Suffield High School is participating again this year in the ShopRite for Education Program, from October 2018 through April 26, 2019. When parents and supporters enroll their ShopRite PricePlus card to their school’s code, and shop at a participating ShopRite store, their school will earn points towards free equipment and supplies from the program catalog. Please go online to www.shopriteforeducation.com to sign up. SHS’s school code is 50196. Thank you for your support!
Suffield High School is sending one of its own to Antarctica. SHS Alumnus (1994) and current freshman science teacher Justin Kaput was selected as a 2018 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions. Mr. Kaput was selected from a national pool in an extremely competitive application process. When teachers and students were asked what they thought separated Mr. Kaput from his fellow applicants, a common theme emerged: passion for teaching science, love for the planet we live on, and dedication to teaching the importance of preserving our world to future generations. On December 6th Mr. Kaput’s journey will begin when he sets sail from the southern tip of South America.
On Saturday, September 29, twenty volunteers combed the Connecticut River bank, the Windsor Locks Canal trail and the surrounding area for litter and other unsightly rubbish. Half the group were members of the Suffield High School Interact club. Others were members of the Friends of the Windsor Locks Canal, a few Cub Scouts and several other volunteers. The crew worked for three hours. The project was coordinated by the Friends under the auspices of the Connecticut River Conservancy’s Source to Sea Clean-Up program. “We greatly appreciate all the folks who helped,” said Friends’ secretary, Karen Carlson.
The Suffield Middle School PTAC is excited to be hosting the 8th Annual Holiday Boutique Show Thursday, December 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Suffield Middle School gym. The event is open to the public and a portion of all sales go directly to the PTAC. This is a great opportunity to “shop local” and support Suffield and local businesses. There is something for everyone, with lots of items under $5. There will be over 25 vendors in one convenient location.
The Enfield Loaves and Fishes and its directors, volunteers and guests would like to thank all the EL&F gardeners who help plant, nurture, and deliver vegetables to the Soup Kitchen. Many generous people from both Enfield and surrounding communities have made a wonderful contribution by helping provide food for those who have so little. Planting, cultivating, weeding and picking a garden is hard work, as it takes countless hours and sacrifice to produce such wonderful results. Good nutrition is vital in fighting off diseases and remaining healthy, making a difference in people’s hearts, as well as in their everyday lives. Recognizing and meeting the increasing needs of the community is a challenging yet rewarding opportunity that each one of us can identify with.
ByCaptain Christopher McKee, Suffield Police Department and Suffield Local Prevention Council (SLPC) |
Being primarily rural, several factors exist in North Central Connecticut that create significant barriers for our residents to gain access to behavioral and mental health services, including services for co-occurring and substance use disorders, often leaving residents untreated and isolated in the community. This area has seen a significant increase in the number of opioid and opioid/fentanyl overdoses and deaths according to the state’s Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. In 2016, the state total was 917 deaths: Suffield-4; East Windsor-4; and Windsor Locks-7. For the year 2016, the Center for Disease Control identified 14 deaths per 100,000 population for the U.S. and 10 deaths due to suicide per 100,000 population in Conn. By comparison, suicide deaths in our area were approximately 41 per 100,000, according to police data.
The SHS Boys Varsity Soccer team seniors felt in the pink during breast cancer awareness month in October. From the left, in shocking pink jerseys are, top row: Blake Baskin, Michael Sattan, Evan Mankouski, Niko Ford, Will Motherway; bottom row: Brandon Bigos, Matthew Sweeney, Quinn Cardaropoli, Brendan Fitzgerald, Aiden Werenski.
It’s sometimes hard to hear the good things happening around us, what with all the stories about continued gun violence, invasions of immigrants, hacking of voting places, media disparagement, name calling, and worries about health care, to name a few. It’s good, then, to reflect on some of the good that regular citizens do that make this country great. #1–According to CBS News, as thousands of people gathered to mourn the 11 Jewish souls murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue, Wasi Mohamed, the executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh announced that the Muslim community had raised over $100,000 to pay for funeral and medical expenses of the victims. He also offered the protection of the Muslim community at Jewish services- literally offering to stand outside the synagogues—as well as to escort anyone there and back or even to a grocery store if they were scared. #2–The many national and local organizations and individuals who step up to donate money, but most especially time, whenever there is a disaster or crisis like hurricanes, tornados, fires, and shootings, should be noted. #3–We recognize those many random acts of kindness like police buying boots for a barefoot homeless man, getting a lost wallet/phone returned intact, meals for the homeless supported and served by many, many organizations, dry cleaners that clean an outfit for unemployed job interviewers, paying for the meal of the person behind you at McDonald’s (or wherever), standing up to bullies, helping to build/repair homes for veterans or the elderly, inviting lonely people into your circle, offering a kind word or gesture, showing respect for others in word and deed.
Three Performances Only: Keep The Home Fires Burning by Charles E. Bright. An ensemble of 16 talented local thespians from Massachusetts and Connecticut are gathering to create a Merry Old-Fashioned Melodrama with Songs of the Season on December 7 and 8 at 8 pm, and December 9 at 2 p.m. at Mapleton Hall. This play is recommended for all ages! Keep The Home Fires Burning is The Suffield Players’ 2018 Holiday Benefit Challenge production, performed with scripts in hand as a staged reading with a minimum of rehearsals … and a maximum of creativity! All proceeds from this production go toward the upkeep and maintenance of Mapleton Hall, The Suffield Players’ theatre, built in 1883.
