticut apart from the other 50 states.

Thank you for giving me that opportunity.

Judith G. Freedman
State Senator, 26th District
Westport