The Suffield Observer (https://thesuffieldobserver.com/2019/02/page/2/)
The Suffield Parks and Recreation Department’s Bowling Buddies group and families celebrated at their annual Holiday Banquet on Tuesday, December 18. It was held again this year at the Suffield Country Club’s Sunset Tavern. The Sunset Tavern is a terrific location for the party. The staff are wonderful and the food was delicious and plentiful. The holiday party was filled with excitement as everyone celebrated the holidays with friends and family.
Boy Scout Evan Mankouski, poses with his completed Eagle Scout service project, a Gaga Dodgeball Pit at Sunrise Park. Gaga Dodgeball has become a rising activity for camps and organizations.
On Saturday, September 22, Boy Scout Troop 66 of West Suffield went on a camping and climbing trip to the adventure and climbing park in Storrs, Conn. Storrs Adventure Park allows for visitors to explore the various elements and climbing activities around the park while being securely locked into a system of belays. At the park, after being prepped and instructed on how to climb and use the various elements safely, the Scouts were allowed to go around the park, alone or with friends, and climb the bevy of climbing elements that are scattered around the approximately 600 square feet of the park. The elements are all between the trees on the property, and the platforms on the trees are connected by cable, wood, rope, and zip lines to form bridges. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the various levels of difficulty associated with the numerous elements, ranging from yellow (easy) to black (hard).
Like many Scout units, Suffield Cub Scout Pack 266 gets a big boost every year from selling Boy Scout popcorn. And for the third year in a row, Aiden Thomson, a ten-year old Bear Cub in the third grade at McAlister, has been the most successful salesman. He hit a new record this year at $2,352. That’s a lot of popcorn! The Cub Scouts get some of their motivation from sales prizes, and in his first year, Aiden was attracted by the drone shown on the prize list and set himself a goal of $2,000.
Quinn Bathgate set his sights on becoming an Eagle Scout from the time he became a Tiger Cub eight years ago. Now, at age 15 after four and a half years as a Boy Scout in Troop 66, he has achieved that goal. The Eagle award ceremony was held at Sunrise Park on October 21 in the pavilion, packed with family and friends who were there to share the joy. As is their custom during the traditional event, First Selectman Melissa Mack and State Representative Tami Zawistowski presented certificates, and Quinn was given a binder filled with congratulations from many prominent folks. Not only had Quinn fulfilled the requirements for the rank – the highest a Boy Scout can achieve – he had earned 37 Merit Badges, far more than the 21 required.
The Suffield Board of Education has begun the search for a new superintendent. The Board has engaged the services of the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) to facilitate the search process. The process is expected to take approximately 120 days, with the intent of a new superintendent assuming the role on or before July 1. Dr. Elizabeth Osga, a retired Connecticut Public School Superintendent, is serving as the NESDEC Search Consultant.
The search process will have three phases:
• The initial phase will include a call for candidates and the development of an ideal candidate profile. A link to this survey was sent to all stakeholders via our electronic communication system the morning of Tuesday, January 22.
For their Holiday Tree Gala, the Suffield Garden Club collected a great variety of trees from imaginative designers and stood them up for the first two weeks of December at the Senior Center for all to see. And, hopefully, to buy. From this first-of-its-kind-in-town affair, the trees were offered for sale, with the proceeds supporting the SGC’s scholarship program. On Saturday, December 1, a good crowd admired the trees as the Suffield Middle School Elite Voices sang. The Suffield High School Chamber Ensemble entertained on the next afternoon.
The Suffield Garden Club will hold a monthly meeting on Monday, February 4 at 11:45 a.m. at the Second Baptist Church, Fellowship Hall. Coffee, tea, a light lunch and a short business meeting are followed by a guest speaker at 1 p.m.
Eugenia Bone, our guest speaker, is an author, Italian cook, mushroom hunter and master canner. Her presentation on the Mycobiome of the Garden will provide an overview of fungal biology and illustrate how a little mycology can make one a better mushroom cook. Eugenia’s work has appeared in several publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine Gourmet and the list of endeavors goes on. All who are interested are welcome to attend.
We all wonder, at one time or another, about the organic food issue and whether or not one should pay the extra dinaro for it. You be the judge. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given neither antibiotics nor growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.
Entering its second year as a four-town Co-Op team, Wildcats Swimming is looking forward to a strong season under even stronger leadership. Suffield, Ellington, Windsor Locks and East Windsor are united under four young men in particular who push themselves and their teammates to come out on top with wins, broken records and the respect of other competitive teams. At the head of the Wildcats is Drew Martin-Ryan, one of Suffield’s own. Martin-Ryan, a Suffield High School junior and three-year member of Wildcats Swimming, was named 2018-2019 Captain at the end of his 2017-2018 sophomore season. He has demonstrated huge growth during his time on the team, both as an athlete and as a leader. Martin-Ryan has the respect of his teammates as well as his coaches, and everyone is proud to have him as the representative for Wildcats Swimming.