April Newsletter (SHS)

It has been a busy last few weeks and the energy in the building is growing with the onset of spring and what will hopefully be more consistent warmer temperatures. I wish to update everyone on the potential new schedule for next year. As everyone may be aware, we asked students to request courses for seven periods, however we also wanted them to choose one additional course so the school could analyze the possibility of changing to an 8-period day. After analyzing the course requests and considering all potential budgetary implications, the school will be remaining on a 7-period schedule. The scheduling committee is currently determining an alternative bell schedule that will incorporate the proposed Wildcat Time for intervention, enrichment, and extension of class curriculum. The specifics of the new bell schedule will be discussed in more detail at the next Parent Advisory Council meeting which has been scheduled for May 8th at 6:00 p.m. in the Library Media Center.

The rest of this newsletter will highlight many of those happenings here at SHS, whether in an academic area, sports arena, or on the stage. If you were unable to see the latest musical, Cinderella, you missed an incredible show! Congratulations to all of the actors and actresses and I must say, BRAVO! Thank you to all of the staff, so many that it would be difficult to list, for their support and assistance in creating such a wonderful show. No matter what area the students represent, they continue to make their mark here at Suffield High and we are proud of them all.

In closing the school would like to formally congratulate the Class of 2017 Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Congratulations to Rachel Roncaioli, daughter of Tony and Linh Roncaioli, on being named Valedictorian for the Class of 2017. Rachel plans to attend the University of Connecticut in the fall and will pursue a major in allied health or nursing. Lindsey Connolly, daughter of James and Andrea Connolly, has been named the Salutatorian for the Class of 2017. Lindsey plans to attend Bentley University where she will be majoring in accounting, finance, or actuarial science. Once again, congratulations to both of these outstanding students for this tremendous accomplishment.

Graduation Date

On April 4th the Board of Education set June 10th as the graduation date for the Class of 2017. Seniors will take their exams from June 6th to 9th while all students in grades 9 through 11 will take exams from June 12th to 15th. The last day of school for underclassmen is June 15th. More information will be provided regarding specific exam schedules.

PE Students of the Month

Congratulations to the following students who were chosen as Physical Education Students of the Month for March:

Tabitha Hinkle

Brooke LaDuke

Leroy Lawson

Jason Mannino

Erin Sheridan

Sam Tapper

Congratulations Rotary Youth Leadership Conference

Congratulations to sophomores Evan Mankouski, Olivia Murphy, and Millie Kochman-Sabbatino on being chosen to represent SHS at the Rotary Youth Leadership Conference to be held in June at Springfield College!

PAC (Parent Advisory Council) Meeting

The next PAC Meeting will be on May 8th at 6:00 pm in the Media Center.

Agriscience Update

The Suffield Regional Agriscience program is getting ready for Ag Expo which occurs on April 19th and 20th. This exciting two day event is held every other year to inform the community about local agriculture and what we do in the Agriscience program. During this event, we transform our facility into fun learning environments filled with activities and educational experiences such as Plant-A-Plant, the Petting Zoo, Farmer for a Day, Forest Exploration and the Aquaculture Touch Tank. Our students are holding demonstrations for the other high school students who don't attend the agriculture program to see what we do and learn more about the agriculture industry. We also invite younger students from Spaulding Elementary School to attend during the school day and tour our facility. The public is welcome to attend to come explore our amazing program and learn something new! We hope to see you there!

Spring in the Agriscience Wing!

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. For the Suffield Regional Agriscience department, March is springing with lambs! On March 10th, Sophomore Cathryne Tronsky brought her bottle lamb named Annie into school for students to work with. Annie is a Navajo-Churro breed of sheep that was unfortunately orphaned at birth and now must be fed with a bottle until she gets a little older. The agriscience classes were joined by fellow SHS students throughout the day to meet Annie, and Annie even paid a visit to the main office where she was fed by both Mr. Moccio and Ms. Berasi. The students in the agriscience program are preparing for the arrival of more lambs in March, when the Hampshire sheep Cammie is due with twins. Students have been monitoring her pregnancy and are excited to have more additions to the agriscience animal family! In the spring, the program will be hosting the Ag Expo on April 19th and 20th, where students host an agriscience fair showcasing student projects, animals and exhibits to the Suffield community.

Volleyball Marathon

On Friday, March 24 Suffield High School held its annual Volleyball Marathon. Over 300 students participated in this yearly event. This evening is one of the favorite events of the year where students compete in volleyball games all through the night, eventually naming one team as the Champions. In between games, students spent time with friends, played cards, board games, or maybe tried to sneak in a nap. After eleven hours of round robin tournaments, the team named "Splash on you like Water" won the tournament. After receiving their Champion t-shirts, all students returned home around 6:00 am for some much needed sleep. The evening was a tremendous success.

Athletes of the Month

Congratulations to Kelly Carucci and Ryan Cleaves who were chosen as the Booster Club Athletes of the Month for January. Students are awarded this honor based on their athletic and academic accomplishments, attitudes and leadership skills.

Kelly transferred to Suffield High School at the beginning of her junior year and has been on the Varsity Basketball team for two years. Kelly's coach refers to her as "the engine that drives the team." Kelly's coach reports that Kelly is currently averaging 8.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game (double-digit rebounds in high school girls' basketball is essentially unheard of). Kelly was chosen this year to be one of the team captains and her coach states, "Her leadership ability is second to none. She not only leads by example, but is also a vocal leader for all of the underclassmen." Kelly's coach reported that Kelly is the first person to help up a teammate or an opponent who goes to the floor and she is polite to opposing players, coaches and referees. Not only does Kelly excel at basketball, but she is an honors student who also excels in the classroom. Kelly is an athlete that any coach would love to have on their team.

Ryan is a senior on the Varsity Indoor Track team this year. Ryan is a top-distance runner on the team. He has placed in a variety of events in the NCCC meet in previous seasons and has been a state qualifier in a variety of events. He is on multiple schools "Top 10" List. Ryan is a Team Captain who has a positive attitude on and off the field. His coach states, "Ryan is always willing to try new events. He constantly cheers on his teammates, congratulates opponents on good performances and has true Team Spirit." Ryan is said to always have a positive voice at practice and meets, has a positive relationship with competitors from around the league, and represents his team with pride. Ryan is an honors student in the top 20% of his senior class, and carries his work ethic into the classroom.

It is fitting that these two student/athletes were chosen for the honor of Booster Club Athletes of the Month for January. Congratulations!

Rotary Students of the Month

March and April

Congratulations to Madison D'Ostuni who was chosen as the Rotary Student of the Month for March. Madi is an enthusiastic member of the senior class who has excelled in her Academics, Athletics, as well as in the many extra-curricular activities she participates in. Madi's guidance counselor, Ned Sullivan, describes Madi as "a bright and enthusiastic young woman with boundless energy." He states, "She is a "dynamo" and a natural leader by her hard-working example and has positively impacted our school culture in so many ways." Madi has taken many AP classes during her four years at Suffield High School, is an Honors student and is a member of the National Honor Society. She has earned "Advanced Placement Scholar" recognition. Madi is the first female member of our varsity wrestling team at Suffield High. She is an active member of the Science Fair Club and won state finalist recognition last year. Madi serves as the President of Student Senate and a class council member of the Class of 2017. She is the Editor of the yearbook, as well as a member of the Wildcat Advisory Group, A-Team, and our Interact Club. Along with all of these things Madi is a member of the Spirit Squad this year and also is a competitive dancer. In her spare time, Madi volunteers at the Second Chance Shop in Suffield, tutors students, and volunteers for an organization which supports at-risk families in the local area. Madison will be attending High Point University in North Carolina in the fall majoring in computer science. Congratulations to Madi for this well-deserved award.

Congratulations to Madison Fahle, our Rotary Student of the Month for April. Madison is a hard-working student who gives nothing but her best in all that she is a part of. She is a model of leadership for her class. Madison is driven, ambitious and passionate about her education, which is evident by the many awards she has received. Madison has been an honors student and has earned many awards such as the Philo T. Pritzkau Algebra I and Geometry Award, Excellence in Writing Award, Academic Excellence in English Award and Exemplary Academic Achievement Award. She has also been named a Scholar Athlete on the Varsity Swim Team and Varsity Lacrosse Team, as well as NCCC All-Conference for Lacrosse in 2016. This year, Madison was chosen as one of the Captains of the Lacrosse team. Madison is also active in many clubs and activities at Suffield High School, such as the Interact Club, Wildcat Advisory Group, Unified Basketball and the Best Buddies Club, of which she is the President this year. Madison finds time to volunteer at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, has coached Lax Cats Youth Program and has been an Ironman Lake Placid Volunteer, to name a few. Madison plans to continue her education at Merrimack College majoring in athletic training. We are fortunate to have Madison as a student here at Suffield High School and wish her the best as she furthers her education.

World Language Student of the Month - March

Amy Colson is the World Languages Student of the Month for March, 2017. Amy is currently a junior at Suffield High School, where she is a member of the French V Honors class. This fall and into this spring, the exceptional progress that Amy has made since freshman year has been more and more striking as the year has progressed. As a freshman in French III, Amy worked very hard to develop her control of language and sentence structure, and she was admittedly frustrated at times with the challenges of communicating clearly and comfortably in French. Through diligent effort and enthusiastic participation in class, she has developed into a very effective French speaker and writer. Her positive attitude and genuine nature help to make her class a dynamic group of students and to establish a learning environment that is extremely fun and a beneficial place to learn French.

At the high school, Amy is involved in many activities, including the National Honor Society, Giraffe Club, and varsity field hockey. She brings great purpose to these activities, and in fact her extracurricular interests also showed through a recent presentation she made in French class. In this work, she created a detailed web site and supporting info graphic materials, and she delivered a highly professional presentation in French about health and wellness linked to French-speaking cultures. In fact, Amy is also an ambulance volunteer and has been involved in 4H for many years. It is with sincere pleasure that the World Languages Department offers this award to Amy. Her friendliness and kind nature help to elevate our school community while her hard work and dedication to excellence allow her to reach significant personal goals.

Chick-fil-A Leader Academy

"The Chick-fil-A Leader Academy has met once a month throughout the school year and is now preparing for the impact project, or community service event. The impact project is going to be a FAMILY NIGHT OUT! This will include entertainment and activities for students of all ages followed by the showing of a family movie. All events will take place in the commons and auditorium. The event will be held on May 19th starting at 6:00 p.m. We hope families from all schools can make it! More information will be out soon!"

2017 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Results

Please find the results below from the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair for our two students from Suffield Middle School and fifteen students from Suffield High School. All seventeen students with their twelve projects earned honors. All students will receive their honors at either the Underclass Awards Night or at the Senior Banquet.

Finalist and Special Awards Categories:

Caitlin Kirschbaum: Barnes Aerospace Applied Technology Finalist 2nd Place
Caitlin Kirschbaum: American Society of Safety Engineers Award
Caitlin Kirschbaum: Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair 4 Year Award
Jason Werenski, Yash Mehta, Tristan Evans:
Energize CT/eesmarts Future Sustainability Finalist
Akshita Jindal: American Psychological Association Award
Ryan Cleaves: Office of Naval Research- U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps Award
Zachariah Service: International Society for Automation Award
Katie Baker: Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair 4 Year Award

Physical Sciences Category

2nd Honors Zachary Rossignol and Dylan Reilly

3rd Honors Ayush Mehta

3rd Honors Caitlin Kirschbaum

3rd Honors Katie Baker

3rd Honors Samatar Wehelie

3rd Honors Zachariah Service

Life Sciences Category

2nd Honors Akshita Jindal

2nd Honors Jason Werenski, Yash Mehta and Tristan Evans

3rd Honors Ryan Cleaves

3rd Honors Madison D'Ostuni

3rd Honors Leroy Lawson

3rd Honors Aidan Werenski, John Dion and Ziad Hassan

Connecticut Jr. Science and Humanities Symposium

On Saturday March 11, three Suffield High students participated in 54th CT Jr. Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) at UCONN Health in Farmington. Alexandra Smith, Marissa Guzzo, and Brianna Mailloux were afforded the prestigious opportunity to participate. The JSHS is designed for high school students and teachers interested in science and math to present their research, visit science laboratories, talk to graduate/professional students and faculty at UConn Health, and meet other like-minded peers and professionals.

Guzzo was one of 16 students selected to compete as a JSHS poster presenter. Her research project, entitled "The Effect of Cellect Nutrient Powder on Mus Musculus Lewis Lung Carcinoma Cell Confluence, Viability and Growth Rate" earned her the JSHS Presidential Scholar Award, recognizing her achievement and future leadership in STEM. Mailloux was one of 34 students invited to display her research poster as an exhibitor.

The JSHS seeks to recognize the significance of research in human affairs while searching out talented youth and their teachers and recognizing their accomplishments at symposia. The JSHS is part of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Junior Science Humanities Symposia Program, and is supported by UConn Health of CT and the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

(Pictured) Marissa Guzzo

Athletic Department Update

After an incredible winter season we were fortunate enough to have the following athletes recognized at the state and league level:

Winter All-League

Girls' Basketball

McKenzie Rusczyk

Kelly Carucci

Boys' Basketball

Ben Nigro

Josh Baskin

Wrestling

Hunter Adams

Girls' Indoor Track

Cameron Shaw

Boys' Indoor Track

Nick Sinofsky

Jared Sharp

Ryan Cleaves

Leroy Lawson

Boys' Ice Hockey

Austin Rupp
Jake Bourdeau

Winter All-State

Boys' Basketball

Ben Nigro

Girls Basketball

McKenzie Rusczyk

Boys' Ice Hockey

Austin Rupp
Jake Bourdeau

Wrestling

Hunter Adams

John Nieroda

We are excited about the possibilities we have going into the spring athletic season. We started the season with a parent meeting on March 30th at 6:30 p.m. at Suffield High School. This meeting was an excellent opportunity for our Suffield parents to meet all our spring coaches.

Random Acts of Kindness

Within a two-month span, 18 boxes of blankets and towels were packaged and delivered to the Dakin Humane Society. The Dakin Humane Society was so beyond thrilled that they asked that we keep them in mind if we continue Random Acts of Kindness next year!

The students have identified their Term Four Random Acts of Kindness project and will be teaming up with Julie Coombs, a former Suffield High School student, to provide Spring Baskets for shut-ins. The baskets will have a snap strap that can easily be attached to a walker or crutches to help carry items. The baskets will be filled with snacks, activity books and other items.

#WeGrowSPS