Organizations

Stroke of Color at Phelps-Hatheway

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Welcome spring and Connecticut Landmarks’ 2018 season! The Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden is delighted to welcome Lynda Montefusco to our gallery with her exhibition, A Stroke of Color. The exhibit includes a selection of Lynda’s favorite paintings which explore various themes and techniques. On Friday, May 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., meet Lynda, enjoy her colorful works, and discuss her passion for painting while sampling an elderflower spritzer and spring treats. Admission to the Opening Reception is free.

Organizations

Daytrip To Battleship Cove

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The New England Air Museum (NEAM) in Windsor Locks, is offering a daytrip to Battleship Cove in Massachusetts on Saturday, May 19. The motorcoach will depart from the museum’s parking lot at 8 a.m.

Join NEAM as we journey to Fall River and the world’s largest collection of historic naval ships. Journey through time from WWII to the Cold War as you trace the footsteps of the sailors aboard the Historic National Landmarks berthed at Battleship Cove! Discover the rich legacy of the brave men and women who served America in uniform, and the technology, firepower, and human sacrifice it took to preserve our freedoms! New this year, discover “The Story Behind the Steels and Sails – A Sailor’s Life,” at Battleship Cove and “Closing the Gap, The Role of the Azores during World War II,” over at the nearby Maritime Museum.

Organizations

The Amazing History of Pratt & Whitney

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Over the years, Pratt & Whitney has patented hundreds of innovations, from heat-resistant coatings to aero-dynamic blades – technologies that make air travel more cost effective, comfortable and dependable. Today Pratt and Whitney engines provide power for everything from land based power stations, business jets and helicopters to large commercial aircraft, fifth generation fighters, and manned and unmanned space vehicles. Mark P. Sullivan, former communications director for Pratt & Whitney, provides insight into one of the most iconic names in aviation. Pratt & Whitney rising from humble beginnings in a former cigar warehouse to become one of the most recognized symbols wherever people fly. The program will be held at the New England Air Museum on Sunday, May 20 at 1 p.m. in the museum’s conference room.

Schools/Sports

Winning Programmers Honored

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Three Suffield students went to Washington, D. C., on their spring vacation, but not for a holiday. As reported in the March issue of the Observer, Marissa and Gianna Guzzo and their team-mate Alexandra Smith were the 2017 Connecticut Second District winners of the Congressional App Challenge, a national program now in its third year in which about 4,900 students participated last fall. The Suffield team was invited to visit Washington on April 11 to 13, and on April 12, Demo Day, the House of Representatives became the House of Code. Along with over 200 winners from 39 states, they presented their app to members of congress in a ceremony in The Rayburn Congressional Office Building, and Representative Joe Courtney of the Second District honored them with certificates of achievement. The team demonstrated their app to the lawmakers and pitched it to industry experts from the tech field, including Microsoft and Amazon, and participated in interactive sessions with tech leaders.

Organizations

Scout District Names Eagle of the Year

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Suffield Boy Scout John Cremins earned his Eagle Scout Award in January 2017 and was honored at Troop 260’s Eagle Award ceremony in March. He was happily surprised many months later, when he was named by the Matianuck District as the Emil Huyghebaert Eagle Scout of the Year for 2017. The award is named after a notable, much-appreciated Scout leader of years past. The Matianuck District, comprising twelve towns including Suffield, and 53 Scouting units, held its annual Recognition Dinner on March 17, when the award was presented. John is now a freshman at Suffield Academy and has continued his interest in Scouting and the troop.

Organizations

New Eagle Scout Follows Family Tradition

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The young man who received his Eagle Scout Award on April 3, recognizing his advancement to the highest progress rank in the Boy Scout program, was the third generation in his family to achieve the Eagle rank. Sam Sikes’ grandfather, Eagle Scout Art Sikes, Jr., has been a Scout leader in Suffield for about 45 years, most of them as Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 260. Chris Sikes, Sam’s father, is also an Eagle Scout and is now also an Assistant Scoutmaster. So Sam is following a great tradition. In addition, Sam’s great-grandfather, the late Art Sikes, Sr., was a member of the Town Forest Commission and for over 50 years cared for the Jesse Fowler Smith Town Forest across the street from his home on Halladay Avenue, West.

Organizations

SFES Online Auction Results

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The Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools (SFES)would like to sincerely thank all those involved with our online auction last month. The auction ran for eight days showcasing more than a dozen items including a “big red fire truck ride”, high school graduation tickets, games and recess with our Assistant Superintendent, several donations from local businesses and more. We were able to raise over $3000 that will be awarded back to Suffield Public Schools in the form of grants. The generosity of our donors, as well as the members of the community who participated in the auction is truly appreciated. A special thanks also to the SPS Central office and the Principals at all four Suffield Schools for their participation and donations.

Schools/Sports

Agriscience Update

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On March 29, our Suffield Agriscience Program hosted Accepted Student Day, where all accepted eighth grade students from various towns came for one huge shadow day. During the school day they learned about FFA, the student leadership organization, and had the opportunity to ask students on a panel about life at Suffield High School. The FFA Officer Team and the eighth graders participated in a school scavenger hunt, giving these incoming students the opportunity to tour the school and meet some of the teachers. This was the program’s first Accepted Student Day and visiting eighth graders all seemed excited about the program and excited to become a Wildcat next year!

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.