GPS District Digest (v5, i19)
Stories, news, and updates from Greenwich Public Schools
Not that long ago, we heard from loyal reader, Leah. She told us that reading the GPS District Digest always brings a smile to her face. She thanked the folks in the newsroom for putting together stories of all good things GPS.
Well, we aim to please! And if you think past issues made you happy, just get a load of this one! When we say packed, we mean up to the rafters. Or is it gills? We will let you, the reader, decide.
We also recently heard from Digest superfans Ms. Arecco and Mr. Tiedemann who submitted the photo to the right of GHS seniors Hanna Klingbeil Canale and George Weiksner proudly displaying their recent award certificates for excellence in Social Studies. Smiling faces and student achievement!
Enjoy Issue No. 19 and thank you for your support.
GPS District Digest
The district's Behavior Support Team has piloted a mindfulness ambassador project where students at a secondary level teach younger students how to manage stress and strong emotions through mindfulness.
Eastern Middle School eighth grader, Macklin Zulli, prepared for several weeks to become a Mindfulness Ambassador. He has been working diligently on learning different evidence-based techniques that aim to reduce stress, increase attention, and promote kindness.
Recently, Macklin visited Riverside School to teach kindergarteners different breathing exercises to help them stay calm, focused, and ready to learn.
Last issue, we recommended to all of Digest loyal readers to follow Western Middle School teachers on Instagram while they posted live from the annual eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C. Did you follow directions?
If you failed us, no worries because we are very forgiving at the GPS District Digest. We got you! Check out all of the amazing sites they visited and then came away with a memorable, educational, and fun experience.
Hamilton Avenue School's Odyssey of the Mind team traveled to Iowa late last month to compete in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. Team members, led by their coach, Mrs. Cathy Byrne, included Paloma Camoes, Emma Grijalba, Luka Jai Puac, Dhanvi Madishetti, Mia Blake, Adriana Giresi, and Victor Molleturo.
The team, which led the Connecticut contingent in the opening ceremony, competed alongside 686 teams from 42 states and 11 countries. While in Iowa, students enjoyed pin trading, team dinners with their families, swimming, and meeting students from all over the country and from around the world.
They competed in the Spontaneous portion of the competition, requiring team members to solve a problem they have never seen in front of a team of judges within approximately eight minutes. There are three different types of Spontaneous problems, and the team did not know in advance what they would be asked to solve.
The team also presented their solution to the Long Term Problem and finished 26th in their division. They created and performed an original play based on the novel Treasure Island. The team re-invisioned the story and set it in Candyland. With the help of Squire Snickers and Dr. Milk Duds, Jim Hershey found the treasure and learned to see the good in Long John Sourpatch.
The team thanked their community, who, without their support and generous donations, would not have been able to take part in this amazing event.
Late last month, Greenwich High School's English for Speakers of Other Languages Department held its annual "End of Year Celebration."
Course Awards were given in the categories of outstanding achievement, academic improvement, and role model. Senior awards included the ESL Program Award, Wataru J. Narita Award, and Ardith Williams Book Award. Community Awards also included the Ambassadors Award, Leadership Award, Resilience Award, and Positive Impact Award.
For a full list of award winners, please take look at the evening's program.
Greenwich Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones announced recently the appointment of Ms. Martha Ramkellawan as the district’s food services director.
As the food services director, Ms. Ramkellawan will oversee GPS’ food services department to ensure the proper preparation, quality, delivery, and service of food to all schools in the district in accordance with the United States Department of Agriculture, state, and local regulations. She will be responsible for all food service operations that include: menu development, food preparation, delivery, service, catering, and equipment procurement.
“Ms. Martha Ramkellawan has been a dedicated and knowledgeable leader in the food industry for more than a decade in the region,” Dr. Jones said. “She has proven to thrive in a fast-paced environment, a trait that will come in handy when feeding 8,500+ hungry Greenwich students.”
“I am thrilled to join Greenwich Public Schools as the Food Service Director,” Ms. Ramkellawan said. “My goals are to enhance the quality and nutrition of our school meals, promote healthy eating habits, and create a positive dining experience for all students. I am excited to work with the talented team at GPS to ensure that every student has access to delicious, nutritious meals that support their growth and learning."
For more information, read the entire press release posted on the GPS website. Foot on the pedal, never ever false metal.
Last month, North Street School hosted a mindful and yoga parent-child retreat, funded by a generous grant from Greenwich Alliance for Education. Families spent quality time together while engaged in fun activities, practiced mindfulness and yoga to calm their bodies and minds, learned strategies that promoted a growth mindset, and enjoyed a free healthy lunch and beverages.
In August, the Greenwich Historical Society, Daughters of the American Revolution Horseneck Chapter, and Alliance Française Greenwich for the Marquis de Lafayette “Victory lap Through Greenwich” will host a 200th Anniversary Celebration at Town Hall.
According to our friends at the Greenwich Historical Society, the Marquis de Lafayette was a young man when he left France to fight in America’s Revolutionary War. Decades later, in 1824, he was invited back by President James Monroe to see the nation he helped create, including a swing through Greenwich, which was the first stop in Connecticut on his ‘victory lap.’
Recently, a display put together by GHS sophomore Riona McKersie, with the assistance of fellow sophomore Abigail Otterstedt, was unveiled at Town Hall in honor of the celebration.
Dignitaries from GPS present at the unveiling included Superintendent of Schools Dr. Toni Jones, Chief Officer of K-12 Curriculum and Leadership Mr. Marc D'Amico, 2023 Distinguished Teacher Mr. Ryan Jones, and Alliance Française essay contest winner and GHS senior Indira Brou. Additionally, the Town's First Selectman Mr. Fred Camillo, Select-Person Janet Stone McGuigan, and Program Organizer Mrs. Wynn McDaniel attended.
We hear that everyone in attendance enjoyed French and American decorated petit fours baked by Horseneck DAR Chapter member, Mrs. Katherine McKersie, but yet none were shared with those in the GPS District Digest newsroom. Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently announced that a team from Greenwich High School had their podcast script selected in the annual High School Fed Challenge, an academic paper competition in which student teams researched and analyzed an economic theme. It will now be published in this year’s Journal of Future Economists, to be released this summer.
The theme of this year’s competition was the "Economics of Work." There were 80 papers submitted and of those, New York Fed reviewers selected 12 to publish.
The team of Katie Duff, Zara Haque, Ryan Kaufman, Helena Kennedy, Cindy Li, Max Lu, Amrutha Nandakumar, and Sophie Trudeau submitted their work entitled, "Gig-a-Bite: Food Delivery and the Rise of the Gig Economy." The team analyzed the economics of the gig economy, with a focus on the local food delivery market. To create their podcast script, the team interviewed managers from Greenwich's Pizza Post and Raphael's Bakery to discuss the costs of offering delivery services as well as the pros and cons of replacing store-provided delivery with gig workers. Their podcast also connected to competitive markets, labor laws and the minimum wage, macroeconomic trends, and more.
For more information, see the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's press release.
How did you celebrate “Get Outside and Play for Children’s Mental Health Day” last month?
Parkway School held its second annual day of play and fun for their students with each class visiting a series of stations to engage in fun, relaxing, and non-competitive activities including painting kindness rocks, taking a yoga class, jumping rope, blowing bubbles, petting some farm animals, outdoor games, a nature scavenger hunt, flying paper airplanes, and bracelet making.
All of us in the Digest newsroom wonders when "Get Outside and Play for Adults' Mental Health Day" will be.
Late last month, Greenwich High School's ESL Biology class traveled up to Norwalk for a visit to the Maritime Aquarium.
Students worked in mixed-language groups to participate in a photo-scavenger hunt, a feeding session with the cownose rays, and viewing of a 4D movie that was a cinematic experience that sent the action spilling off the two-story screen and over the audience with thrill-enhancing sensory special effects.
For many of the students, this was their first time in an aquarium.
Last month, students from GHS' Windrose program performed the "Believe in Your Dreams" interactive play for preschoolers at New Lebanon School.
The play's goal was to inspire children to believe in their dreams and teach them strategies that can lead to success.
Windrose students dressed up as superheroes and Disney characters to teach preschoolers the value of friendship, perseverance, hard work, and breathing strategies to help manage frustrating moments.
Hamilton Avenue School recently welcomed WNBC meteorologist, Violeta Yas of Storm Team 4, who met with fifth graders.
The weather expert made a thunderous hit talking about the science of thunder, climate change, the upcoming hurricane season, and how meteorologists forecast the weather from the studio. Students received a demonstration of different types of clouds using shaving cream.
Students were so excited because they recently covered these topics in their latest science unit on climate.
Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones announced recently the appointment of Mr. Matthew Cerruto as assistant principal of Western Middle School, effective July 1. On March 13, Mr. Cerruto was named interim assistant principal at WMS after two years as Parkway School’s assistant principal.
“Mr. Matthew Cerruto is a dedicated administrator who immediately proved himself to be a valuable member of Western Middle School’s administration team, complementing Principal Suzanne Coyne and Assistant Principal Erin Montague perfectly,” Dr. Jones said. “GPS senior administrators, teachers, and parents on the interview committee were impressed with his passion and his ability to cultivate relationships, ensuring students and families feel supported during the educational journey. His time at Parkway School was impactful for all students.”
For more information, read the entire press release on the district's website.
The PTA Council recently recognized outstanding parent volunteers in the community and Greenwich Public Schools at the 2024 Essence Awards ceremony at Greenwich's Town Hall.
Dina Urso is the 2024 Essence Award winner and Frances Wu Nobay was named the 2024 Lifetime Essence Winner.
The Essence Award was created in 2011 to pay homage to the GPS volunteers who contribute their time and expertise in support of Greenwich Public Schools. The qualifications for this award include selflessness, ongoing involvement, being a willing team member, and a motivator. This person significantly improves the school community and is a representative of PTA values of collaboration, commitment, respect and integrity.
In 2017 the Lifetime Essence Award was created to honor consistently active and longstanding PTA volunteers.
Congratulations to all of the winners and the nine 2024 nominees: Peter Bernstein, Tom Casazzone, Karen Hirsh, Aimee Muth, Heeyoon Slater, Lisa Sylvester, Dina Urso, and Frances Wu Nobay.
The Junior League of Greenwich recently announced that GHS junior Zara Haque was the recipient of its Community Service Award.
This award recognizes her outstanding contributions to the community, particularly her work with the Greenwich Middle School STEM Fair and the STEM to Stern (STS) program.
Each year since 1996, the Junior League of Greenwich has presenteda Community Service Award to a local teen girl. The award recognizes an outstanding local high school student who exemplifies the Junior League’s mission and whose volunteer activities show a significant and sustained commitment to community service and leadership.
For more information about the award and Zara's amazing work, read the official announcement on the JLG's website.
The League of Women Voters of Greenwich recently announced the winners of its fifth annual student essay contest. The prompt for this year's contest was: "Why should people vote?
A team of 25 judges included: two State Representatives, retired educators, two Selectwomen, and LWV Greenwich Board members, including a literary agent. Each project was evaluated by at least two different judges according to a rubric which rewarded creativity, research, independent thinking, and a message that was clear and conveyed error-free.
This year’s winners were:
Elementary School
Jackson Lowe, Old Greenwich School, Grade 5
Title: "Carter The Cat", Submission Format: Cartoon
Middle School
Adriana Bozza, Caroline Stowe, Adriana Pia Portolano Vergona, Pauline Wells, Central Middle School, Grade 8
Title: "No Vote, No Choice: No Vote, No Voice", Submission Format: Play and Video
High School
Justin Qu, Greenwich High School, Grade 11
Title: "Why Vote?" Submission Format: Essay
For more information on the contest and to see the winning submissions, head to the LWV website.
We love sharing good news with our 2,158 closest friends on the GPS X (Twitter) account, @GPSDistrict. Can we get to 3k by the end of the school year?
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At the Digest, we love to show you some of our favorite posts from around the GPS social media world, including from some new accounts on Instagram.
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