Newtown High School Blog

Peer Mediation is one way to help solve problems you may be having with friends/peers. Peer Mediation is a voluntary consensual process through which disputing students negotiate to resolve their dispute, aided by a peer mediator who helps facilitate the discussions. The work of mediation is to produce the best possible outcome for both parties and not to determine issues of right and wrong. If you think mediation may be a way to help you solve a problem with a friend or peer, complete a referral form in Guidance.

On Thursday October 8th, Newtown High School Assistant Principal Scott Clayton and NHS Senior Sam Kent traveled to New York City to attend the Fairfield County “Future Global Leaders” conference sponsored by the Council On Foreign Relations . The Council was founded in 1921 and is a non-partisan think tank. The objective of the Council is to provide up to date information and analysis about world events and American Foreign policy. Read the rest of this entry »

Please support Newtown High School student Breanne Lubinsky in this year’s Newtown Labor Day Parade.  She will be collecting canned goods for FAITH Food Pantry in St. John’s Church.  Read more here.

Congratulations to Amar Agashe who has been selected as one of thirty of Connecticut’s top juniors by the Connecticut Association of School’s Governor’s Scholars Committee.  Amar will be recognized with the other honorees at a luncheon at the Aqua Turf Club on May 21, 2009.  Congratulations Amar!

Newtown High School student musicians provided music for this year’s Holiday House Tour

The Fusion program got another infusion of connectivity as it hosted it’s second workshop, a one-hour in-school communication fest featuring breakfast.  Fusion, a program that connects juniors and freshman one to one, is funded by the Newtown Prevention Council in collaboration with Read the rest of this entry »

Danielle Norris, a member of Peer Leadership, a service-based organization at Newtown High School, led a trip of 40 Newtown High School students to Bread and Roses Gift Wrapping 2008. The gift wrapping is held at St. Luke’s LifeWorks in Stamford, CT. The event Read the rest of this entry »

December 6, from 3-5 pm, at The Art Spot in Danbury.

Participating artists are Alex Israel, Annie Donnelly, Rachel Fatse of Newtown High School, Samantha Rolen, Katie Stiles, Leigh Ann Carmignani of Brookfield High School and Nicole Cudzio, a home schooled student.

Laurie Klein,a respected artist who studied with the world famous photographer, Ansel Adams, has offered for several years this mentoring program to Read the rest of this entry »

Newtown High School is proud to offer students opportunities to extend their learning through projects and internships.  Below is a list of current projects and active internships.  If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please contact Mrs. Peg Ragaini in the Career Center (426.1915).

Projects

Laura Bittman is creating a documentary explaining the differences between the two hemispheres of the brain and how it affects our lives and needs.  She will discuss the relationship between under-funded school budgets, creative expression, and preparing students for the “real world”.  Her mentor is Joe Pedalino, Jr. of Independent Productions, Inc.

Emily Bronson is writing and illustrating a story about superheroes based on a comic she created for her father.  Her mentor is Ellen Fogle, a television screenwriter.

Nadine DeLoughy is choreographing dance routines for Read the rest of this entry »

New venue, new dynamic, no problem.  The defending champion, senior-laden senior Flag Football champs stretched their streak of championships to three as they defeated the upstart junior NFL Jerseys, 7-0 in overtime at the Newtown Youth Academy turf field Saturday November 8, 2008.  The game, as predicted, was heavy on the defense with Read the rest of this entry »

After three hours of games, activities and contests between the freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors, it came down to one event:  Juniors vs. Seniors Tug of War for the First Annual Battle of the Classes Championship.  And the seniors won it.  The juniors took the lead with the rope with a strong pull out of the gate.  After thirty seconds of that lead, the seniors, led by Christian Beitel, pulled back to even it up and then take the game.

The event was managed and run by Read the rest of this entry »

Every year in November, people of Mexico and other Latin American countries celebrate a holiday known as “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead). November 1^st is designated as “Día de los Angelitos” (day of the little angels) to commemorate the loss of children, and “Día de los Muertos,” held November 2^nd honors the loss of everyone else. Though death is typically something Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday November 10, 2008 a group of 43 juniors and 43 freshman spent the day at NHS’s first Fusion Leadership Retreat at Edmond Town Hall.  Fusion, a program that connects juniors and freshman one to one, is funded by Read the rest of this entry »

On a cloudy day outside, 28 eager participants sat down indoors for a chance to win the Mean Girls Movie Trivia Contest at Newtown High School Friday afternoon.  The contest, a first-ever Mean Girls Trivia, was created and implemented by Thulio Desilveri and a team of five including Meaghan Wilson and Hannah Basch-Gould.  The contest was a “knockout” which put students Read the rest of this entry »

Rachel Fossum (Door Of American History: A Glimpse Into The Past) and Renee Rushefski (Analysis Of The Teenage Diet Through A Portfolio Of Styled Food) have been selected as finalists for the Barton L. Weller Foundation Scholarship.  Congratulations!

Seniors, please see Mrs. Sykes in the Special Education Office as soon as possible if you have not yet

• Completed your Cap and Gown Form
• Completed your Diploma Form
• Paid your Dues ($125)

The Newtown High School Drama Club will perform Noel Coward’s classic play Blithe Spirit November 13-15, 2008.  Directed by NHS senior Sonia Brand-Fisher, the production is a British comedy about a woman who called back from the dead during a seance and, as a ghost, begins to haunt her ex-husband and his new wife. This popular farce, set in the 1940s, is slated to be revived on Broadway this winter.

The intimate cast of seven includes seniors Daniel Berlingeri and Mary-Kate Hubbard, juniors Hannah DeFlumeri and Bianca Crudo, sophomores Katie McMorran, George Primavera, and Matthew Hoeffel.

Performances in the Newtown High School auditorium begin Thursday, November 13 at 7:30 pm, and continue Friday, November 14  at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, November 15 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm.  General admission is $10, tickets for students and seniors are $8.  Tickets are available at the door.

• Integrated Math 1 Thursdays 2 – 3
• Integrated Math 2  Tuesdays 2 – 3
• Integrated Math 3  Thursdays 2 – 3  (or D-day period 4)
• All courses are welcome Wednesday 5 – 7 to focus on homework OR Monday 5 - 7 to focus on concept understanding

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, Mr. OShana’s Culinary I students will be preparing chili that will be available to students during the lunch period in the cafeteria.  From a number of recipes developed by the class, two will be presented to the students: Canaan Brown’s famous Chili with Pork and Chris Hall’s Beanless Chili.  Come hungry.

It wasn’t too late for Freshman Justina Paproski.  The fast-texting 9th grader entered in the third and final round of the 2nd Annual NHS Texting Competition only to win the round and then win again in the finals.  Paproski, one of 18 students to take place in the Peer Leadership Fun Friday event, was cool and calm when she won the honor as top texter at NHS.  The event was organized by a group of freshman including Lexi Black, Kayla O’Leary, and Lucy Riley.  Paproski won $50 for her efforts in the contest.

November 3rd – 7th

MONDAY: Old School / Tie-Dye Day

TUESDAY: No School (Election Day)

WEDNESDAY: Color War Day (12,Black;11,Green;10,Red;9,Orange)

THURSDAY: Movie Character Day (Age Appropriate, No Weapons)

FRIDAY: BLUE & GOLD

In late August, the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras (GBYO) held auditions for the 2008-2009 season.  More than 240 young musicians in grades 4-12 were selected for membership in the GBYO’s four orchestras.  Newtown High School is proud to be represented by Jane Eleen Anderson, Rachel Fintz, Alyssa Rodriquez, and Calvin Song.  Congratulations!

If you are interested in seeing the musicians in action, the GBYO has performances scheduled for Sunday, November 16, 2008 (Klein Auditorium), Sunday, March 1, 2009 (Klein Auditorium), Saturday, March 21, 2009 (Roger Ludlowe Middle School), and Sunday, May 4, 2009 (Klein Auditorium).  For more information, please contact Barbara Upton, GBYO Executive Director, at 203.459.4249.

This past weekend (October 11, 2008), Newtown High School participated in the Dr. Robert Kaiser National Invitational Debate Tournament in Monticello, NY.  Twenty-five members of the NHS Debate Team took part.  Seniors Biota Hung and Quinlan Mitchell made it to the final round before losing to the Bronx High School of Science, a perennial national powerhouse.  Akshay Agashe, a consistent top performer in Varsity Debate and runner up at the 2007 Connecticut State Debate Championships, qualified for the elimination rounds before being beaten by another Bronx Science team in the double octofinal round of the tournament.  Congratulations, Debate Team!

Junior Matt Aponte Captures 5th Annual NHS Pickle Spitting Contest

Matt Aponte knew his last effort had to be his best.  Spitting his last baby gerkens pickle 41 feet, he captured the fifth annual NHS Pickle Spitting Contest.  For his efforts he earned a $50 cash card.  Aponte became only the second junior to ever capture the NHS title.  Marcus Tracy (NHS Class of 2005) won the title in his junior year with his often copied run, jump and spit technique.

The event drew a modest crowd of 75 onlookers who seemed to thoroughly enjoy the contest.  Aponte, the clear crowd favorite, seemed to utilize the crowd to consistently outdistance the competition.

Two of our most enthusiastic science students, Judy Carnali and Tony Fragoso, attended the first session of Partners in Science this past Tuesday at Boehringer-Ingelheim.  This is a program where students go to Boehringer once a week  for six weeks.  They are given a tour of different parts of the facility and an opportunity to speak with the research scientists. Both Judy and Tony said the first session was a great experience and they are looking forward to the next ones.

Have you noticed the artwork displayed in the hallways of Newtown High School?  They are student created works that have been donated to the school.  We are proud to display them in permanent installations throughout the building.  The Art department will be adding to the current collection this academic year.

The World Language department is sponsoring two trips during April vacation:

• Paris, Provence, and the Cote D’Azur
• Mediterranean Journey (Spain and Italy)

Students interested in the trips should contact Mrs. Greenfield (France) or Ms. Ward (Spain and Italy).  Additional information can be obtained from www.acis.com (group #45265) or www.eftours.com (trip #596945).

Newtown High School seniors are invited to register to join some of their classmates on a trip to witness history in the making as they closely observe the Presidential Inauguration in January 2009 (18th – 21st).  Interested students should see Mrs. Kiely (kielyr@newtown.k12.ct.us).  Additional information can be obtained by visiting www.worldstrides.org [Newtown High School Trip ID #18126].  Deadline for registration is monday, november 3, 2008.

Congratulations to the Newtown High School Math Team for their excellent showing at the first meet of the season [October 1, 2008 - Wilton High School].  The team meets every Tuesday  from 2pm-3pm; meets are held the first Wednesday of every month.  We are always looking for new members from all grades!

On Saturday, September 27, the NHS Quiz Bowl team (consisting of juniors Linea Kemsley, Amar Agashe, Louis Belanger, Sam Norcross, and Steven Rollo) placed second in the Yale Fall Academic Tournament (FAcT), an annual event sponsored by the Yale Academic Team held on campus in New Haven, CT.  After the morning rounds, the NHS team was seeded 7th out of 16 teams.  Their finish in the championship round was the result of two astounding upset victories over the 2nd and 3rd seeded teams.

Quiz Bowl has a relatively short history at NHS, restarted three years ago (after what was, evidently, a long hiatus) by Jacquelyn Ottomeyer (English Teacher) when these students were only freshmen.  This was their third tournament, and their showing was very impressive for both their age (other top seeded teams are almost always all-senior teams) and their inexperience.  The icing on the cake from this exciting day was the knowledge that this was an NAQT (National Academic Quiz Tournaments) National Championship qualifying tournament.  The top two teams qualified, so our students are now well on their way to organizing some exciting fundraising activities to get us to Chicago in May!

Seventh seeded junior Amar Agashe stunned the crowd with a thrilling victory in the Super Smash Brothers tournament held September 19th by Peer Leadership.

Junior Jay Lee created the event and was the heavy favorite going into the tournament which saw a turnout of over 50 players.  Agashe captured the 2008 NHS SSB title and walked away with the $50 cash card prize.

Newtown High School is once again a proud participant in the 2008 Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest, an experience designed not only to “make poetry matter,” but to help students in written and oral communication skills.

Due to the stellar number of students and faculty involved last year, The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism has invited Newtown High School to host one of their teacher informational meetings on October 1^st in the NHS Lecture Hall (2-3:30pm). Please contact Jeanetta Miller or Lee Keylock (NHS), or Amy Freidman, Education Program Manager for the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism at amy.freidman@ct.gov

Rashona Hines knew it would take her best roll to win the title.  The talented senior had barely won in her quarterfinal and semifinal matches and had to make her last roll count for the 3rd Annual NHS Dice Rolling Title to be hers.  How about double 6′s?!

Hines rolled the perfect roll en route to winning her first Fun  Friday championship and taking the much coveted crown from last year’s winner Jackie Rosa.  “I’m just really happy I won!” she said in her post game interview.  Hines not only takes the title in her senior year but also a $50 gift card to go with it.

Nicole Greto won the first ever girls-only Guitar Hero III contest September 5, 2008 in the kickoff Peer Leadership Fun Friday.  Greto calmly racked up the highest score while her competitors watched in vain as she won the $50 cash card and the title.  Junior Chris Bochino planned the tournament which drew a record crowd of all girls.  “We need to run more tournaments like this…It was great!” exclaimed Peer Leadership Co-Advisor Jeffrey Tolson.