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Region In Review
December 20th, 2023
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Spreading kindness across generations provides students at the elementary level a multidimensional view of caring for others. Supporting our veterans, celebrating our senior citizens, collecting food for the food bank and raising funds for the Connecticut Children’s Foundation were just a few ways students teamed together to make a difference in their communities.
Gratitude and messages of cheer were extended to veterans here and afar. Washington Primary School wrote special notes of thanks through Operation Gratitude thanking them for their service and lifting spirits. Booth Free School held a whole school morning meeting talking about the sacrifice veterans make for us and created cards that were sent to veterans and current service members. Burnham School had veterans within our community join our students for a question and answer session, some patriotic singing and breakfast.
Our senior citizens are an important part of our community supporting our schools. The WPS parents and students along with the generosity of many local organizations prepared a delicious Thanksgiving Luncheon to show love and respect to our elders. Students decorated the cafeteria into a festive fall themed dining hall with placements, centerpieces, and special ornaments, entertained our guests with student parades, songs and poems and engaged in conversation. Burnham School had a special breakfast for senior citizens where students sang songs using sign language, read poems and stories, and created a special holiday craft together. Booth Free School had community members come to our annual BFS Spelling Bee and enjoy a holiday pie feast to kick off the Thanksgiving break.
Student leadership at the elementary schools, spearheaded food drives to support families in need. At Washington Primary School, Student Council members visited the Washington and Warren Food Pantry to learn about food insecurity. They learned that approximately 20 families visit the food bank each week! At Booth Free and Burnham Schools, students collected for their local food pantries. All three elementary schools donated almost 2,000 items for families in need.
Most recently, the elementary schools participated in the PJ Day for the Kids event. Students and staff enjoyed wearing PJs to school and donating $1.00. Students and staff raised over $800 to support children battling cancer and important research.
Providing opportunities for students to interact with people of different ages and to support the needs of our community at large shows how we each can spread positivity to make a difference in the lives of others.
Shepaug Athletics
Golf
The Shepaug golf team, under the direction of Coach Chris Dennis, finished the regular season with a Berkshire League record of 11 wins and 1 loss, capturing the Berkshire League title, as co-champions with Litchfield High School. At the Berkshire League All-Star Tournament, Shepaug earned 3 of the 5 all-star positions, with Gavin Giroux, Emmet Tredennick, and Jared Frankland earning All-Star honors. Gavin Giroux was the medalist, Peyton Thomas won the Closest to the Pin award, and Shepaug won the team competition at the Berkshire League tournament as well. This is the second year in a row that Shepaug has been the Berkshire League Golf Champion, and with many talented golfers returning next year, expectations for another successful season are high.
Field Hockey
Under the direction of our first year coaching tandem of Varsity Coach Owen Moore and Assistant Coach Heather Hurley, the Shepaug field hockey team made a huge improvement from the previous year. After finishing the 2022 regular season with a record of 8 wins and 8 losses, despite playing an even more challenging schedule in 2023, the team finished the regular season with a 14-2 record, and in the process won the Berkshire League Championship.
This season was the first championship season in 20 years, as the last time the Spartans took the Berkshire League Crown was during the 2003 season. The Berkshire League coaches recognized Zoe Soletsky and Clare Moore as First Team Berkshire League All-Stars, and the CT High School Coaches Association also recognized them as First Team All State. The excitement generated by the team this year resulted in some of the biggest field hockey crowds in recent memory, and the Region 12 community is thanked for the tremendous support provided.
Boys Soccer
Under the direction of Varsity Coach Jim Stinson, and Assistant Coach Dave Flook, the Shepaug boys soccer team had their best season in over two decades. With a 14-2 regular season record, the Spartans won the Berkshire League championship, and earned the number 1 ranking in the Berkshire League Tournament. They stormed through the Berkshire League tournament with two convincing victories, and claimed the Berkshire League Tournament championship to go along with the regular season title. The Berkshire league regular season championship was the team’s first title since 2001, when the Spartans were co-champions with Lewis Mills, and their first outright championship since 1990.
Their successful regular season provided them with the #2 ranking in the CIAC Class S state tournament, and after a first-round bye, the Spartans rattled off three impressive victories in a row. Their tournament performance put them in the State Championship game for the first time since 1965, when Shepaug didn’t even exist yet and we were known as Washington High School. The Spartans had Ronan Feenan, Rocco Smith, and Drew Konik selected as First Team Berkshire League All-Stars, and Feenan and Smith were also recognized as First Team All-State.
The team’s run to the state championship game was great for the Region 12 community, as many past and present Spartans, from current students and families, to alumni, to even multiple members of the 1965 State Championship team were in attendance at Trinity Health Stadium to watch the team in action.
Cross Country
The cross country teams had a successful Fall 2023 season. At 7-1, the girls team, under the direction of Coach John Spear, was one of the top teams in the league all year, and their performance at the Berkshire League Championship meet earned them second place overall for the 2023 regular season. Freshman Molly Sedito’s performance at the BL Championship meet earned her Berkshire League All-Star Status, and she was the only Shepaug runner to receive such honors.
With a 4-4 regular season record, the boys team, led by Coach Kerry Schur, displayed a significant improvement from last year. With only two seniors graduating, despite the loss of their leadership, the returning runners and a strong 8th grade class indicate good things to come for the boys squad.
Girls Soccer
The Shepaug girls soccer team, under head coach Tara Flaherty and assistant Dave Hendy, finished their season on a high note, with a 3-2 upset victory over the visiting Gilbert Yellowjackets in front of a vocal partisan Shepaug crowd on Senior Day. While key injuries played a role in the season, the Spartan squad looks to reload for the Fall 2024 season, as they will return 16 players to go along with incoming 9th graders. Senior Marie Sprong was recognized as a First Team Berkshire League All-Star during the 2023 season, which was another high note for the team.
Northwest United Football
The Northwest United Football team, led by head coach Jennifer Garzone and composed of players from Nonnewaug, Wolcott Tech, Litchfield, Wamogo, and Shepaug, enjoyed their second excellent season in a row. The Workhorses, featuring 5 players from Shepaug, rattled off 9 consecutive victories in a row to begin the season. Non-league victories at East Lyme and Stratford were some of the many highlights of the season, and NWU’s loss in a heated battle vs ATI at Immaculate High School on Thanksgiving Day was the only blemish suffered by the team during the regular season. One of Shepaug’s own, WR/DB/P/K Reed Woerner was honored by Connecticut Technical Conference Coaches as First Team All-Conference for his performance during the season.
With all 5 of Shepaug’s players returning for the 2024 season, we look forward to watching the team continue their winning ways.
Shepaug Chorus Shines at Radio City Music Hall
On November 30th, the High School Chorus traveled to New York City to perform on stage at Radio CIty Music Hall. There were 29 student vocalists and a total of 80 Shepaug family seats all together to cheer on the Shepaug students who were the opening act for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.
The Chorus performed three acapella holiday numbers for the Radio City Music Hall audience. It was a memorable day for everyone involved in the Shepaug Music Program!
French Field Trip to The Hill-Stead Museum
In a recent trip to the Hill-Stead Museum, Shepaug high school French students had the opportunity to view celebrated impressionistic paintings by Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet as well as James McNeil Whistler and Mary Cassatt.
Students enjoyed tours in French and English, rich in detail about the building’s architecture, collection and collectors, supported by a supplementary lecture on Impressionism and a hands-on opportunity to work with pastels. The outing finished with an Ovens of France lunch en plein air.
From Rockets to Robots
Exploratory students in 8th grade embark on personal interest mini-research projects. These projects encompass a diverse range of activities, including building rockets, designing and crafting medieval armor, creating websites, constructing osmotic fish tanks, exploring fashion design, pursuing personal fitness goals, learning the art of cutting and styling hair, deconstructing and reverse engineering a baseball, delving into video game programming, designing Minecraft texture packs, planning marching band routines, building mini Arduino robots, and exploring social media marketing with content creation.
While students have fun, they also gain valuable insights into goal-setting, conducting research, resilience, and self-efficacy. This experiential learning approach fosters a love for discovery, encouraging students to continue exploring their interests beyond the classroom and empowering them with skills that extend far beyond the confines of traditional education.
Senior Project Spotlight
Mackenzie Maynard - Spring Goat Show Spectacle
Mackenzie Maynard has grown up taking care of large farm animals. From the time she was 12, she was taking care of show goats, which are different from conventional goats. Her project is designed to facilitate understanding of how to show goats, specifically for students. She is currently planning a clinic to teach the basics of showing goats. The clinic will be at Shepaug sometime in the spring. She will host a formal goat show May 11 at the Shepaug barn. Mackenzie explains, “I’m working on finding sponsors to support the expenses of this kind of event. The show will be an eye-opening experience for people who don’t have prior knowledge of show goats.
Field Hockey Accolades
Senior Zoe Soletsky was named a First Team Berkshire League All Star in field hockey and also earned First Team All-State honors.
Junior Clare Moore was named a First Team Berkshire League All Star in field hockey and also earned First Team All-State honors.
Career Center Snapshot
Shepaug Counseling, along with the College and Career Center, participated in a Zoom meeting with the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) where they learned about their prestigious culinary program, remarkable campus life, and the MANY scholarships offered. Of course, a CIA presentation wouldn’t be complete without a recipe demonstration, which left everyone salivating and hungry.
Earlier in the month, Post University visited. All were thrilled to discover their recent capital investments, alumni support, and their many scholarships; including a 'full-tuition' scholarship each year.
An evite was sent to each member of the SVS Class of 2023, inviting them to join our annual Alumni Panel. This event (January 4 at 10:30) consistently exceeds expectations by providing invaluable insights to the senior class.
Fliers & Upcoming Events
Region 12 Calendar
Dec. 25 - Jan. 1 No School - Holiday Recess
Jan 8. - BOE / Curriculum & Educational Programming Committee Meeting, SVS, 6pm
Jan. 8 - BOE / Long Range Planning Committee Meeting, SVS, 6pm
Jan. 8 - Board of Education Meeting, SVS, 7pm
Jan. 8 - PTO Meeting, SVS, 6:30pm - 7pm (Zoom)
Jan. 9 - PTO Meeting, WPS, 6:30pm
Jan. 10 - PTO Meeting, Burnham, 3:30pm
Jan. 10 - Parent Meeting, WPS: Primary Priorities, Safety & Security, 6:30pm
Jan. 11 - Unified Elementary Band & Chorus Concert, SVS, 7pm
Jan. 15 - MLK Day - No School
Jan. 17 - Parent Meeting, BFS: Primary Priorities, Safety & Security, 6:30pm
Follow Region 12 on our social media channels for updates and information!
The Region 12 community educates, challenges, and inspires all learners to become compassionate, creative, and courageous individuals who are empowered by the knowledge, character, and perseverance to achieve their greatest potential within the global society.
Email: rir@region-12.org
Website: www.region-12.org
Location: 11A School Street, PO Box 386 Washington Depot, CT 06794
Phone: 860-868-6100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shepaug-Regional-School-District-12-153899298123985/
Twitter: @Region12Schools