April Newsletter SHS

Spring may finally be here, although as I write this my phone just alerted me of another band of snow moving through the area overnight. Enough is enough!! It has been a busy last few weeks and the school seems to have an endless supply of energy. The newsletter will highlight much of what they have accomplished, whether in an academic area, sports arena, or on the stage. The school just completed another outstanding sports season with a state championship in hockey. Congrats to the team for representing the community so well! My family and I experienced our first “musical” at Suffield High and I must say, BRAVO! Thank you to Ms. Holland, Mrs. Hoffacker, and all of the faculty, staff, and students for 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.

Congratulations to Sam Cutler, son of Kim Worthington and Edward Cutler, on being named Valedictorian for the class of 2015. Sam plans to study physics at college and has been accepted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Connecticut. Sam has not decided where he will matriculate in the fall and is waiting to hear from Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale before making his final decision.

Congratulations also to Kira Bourret, daughter of Robert and Kimi Bourret, on being named Salutatorian for the class of 2015. Kira plans to be a pre-med major and is interested in anesthesiology as a career path. She has not decided where she will matriculate in the fall and has applied to a number of schools that include Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Virginia Tech, and the University of Connecticut.

Wildcat Card & Company

Students of Sara Fischer and Carol Sewall have begun designing and crafting their own beautiful cards. Cards will be sold in the school store for $2, with 25% of the proceeds going to the Kevin Vitale Memorial Fund. Be on the lookout and help support such a wonderful cause!

Rotary Club Student of the Month

The Suffield High School Rotary Club has chosen Alexandra Kenyon Schneider as the Student of the Month. Alexandra is an athlete, playing field hockey, lacrosse, and sailing during the summers. She is a member of the National Honors Society, World Language Honor Society, Class Council, Model United Nations, French Honors Society, and the Interact Club. Alexandra has won many awards, including awards for sports, academics, and leadership. When she is not working on her academics or participating in sports, Alexandra does volunteer work for the town library, picking up litter, raising money for juvenile diabetes, or helping the elderly. She plans on going to college to create a future in environmental or political science.

Wildcat Outreach’s “Becoming Me” Theater

The Wildcat Outreach’s “Becoming Me” Theater, run by Mrs. Radziewicz, focuses on peer and cross-age teaching. On Friday, Feb. 26, the club visited Spaulding Elementary School to perform an educational puppet shows to all 2nd graders. Club members wrote and performed the show, which included puppetry, improv, and acting. The topics included the importance of sharing, helping a friend in need, saying I'm sorry, and staying loyal to your friends. One of the 2nd grade teachers involved, Ms. Pickman wrote, “There was nothing but positive feedback from the second grade teachers – everyone loved it!”

Students who participated in the program were seniors Bryan Donahue, Connor Donahue, Joe Barnes, and Kira Bourret, as well as juniors Claire Margiatto, Noelle Albert, and Priya Mehta. The club is looking forward to going back to Spaulding to perform for the 1st graders and kindergarteners!

Band and Orchestra News

Two Suffield High School students have been selected to play in the Connecticut All State Music Festival to be held at the Hartford Convention Center April 30 - May 2. William Ocampo will play cello in the All State Orchestra, and Josh Podgorski will play percussion with the All State Band. Congratulations to both juniors!

Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair

Wow, what a week at the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair at Quinnipiac University! The school would like to extend its thanks and appreciation to Mitch Charkiewicz as the Science Fair Advisor. Mr. Charkiewicz touts this year’s fair as the “Best day ever for Suffield!” Second Honors was awarded to projects presented by Joseph Howarth, Matthew Rogers, and the team of Rachel Roncaioli, Katherine Baker, and Caitlin Kirschbaum meaning they were ranked within the top 2% of science students in the state. Third Honors was awarded to Lukas Baker, Madison D’Ostuni, Tyler Zolciak, and the team of Yash Mehta and Jason Werenski meaning they were ranked within the top 3% of science students in the state.

Both Joseph Howarth and Matthew Rogers advanced to the finals of the fair where they received numerous awards.

Joseph Howarth

Barnes Aerospace Applied Technology Awards - Senior High Finalist - Medallion and Acrylic Award
Energize CT/eesmarts Alternative/Renewable Energy Awards including trip to compete at GENIUS Olympiad in Oswego, NY
Coherent, Inc. Richard Hart Award for Excellence in Photonics

Matt Rogers

Barnes Aerospace Applied Technology Award - Senior High Finalist - Medallion and Acrylic Award
Energize CT/eesmarts Future Sustainability Award - High School Finalist - Medallion and Acrylic Award
Stockholm Junior Water Prize --- advance to further competition and potential trip to Stockholm, Sweden
Wisner Award
University of New Haven High School Award in Engineering & Science
John S. Kendall Memorial Award
U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center - Summer internship to conduct research aboard a ship in the Arctic or at a USCG base
Entered to compete in the iSWEEP International Science Fair in Houston, Texas

Robotics Team Competition

The FIRST Robotics Team Aces High 176 combines students from both Suffield and Windsor Locks High School. The competition season started February 14th here at Suffield High School. From February 28th – March 1st students competed at the district competition in Waterbury, CT, showcasing amazing talent and determination. The club ranked 6th, making them able to compete in the quarterfinals. During the award ceremony, the team was honored with the Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation. Afterwards during the weekend of March 6th-7th, the team competed in Springfield, MA ranking as high as 2nd during the competition. After advancing in the quarterfinals, the team made it to finals. Although the team did not win the district competition, they were still awarded the 2nd highest award from FIRST – the District Engineering Inspiration Award. Continued success was seen during the next competition in Rhode Island. The team earned another award and medal and while not winning the competition, they did place second overall and won the Innovations in Controls Award for a second time. The team moves on to the District Championship in Worcester, MA at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on April 9-11. Hopefully the next step from there will be a trip to the Championship games in St. Louis.

Ag Expo

The Suffield Regional Agriscience Program will be hosting their bi-annual Ag Expo on April 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on April 9th from 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. in the Agriscience Center at Suffield High School. Students will be bringing in a variety of project animals, tractors, and projects they have been working on as part of their program. In addition, students will be hosting tours for elementary and middle school students throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday where visitors will be introduced to all the areas of agriculture including animal science, plant science, natural resources, and mechanics. Visitors are welcome to tour the expo after school on Wednesday and Thursday. All are invited to come and learn about agriculture!

Best Buddies

The Suffield High School Best Buddies Club ran its Annual Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign during the month of March (Best Buddies Month) to encourage people to eliminate their use of the "R" word in everyday speech. The "R" word campaign is a grass roots effort to raise awareness that individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families and friends are sensitive by the use of the "R" word to describe something negative. Student's who signed up and pledged received a Best Buddies ribbon. Please help Best Buddies to Spread the Word to End the Word today!!

Man of La Mancha

Dream the Impossible Dream! Suffield High School held three outstanding productions of Man of LaMancha. The SHS production stars Bryan Donahue as the wandering knight Don Quixote, Caelie Flanagan as the inn’s serving girl Aldonza, and Hayley Ouellette as Quixote’s Squire Sancho. Audience members were delighted and impressed with what is being hailed as the best Suffield High School performance since Little Shop of Horrors. Congratulations to the students, Ms. Holland, Mrs. Hoffacker, and the orchestra for their amazing work!

Suffield High School Volunteers Honored By Connecticut Association of Schools

The Connecticut Association of Schools Volunteer Banquet was held at the Aqua Turf Club on March 4, 2015. CAS proudly celebrates this event annually to publicly acknowledge the work of parents and other volunteers for their contributions to schools across the state. Suffield was joined by over 450 participants from 68 elementary, middle and high schools and was treated to a four course meal and entertainment by pianist Kim Quinn from Albert D. Griswold Middle School in Rocky Hill. Honorees were presented with plaques and corsages to commemorate their service. The Connecticut Association of Schools celebrates the contribution of volunteers who share their time, talents, and commitment to quality education in Connecticut schools. Suffield High School was joined by McAllister Intermediate School and A. Ward Spaulding School at the event and the Suffield High School leadership team would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their time, dedication, and partnership in the continuous improvement efforts at the school:

Mrs. Tracy Bedlack – Safe Party Committee and Parent Advisory Council
Mrs. Beth D’Agata – Safe Party Committee and FFA Family, Friends, & Alumni
Mrs. Susan Lydon – Suffield Athletic Booster Club President
Mrs. Cari Cieri – Safe Party Committee and Parent Advisory Council

Back row: Brendan Canny, SHS Assistant Principal; Karen Carpenter-Snow, McAlister Principal; Jack Ferraro, McAlister Assistant Principal; Scott Dunn, Spaulding Principal; Steven Moccio, SHS Principal; Gina Olearczyk, SHS Assistant Principal

Front Row: Cari Cieri, SHS Parent Advisory Council; Tracy Bedlack, SHS Parent Advisory Council; Christine Phillips, Spaulding/McAlister PTO Co-President; Kendra Weisel, Spaulding/McAlister PTO Co-President; Beth D’Agata, SHS Safe Grad Parties. Missing from picture: Sue Lydon, Suffield Booster Club.

Athletic Update

The Wildcats hockey team finished the regular season at 15-5 and won the Nutmeg Hockey Conference tournament. The boys had an unbelievable run and played outstanding team hockey. The boys beat a tough Branford team 5-3 in the state semi-finals and went on to be crowned the Division 2 State Champions with a 4-1 victory over North Branford High School in the finals! Congratulations to all the boys, coaches, parents, and entire community.

In other sports, Merideth Ouellette ended her Suffield girls’ basketball career with 1,390 points to move into second place on the all-time list. The team ended the season with a loss to the eventual Class M state Champion. Both Merideth and Katelyn Corr were recognized as NCCC all-conference. The boys’ basketball team had a huge win at home over Classical Magnet in the NCCC league tournament and Sam Flynn was recognized as a NCCC All-Conference player. Thanks to the Cheerleading and Dance teams for supporting our basketball teams all season – an outstanding job was done by all the girls involved.

The Suffield High School indoor track team had a very successful season as well. Kaitlin Girardini, Erin McGann, Lauren Izabel, Kira Bourret, Mckayla Hoover, Jordan McCray, and Thomas Rigby were all recognized as All-Conference. The boys’ and girls’ indoor track teams both finished 3rd in the NCCC league meet with the girls finishing 5th at the state meet. There were a total of 6 school records broken this year by the two teams.

The ESW (East Granby, Suffield, Windsor Locks) wrestling team finished the season with an overall record of 10-2. John Nieroda, Bruce D'Agata, Stephen Sobota, and Khamri Thomas were recognized as NCCC All-Conference wrestlers.

The boys’ swim team finished the season with 7 state qualifiers. These young men went on to compete at the Class S State Meet and finished the meet being ranked 9th out of the 29 teams that competed.

Suffield Public Schools
350 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT 06078
Phone: 860-668-3800

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