The Suffield Observer (https://thesuffieldobserver.com/category/schools/page/40/)
This fall, the Suffield High School drama program is taking on an exciting challenge: mounting an original musical production, BFF, which revolves around a network of high school friends and whose drama is driven by issues and struggles that people of all ages face today.
Congratulations to Kati Davis, who was chosen as the Rotary Student of the Month for September. Kati is an honor student and currently a senior at Suffield High School. Kati has received various awards over the years, such as the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, awards in Social Studies, World Language and Life Education, as well as the University of Rochester’s Young Leaders Award. She has been recognized for Academic Excellence, and has received several Scholar/Athlete awards for achieving academic excellence while participating in athletics. Kati has been a member of the Varsity Girls Soccer team for four years and is currently one of the co-captains.
The Suffield community is invited to attend a series of educational events that will inform and inspire on the subject of autism. A national speaker on the subject, Jeanne Beard of National Autism Academy, will be coming to Suffield on December 3. This event is sponsored by Partnering to Reach Aspirations as part of its mission to help transition recent graduates with high functioning ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) from student life to independent living in our community. Funding has been provided by the Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund. By better understanding this profile and the neurodiverse mind, we as a community will be of better support, will provide more opportunities and will mutually benefit from working together.
The Suffield High/Windsor Locks High Robotics Team, known as Aces High 176, made a trip to Detroit, Mich., near the end of the last school year to compete in the World Championship of the FIRST Robotics Competition.
Nolan McCoy is a 2014 graduate of Suffield High School. He was captain of the basketball team in 2013 and 2014.
To make a long story short, this kid is doing some outstandingly inspirational work. He graduated from Northeastern last year, and after that he did some community work in South Africa for eight months. He is now about to head to Rwanda for a year. This trip to Rwanda is a fellowship for an organization called Shooting Touch.
“I just love my job,” beamed Erin Shea, Suffield’s Teacher of the Year. “I have great kids to work with, and caring parents and a supportive staff at Suffield High School. Besides that, I have an understanding husband, Tim, who teaches at Suffield High School.”
It is hard to believe that October is already here and our school year is well underway for our students and staff. As with each new school year, our new beginning is yet another chance for our students to learn, explore, and enjoy the many opportunities the community of Suffield provides in its schools. We thank you for your continued support of the Suffield Public Schools, and we look forward to embracing, in partnership, all that there is to take pride in. With “Making Connections” as our theme for the year, we hope that you will consider setting aside some time to reach out to us, attend our many school events, and find ways to support the community organizations who dedicate countless hours to fulfill our promise of an excellent educational experience for our students. Prior to the start of the school year, our Board of Education adopted several goals that will serve to guide our district as we strive for excellence in the months ahead.
A new Suffield school superintendent and 25 new teachers and central staffers were introduced at this year’s Welcome Back Convocation on August 27, the day before classes started.
The new Suffield Public Schools Superintendent, Timothy Van Tasel, has been a Connecticut educator for over 20 years. He brings extensive leadership experience and a student-focused philosophy to our district, and he’s hit the ground running. He has already posted his “Theory of Action” on the Suffield Public Schools website at https://www.suffield.org/page.cfm?p=505. Aside from the expected references to the district, school, and students, the most common keywords he uses are “community,” “action,” “goals” and “leadership.” He very clearly states his “core beliefs are based on the key premise that all students can be successful.”
In addition, the Board of Education (BoE) and Superintendent Van Tasel have mapped and shared a set of goals for the district. A common, coherent set of goals provides a clear vision for all parties.
“Winning decathlon was a big goal this season, and just doing my best,” explained Jared Sharp when I asked him what he wanted to accomplish at the start of the 2019 Outdoor Track and Field season.