FAITH Food Pantry gave out 3,400 meals to Newtown residents during the first 7 months of this year. At this pace, FAITH will give out double the amount of food this year compared to last year. This year, 1 CAN really make(s) a difference. Please consider bringing 1 can of nonperishable food in a plastic bag to the Labor Day Parade and place it along the parade route. 1 CAN is in the 1st division of the parade and as they go along the route, they will pick up the bags of food. After the parade, the food will be delivered to the FAITH Food Pantry. The FAITH Food Pantry has been giving food to only Newtown residents for over 25 years. This is all about people in Newtown helping people in Newtown. (This effort is the work of Newtown High School Senior Breanne Lubinsky)

The Newtown High School Girls’ Lacrosse team will be hosting New Fairfield High School in a game to raise awareness and donations for Connecticut Special Olympics. The fundraising event is scheduled to begin promptly at 7 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2010, at Blue & Gold Stadium. There will be a raffle and refreshments will be available for purchase. Admission is FREE and donations will be accepted. All proceeds will benefit the Special Olympic athletes from this area.

Under the advisory of Assistant Principal Scott Clayton, the Newtown High School Military Assistance Club gathered up a care package for members of the CT Army National Guard 102d Infantry currently deployed in Afghanistan. Among the items being sent are chewing gun, sun flower seeds, toothpaste, soap, and assorted hard candy.

The items will be sent to Jeff Ritter, a Newtown resident and Captain with the 102d. CPT Ritter and Mr. Clayton are long time friends from college and the National Guard. The items will be dispersed amongst members of the 102d, including Sergeant First Class Mark Spencer, a 1988 Newtown High School graduate and former local National Guard recruiter. Student members of the club are Nicole Davis, Kyra Murray, Mike Mossbarger, Tommy Stewart, Bri Hart, and Doug Pierce. Anyone interested in contributing should contact Mr. Clayton at 203-426-7648.

Debbie McQuilkin, Program Director for the Southern CT Storm Special Hockey team, accepted a donation check of $505 from three of the Nighthawks varsity hockey players on behalf of the entire team – NHS sophomore and Storm volunteer mentor Ted Benoit, and NHS senior captains Rob Norling and Sean Kennedy. The hockey team decided to take the money normally spent on player gifts this year and donate it to the Storm team to help with player needs. CT Storm is an all volunteer program that provides the hockey experience to developmentally disabled youth from all over CT. This took place at Storm’s annual end of season party on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport.

Attention Seniors!

All community service hours should be submitted to Guidance prior to our forthcoming April break. Blue forms can be found in Guidance and all service hours require signatures of all authorized supervisors for whom you performed the work. We need this information in order to  process the order for the blue and gold cords that are  worn on graduation recognizing those seniors who have volunteered a minimum of 100 hours throughout their high school careers. For recognition, please submit your names to Mrs. Korotash in Guidance by Friday, April 16, 2010 and contact her immediately with any questions.

Brandon Weiner, Newtown High School Junior, has prepared a survey to assess interest and opinions regarding after-school activities and transportation for them.

Read the flyer here: NHS_Transportation_Survey

Students – take the survey here

Parents – take the survey here

The Connecticut Association of Schools is working with the Governor’s Office  to help raise money for relief efforts in Haiti, particularly those that impact the Haitian children. Read the rest of this entry »

Senior Dan Milot displays some of the scarves, mittens and “winterwear” that was collected by the Newtown High School National Honor Society for the Woman’s Shelter in Danbury.

Students from Newtown High School’s mentoring program FUSION joined students from Peer Leadership to spend Saturday, December 12, 2009, donating, sorting, wrapping, and delivering gifts to children affected by aids and children in need at the annual St. Luke’s Lifeworks Holiday Wrapping Party in Stamford, CT. Senior Emily Anderson arranged the eight hour trip of over 45 students and staff from Newtown High School. The group helped provide gifts for over 2000 children in Connecticut who are affected by HIV/AIDS or are in need.

The Leo Club helped light the luminaries for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Ram’s Pasture this past Friday, December 4, 2009. For more service opportunities, check out our meetings on Tuesdays in B146.

Bread and Roses is Saturday December 12, 2009 at St. Luke’s Lifeworks in Stamford, CT. Students will be earning community service hours by wrapping presents for children affected by the AIDS virus. The bus leaves Newtown High School at 9am and will be back at 5pm. All are invited and there is no charge for the trip. Lunch will be provided for all helpers. This is Peer Leadership’s eighth straight year participating in this awesome event. Senior Emily Anderson is leading the trip and this is the fourth straight year for seniors Lauren Powers, Neyati Patel and Samantha Kent! Need more info? Contact Jeff Tolson at tolsonj@newtown.k12.ct.us.

In the first annual Peer Leadership Dodgeball Tournament, senior team White Castle dramatically rallied to win the tournament. In the last match of the last game in the championship, Nathan Crevier (pictured far left) was the last man standing. White Castle won a $100 prize courtesy of Peer Leadership.

Sophomore Palmer Lintz tirelessly created, organized and ran the 19 team tournament and raised over $450 for Kevin’s Community Center, Newtown’s free adult medical clinic.   Newtown Youth Academy donated the courts and equipment.

Freshman Kristen Campbell knows how to help those in need. Campbell, in conjunction with Peer Leadership, donated 110 cans of food to the Faith Food Pantry in Sandy Hook last week. “I brought 110 cans of vegetables to the pantry. They said that it was very helpful and that vegetables were great with Thanksgiving coming up.” Campbell’s next project centers around helping elementary students at Head O’ Meadow.

On Friday , October 23, 2009, several members of the Newtown High School Leo Club helped out with Middle Gate School’s annual Fall Fest. Everyone had a spooktacular time!!

Information & Sign-Up Sheet

Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at 7pm in Blue and Gold Stadium, the Newtown and Immaculate Girls Soccer teams will host an SWC conference game to benefit breast cancer awareness. All proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Newtown will wear the home pink jerseys, while Immaculate will wear pink shorts and socks. The teams will be using pink game balls that were created by Select Soccer Co.

LOOKING FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS?

Consider joining the Leo Club. We perform community service in Newtown! We are meeting Tuesdays immediately after school in B146. Questions?  See Mrs. Hurley.

Photo Credit: Nancy K. Crevier, Newtown Bee

Read about tow of our recent graduates and their work on the Taunton Press/Newtown High School Garden – Bee Article

Brady Eggleston, a senior at Newtown High School is looking for volunteers to help coach special needs soccer this fall. It’s going to be on Sunday mornings, from 9-10 at Sandy Hook starting September 20, 2009 and ending November 8, 2009. 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.

During fourth quarter in TAP, several students worked together to crochet a blanket that is going to be donated to Danbury women’s shelter. Together, they logged 115 hours of community service. Read the rest of this entry »

The NHS Art Club and Culinary Department held an ‘Art Plate Special’ fundraiser this semester. Faculty, Staff, and Students purchased ceramic plates crafted and donated by Art Club students, and each plate came with a special sandwich made by Culinary Department students. All proceeds are donated to a worthy charity.

This year’s charity, H.O.R.S.E. of Connecticut (www.horseofct.org.), was suggested by CANTER Club President, Abby Branchflower. The photo above shows Art Club member Alexandra Kennedy handing a $336 check to Joan Moreno of H.O.R.S.E., as Ceramics teacher Carol Pelligra and Chef Brian Neumeyer look on. Jeanetta Miller advises the CANTER Club.

The Interact Club will be collecting gently used prom dresses or brides maid gowns through the end of May. These dresses will be donated to an organization that will provide them to girls who cannot afford to purchase them for themselves. Please help us with our cause – empty out your closets and give to a young girl who will greatly appreciate your generosity. The dresses can be brought to the main office.  It would be greatly appreciated and very helpful if dresses were accompanied by a suitable hanger.  Thank you for you help!

Congratulations to Devin Klein and Daniel Milot for earning the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 770. Read the rest of this entry »

In conjunction with the Newtown Lions Club, the Leo Club is looking for volunteers to help with the annual Duck Race held in Sandy Hook Center on Saturday, May 23rd. Volunteers can help out for the entire day from 9-3 or just one hour! Please come to the next Leo Club meeting on Tuesday, May 5th after school in B150.

On Saturday, May 16 at Reed Intermediate, Reed Intermediate School’s Interact Club will sponsor a “Run for Ron Bienkowski and Family” Walkathon/Runathon to raise money. View the brochure and entry form for this event and join us to spread the word to as many people as you know in and outside of Newtown.

If you are unable to participate, but want to contribute, you can do that by making a check payable to: “ROTARY FOUNDATION” and include “re: Ron Bienkowski Medical Fund” on the bottom portion of your check.

The Newtown Rotary Club and Newtown Savings Bank have offered to manage the donations through the Rotary Foundation so that donations are a tax deductible contribution.

Just a reminder that this year’s Relay For Life will be held June 13th and 14th at Fairfield Hills.  An Open house will be hosted April 30, 2009, 7:00 pm, at the Middle School. For more information, visit this site.

Volunteers are needed for Newtown’s annual Lose the Litter Day scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2009. Garbage bags will be available at the Middle School at 9am. The Leo Club and the Ecology Club will be helping to clean up Newtown High School. Earn community service hours and help us clean up Newtown! Please see Mrs. Hurley in the Social Studies Department for more information.

On Saturday, March 28th, the Newtown Junior Women’s Club held its annual Discovery Science Workshops at the high school. These workshops were attended by Newtown children and their parents, and each one was conducted by a member of the greater Newtown Community. Four of these workshops were run by members of the Newtown High School Science Department. Read the rest of this entry »

NHS Sophomore Megan Preis has always loved writing–so much so, she volunteers every two weeks at Head O’ Meadow Elementary School working with two aspiring third grade writers.  Preis began working with the students this fall under the guidance of HOM faculty member Julie Birch.  Preis has really loved the program and recently remarked, “I enjoy working with the students very much and hope to continue helping elementary school students who have a passion for writing.”  Currently, she is helping the third graders write a science fiction piece on global warming.

On Tuesday, February 24, 2009, The Newtown High School Student Government will be sponsoring an American Red Cross Bloood Drive.  Minimum requirements for donors are 17 years of age and 110 pounds.  Please DONATE!

The Newtown Junior Women’s Club and the Newtown Board of Education will be hosting the 16th Annual Discovery Science Workshops on the morning of Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Newtown High School. The workshops consist of two 45 minute classes for K-4th graders. We are looking for student volunteers to assist with escorts and assistance for the leaders of the workshops as well as babysitting. Student volunteers will be compensated with community service hours. Please contact Monika Kurrle-Taylor at monika@clocpa.com with your name, address and phone number.

The Newtown High School Leo Club is once again sponsoring the Daffodil Days fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Please consider purchasing daffodils or making a donations. You can donate online or send orders to  Suzanne Hurley at the high school. Please make all checks out to the American Cancer Society.

Flowers will be delivered the week of March 16th to the individual schools.

Online donations can be made here.

From today’s News Times: Football-Volleyball-Charity

There will be a clothing drive starting tomorrow (January 6th) until Friday (January 9th) to support Midnight Run, clothing the homeless of NYC. We are looking for all clothing items, especially warm clothes and coats.

The drive will be a competition between homerooms. Each day this week homerooms will send a student down to the main office with collected clothes.  Each day, the homeroom with the most donations will win a special donut and juice breakfast celebrated the next Wednesday in the cafeteria. There will be four winning homerooms!

Bring in clothing to donate starting tomorrow!

The drive is the project of Katie Canavan, sponsored by Peer Leadership

Tags: Midnight Run

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

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 »

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation has recognized Renee Rushefski for her “commitment to strengthening our Nation and for making a difference through volunteer service.”  Renee has completed more than 100 hours (392, actually) of volunteer service (in one year) through the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership for Service Program.  Congratulations, Renee!

The Newtown High School Business Department is collecting toys to be donated to the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Please help area tots and teens by donating a new, unwrapped toy for ages birth to teenager (toys, games, cd’s, dvd’s, please – no stuffed animals).  Items may be dropped off to Mrs. Cacioppo in the Business Office (A109) until December 15.