Schools/Sports

SHS Volleyball Marathon

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Organized by Suffield High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society, the Volleyball Marathon (VBM) was held again this year from Friday, March 23 until Saturday, March 24. The annual event is a tradition at SHS and students look forward to a night of competitive volleyball games with their classmates. Each of the 31 co-ed teams that participated was composed of between eight and ten members. Beginning at 7 p.m., almost 300 students entered the Commons wearing team shirts and carrying snacks, games, blankets and other possessions for the long night. Volunteer chaperones, teachers and administrators checked the students in and NHS members led teams to their designated spaces.

Schools/Sports

Shop Rite Community Service Award

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Miriam Dugas is a senior at SHS and has been a member of the Suffield Regional Agriscience Program for the past four years. She has grown up on her family’s dairy farm, Smyth’s Trinity Farm in Enfield, Connecticut all of her life where she assists with milking the herd and working in the dairy processing plant and store. Throughout Miriam’s high school career, she has been an active member of the Suffield FFA, where she participated in various competitions and events, such as serving as a National FFA Convention chapter delegate. In addition to her involvement in the agriscience program, Miriam has been an active student athlete, serving as this year’s co-captain for the Suffield field hockey team. Outside of school, Miriam continues to be involved in the 4-H organization, where she shows sheep and dairy cattle at various fairs and expositions.

Schools/Sports

Science Fair Club Finals

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At the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF), SHS had the highest participation ever with 17 projects from 24 students reaching the semi-finals. SHS had 6 students earn 2nd Honors (top 2% in the state) while 18 students earned 3rd Honors (top 3% in the state). Six students reached the Finals at the CSEF with Ziad Hassan winning 2nd Place and $300 with the Barnes Aerospace Technology Award; Ziad also advances to the Connecticut Invention in April; Brooke Tillotson was a Medalist for the Petit Family Foundation Women in Science & Engineering Award; the team of Bruce Wilson, Kyle Englander and Michael Sattan won the Samantha Freeman Award for Excellence in Sports Science or Engineering along with $100; Akshita Jindal was selected to advance to the Connecticut Invention Convention in April with the possibility for her to advance to the Nationals in Washington. The Science Fair Club also announces that semi-finalist Lizbeth Serrano won the STEM Poster Exhibition People’s Choice Award in a competition of 39 high schools at the Junior Science Humanities Symposium at the UConn Health Center.

Schools/Sports

Connecticut Affiliate NCWIT Award

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Congratulations to Amanda Litvak who was chosen as a 2018 winner of the Connecticut Affiliate of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing. The award will be presented to Amanda at a reception on Tuesday May 8 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford in conjunction with the Hartford Technology Forum, jointly sponsored by the Central Connecticut chapter of the Society for Information Management and the Greater Hartford Chapter of Women in Technology International. Amanda is also invited to join the last session of the day, “Leadership Development”, where Sabina Ewing, a VP of Business Technology at Pfizer, will moderate a panel of recent college graduates now working at The Hartford, Aetna and Farm Credit Financial Partners. Congratulations to Amanda!

Schools/Sports

Rotary Student

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Congratulations to Marissa Guzzo who was chosen as the Rotary Student of the Month for March. Marissa is a senior at Suffield High School and also attends The Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science. By doing so, Marissa is able to take advanced math and science classes while at the same time being able to participate in her town/school community. Marissa is a member of the World Language Honor Society and National Honor Society. In NHS, Marissa has been involved in numerous fundraising projects and also helping advertise to promote important events within the society.

People/Business

Doyon Road Race

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The Doyon family and Kyle Englander are hosting a 5K Memorial Road Race in memory of ET2 Dustin L. Doyon of the Unites States Navy, who lost his life while serving on the USS John S. McCain on August 21, 2017. Dustin was known by his shipmates as a world class athlete, and for running the decks every day while deployed. Dustin’s passion to run started in Suffield Middle School and followed him into his years at Suffield High and Pope Francis High, Springfield. Proceeds of the road race will help support the Dustin Doyon Scholarship Fund. This fund was established in 2017 to offer opportunities to graduates of both high schools, who have that same desire to run, and drive to further their education.

Schools/Sports

Suffield High School Aces Mary Poppins

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Wouldn’t it be great if every dysfunctional family could be harmonized by a magical visitor like Mary Poppins? That’s what Julie Andrews as Mary did for the Banks family in the 1964 film, and this reviewer remembers Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews well in that film and still occasionally sings the music to himself. Now he may still sample “Just a Spoonful of Sugar” or “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” but he’ll be thinking of Olivia Grimard as Mary, whose voice in the SHS musical production was certainly outstanding. Perhaps even supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. The three performances of Mary Poppins in mid-March were replete with Mrs. Banks’ uncertainties in her wifely role, Mr. Banks’ repressive dissatisfaction as a banker, and their children’s calamitous misbehavior – all happily healed by Mary, the magical nanny.

Schools/Sports

SMS Gymnasts Show Their Skills

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The gymnasts of Suffield Middle School presented their annual exhibition in the school gym on April 4, with applause for notable performances from the proud audience of family and friends. For an hour and a half, the 32 students participating, singly and occasionally in pairs and small squads, demonstrated almost everything from somersaults and cartwheels to graceful floor events on the big mat and impressive feats on the balance beam, the uneven bars, suspended rings and vaulting horses. The gymnasts comprised 16 sixth graders, five from the seventh grade, and 11 from the eighth grade. As a finale, the whole crew marched out and assembled on the big mat in rows for each grade, with one member of each grade at the lead, holding a tall staff topped with a simulated Olympic torch. Perhaps someday one of them will be holding the real flame.

Schools/Sports

Superintendent’s Update

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The Suffield Public Schools is very proud of the young men and women who participate in the ACES High Robotics team. Most recently they competed in the New England District Championship and qualified for participation in the World Championships in Detroit! Below is a descriptive summary of ACES written by Steve Autieri, our 6-12 Science Curriculum Leader and ACES advisor. The ACES High Robotics team 176, comprised of students from both Suffield High School and Windsor Locks High School, recently competed and were named Connecticut District Champions in Waterbury, CT on March 9-11, 2018. The team finished the qualification matches ranked seventh out of thirty-two teams from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey competing that weekend.

Organizations

Summer Nature Programs

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Overlooking the Connecticut River in Suffield, the fields and streams of Hilltop Farm are a great place to learn about the outside world. Participants in the summer nature programs at Hilltop will explore the outdoors through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) based activities and experiments developed by UConn scientists and by our teachers. The bugs, birds, trees, soil and water of Hilltop Farm will be examined in an environment of friendly fun. Summer programs are designed for three age groups:

Little Bugs for ages 4-6, is a 2-hour program on Tuesdays at $20 per day. Conservation Explorers for ages 6-9, are two weeklong sessions starting on either July 30 or August 6 at $150 per session.

Organizations

Monster Tag Sale at Hilltop Farm

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The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop are excited about our “Monster” Tag Sale & Flea Market coming up on May 19! This year we are particularly grateful to have received a generous donation of tools, both old and not-so-old, that will be for sale. The event really will be a “Monster” with 60 booths; a good mix of crafters, entrepreneurs, and tag sales. Folks are planning to sell antiques and rustic décor, books, jewelry, fashion accessories, and personal care products. There will also be lots of crafters selling their handmade products.

Organizations

Bald Eagle Golf Outing

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Make plans now to join The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop for our fifth annual Bald Eagle Golf Outing on Sunday, June 24. The event, to be held at the Suffield Country Club, is a major fundraiser for FOFAH. Proceeds will be used to pay for structural improvements to make it possible for the historic dairy barn to be open and accessible for public events. Registration and lunch for the 18-hole scramble format golf outing will begin at 11:30 followed by a 1:00 shotgun start. Golf will be followed by a reception and dinner at the Country Club’s Sunset Tavern around 6 p.m.

For a $200 donation, each player will receive lunch, golf, reception, and dinner.

Library

KML General Programs

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For more information or to register for programs, stop by the library, call 860-668-3896, check suffield-library.org, or follow us on Facebook. All of our programs are free! Most of our programs are funded by The Friends of the Kent Memorial Library. Become a member! Please register for programs.

Continuous Programs

New members welcome!

Library

May Movies

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Seating is limited at 61 Ffyler Place. Please register for a showing at 860-668-3896. Downsizing

Wed., May 2 at 2 p.m.

Thurs., May 3 at 6 p.m.

Fri., May 4 at 2 p.m.

12 Strong

Sat., May 5 at 2 p.m.

Mon., May 7 at 2 p.m.

The Last Movie Star

Wed., May 9 at 2 p.m.

Thur., May 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Fri., May 11 at 2 p.m.

Phantom Red Thread

Wed., May 16 at 2 p.m.

Thur., May 17 at 6:15 pm. Fri., May 18 at 2 p.m.

The Post

Wed., May 23 at 2 p.m.

Thur., May 24 at 6:15 p.m.

Fri., May 25 at 2 p.m.

The Greatest Showman

Wed., May 30 at 2 p.m.

Thur., May 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Fri., June 1 at 2 p.m.

Library

Teen Programs

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Teen Programming is in full gear this Spring. Cat Carter from Asnuntuck Community College shared job search tips on March 27 with a roomful of teens and a few parents as well. Important tip: Make sure your voicemail is clear and professional! On April 7, teens designed and built chariots to be raced around a track using Mini-Spheros as the engine. And, April 27 was scheduled for the Dance Moves for Prom program.

Director’s Corner

The Short on Short Stories

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Traditional modern short stories were published in the early 1800s in the United States. Shortly afterward, in 1821, The Saturday Evening Post appeared, one of the most widely circulated magazines. The great demand for short stories in the 1920s insured high prices paid to writers. F. Scott Fitzgerald sold short stories to magazines to pay off his many debts. He received the equivalent of $50,000 for each story placed in The Saturday Evening Post.