GPS District Digest (v6, i12)
Stories, news, and updates from Greenwich Public Schools
December's Holiday Recess? Done. February's Winter Recess? Done. One more big break to go and then we sprint to the finish line.
While you were on break, the newsroom was action packed, compiling all good things GPS just for you, our loyal Digest readers.
Did you hear that PJ Day two weeks ago raised about $17,000? GHS junior Anna-Louise Lenschow is a rock star in these parts and dare we say the coolest Lenschow we know. Nah, we are just joking ya. Sophie is pretty groovy, too. Head over to the Greenwich Schools PJ Day 2025 webpage to see all of the totals.
If you remember in issue 11, we shared a fantastic photo from the Windrose Program's mid-year graduation ceremony. Right after that, we heard from loyal Digest reader, Isabel C., who offered her heartfelt congratulations to all Windrose graduates for all their hard work and dedication. "You have achieved one of your goals," she said. "Do not stop for the others." All of us in the Digest newsroom agree. Keep it going!
One more month until spring.
Enjoy Issue No. 12 and thank you for your support.
GPS District Digest
Recent customer donations from Greenwich and Riverside ACME stores and Old Greenwich Kings store to help eradicate childhood hunger by keeping food banks stocked and supporting meal distribution programs at schools totaled $3,000. Greenwich Public Schools received 120 $25 gift cards from ACME Markets & Kings Food Markets Foundation's Nourishing Neighbors Program and GENYouth, a school based national nonprofit.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Toni Jones presented those gift cards to Neighbor to Neighbor's Executive Director, K. Brent Hill, at the Havemeyer Building on Greenwich Avenue to be used in their Summer Supplement Program.
NTN’s Summer Supplement Program is a 10-week program that serves more than 300 families with school-aged children during the summer months when school meals are not available.
One dozen Greenwich High School seniors were recently named candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.
The Cardinal candidates are: Adam Allegro, Allison Bauer, Justin Bernstein, Thomas Erensen, Zara Haque, Audrey Ku, Ashley Malkin, Brandon Nadel, Naomi Rosell, Natasha Samant, Robert Vine, and Zerach Zou.
To learn more about the program, head to the U.S. Department of Education's webpage.
Guess what? Here in the newsroom we got a fever. And the only prescription is more Ashley Malkin.
Ms. Malkin continues to amaze us at the GPS District Digest as her accolades continue to mount.
Recently, the Greenwich HS senior was named a 2025 NCWIT AiC National Winner for excellence in technology and computing. She is one of 40 national winners selected from over 3,700 applications and will be honored at a National Award Ceremony in Charlotte, NC in March.
Will she acknowledge the Digest in her acceptance speech?
Her projects have included using machine learning to find new ways for medicines to cross the blood-brain barrier, creating an objective machine learning diagnostic for concussions, and developing a machine learning system to find new treatments for neurological disorders.
The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) High School Award honors 9th-12th grade students for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, persistence, and future plans. Since 2007, more than 25,000 students have received an AiC Award.
Need more Ashley? Read her online bio.
Elliott did good. The second grader from Hamilton Avenue School recently wrote a letter to award-winning & best-selling author, JoAnn Dickinson, for the writing unit, "Finding Awesome Everywhere: Celebrating Through Opinion Writing," and to express her thoughts on the writer's works.
"I really love your Rylee the Young Rocketeer books and the Rylee's Rover book," Elliott wrote in her beautiful handwriting. "They interest me. They are awesome."
Not only did Ms. Dickinson respond with enthusiasm and gratitude, but the author volunteered to virtually participate in the school's World Read Aloud Day celebration.
Principal Fox tells us that Ms. Dickinson captivated the students with a reading of her delightful book, Amelia Ophelia The Beekeeper by the Sea. The students were wholly engaged, listening intently and asking insightful questions that impressed Ms. Dickinson, according to Ms. Fox. Their enthusiasm and curiosity made the session both enjoyable and educational.
In addition to the reading, Ms. Dickinson generously donated a copy of Amelia Ophelia The Beekeeper by the Sea to the Hamilton Avenue School library. She also took the time to autograph another book, enriching the library's collection and providing lasting memories for their students.
The good folks in the Digest newsroom recently read a tremendous article in the Greenwich Free Press about GHS students participating in Connecticut’s We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution Competition at Yale University.
Students spent the fall and winter studying and researching six units of curriculum developed by the Center for Civic Education to present testimony in front of a panel of judges acting as a congressional committee, the article said.
Greenwich High School, under the direction of social studies teacher, Aaron Hull, took third place.
For more information on the competition, head to Connecticut Democracy Center's website.
The question: Who is the GPS alumni that climbed the ranks of the gameshow "Jeopardy!" to reach the Tournament of Champions?
Mr. Fitzpatrick, class of 2006, was featured in a recent article on the Greenwich Patch website. He once hung his hat in Riverside, but is now based in Mexico City and is a five-time "Jeopardy!" champion. He amassed more than $100,000 in winnings on his way to qualifying for the show's Tournament of Champions, the article said.
The research department in the Digest newsroom found a fantastic interview on the game show's YouTube channel.
Greenwich High School students can be found up and down the list of 2025 Hudson-to-Housatonic Scholastic Writing Awards recipients. In all, 30 Cardinals won 46 different awards.
Since 1923, the Scholastic Writing Awards have recognized and celebrated teens for their creative accomplishments. Open to all students in grades 7-12, participation in the awards can make a tremendous impact in a young person's life. The Scholastic Awards is blindly adjudicated and there is no restriction on topic or content. Students can submit work to the Scholastic Writing Awards in many different categories. Writopia Lab is the official affiliate partner of the Scholastic Writing Awards for the Hudson-to-Housatonic Writing Region.
The GHS honorees are:
Freshmen
Tessa Addeo: Silver Key, “Hazel's Yellow Bow” (Short Story); Taylor De Vries: Silver Key, “Internal” (Poetry); Vidya Dhruvakumar: Honorable Mention, “Just Another Number” (Short Story); Noelle Iasillo: Honorable Mention, “ALLEGRO” (Dramatic Script); Olivia Luna: Silver Key, “Stand By Me” (Personal Essay & Memoir); Tyler Malkin: Silver Key, “Colonialism’s Effect on Mauritania: Economic, Political and Humanitarian Crises” (Critical Essay); Tyler Malkin: Silver Key, “The Gated Community” (Flash Fiction); Andrea Nguyen: Silver Key, “Some Sunny Day” (Science Fiction & Fantasy); Georgia O’Neil: Honorable Mention, “YOU NEVER SAID 'GOOD NIGHT'“ (Poetry); Raghav Ramji: Honorable Mention, “Carrying The Sky” (Poetry); Tania Samant: Silver Key, “Animal Farm Anthem” (Poetry); Coco Yanagida: Silver Key, “The Beauty and Ruination of The Dreamer” (Critical Essay).
Sophomores
Diana Davidson: Honorable Mention, “Entertainment: Can we be both amused and improved?” (Critical Essay); Rhea Fan: Honorable Mention, “eleven eleven, make a wish” (Poetry); Greta Garcia: Silver Key, “Fluently Clueless” (Personal Essay & Memoir), Honorable Mention, “Barefoot on the Moon” (Poetry), Silver Key, “Lemon Soap” (Poetry), Honorable Mention, “Of the Tallest Shadows and the Darkest Crows” (Poetry), Gold Key, “The Grass We Used to Step On” (Poetry), Honorable Mention, “To Feel” (Poetry); Xiwen Gong: Honorable Mention, “Bleeding Red” (Personal Essay & Memoir), Honorable Mention, “Folding Dumplings” (Personal Essay & Memoir), Honorable Mention, “The Irony in Being Gifted” (Personal Essay & Memoir), Silver Key, “Where I Was Held” (Poetry), Honorable Mention, “The Neural Garden” (Science Fiction & Fantasy), Honorable Mention, “See You Soon” (Short Story); Alex Jackson: Honorable Mention, “The Smell of Rabbits” (Poetry); Youhan Liang: Gold Key, “Democracy In India” (Critical Essay); Aitana Rodriguez: Honorable Mention, “Fractured” (Poetry); Abraham Rosenschein: Honorable Mention, “Change” (Poetry), Gold Key, “The Smoke” (Poetry); Angelina Song: Silver Key, “Puppets” (Science Fiction & Fantasy), Silver Key, “The Dream of the Goat” (Short Story); Kate Wick: Honorable Mention, “Bookstore Thief” (Poetry).
Juniors
Nathan Lionetti: Honorable Mention, “Justice Lost, Justice Sought, and Justice Found: The Story of the Haymarket Square Riot"“ (Critical Essay); Alexa Loera: Honorable Mention, “The Truth About Writing"“ (Humor); Ellie Malone: Gold Key, “The Steps In Between” (Personal Essay & Memoir); Belle Nichols: Honorable Mention, “Symphonic Solace” (Dramatic Script); Abby Otterstedt: Honorable Mention, “Erewhonics 101: How to Spend Your Rent on an Acai Bowl” (Humor).
Seniors
Ashley Malkin: Honorable Mention, “In a Moment” (Portfolio (Writing)), Gold Key, “Science and Writing: Inextricably Intertwined” (Portfolio (Writing)); Shreya Prabhu: Honorable Mention, “Julius and Ethel Rosenberg: A Story of How Hysteria Can Kill” (Critical Essay), Gold Key, “The Wife of Bath Versus Allison: The Mystery of Desirability in the Medieval Times” (Critical Essay), Gold Key, “Shades of Bias: Unpacking Colorism in Indian Society” (Journalism); Natasha Samant: Honorable Mention, “What's in a name?” (Poetry); Juliette Zabel: Honorable Mention, “Growing Up” (Dramatic Script).
To learn more about the Hudson-to-Housatonic Scholastic Writing Awards, head to the Writopia Lab website.
Ceramic work entitled "Mind Under Siege" by Greenwich HS senior William Schuhmacher was recently selected to be displayed at the National K12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation's annual national exhibition held in Salt Lake City, UT in March.
The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference is the preeminent ceramic event in the US annually, gathering professionals from universities, colleges, museums, art galleries and the ceramic arts world to a host city to view exhibitions, demonstrations, talks and other ceramic events. For the duration of the conference, the host city is the world capital of ceramics.
According to the online description, "Mind Under Siege" is a brain with tools, nails and a screw, stuck into it, resting atop a frame. At its core, "Mind Under Siege" is a representation of the artist's battle with their inner self, constantly trying to change how they feel and think; while the tools could be used for rebuilding, they puncture the outer layer of the brain causing more damage than good.
William's work was one of 1,032 total entries of which only 150 were selected for the exhibition. For more information on this exhibition, head to the NCECA's website.
The folks in the Digest newsroom cannot be too upset with GHS' director of orchestras, Ms. Bethany Fuscaldo, for not sending us a postcard during the Winter Recess. She did share the music department's busy itinerary during their five-day trip to Southern California. Eating and sleeping? Was there time for that?
They spent the first two days of the trip in Disneyland, performing in the park and going through music workshops with studio recording artists. Students enjoyed all the rides and fun that Disney holds.
They spent a day in Los Angeles and had a chance to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Dolby Theatre, attended a Los Angeles Philharmonic concert in the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, watched the sunset on the Santa Monica Pier, and had dinner aboard the Queen Mary.
"It really was a spectacular trip," Ms. Fuscaldo told the Digest, "and the students had a ball!"
No grudges held for the lack of a postcard...this time.
It has been a minute since we turned back the clock. We know you have missed this nostalgic feature in the Digest.
Just look at this amazing ultra-rare postcard from Eastern Junior High School that recently showed up in the newsroom. Sadly, it is unused, but we can appreciate it nonetheless.
As you, the loyal reader can see, the original school, built in 1954 as a junior high school before changing to the current model of a middle school.
There must be some Eastern JHS alumni out there that can tell us more. Reach out and do not be shy! We want to hear from you.
Social media, when done responsibly, can be a great tool to share information. Here at GPS, we use social media to give you a behind the scenes look at what is happening in our buildings, celebrate staff and student achievement, and to break news.
Are you one of our 2,161 followers on X (formerly known as Twitter)? If not, why aren't you? We know the world can be a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. But here, it's all sunshine and rainbows.
Are you active on other social media platforms? Should the district join you? Let us know!
