Newtown High School Blog

When Trinity Church needed t-shirts printed for their volunteers embarking on an extended good Samaritan work camp, they got help from an NHS insider.

Tom Andereau (2nd row, 2nd from right) was a student enrolled in the Graphics 2 course at NHS at the time. Tom did the artwork and submitted the project to ‘NHS Graphics, the Company’ (a student-run enterprise) for printing on the shirts.

The Graphics 2 course, and the student-run enterprise, are both supervised by Graphics Teacher Dave DeFeo.

Thanks, Mr. DeFeo! And congratulations to your students.

The Newtown High School Nurtury still has a few open preschool positions for next year and that we are eagerly looking to fill them.  Need more information? email us at : nurtury@newtown.k12.ct.us or visit us at:  http://www.newtown.k12.ct.us/teachers/tpage.php?view=t&pid=846

Personal & Business Law students from Melissa Cacioppo and Vivian Sheen’s classes attended a taping of The People’s Court in New York City recently. Judge Marilyn Milian presided over the cases, which included contract violations and insurance settlements related to a car accident. Curt Chaplin, the In-Court Reporter, talked to the students about his job, and answered questions about the cases.

Arguments presented in the cases paralleled in-class discussions related to current events.

Family and friends filled the Newtown High School Lecture Hall last Wednesday. All were gathered to honor graduates of The Nurtury preschool program by helping them celebrate their ‘Moving Up Day’. Read the rest of this entry »

Art Teacher Diane Dutchick leads her students through a critique session of their own paintings. Students submitted their work for this peer review before making final adjustments and submission as a part of their graded portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »

Students in Chef Brian Neumeyer’s Advanced Culinary classes have been preparing for their Final Exam for two weeks. Planning the menu, experimenting with recipes, calculating and ordering supplies, and (finally) preparing and presenting their products. The Culinary Department Gala, or ‘Epicurian Showcase’ was an invitation-only event attended by parents of the students, and a few special guests. Read the rest of this entry »

Sara Hill (Junior) traveled to New York City last week for the official awards ceremony of the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Sara was presented a Gold Medal for Best In Show, for her piece, ‘Psycho For Your Love’.

Sara is pictured with Ceramics Teacher Carol Pelligra, who was also presented a Gold Medal in recognition of her contributions to Sara’s achievement. This is the first time a student from Newtown high School has been acknowledged with this national honor.

Congratulations to Sara Hill and Mrs. Pelligra!

It was Game Day in The Nurtury preschool program today.  Students in Stephanie Gacso’s Child Development 2 course have spent the last few weeks learning the fundamentals of educational games for children. A solid understanding of the cognitive, social and physical development of 3-year olds is critical to designing a quality game. Strategies for choosing who goes first, how to advance in the game, how to complete the game, are just as important as scale, color, vocabulary and game pieces. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

Attention students enrolled in AP courses next year: Many AP courses require that students complete a summer assignment. Information about AP summer assignments will be available on June 1, 2010 in department offices and on department web pages.

Students from a variety of Newtown High School Business Education courses recently shared a special opportunity with Mr. Duane Giannini, a VP of Newtown Savings Bank. Mr. Giannini spoke about the importance of making a good first impression, and used a combination of media, lecture and interesting stories to help students enhance their abilities to interview well. Attire, grooming, eye contact, facial expression and a firm handshake were just a few of the elements discussed. Mr. Giannini stayed for a question and answer session with students afterwards. Vivian Sheen’s Business Ed. students agreed their time was well spent.

This presentation was organized by Mrs. Ragaini and Mrs. Latowicki in the NHS Career Center. Special thanks to them, to Mr. Giannini, and to Newtown Savings Bank for their ongoing commitment to our students.

Colby Chilson, Kristine Faxlander, and Leah Wallace (left) and Morgan Danuszar, Kelsey Rahmlov, and Joey DeVillis (middle) are students from Theatre Production 2 spending their Saturday afternoon working on the sets for their final exam. The students will be performing three hilarious one act plays on Saturday, June 12, 2010 with performances at 2:30 and 7:00 in the auditorium. Tickets can be obtained by calling 203-270-6120.

Later on that same day Gabby Milano and Julian Tetrault (right) are working on a dance recital for a company that is renting the auditorium for the weekend. Gabby and Julian will spend over thirty hours in the booth this week running lights and sound for the rehearsals and performances.

Students in Jolene Thompson’s Marketing 2 class are learning how marketing plans are developed with data collected from a variety of research processes.  When developing a marketing plan for foods, a Blind Taste Test is often implemented.  Read the rest of this entry »

FOX61 Student News has announced three additional videos that have met the standard necessary for broadcast by the television network.  The following videos were all produced by Video Production 2 students.

Donate To Skate: Kurt Liniger, Producer (Donate2Skate)

Rock Climbing Wall: Kurt Liniger, Producer (RockClimb)

Mock Crash: Nick Tramatozzi, Producer (MockCrash)

Congratulations to the students and their teacher Mrs. Mary Ann Snieckus!

Newtown High School Advanced Culinary students catered the recent BEST/TEAM (teacher induction program) end-of-year ceremony in the school lobby recently. The students prepared the menu, arranged the layout for seating and serving, prepared and presented the food, and cleaned up after the event.

The Advanced Culinary program is self-funding, students use the proceeds from these catered events to purchase food for future instructional units. Students enrolled in the program are exposed to every aspect of running a small enterprise throughout the school year, rotating through all positions from Lead Chef, to Bookkeeper, Menu Designer, and Lead Dishwasher. Effective collaboration skills are among the most critical characteristics developed through the program.

This is the literal translation of the Italian word ‘sgraffire’, and is the process that defines an artistic technique known as Sgraffito, in which coatings are scratched off to reveal colors and textures beneath.

Students in Carol Pelligra’s Ceramics course have been exploring a variety of Sgraffito techniques recently. Some students choose to follow templates, others choose to freehand their designs, and still others will combine both processes. After revealing the underlying surface, additional glazing will be added and the pieces will be fired.

Mrs. Pelligra enhances student appreciation of the skills will acquire by beginning each unit with an explanation of the historical and cultural significance of the materials and techniques involved. Finished work will be on display in the Newtown High School lobby.

Saturday, May 8, 2010, the Newtown High School ‘Connecticut Innovation Academy’ class (CTIA) competed in the 10th annual Connecticut Innovation Exposition at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.  Kristin Violette’s students presented their application, ‘Agent Fate’; a computerized simulation in which the user makes decisions for a secret agent throughout the game, while promoting environmental awareness and teaching green concepts in the process. Read the rest of this entry »

Video Production Teacher Mary Ann Snieckus was recently notified that a Newtown High School entry into the FOX-61 Student News Contest has been selected as First Place Winner in the High School division. The one-minute segment titled, ‘Gates Of Fire‘, was produced by Andrew Mangold, Henry Sims, and Matt Hill, video II students who graduated in June 2009. The winning team will share the $2,500.00 prize.

According to the official release:

“Fox 61 Student News is one-of-a-kind, nationally recognized, community affairs, free of charge program focused on teaching critical thinking skills to students. Through teacher and student workshops, students learn to produce their own news stories. Fox 61 WTIC-TV and CW 20 WTXX-TV are the only television stations in the country that broadcast student-produced news stories 37 times per week. The stories selected for broadcast are considered for the Award Ceremony.”

Congratulations to all three students and their teacher, Mrs. Snieckus.

Lillia McEnaney and Tressa Scott presented their plans for a business trip to Africa during a recent class in Ms. Jolene Thompson’s Intro to Business course.

The presentation included an itemized budget covering the cost of ground transportation, air fare, meals, lodging in two locations, and expenses for entertaining potential customers. Critical facts regarding currency, exchange rates, GDP and per capita earnings, as well as system of government, religious influences and political climate were also shared.

Ms. Thompson’s students understand that their business world will be one of international commerce,and that success begins with understanding.

Representatives from Newtown Savings Bank visited the Newtown High School Business Education department recently. Mr. Thomas Lutz, VP of Mortgage Banking, and Ms. Disha Daminia, Customer Service Representative, presented to several classes. They gave PowerPoint presentations on topics such as savings & checking accounts, sources of credit, factors that affect your credit score, and more. They also played an interactive Internet based game to survey students’ understanding of financial matters, and stated they were impressed with what students had already learned in their NHS studies.

Students from Mrs. Vivian Sheen’s Financial Management classes as well as Mrs. Melissa Cacioppo’s Accounting classes attended.

This visit was a part of the ongoing partnership between NHS and Newtown Savings Bank, with a goal of improving students’ ability to understand and manage personal finances.

Thank you NSB, Mr. Lutz, and Ms. Daminia.

Sara Hill (Junior) continued her legacy of artistic achievement when she was recently awarded The Potter’s Council Award for her piece, ‘Psycho For Your Love.’  The award was made at The National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition. Sara’s piece, along with other winning entries, will be touring the country for the next year, including a stop in New York City this summer where Sara will be officially presented with her award.

Sarah continues to explore her talents in the ceramic arts, and some of her recent efforts are displayed above. She is currently uncommitted in terms of a career direction. Her interests span from illustration to education, and even give consideration to tattooing. One thing is certain; Sara Hill’s future will include a deep connection with artistic expression.

Congratulations to Sara, and to her Ceramics Teacher, Carol Pelligra. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Students from Business Education, Financial Management and Marketing courses spent a day in New York City recently. They visited NBC Studios where a tour guide explained the workings of the main performing, production and marketing areas. Students were also taken on a guided tour of the NYC financial district.

The students were very interested in the manner in which classroom theories play out in the actual world of business.

Business Education Department Teachers Vivian Sheen and Jolene Thompson arranged and supervised the trip.

Melissa Cacioppo’s Personal & Business Law class recently hosted Officer Len Penna from the Newtown Police Department. Officer Penna spoke with students about his job as a School Resource Officer (SRO), about Field Sobriety testing, and consequences that accompany a DUI arrest.

All students were given an opportunity to attempt walking a straight line with their vision impaired by Fatal Vision goggles. When students realized the difficulty of this simple challenge, Officer Penna reminded them that alcohol impairs all senses.

Officer Penna is pictured giving instructions to Chris Bochino, just prior to administering the Fatal Vision test.

Mrs. Cacioppo invited Officer Penna to help her students understand how relevant the law is to them, and to inform them of their rights and responsibilities.

Thank you Officer Penna!

Newtown High School Graphics is one of several student-run enterprises functioning under the umbrella of the Fine & Applied Arts Department. The enterprise is run as a business, with students filling all roles. The program is supervised by Graphic Arts teacher Dave DeFeo. Read the rest of this entry »

Students in Chef Steve O Shana’s Culinary 2 class recently learned how to prepare a shoulder of pork for roasting. Before and after pictures tell the story, the pork tasted as good as it looks.

Meanwhile, Alex Norwich (grade 12) demonstrates how roasted peppers get their flavorful taste. Alex is a student in Chef Brian Neumeyer’s Advanced Culinary course.

Good nutrition and healthy eating habits are a part of every instructional unit in the Newtown High School Culinary Department. Students also learn that preparing healthy meals is always less costly than purchasing the same amount of fast food. Important lessons for those who will soon be living on their own.

Art Teacher Diane Dutchick gives a few pointers as her students create a personal artistic interpretation of a still-life scenario she has staged for them. A variety of styles are apparent in the work of Sophomores, Morgan Kirol, Emily Kopcik, Grace McKinley and Allie Duras, and also Juniors, Dominique Alen, Lainey Audet, and Erin Glaberson. Photos are named for the artists. Read the rest of this entry »

The DECA club recently held a Meet & Greet (& Eat) event in the Newtown High School cafeteria to introduce potential new members to the group.

DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America, Delta Epsilon Chi at the college level), is an extra-curricular activity that allows members to experience a variety of business challenges. Marketing skills were very apparent in the decision to attract potential members with a variety of tasty foods offered during the time between the ending of school and the beginning of sports practices.

All attendees agreed the event was worthwhile – and fun!

DECA meets every Wednesday from 2:00-2:45. The club is supervised by Business Ed. Teacher, Jolene Thompson.

Students in Mr. Daly’s Architectural Design 2 course recently learned how to use a builder’s level. This precision instrument is critical to laying out foundations, decks, athletic fields, swimming pools, drainage pipes, etc.

Pictured are Jeremy Thermes and Ryan Washburn, also Hunter Bassett and Nolan Cosgrove, in the process of calibrating the tool. Students were then challenged to find the lowest and highest points on the first floor of the NHS building. The next challenge will be to compare the layout of the stadium field against the architectural drawings.

Newtown High School graduate Nicole Bounty has won first place in Ceramics in BOSS (Best Of Salve Students)  at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island for her work titled “Sprouting Leafpot.”

Twenty-five students from the Business Education Department travelled to Danbury to visit Cartus, “. . . the industry leader in global mobility and workforce development support to organizations worldwide.” Cartus specializes in relocation services for employees of corporations as diverse as; Burger King, NY Jets, CVS, and Lowes. Read the rest of this entry »

Hoods for the demonstration station and the student cooking areas have been installed.  It is beginning to look like a kitchen!

Early Childhood Education II student, Kayla Buckley, created a transportation lesson for Nurtury students, and included a very exciting outing for the preschoolers. Kayla secured the services of her mother, Denise Buckley (one of Newtown’s bus drivers) to allow children to board her school bus, count the number of seats, learn the significance of the bus number, and the importance of safety rules like remaining seated while the bus is in motion.

Once the fundamentals were covered, the bus travelled twice around the high school parking lot – a short, but very exciting trip for those who had never had the opportunity to ride on a school bus before.

The young travelers then returned to the classroom for some discussion, and for creative coloring of school bus drawings.

Great idea, Kayla. And thank you, Mrs. Buckley.

All Aboard!

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010, two Newtown High students and three Brookfield High students shared their cyber safety presentation with students at Tyrrell Middle School in Wolcott, CT.     Fifteen Newtown and Brookfield students and four advisers comprise the Cyber Safety group.  Students in the program have been developing a presentation on cyber bullying, predator awareness, sexting, and social networking safety since October 2009.  The goal is to present their findings through a presentation involving role play, digital media and discussion to over 5,000 students across Connecticut.    The program is run in conjunction with Education Connections and Federal and State law enforcement agencies. Read the rest of this entry »

Video II students, Jack Champagne and Timothy Pierce, produced this short clip – C3G1_Ceramics featuring Art students engaged in ceramic sculpture. Sarah Hill and Maddi Middlebroo are interviewed.

Ms. Mary Ann Snieckus teaches this course. Video 1 is accepting students in all grades for the Fall 2010 semester.

Students in Melissa Cacciopo’s Personal & Business Law class are engaged in a spirited discussion centered on individual privacy rights. Under consideration is a video posting on YouTube of the recent Killer Whale attack in Sea World. Sea World and the victim’s family want the video removed. The photographer wants the video published to inform the public of the dangers of holding these animals captive. The case is currently in court. Several other cases were also discussed.

These sessions are a regularly scheduled component of Mrs. Cacciopo’s course. Students bring articles or reports on contemporary legal cases that relate to classroom sessions. The 90-minute discussions are held during the extended lunch period, allowing students ample time to discuss and debate relevant ideas. Mrs. Cacciopo knows that student learning is enhanced when they make connections between learning inside the classroom and the world outside.

Order In The Court!

An Italian word meaning, “to scratch”, and requiring artists to scratch away a layer of color to reveal another color beneath.

Students in Carol Pelligra’s advanced Ceramics class are producing a variety of pieces using this ancient technique. Pictured work (as named) is by Freshman Shannon DiIorio, Sophomores Kristin Grabowski, JoJo Wollman, and Rachel Rode, and Senior Katie Hunt. Mrs. Pelligra introduces each new technique with an historical and cultural overview of the area from which it developed.

Students in Mrs. Pelligra’s Ceramics classes have won numerous awards and scholarships in local, state, and national exhibitions. Perhaps one of these students will follow.

Next step: Firing in the kiln.

Video II students Evan Swain, Scott Buchanan, and Matt Bolinsky created a short segment [China_Delegation_Rally] about the welcoming rally for delegates from our sister school in Liaocheng, China. Principal Dumais is interviewed.

This clip has been submitted to Fox 61 Student News in hopes of being selected for broadcast. Ms. Mary Ann Snieckus teaches this course. Interested students in grades 9-12 must enroll in Video I as a prerequisite.

Good Luck Evan, Scott and Matt!

Jeremy Thermes discovered a passion for 3-D modeling while enrolled in Mr. Daly’s Drafting/CAD courses as a Freshman. His interest extended from virtual modeling to actual modeling, as witnessed by his recently completed to-scale version of a WWII-Era Sea Plane.

The model took Jeremy two years to complete in his free time.

Great Job, Jeremy!

Students in Mr. Steve George’s Power Technology course have begun the process of tearing down 4-cycle engines as a part of an extended unit of study. When the engines are completely apart, students will diagnose deficiencies and plan a strategy for correction. Good parts will be cleaned and refurbished and bad parts will be replaced with new, or with used items from other engines.

Reassembly will begin next week, and then the big question will be answered; “Will it run?”

Enterprising graduates of this course have been known invest a few hours of work and $8-$15 in parts to turn a dead lawnmower from the transfer station into $50-$100 cash.

Some philosophers say, ‘Knowledge = Power’. Mr. George’s students say, ‘Power Tech Knowledge = $$$’

Brain Purus looks on as Alec Hooper installs a bolt to attach an engine hoist. The two students in Mr. Steve George’s Auto Tech Lab are preparing to remove the engine from this truck. They will then rebuild the engine before re-installing it for many more years of reliable service.

Parts for the rebuild will cost approximately $300.00. This represents a savings of more than $1,500.00 compared to the cost of similar work in a commercial establishment.

Valuable Skills, Indeed!