GPS District Digest (v3, i14)

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! Are you wearing your fancy green cap and bowtie today? Or maybe you just feasted on a traditional Irish breakfast?

Have we ever mentioned in this space how much we love feedback? Loyal GPS District Digest reader Rachel K. let us know after Issue No. 13 that "whoever writes this is amazing." We made sure to tell her that her level of kindness is only surpassed by her great taste in writing. Thanks Rachel! You're not so bad yourself.

The current issue is packed! So sit back, enjoy your corned beef and cabbage, and read about all good things at GPS. And as a bonus to our subscribers, at no additional cost, back by popular demand, we "Turn Back the Clock" once again after a two-issue absence.

Enjoy Issue 14!

GPS District Digest

Are you going to the 46th Greenwich St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday at 2:00 PM? It had been canceled two years in a row, but now it's back.

If you are going, I have a feeling you will cheer the loudest when the Board of Education and GPS staff contingent march by. Won't you?

"We are very aware how much our community loves the incredible staff of GPS, but having them march through the streets of downtown Greenwich gives everyone one more opportunity to show their appreciation," Board Member Joe Kelly said. "They all need to be recognized for their hard work, serving the children of Greenwich, especially during these recent tough and challenging times."

We love to give credit here where credit is due at the Digest, so let's get to it...

Congratulations to CMS' Sohan Javeri, WMS' Rex Lu, and EMS' Annabel Wu, who were among the top 10 student finalists in the recent Fairfield chapter round of the MathCounts competition and qualified for the state round of competition in Hartford.

“Sohan Javeri is a very talented Central sixth-grader who has shown a great passion and love for math,” Eastern Middle School Science Teacher John Lodato said. "And we are all very proud of Annabelle Wu’s accomplishments. She has worked very hard and is well-respected as a leader of Eastern’s Math Club."

“It is no surprise for any of us at Western that Rex Lu is advancing to the state-level competition," Western Middle School Math Teach Yamuna Ramadass said. "Rex is taking college-level advanced courses in middle school and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for her.”

Western Middle School seventh-graders Gabriela Aliaga and Blake Natale were announced winners for their entries in the 2022 Connecticut PTA Reflections Arts Program. Both incredibly talented students have been invited to the state-wide awards ceremony on May 10 at Fairfield Ludlowe High School.

This year’s Reflections theme was “I will change the world by…” Gabriela’s art “Bittersweet Tears,” won first place in the middle school visual arts category. Blake’s poem “Perspective,” won third place in the middle school literature category.

Gabriela wrote: “I will change the world by being more aware of what others are going through. My art portrays a young girl about to cut her long hair for her sister who has cancer…[and] needs it more. Her tear portrays her happiness [at] her small contribution…”

March is Women's History Month and to celebrate, the GHS Social Studies Department is hosting Hagar Hajjar Chemali, who will engage students in a virtual presentation on Tuesday.

Ms. Chemali is a a political satirist, news personality, writer, and foreign policy expert. She is the host and creator of Oh My World! -- an award-winning weekly world news show that delivers geopolitics and political satire tailored for young Americans. She is also a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center and an adjunct professor with Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Ms. Chemali writes and provides commentary on foreign policy and national security, and she and her work have been featured in The Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, and Cheddar. She is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Chemali received her BA in Political Science from Barnard College and her MA in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She resides in her native Greenwich with her husband and their three children.

Every New York baseball fan knows of the famed "Murders' Row" - the legendary lineup of the great 1927 Yankees team that featured the likes of Combs, Koenig, Ruth, Gehrig, Meusel, and Lazzeri.

Now, consider the lineup of the "Gals of GOSA" at the Greenwich Alliance for Education’s Trivia Challenge 2022 two Friday's ago: Jennifer Bencivengo, Tara Fogel, Mary Grandville, Katy Keane, Safiya Key, Jennifer Lau, Trish McGuire, Laura Newell, Angela Schmidt, and Kathleen Ramirez.

Who do you think won? Did anyone else even stand a chance? These dynamic and bright leaders confidently answered 43 questions over five rounds. They correctly answered the final question: Spell the Ohio city that is home to the NFL's Bengals, MLB's Red, and fictional radio station WKPR.

More than $50,000 was raised from this event and the Alliance wants to thank the 210 players from around the country who participated. Head to their website if you would like more information.

Do you know a teacher that deserves consideration for the 2022 Distinguished Teacher Awards? The main emphasis in identifying a distinguished teacher is the quality of a teacher’s work with students. To learn more about the criteria and eligibility requirements, read the Nomination Instruction Packet online. Nominators are responsible for collecting and submitting all forms for DTA Nomination TOMORROW by 5:00 PM.

The Distinguished Teacher Awards are an amazing 38-year tradition at GPS. Watch the video below by North Street Teacher and 2017 Distinguished Teacher Ms. Vikki Cappiali. She eloquently explains why we do these tremendous awards.

Central Middle School’s production of Bye Bye Birdie is set for 7:00 PM on both Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26. Over 80 CMS students are part of this epic performance.

Purchasing tickets online, which are available now, is encouraged. A limited number of tickets will be available to purchase live before the shows for an additional fee.

You do not want to miss it!

Playbills will meet duck bills when HONK! JR. hatches at Western Middle School on April 1 at 7:00 PM and April 2 at 2:00 PM and 7:00PM, presented by the WMS Theater Club.

Tickets are $10 for 7:00 PM performances and $8 for the 2:00 PM show, though a handful of cracked corn will probably suffice. There is no dress code, but duck-billed shoes are encouraged.

For more information regarding tickets, contact Karen Anderson:

karen_anderson@greenwich.k12.ct.us.

For the first time in more than a month, the Digest turns back the clock with this wonderful postcard of the current Greenwich Town Hall that was once home to Greenwich High School. We told you in Issue No. 11 of the Digest (February 3, 2022) that this building was built in 1926 and was hailed as "the finest in the northeast" for 900 high school students.

We invite you to click on the image to the right so you can read the correspondence of Fred and Ethel Hinderer of Philadelphia to their 16-year-old son George on June 12, 1938. "Mother" and "Dad" walked around Greenwich, appreciating our school building and the views of the Long Island Sound.

The research department of the Digest dug deep to discover George would enlist in the United State Army four years after this postcard was sent and just six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and our country's entry into World War II. Military records tell us George was engaged in the battles and campaigns of North France, the Rhineland, and Central Europe. If he were here, we would thank him for his service.

George died on March 1, 1993 at the age of 71.

Click on the images below to see what our administrators and others have been sharing on social media!

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