By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Madison Howes, a third grade student at Flanders Elementary School, took part in a reading celebration with her classmates and teachers on Monday. This was one of many reading celebrations in which students share their favorite books with a reading buddy. When one of the reading teachers chose Madison to read her book aloud to the entire third grade class, a surprise walked through the doors of the gymnasium to greet her—a surprise Madison had waited almost a year for.
With her eyes lighting up and her heart racing, Madison leaped out of the reading chair and jumped into the arms of her father, Mike Howes, an army soldier returning from his fourth tour as a staff sergeant for the 411 Civil Affairs Battalion.
He was stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Africa since last November.
“I was reading, and then daddy came along,” Madison said. “I didn’t want him to leave because I love him so much.”
Sergeant Howes decided to surprise his daughter with the help of his wife Isabela and school staff members on Monday. Since Saturday, Sergeant Howes said he was hiding in a hotel room so no one would find him.
“It was something I wanted to do, and seeing this was my fourth deployment, and I don’t know if there is going to be anymore after this,” he said.
His wife Isabela said she first approached school administrators about the surprise, and they all agreed to help out. With the help of Principal Patricia Mazzarella and third grade teachers, Mike and Isabela pulled off the surprise.
“We had a sit down, and went over the details,” Isabela said. “All we had to do was show up at a certain time.”
Kim Padroff, Madison’s third grade teacher, said she felt overjoyed to see this moment for her student.
“It is unreal,” she said. “Words cannot express how excited I am for Madison and her family.”
Earlier that same day, Mike surprised his stepdaughter Jasmyne Engman at Southington High School during her civics class. Principal Martin Semmel and other staff members helped organize the surprise too.
The school invited eight veterans to the reunion, where they pretended to take part in the class’s lecture for the day. After they all lined up in front of the class, Sergeant Howes walked in, and Jasmyne nearly tackled him with a hug. Describing the moment Mike walked into her classroom as “crazy,” Jasmyne said she felt butterflies in her stomach.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Jasmyne said. “I feel this is a moment right out of a book.”
Isabela said she also felt butterflies in her stomach the whole time, especially since she did not know how her daughter would react.
“I was so excited and nervous, and a little worried she was going to get mad for all the lying and all the secrets, but mostly excited,” Isabela said. “I am so happy to see that they were finally able to reunite after such a long time.”
After the reunion, both Jasmyne and Madison received a “free pass” from school to leave early so they could spend the entire day with their father. Sergeant Howes said reuniting with his family this way made that moment extra special for him.
“It is a once in a lifetime deal—something I will never forget,” he said.

By Lisa Capobianco
Madison Howes, a third grader at Flanders Elementary School, hugs her father Mike Howes, who had surprised her during a reading exercise at the school. Howes was stationed in Africa since last November and just recently returned home.
Howes also surprised his stepdaughter Jasmyne Engman earlier in the day Monday at Southington High School.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Southington High School will soon induct four local individuals from different walks of life into its Wall of Honor.
Two of the honorees are Rosemary and James Champagne, who remain active in local community service projects including Relay for Life.
When the Champagnes found out that the Wall of Honor chose them this year, the honorees said they felt surprised and honored at the same time.
“Once we learned more about the wall, we were more proud to be a part of it,” Jim said. “I am extremely honored,” Rosemary said.
As organizers of Relay for Life, the Champagnes said the event is always “close” to their hearts. Rosemary said she has been a cancer survivor for over 20 years, and she finds joy in bringing the community together during the event.
“My goal was to teach people that you can live with cancer,” she said.
Rosemary also recalls that as a student, she had no idea how she would make a positive impact on the community in the future.
“When you are in school, you never know what you will accomplish as an adult,” she said.
Other honorees include Christopher Jones, a biomedical research chemist and Karl Pytlik, an environmental activist who works in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The Champagnes have had a huge impact on this community, especially in helping organize our enormously successful Relay for Life every year,” said Bob Brown, the Wall of Honor chairman at the high school. “Both Chris and Karl have an impact that goes far beyond our community.”
He also said the ceremony marks a special moment for the town that reminds students how they can make a difference in the future.
“Many significant and well-known townspeople have been put on our wall, from veterans to famous people to professors to inventors to scientists,” he said. “Often they do not see the future in what they do, but this shows them bright, positive possibilities,” he said.
The ceremony will take place Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. in front of the high school auditorium.

By LISA CAPOBIANCO
STAFF WRITER
Southington High School inducted four local individuals from different walks of life into its 2013 Wall of Honor Monday night.
State Representatives Dave Zoni, Rob Sampson, and Al Adinolfi, presented plaques to honorees Rosemary and Jim Champagne, Karl Pytlik, and Christopher Jones—all graduates of Southington High School. The Wall of Honor committee chose the inductees based on four criteria: humanitarian work, community service, lifetime achievement or significant awards received.
“I think this is the most wonderful thing we do,” said Bob Brown, the chairman of the Wall of Honor Committee. “It is what makes me feel good as a teacher to see the people that have done amazing things in life.”
After the inductees received their own plaque to cherish at home, Brown presented each plaque that will appear on the all outside the auditorium, reading aloud the inductees’ contributions to the community as well as to other parts of the world.
Karl Pytlik, an environmental activist in the Virgin Islands, worked in California on the Clean Air Act, volunteered with the National Park Service in the Virgin Islands, running education programs and providing funds for museums. He also helped start The Caribbean Oceanic Restoration and Education Foundation (CORE), which runs a program to control the population of lionfish, an invasive species. Named the Virgin Island’s Person of the Year in 2011, Pytlik also leads a campaign to stop hunting endangered sea turtles.
Pytlik said he hopes his work will serve as an inspiration to all students of Southington.
“It means so much,” Pytlik said, referring to his plaque. “It is things like this that make all my work worth it.”
Christopher Jones, a biomedical research chemist, also hopes his work will inspire students to make a difference. Named co-author in over 20 scientific publications, Jones designed and synthesized antibiotics for the livestock to research treatments in diseases like arthritis.
“It is nice to have body of work that spans for two-and-half decades recognized,” Jones said. “All it takes is a little focus and motivation.”
Rosemary and Jim Champagne, who remain active in local community service projects including Relay for Life, felt overjoyed to be on the Wall of Honor. A veteran of the U.S. Army, who also became a national sales manager for the automobile industry, Jim has served as the festival coordinator for the Apple Harvest Festival. He also owns and operates Champagne Financial Services. His wife, Rosemary, a breast cancer survivor for over 20 years, has served as a chairperson for the Southington Relay for Life. She even wrote a book about receiving a stem cell transplant to treat her cancer, and has donated hair for “Wigs for Kids,” a look-good, feel-good program for cancer patients.
“I feel very happy and honored,” Rosemary said.

By John Goralski

Marisa Matthews battled for a Class LL medal in the 100 breastroke as the sixth place person in the fastest heat, but Laurel Dean finished first in the second heat to break the school record with a time of 1:09.79.

On Tuesday, the Lady Knights attacked the Southern Connecticut State University pool at the Class LL girls swimming finals, and all but one dropped time from the qualifying meet. The Lady Knights rallied for 215 points to claw their way to 10^th place in the team standings. With their efforts, Southington broke a trio of school records and advanced into the State Opens in three different races.

The 200 freestyle relay of Marisa Matthews, Aly Baribault, Bailey Potter, and Laurel Dean finished ninth overall in the standings to claim a new school record (1:44.67). The girls scored a faster time than one team in the fastest heat, and the Knights leapfrogged that team into the last spot at the state opens.

Dean bounced back from a tough performance at the qualifying meet to win the second heat in the 100 breastroke. The standings are limited by heat, so Dean finished ningth overall in the Class LL standings with the fifth highest score at the meet. Her efforts earned her a spot at the state open championships.

Matthews didn’t advance in the breaststroke, but she set a new school record in the 50 freestyle (25.37), and that was good enough to qualify for the state open meet.

“The goal at the beginning of the season was to make it to the state opens, so anything from here on out is going to be an added bonus,” said Lady Knight coach Evan Tuttle. “But when these girls get to opens on Saturday, they are going to be fighting tooth and nail every inch of every yard to upset as many teams as they can.”

The State Open competition is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 16 at Yale University’s pool. Warm-ups begin at 10 a.m., and competition begins at noon.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
For Southington high school teacher John “Brian” Durbin, serving in the military has become a family theme. Durbin, who goes by his middle name, “Brian,” is a retired infantryman who served in the U.S. Army for 23 years. His father, uncle and a first cousin also served in the military. Besides his immediate family, Durbin’s father-in-law, who emigrated from Poland during World War II, was an army veteran who served in the Korean War.
Durbin said his father-in-law, who passed away several years ago, inspired him to write a military fiction novel called “Paine: Time of Anarchy, Volume 1,” published this past June. The plot deals with a CIA-manufactured plague, bioengineered to kill coca plants to eliminate the production of cocaine. The plague destroys food plants worldwide, leaving billions dead. Michael Paine Martin, the son of a mercenary leader, tries to protect himself and his family from the effects of anarchy.
“It is complete fiction based on what could happen if an apocalypse event breaks down society,” said Durbin, a self-publisher.
All the proceeds of this futuristic novel benefit wounded warriors through “Returning Heroes Home,” a support center in Texas where wounded soldiers and their families can have a comfortable healing environment, equipped with a “Therapeutic Garden” and a six acre recreational area.
Currently, Durbin said he has sent $2,000 to the support center.
“My father-in-law appreciated soldiers serving,” said Durbin, who teaches history. “He came to this country with five dollars in his pocket and made a great life for himself.”
“Paine” originated as a short story, written about nine years ago as a way to spark interest among young adults. Durbin said he wanted to turn the short story into novel, but took a hiatus from writing to focus on other aspects of his life. Toward the end of last year, Durbin’s “writer’s block” disappeared, and he wrote 300 pages in just three days.
“My motivation was still there,” said Durbin, who also works as a conditioning coach for the high school football team. “It was set up to have short chapters, with crisp writing.”
Durbin got his students involved in the book by creating a cover design contest. With the help of 24 students at the high school, Durbin chose among a variety of design covers for the novel’s first volume.
Tyler Gillis, a junior, won the contest with a prize of $120. Designed with neon colors, a space photo and a picture of Michael Paine Martin, Gillis said the cover exemplifies both aspects of the future and the military.
“The design went through many phases,” said Gillis who spent a total of 14 hours in the course of a month to complete the design. “I sketched up multiple designs, but found the current one the most applicable.”
Durbin’s novel is on display at the high school’s library, and the history teacher said he plans to publish the second volume next spring. Although he hopes to bring entertainment to his audience through his novel, Durbin also hopes to bring comfort to soldiers wounded in battle, especially since the military veterans in his family came back from battle untouched.
“We are truly blessed, and I am trying to give back to those who sacrificed their limbs,” Durbin said. “I will do anything for them.”
Durbin’s novel is available for purchase on Amazon and Smashwords.com.

Tyler Gillis, a junior at Southington High School, designed the cover for a book written by SHS teacher John “Brian” Durbin.

By John Goralski
Sports Writer
When CIAC officials kicked off the football championship luncheon at the Aqua Turf on Wednesday, Dec. 11, they were already contemplating the weather. Games might be moved, they told the group of coaches, players, and press in attendance, but they have to be finished by Sunday night or they won’t be played at all.
That was the starting point for everything that followed. Games were moved up, but the storm swept through a little ahead of schedule. One game went off perfectly on Friday night. Two Saturday finals were finished with fields obscured by the growing winter storm.
As of the time that this article went to press, Southington and Fairfield Prep players were still waiting to play.
Southington’s senior lineman Jim Nardi said that he was not concerned about the weather’s impact on the game when he first heard the announcement at Wednesday’s luncheon. He smiled at reporters, and said that the Knights will take it all in stride.
“I didn’t even know about the snow until today, but I’m sure that we’ll game plan for it today and tomorrow at practice,” Nardi said. “If we have to run the ball more, we’ll run the ball more. I don’t think it really matters. Our defense is really good against the run, and we should be able to run against them as well as they run against us. Snow is no big deal.”
That was over a week ago. Since the luncheon, the championship game has been postponed three times. The venue has been changed from Central Connecticut State University to West Haven High School, and the CIAC has pushed the final deadline past opening day for winter sports teams as a second round of snow pelted the state.
“There is still too much ice at West Haven to safely play the LL Football Championship this evening,” officials said in a press release on Monday afternoon. “Based on the current forecast the game has beententatively rescheduled for 6:35 p.m. Thursday at West Haven. The latest possibility to play the game is Friday. If conditions do not allow it to be played by then it will not be played and co-champions will be declared.”
Even if the game is played, the weather and dropping temperatures could affect play on the field. Poor weather conditions could favor Fairfield Prep (11-1) since the Jesuits rely so heavily upon the running game with over 3,300 yards this season. As a team, Fairfield Prep has run for an average of 277.2 yards per game while they average less than 130 passing yards per game.
In contrast, the Knights feature a more balanced attack. Southington has rushed for less than 2,000 yards over the course of the season while passing for 2,769 yards. Snow and rain could hamper the passing game, but co-captain Tyler Hyde said that the offense takes whatever an opponent gives them. Hyde has averaged over 150 yards per game in the postseason, and he said that Southington’s running game is more than able to compensate for poor conditions.
“I don’t think it matters,” he said. “The best football teams will go out and execute in whatever conditions there are, regardless of whether it goes one way or another. With the guys we have up front, we’ll be able to execute either way. I believe in these guys around me, and I have confidence in every one of them. We’ll go out there and get it done.”
Jesuit coach Tom Shea didn’t mention any advantages that the weather might bring when he talked about the upcoming duel. “We have a tremendous challenge now to play Southington High School,” he said. “It’s a great program, and this year, of course, they have some tremendous athletes. We know it’s going to be quite a challenge.”
To comment on this story or to contact sports writer John Goralski, email him at jgoralski@ southingtonobserver.com.

By John Goralski
Southington quarterback Stephen Barmore talks to reporters during a CIAC championship press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 11, but the Blue Knights are still waiting to play the Class LL championship game.

By Ed Harris
Editor
The Southington High School Cyber Knights team kicked off its 2014 season Saturday, with an all day kickoff event that included a new rookie partner team from Plainville High School.
The Cyber Knights team is now in its seventeenth year and currently consists of 65 students. The team is supported by more than a dozen mentors that donate their time to help teach the students.
Teams will now have six weeks to decide game strategy, design, prototype, design into CAD software, generate prints and manufacture, assemble, wire and program a 120 pound robot.
“Students join any number of sub-teams in these functions and work moves quickly, “ said Sandra Brino, a Cyber Knight mentor. “Students work seven days a week through this six week period.”
Each year the robots must be designed to accomplish certain tasks. The Cyber Knights just found out Saturday that this year, their robot must be able to play a game called Arial Assist. This game is about teamwork, with teams, in alliances of three, working together to score a large 24” ball across a field by passing it to each other.
Last year, the robots were required to throw Frisbees into scoring slots. The year prior, the robots had to play basketball.
The Cyber Knights will compete in two of the three competitions being held in Connecticut this year, including one being held for the first time in Southington, March 22-23.
The Knights will hope to score enough points to qualify for the New England District Championship, held in Boston in April and then the World Championships, held in St. Louis.
Over the years, the team has traveled the country, winning titles and creating a legacy of success. Last year, the team made a return trip to the world championships, held in Missouri. In 2006 the team finished second in the global competition.
Due in part to this success and the longevity of the program, the Cyber Knights were able to mentor the rookie team from Plainville.
“It is hard to start a program this technically complex and having a veteran team mentoring the first year is critical to successfully launching a program that can then be sustained,” Brino said. “Being a solid veteran team, it has always been a dream of team 195 from Southington to mentor a rookie team. When we heard that Plainville was starting a team we jumped right in to help.”
Representatives from Plainville did not reply to an email seeking comment.
Comments? Email eharris@southingtonobserver.com.

By Tammi Naudus
Southington High School Cyber Knight members Anthony D’Abramo, Mateusz, and Matthew McLaughlin work on creating a robot during an all day robotics practice on Saturday.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
The Best Buddies Club at Southington High School fosters one-to-one friendships between students with and without intellectual disabilities. From bowling and mini golf to holiday parties and dances to athletic events, members of the Best Buddies Club at the high School take part in a variety of different activities with each other.
“We try to plan a lot of events,” said Chapter President John White, a senior at the high school.
With the planning of different events and activities come fundraising efforts. A recent $1,500 donation from New York Life Insurance will benefit these activities.
“I was ecstatic,” said Teacher Advisor Nicole Proffitt of the club, adding that the money will benefit transportation, food, activities, chapter dues.  “This is a great opportunity for us.”
New York Life agent and long-time resident of Southington Peter Ramsay decided to give back to Best Buddies last May during one of the club’s celebrations at YMCA Camp Sloper. Ramsay jumped at the opportunity to bring a group of volunteers from New York Life to the event when his niece, who served as the club’s president last year, asked him to help out.
Ramsay said employees of New York Life enjoyed volunteering at the celebration, and he hopes the donation will help the club in a variety of ways.
“I hope it allows them to do more things with the kids,” Ramsay said. “It has become such a good organization.”
Established in 1989, Best Buddies is a non-profit international organization that grew from one original chapter to nearly 1,700 middle school, high school and college chapters worldwide, according to its website. Currently, the Best Buddies Club at Southington High has 50 members, including students with and without intellectual disabilities.
White has been involved with the club since freshman year. He said getting involved with Best Buddies has served as a rewarding experience not only for himself but also for his peers.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” White said, adding that all members of the club have established lasting friendships with each other. “I think you appreciate the little things you see in friendships.”

By Tammi Naudus
Southington High School’s Best Buddy program recently earned a $1,500 donation from New York Life. Pictured above are, agents Bobby Bennett and Peter Ramsay of New York Life Insurance with John White, Chapter President of the Best Buddies Club at Southington High School and teacher co-advisors Nicole Proffitt and Alicia Soares.

By John Goralski
Sports Writer
They played together as infants, and they’ve been friends ever since. They cut their teeth together in the town’s youth leagues. They played side-by-side on a state championship high school football team and will do it again this spring for track. Over this winter, they’ve cheered each other from the sidelines of two different sports.
Zach Maxwell and Stephen Barmore are two peas in a pod. They’ve been best friends for years, and the only thing they’ve ever competed for is headlines. So on Thursday, Feb. 6 it was no surprise that the two sat just a few feet apart to sign letters of commitment for prestigious college football programs.
But, next season, those teams will will square off in a heated college battle. So much for their friendly rivalry.
“They are going to two of the most prestigious programs in the country, and that shows the types of young men that they are and what kinds of families they have,” said Blue Knight football coach Mike Drury. “This says a lot about the community and the kids. We can give them the tools to make them the best football players that they can be. We can give them the direction that we want them to follow, but they do it themselves. They are the ones that put all the work in and do the right things in the classroom.”
Maxwell has made his commitment to play football at West Point for the Army. Maxwell entertained interest from Villanova University, Central CT State University, Sacred Heart University, and Holy Cross, but he said that West Point really captured his attention. He expects to play one season for Army’s prep school before making a push for a varsity spot.
“I feel like I want to do something bigger than myself, and what better way to do that than to serve my country?” he said. “I’m really excited. There are people in my secondary family that have been in the Army, but my dad’s been a police officer for 20 years. It’s kind of in that area.”
Barmore shared in the excitement of his former teammate. “It’s amazing to think that two best friends would end their high school football careers and go off together like this. This is awesome. I’m really happy that I was able to do it with him because we’ve been best friends for a while,” he said. “It’s ironic that we’re both going to two similar programs that will be playing each other next year.”
For three seasons, Maxwell anchored the Southington defense with 184 career tackles and 28 sacks. This past fall, Maxwell turned heads as a ball carrier. He carried the ball 44 times for 452 yards (10.27 avg.) and scored eight times. Drury said that Army coaches were inspired by Maxwell’s aggressiveness and athleticism on both sides of the ball.
“They loved that he’s a tough kid and so athletic for his size,” Drury said. “Every coach that I’ve talked to loved his tenacity. It’s good that he’s a wrestler because they know that he has that regimented mentality that you need to play at Army. They loved him as a player.”
Just a few feet away, Barmore scratched his signature to play for Yale University in New Haven. He’s the second Blue Knight quarterback to be enlisted by the Bulldogs in the past decade. Matt Kelleher was signed in 2006.
“They loved him as a quarterback, but they really loved him as a competitor,” said Drury. “He’s such a competitive kid. He’s an accurate passer with a lot of poise. They really love to have a kid with such a tremendous work ethic.”
Maxwell agreed. “We’ve known each other since we were one year old,” he said. “It’s the best feeling in the world to watch him succeed at quarterback. I knew he was going to go to Yale even before he did, but it’s just awesome.”
For four seasons, Barmore has marshaled the Blue Knight offense. He finished his career with 6,803 passing yards (170.1 avg) with 76 touchdowns and only 25 interceptions. He completed 464-of-761 passing attempts (.610) to finish with a quarterback rating of 110.
On the ground, Barmore was just as big of a threat. He carried the ball 302 times for 1,231 career rushing yards and 22 scores. Defensively, Barmore collected three interceptions, including the final score during Southington’s championship run.
Barmore had offers from Bryant University, Central CT State University, and Villanova. Boston College and Iowa University both showed interest, but he shied away from the high profile sports programs and settled his attention on Yale because of the opportunities presented on and off the field.
This spring, he will try to balance his track schedule with quarterback practices in New Haven. The three-season sports star said that he’s excited about the challenge. With the graduation of last year’s starter, he might have a chance to work himself into the lineup this fall.
“I’ve always been a realist throughout my high school career, and that’s a big part of why I picked Yale,” he said. “Hardly anybody goes to the NFL. That thought hasn’t even entered my mind. This is about where am I going to try to set myself up for life, and Yale definitely presented me with the best opportunity.”
So who will win the rivalry over the next few years? Will it be Army? Will it be Yale? The true winner is the Southington sports fan.
“They are both very prestigious programs and both of those programs are going to be very happy that they get these two young men,” said Drury. “They’ve worked really hard to get to this point. They are great young men with character. They were great captains in our program, and we wish them the best of luck. We’re looking forward to watching them for the next four years.”

By John Goralski
It’s official. On Thursday, Feb. 6, Stephen Barmore and Zach Maxwell kicked off the NCAA winter signing period with a pair of high profile commitments. Barmore, left, expects to make an impact as a Yale quarterback. Maxwell, right, will battle in the trenches at Army.

Southington High School recently announced its honor roll for the second marking period.

Grade 9, First Honors: Madison Aldieri, Michael Allen, Hallie Altwies, Alissa Anglis, Jake Aparo, Lily Baker, Katerina Belales, Daniel Berube, Kayla Birmingham, Skylar Blumetti, Sydney Brault, Dylan Breutzmann, Robert Bunting, Megan Burke, Laura Calandra, William Carbone, Meghan Cichon, Kristen Craven, Anthony D’Abramo, Dante D’Agostino, Evan D’Agostino, Erica Daigle, Megan Delorme, Nickolina Doran, Brian Durocher, Victoria Duszak, Kata Erdei, Katherine Estell, Jared Fernandez, Michael Freeman, Laura Furtak, Rebecca Gagne, Jay Gandhi, Emily Gibney, Erin Gibney, Kelly Graff, Jonathan Gray, Samantha Greenslate, Matthew Gundersen, Paige Hadlock, Joshua Hilliard, Kailey Hinckley, Hannah Jackman, Jessica Karwowski, Katie Kelley, Kendra Kochol, Allison Krampitz, Sydney Kroll, Erik Kryzanski, Brooke LaChance, Kimberly Lebel, Rebecca Lo Presti, Michael Loose, Morgan Maccione, Crystal Madore, Marissa Matarazzo, Kristen Mathew, Michael Mauro, Matthew McLaughlin, Margaret Meehan, John Mindek, Sean Molgano, Amanda Morach, Mark Murdy, Thomas Murdy, Catherine Myers, Ashley Nelson, Bao-Anh Nguyen, Vasoula Papageorge, Delaney Picard, Jessica Piotrowski, Andrew Premus, Samantha Purushotham, Nicholas Rappi, Jesse Rasten, Morgan Raymond, Christina Renzi, Michael Ricciardone, Turner Rodman, Alize Rodriguez, Benjamin Russman, Joseph Savage, Matthew Sciota, Kaitlin Semmel, Kyle Semmel, Kristen Shubert, Nathan Simard, Jeremy Spooner, Kimberly Stafko, Chloe Stary, Samantha Steeves, Carson Stifel, Brendan Taylor, Noah Tedeschi, Mark Testa, Olivia Thomas, Madison Trask, John Vecchio, Stephen Vollaro, Oksana Voronchak, Megan Walsh, Natiya Washer, Hannah Weir, Michelle Woodruff, Alexa Zborowski

Grade 10, First Honors: Leandro Antonio Alejandro, Mikayla Bedell, James Brino, Kyle Bunko, Samantha Butlien, Anthony Cammuso, Victoria Castillo, Fizza Chaudhry, Nicole Christensen, Timothy Cocozza, Jennifer Congdon, Adam Cormier, Olivia Cranney, Sarah Dolan, Megan Enright, Jarod Florian, Jessica Gagnon, Natalia Gimenez, Trevor Godston, Jessica Howe, Danielle Hughes, Jenny Johnson, Samantha Jones, Kayla Kavanagh, Gregory Kloczko, Laura Koba, Sarah Lamb, Katie Lindberg, Kristina Linehan, Emily Maciejewski, Emily Mankus, Steven McPherson, Brianna Muscio, Nicole Nyerick, Katherine Peccerillo, Niels Peschel, Nicholas Pierson, Kali Pliego, Emma Powers, Katrina Quoka, Alex Rasten, Benjamin Sadlowski, Brenna Sarantides, Brett Simms, Valerie Slimskey, Steven Sokolowski, Alexander Statkevich, John Stevens, Aaron Tiscione, Jennifer Turci, Jenna Uba, Natalie Wadolowski, Angelina Zollo

Grade 11, First Honors: Megan Albert, Alexandra Barmore, Kyle Barry, Zachary Bauer, Erik Bergland, Tiffany Blancato, Melissa Borysewicz, Michael Botsacos, Tyler Brinton, Kaitlyn Budrow, Zachary Bylykbashi, Cassandra Camilli, Taylor Campanelli, Kayley Carrier, Jenna Casey, Madison Chapman, Caroline Charlton, Rong Chen, Ashley Christensen, Sarah Colston, Erin Cova, Dakota Curtis, James Danielson, Kateri Downes, Kevin Drexler, Matthew Duszak, Stefanie Dzierlatka, Julie Falk, David Falvo, Jessica Goralski, Julia Granato, Antoine Harris, Abigail Heller, Benjamin Herms, James Hoder, Meghan Kelley, Sana Khan, Sharon Kwok, Jessica Lee, Stephanie Lemire, Sarah Luczak, Marissa Mayo, Haley Messenger, Evan Misiorski, Jennifer Monte, Zachary Murillo, Jessica Nelson, Ryan Padden, Michael Pagano, Sarah Palko, Priya Patel, Emily Pestillo, Bailey Potter, Cassidy Race, Jonathan Rappi, Julia Reilly, Anthony Renzi, Jonathan Richards, Kailey Richardson, Nicole Ricker, Raquel Romano, Alexandra Rothstein, Ryann Snodgrass, Kathleen Spagnoletti, Matthew Steeves, Rianna Susco, Michael Taylor, Matthew Torrisi, Elizabeth Veilleux, Veronica Viturale, Adam Viviano, Colleen Walsh, Nicholas Wells, Caitlin Young, Lauren Zazzaro, Dominic Zmarlicki

Grade 12, First Honors: Rachel Andelin, Nathan Anderson-Delgado, Austin Atashian, Michael Aylett, Gabrielle Baker, Stephen Barmore, Dillon Bauchiero, Deven Bernaiche, Michael Bielecki, Colin Burke, Kyle Burleigh, Paula Calandra, Nicole Carrier, Tommy Chen, Jacob Chrusciel, Daniel Connolly, Rachel Conte, Kevin Cop, Olivia Corriveau, Noah Cross, Taylor Curran, Zachary Cyr, Samantha D’Angelo, Gisella DelBuono, Megan DeSorbo, Mara Dubnicka, Alexis Dziubek, Margaret Fagan, Eric Flood, Michaela Gee, Hannah Guilmette, Abigael Guthrie, Katherine Hartford, Diane Hassanieh, Courtney Hedges, Lilian Herman, Quoc Ho Lam, Michael Hoffman, Carolyn Hricik, Rachel Klem, Stephanie Krar, Michelle Krasuski, William Lefkovich, Nicole Lidzbarski, Alicia Maffiolini, Brian Minahan, Carissa Mirando, Lauren Mitchell, Sarah Mongillo, Nathan Mullins, Susan Murphy, Samuel Najarian, Sylvia Nguyen, Stefanie Pellerin, Amanda Perriello, Brianna Petersen, Alexander Queen, Samantha Ramey, Joseph Rivera, Michael Rogalski, Mitchell Rossitto, Olivia Roth, Kylie Sarantides, Annalisa Sega, Devinne Sharp, Julian Sherwood, Jian Siadat, Nicholas Siarkowski, Steven Sica, Zachary Skarzynski, Jocelyn Skurat, Anthony Smith, Sarah Smith, Kyle Sposato, Lindsey Starr, Elizabeth Stearns, David Swanson, Tyler Sweetman, Valerie Szmurlo, Isabelle Tedeschi, Silvana Tellerico, Alexander Thomas, Stephanie Whelan, Carolyn Zesut

Grade 9, Second Honors: Abigail Alfieri, Kelly Angeli, Alyssa Ash, Abigale Asklar, Rachel Baldick, Sean Barile, Ashley Barry, Katherine Bauer, Nicholas Benham, Jake Bertola, Ryan Bjorklund, Jenna Boccio, Daniel Borkowski, Alyssa Boucher, Jennifer Briscoe, Taylor Brown, Makenna Calabrese, Xaria Callender, Jason Calvi-Rogers, Michaela Carrera, Andrew Chavez, Nicole Chuchro, Alex Ciaffaglione, Samantha Cocchiola, Kamryn Cochrane, Dominic Coppola, Kayla Coppola, Kaitlynn Cordonier, Cameron Coulombe, Tyler Cyr, Annelise D’Abramo, Presley Dahn, Emily Daley, Amanda Delorme, Hannah DeMaio, Cassandra Dethlefsen, Isabella DiBattista, Kenneth Dowler, Brianna Eigo, Carol Fannon, Juliana Ferreri, Mateusz Gaciarz, Andrew Gallagher, Matteo Gaudio, Lyndsey Giudice, Andrew Gorham, Sarah Goulet, Rachael Haberski, Diana Halla, Jordan Helton, Kyle Hermann, Kayli Hernandez, Evelyn Holbrook, Rachel Huff, Michael Jagos, Emma Jaworowski, Kornelia Jez, Samuel Johnson, Lauren Jones, Rohan Kataria, Catherine Kates, Aleia Kolodziejczyk, Kelly Kritz, Samantha Lamkins, Amanda Lavoie, Dylan Levesque, Lexie Lewis, Andrew Luczak, Alexa Maddalena, Megan Mahon, Ryan Mailhot, Aaron Mallett, Janelle Mangassarian, Zea Manning, Christopher Martin, Brandon Matta, Marisa Matthews, Ryan McIntyre, Erin McManus, Taryn Meenan, Natalie Messner, Johnathan Mikosz, Morgan Mueller, Julia Mularczyk, Samantha Nardi, Cameron Nelson, Madelyn Nichols, Jillian Noli, Tianna Oliva, Hannah Olsen, Anjali Patel, Brianna Pellerin, Ariel Perry, Timothy Perry, Brian Petrucci, Thomas Ragozzino, Brianna Rainey, Bailey Robarge, Kaitlynn Rossi, Samantha Sagnella, Joshua Salgado, Joseph Savarese, Paul Schweiger, Ryan Sheehan, Kayla Sica, Samantha Stocking, Brandon Stone, Monique Szabo, Mallory Terry, John Testa, Alison Theriault, John Thompson, Lauren Torino, Kristiana Torres, Kelly Tranchida, Rylee Van Epps, Gabrielle Veilleux, James Weil, Madison Yurgaitis, Michael Zera

Grade 10, Second Honors: Kayla Allaire, Kelsea Allen, Erin Angelillo, Andrew Ardolino, Jonathan Ardolino, Ciara Backus, Alicia Badorek, Angela Balaoing, Joshua Barry, Matthew Becotte, Quinn Becotte, Kimberly Biela, Nicole Breedlove, Rachel Bruno, Austin Bull, Rebecca Caisse, Brooke Camden, Taylor Carpenter, Kays Cetin, Katelin Chamberland, Benjamin Chasse, Jacob Chasse, Payton Chiaro, Anna Christiano, Hayley Crafts, Destiny Cruz, Jacob D’Alessandro, Andrea Defeo, Anthony DeGennaro, Margaux Degumbia, Gabriella DelGreco, Jack Dietz, Christie Dizenzo, Adam Dorau, Steven Dorzens, Bryan Doyle, Hali Doyon, Daniel Fagan, Kathryn Falcetti, Paul Gambardella, Michaela Ganezer, Cassandra Gaudio, Victoria Gentile, Kaylee Graef, Bethany Greenlaw, Christopher Iverson, Julia Izydorczak, Kayla Judd, Jessica Kane, Hassan Khan, Sana Khan, Jacob Kligerman, Visal Kong, Caitlyn Krar, Reed Kroll, Carter Krzesik, Jessica Lappen, Kelly Lappen, Sylwia Lewkowicz, Kaitlyn Lindsay, Jeffrey Lockwood, Samantha Lohneiss, Scott Lucian, Lauren Macri, Salvatore Magnano, Gage Marshall, Morgan McNamara, Lindzay Medeiros, Christopher Minkiewicz, Kaylah Miron, Kelsey Molina, Parker Mulholland, Haley Mullin, Brandon Murray, Andrew Muskatello, Nathaniel Nagorski, Catherine Najarian, Gabrielle Napoli, Alexis Negron, Kasey Newman, Shannon O’Connor, Sarah Parzych, Alissa Paul, Giavonna Paulus, Christopher Pestillo, Briana Petta, Jami Pliego, Bailey Powers, Renz Rebeca, Sofia Ricciardi, Allie Rinaldi, Erin Roach, Andrew Rogalski, Trever Rogers, Domenic Rossi, Kalista Ruoff, Stephen Salmon, Amanda Sao, Emily Sargent, Allison Schroeder, Lauren Semataska, Amy Serrano, Jhanvi Shah, Jason Soltys, Amelia Sponauer, Melanie Tedeschi, James Terray, Paris Testa, Krysta Tsangarides, Abigail Wallace, Alexandra Wyluda, Aron Zamfino

Grade 11  Second Honors: Alexandria Abacherli, Ryan Abouchacra, Alaina Albino, Meagan Asklar, Rachel Babon, Katherine Baldwin, Andrew Barmore, Caroline Barry, Matthew Briscoe, Alicia Brocki, Adam Brush, Michael Burek, Daniel Cammuso, Lauren Carney, Timothy Carrier, Bailey Carter, Jenna Chubet, Bridget Clark, Jordan Clarke, Catherine Coppola, Elizabeth Costello, Emily Csuka, Kyle DeAngelo, Ryan DeAngelo, Breanna DiDomizio, Helen Dinnan, Tyler DiTunno, Jessica Dos Santos, Sariah Dutkiewicz, Olivia Ende, Michaela Falk, Michael Fazzino, Nicole Fischer, Kendra Friedt, Miranda Gazaferi, Melissa Geffken, Ryan Goldstein, Mack Golos, Natalia Grosfeld, Amanda Hamel, David Harrison, Abigail Hodges, Shane Holley, Raegan Honyotski, Marissa Jackson, Aubrey Jalbert, Alexander Jamele, Brian Jaworowski, Bailey Kahl, Kunal Kataria, Arooba Khan, Devin King, Christopher Kingsbury, Leah Kligerman, Matthew Koczera, Haley Kolesnik, Benjamin Landrette, Ellie Lefkovich, Emily Lippincott, Natalie Liquindoli, Griffin Litke, Kristen Loose, Catherine MacKay, Brianna Marinelli, Erin Martin, Nicholas Mauriello, Steffan Mayette, Morgan McCarthy, Gwyneth McFall-Gorman, Adalain Meier, Katherine Mellitt, Margaret Mellitt, Anthony Meneo, David Michel, Vincent Milardo, Eric Minton, Jake Moise, Jacob Molgano, Rachel Mouris, Jack Myers, Talia Nanfito, Rachel Nardi, Catherine Natelli, Quan Nguyen, Luke Nichols, Daniel Normandin, Connor O’Hara, Zaya Oshana, Franklin Pac, Megan Palumbo, Daniel Parzych, Kristina Patterson, Colby Pelletier, Lee Ann Pelletier, Ryan Pelligrinelli, Ryan Pulver, Erin Reilly, Maryssa Romano, Nicholas Rosario, Courtnie Roy, Isabella Russo, Amanda Scheffler, Jacob Semmel, Brett Shaw, Lillian Shaw, Daniel Smolinski, Matthew Sorrentino, Marilyn Sporbert, Victoria Swartz, Alexa Taylor, Christian Testa, Michael Theriault, Julia Tinyszin, Kelly Toomey, Curtis Topper, Christina Trovato, Vedant Vyas, Jake Wallach, Timothy White, Daniel Williams, Maghen Zagryn

Grade 12,  Second Honors: Crystaly Acevedo, Matthew Albrecht, Alex Angelillo, Alicia Anop, Samantha Becotte, Kayla Belanger, Andrzej Bielecki, Justin Blake, Jessica Bocek, Elizabeth Boniewicz, Gabrielle Boudreau, Connor Brennan, Caroline Burke, Allison Carangelo, Tyler Cardoso, Brandon Carney, Kayla Carrier, Marisa Caruso, Christa Case, Desirae Casiano, Antonia Cavallo, Nicholas Cianci, Lisa Cianciolo, Brooke Cochrane, Austin Cormier, Kelly Craven, Marissa Cusano, Martin Cusano, Joseph D’Agostino, Joseph Daigle, Julia D’Alessandro, Jordan D’Andrea, Laurel Dean, Taylor DeBishop, Amanda DePonte, Nishi Desai, Brendan Donahue, Melissa Dube, Lauren Durand, Benjamin Fabian, Kaylyn Fagan, Megan Fazzino, Samantha Ferla, Sydney Ferrante, Rachel Flodquist, Shane Florian, Elizabeth George, Victoria Gray, Katherine Guildner, Elizabeth Gwara, Ryan Hair, Allison Hammersley, Abigail Harris, Bianca Hilerio, Andrea Hoyt, Nicholas Hubeny, Christopher Hupper, Shanza Hussain, Ian Jacobs, Benjamin Johnson, Tia Jones, Daniel Kane, Kenneth Kerns, Ryan Knight, Krzysztof Konopka, Richard Kudla, Emilie Labouliere, Erika Landino, Michael Lange, Kasey Lebel, Andrew Levin, Amber Lewis, Alexander Martin, Megan Martin, Melissa Martin, Amanda Mastroianni, Zachary Maxwell, Sean McGurgan, Megan Medeiros, Alexander Miceli, Amber Morelli, Michelle Morris, Mikayla Mueller, Colin Murphy, Valerie Murphy, Siera Murray, Sara Noori, Natalie Nyerick, Randolph Parent, Nicolas Parisi, Stephen Peccerillo, Scott Perretta, Kaileen Pfeiffer, Gary Plourde, Olivia Premus, Sierrah Purvis, Jonathan Rauch, Lianna Rivera, Dylan Roach, Joseph Russo, Madeline Sadlowski, Alisha Savaria, Julianna Spring, Joseph Taglia, Joseph Tatro, Joseph Termine, Justin Truong, Zoe Tyz, Joseph Valenti, David Valentukonis, Emily Van Kirk, Amanda Vollaro, Brittanie Vontell, Tanner Walsh, Samantha Welch, John White, Lianna Wodzicki, Elana Wojenski, Anna Wyluda, Sarah Wysocki, Alyssa Zaorski

This Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, the Southington High School Drama Club will put on a production of Disney’s “Aida.”  With music by Sir Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice (the creative team behind The Lion King) and a book by Lydia Woolverton, Robert Falls, and Devid Henry Hwang, “Aida” takes the classic story from the Verdi opera and restages it for a modern audience, winning the 2000 Tony Award for “Best Original Musical Score” in the process. 

Set in ancient Egypt, Aida follows the intertwining lives of three young people: Aida, a captured Nubian princess; Radames, an Egyptian captain; and Amneris, an Egyptian princess and Radames’ fiancée. The three become ensnared in a love triangle whose consequences have significant implications for the political stability of the region.

The Southington High School production features a cast of 41 talented actors and actresses, eleven technical crew members, and a live orchestra which includes twelve student-musicians.

The shows will take place at 7 p.m. on both nights at the Southington High School Auditorium.  Tickets are $8 for students and senior citizens or $10 for general admission. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Southington High School, Flanders Elementary School, Derynoski Elementary School and Plantsville Elementary School were briefly placed into an exterior lockdown on Tuesday, March 25, following a reported disturbance near Bristol Street.

“There was an external threat of a domestic dispute reported to us by the police department that prompted the lockdown,” Southington School Supt. Dr. Joseph Erardi said.

In an email sent out to parents on Wednesday, March 26, Erardi further explained that the high school was placed in lockdown because the incident involved a teenaged young adult and Flanders was locked down due to its proximity to the high school.

The schools were locked down for about 20 minutes as police resolved the issue.

“There was absolutely no danger to our schools at any point during these twenty minutes,” Erardi said in the email to parents.

Erardi also noted that the exterior lockdown was put in place to “err deep on the side of safety.” An all-call voice message was sent out to parents following the lockdown.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
The Southington Cyber Knights won the New England FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) District event held at the high school this past weekend, for the first time, bringing home a winning banner for the fourth year in a row.
After a fierce competition against 32 teams from New England, the Cyber Knights
not only came home with the win, but they also won the Quality Award for the robustness of their robot named the “F-195 Knighthawk” in honor of the U.S. Air Force, which sponsored Team 195 for the first time this year, according to a press release.
Dr. Martin Semmel, the principal of Southington High School, said he felt proud of the team’s success as well as the organization of the event.
“The professionalism and commitment demonstrated by our parents and community members have made you all fantastic role models for our students/kids,” said Dr. Semmel, congratulating the team in an e-mail. “This team has provided our students with so many valuable opportunities and skills that they will use for a lifetime.”
This year the Cyber Knights designed their robot to play a game called Arial Assist, which involves two alliances of three teams each competing to score as many balls in goals as possible in a match lasting two minutes and 30 seconds long. They could earn additional points by robots working together to score goals. Sandra Brino, a mentor of the team, said in the release that Team 195 was seeded in first place after two days of qualification matches, and selected two teams—the Mecha-Rams (Team 999) from Cheshire and Team 558 Robo Squad from New Haven.
“The three robots’ design features complimented each other perfectly,” said Brino in the release. “Their game strategy was excellently planned and executed and they came home with the win.”
Town Councilor Dawn Miceli served as a judge during the competition. During Monday night’s Town Council meeting, Miceli said she enjoyed being behind-the-scenes of the competition, which she called an “economic driver” for the community, since 32 teams from different New England states participated.
“These students are truly our 21st century global citizens, and this applied STEM learning is just fabulous for our community,” Miceli said.
“What an exhilarating experience,” added Town Councilor Stephanie Urillo, who saw the Cyber Knights in action last weekend. “It’s just a great activity for our town and our high school to be involved with.”
Weeks before the competition, the Cyber Knights completed last-minute tweaks on their120-pound twin robot, and practicing in a space donated by engineering company Mohawk Northeast in Plantsville, where they have invited other teams from the state to practice too.
Now in its seventeenth year, the Cyber Knights team spent six weeks building, programming, testing and designing the robot, creating an official one to be used in the competition and a “twin” robot to troubleshoot any difficulties.
For the Cyber Knights, the win means a qualification for a spot at the New England District Championship, which will take place in Boston April 10 through April 12. The team will compete against 54 of the best robotics teams from throughout New England during the District Championship, the release stated.
“I have been so impressed with our robotics team since I arrived at SHS four years ago,” said Dr. Semmel in an e-mail. “

By Tammi Naudus
Cyber Knight member Mateusz Gaciarz looks over the robot before it is brought into the arena. For more photos, see page 21.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Southington High School has welcomed a new assistant principal.
The school board voted unanimously in approval to appoint Dianne Holst-Grubbe to the position of Assistant Principal. Holding a Master of Arts Degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Grubbe has experience working in several different school districts in Connecticut, including Farmington, Washington and Wallingford.
“We look forward to the opportunity to have you become a new leader in our district,” said Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski, thanking Grubbe for choosing to work in the Southington school district. “From the top of great candidates, you rose to the top.”
Since 2011, Grubbe has served as the English Department leader and Language Arts Vertical Team Leader at Farmington High School, taking on a number of roles between organizing monthly professional development to district literacy specialists and building literacy intervention programs.
She also worked as an English teacher for 12 years at Shepaug Valley High School in Washington, Conn., and took on other leadership roles there, including data coordinator and 11th grade data team leader. Prior to her roles in the Washington School District, Grubbe was also an English teacher at Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford.
Grubbe will begin July 1 with a starting salary of $123,019.
She is replacing Helen Crowley, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Southington High School has released its honor roll for the third marking period.

Grade 9, First Honors: Madison Aldieri, Abigail Alfieri, Michael Allen, Hallie Altwies, Alissa Anglis, Jake Aparo, Lily Baker, Ashley Barry, Katerina Belales, Daniel Berube, Kayla Birmingham, Skylar Blumetti, Alyssa Boucher, Sydney Brault, Dorina Bregu, Megan Burke, Laura Calandra, Xaria Callender, William Carbone, Michaela Carrera, Alex Ciaffaglione, Meghan Cichon, Kamryn Cochrane, Kristen Craven, Anthony D’Abramo, Dante D’Agostino, Erica Daigle, Emily Daley, Dante DeCesare, Megan Delorme, Cassandra Dethlefsen, Nickolina Doran, Brian Durocher, Victoria Duszak, Kata Erdei, Katherine Estell, Jared Fernandez, Michael Freeman, Laura Furtak, Rebecca Gagne, Jay Gandhi, Emily Gibney, Kelly Graff, Jonathan Gray, Samantha Greenslate, Matthew Gundersen, Rachael Haberski, Paige Hadlock, Diana Halla, Jordan Helton, Kyle Hermann, Joshua Hilliard, Kailey Hinckley, Rachel Huff, Emma Jaworowski, Jessica Karwowski, Katie Kelley, Kendra Kochol, Allison Krampitz, Sydney Kroll, Erik Kryzanski, Brooke LaChance, Jordan Lamkins, Kimberly Lebel, Lexie Lewis, Rebecca Lo Presti, Michael Loose, Andrew Luczak, Morgan Maccione, Alexa Maddalena, Crystal Madore, Maegan Mariani, Marissa Matarazzo, Kristen Mathew, Brandon Matta, Michael Mauro, Ryan McIntyre, Matthew McLaughlin, Margaret Meehan, Taryn Meenan, Natalie Messner, John Mindek, Amanda Morach, Mark Murdy, Thomas Murdy, Catherine Myers, Samantha Nardi, Ashley Nelson, Bao-Anh Nguyen, Ariel Perry, Benjamin Pestillo, Jessica Piotrowski, Andrew Premus, Samantha Purushotham, Jesse Rasten, Morgan Raymond, Christina Renzi, Michael Ricciardone, Turner Rodman, Benjamin Russman, Samantha Sagnella, Joshua Salgado, Joseph Savage, Paul Schweiger, Matthew Sciota, Kaitlin Semmel, Kyle Semmel, Kristen Shubert, Nathan Simard, Jeremy Spooner, Kimberly Stafko, Chloe Stary, Samantha Steeves, Carson Stifel, Brandon Stone, Brendan Taylor, Noah Tedeschi, Mallory Terry, John Testa, Mark Testa, Alison Theriault, Olivia Thomas, Madison Trask, Rylee Van Epps, Gabrielle Veilleux, Stephen Vollaro, Oksana Voronchak, Megan Walsh, Natiya Washer, James Weil, Michelle Woodruff, Alexa Zborowski

Grade 10, First Honors: Andrew Ackerman, Leandro Antonio Alejandro, Erin Angelillo, Angela Balaoing, Mikayla Bedell, Kimberly Biela, James Brino, Kyle Bunko, Samantha Butlien, Rebecca Caisse, Brooke Camden, Anthony Cammuso, Katelin Chamberland, Fizza Chaudhry, Timothy Cocozza, Jennifer Congdon, Adam Cormier, Hayley Crafts, Olivia Cranney, Steven Dorzens, Bryan Doyle, Hali Doyon, Megan Enright, Jessica Gagnon, Victoria Gagnon, Natalia Gimenez, Jessica Howe, Danielle Hughes, Christopher Iverson, Jenny Johnson, Samantha Jones, Kayla Kavanagh, Gregory Kloczko, Laura Koba, Visal Kong, Carter Krzesik, Kyle Lalla, Sarah Lamb, Kristina Linehan, Jeffrey Lockwood, Scott Lucian, Emily Maciejewski, Steven McPherson, Brandon Murray, Brianna Muscio, Nathaniel Nagorski, Kasey Newman, Alissa Paul, Katherine Peccerillo, Niels Peschel, Nicholas Pierson, Katrina Quoka, Alex Rasten, Sofia Ricciardi, Allie Rinaldi, Domenic Rossi, Benjamin Sadlowski, Brenna Sarantides, Brett Simms, Steven Sokolowski, Amelia Sponauer, Michael Stafko, Alexander Statkevich, John Stevens, Brett Swanson, Aaron Tiscione, Natalie Wadolowski, Alexandra Wyluda, Joseph Zavorskas, Angelina Zollo

Grade 11, First Honors: Alexandria Abacherli, Megan Albert, Meagan Asklar, Alexandra Barmore, Zachary Bauer, Erik Bergland, Tiffany Blancato, Melissa Borysewicz, Michael Botsacos, Tyler Brinton, Zachary Bylykbashi, Cassandra Camilli, Kayley Carrier, Bailey Carter, Madison Chapman, Caroline Charlton, Rong Chen, Ashley Christensen, Jordan Clarke, Sarah Colston, Elizabeth Costello, Erin Cova, Dakota Curtis, Jessica Dos Santos, Kevin Drexler, Matthew Duszak, Stefanie Dzierlatka, Christopher Falk, Julie Falk, David Falvo, Nicole Fischer, Kayleigh Flanigan, Jessica Goralski, Julia Granato, Antoine Harris, Abigail Heller, Benjamin Herms, James Hoder, Raegan Honyotski, Aubrey Jalbert, Meghan Kelley, Leah Kligerman, Sharon Kwok, Jessica Lee, Stephanie Lemire, Emily Lippincott, Natalie Liquindoli, Kristen Loose, Sarah Luczak, Nicholas Mauriello, Marissa Mayo, Margaret Mellitt, Haley Messenger, Evan Misiorski, Jacob Molgano, Jennifer Monte, Zachary Murillo, Jessica Nelson, Daniel Normandin, Zaya Oshana, Ryan Padden, Michael Pagano, Sarah Palko, Priya Patel, Emily Pestillo, Bailey Potter, Cassidy Race, Jonathan Rappi, Julia Reilly, Anthony Renzi, Kailey Richardson, Nicole Ricker, Raquel Romano, Alexandra Rothstein, Ryann Snodgrass, Kathleen Spagnoletti, Matthew Steeves, Victoria Swartz, Alexa Taylor, Michael Taylor, Matthew Torrisi, Christina Trovato, Elizabeth Veilleux, Veronica Viturale, Adam Viviano, Jake Wallach, Nicholas Wells, Caitlin Young, Lauren Zazzaro, Dominic Zmarlicki

Grade 12, First Honors: Rachel Andelin, Nathan Anderson-Delgado, Daniel Arnson, Gabrielle Baker, Sean Balducci, Brianna Barden, Kayla Bassingthwaite, Samantha Becotte, Kayla Belanger, Deven Bernaiche, Michael Bielecki, Colin Burke, Paula Calandra, Anthony Califano, Kayla Carrier, Nicole Carrier, Tommy Chen, Lisa Cianciolo, Brooke Cochrane, Daniel Connolly, Rachel Conte, Olivia Corriveau, Noah Cross, Taylor Curran, Taylor Daddona, Julia D’Alessandro, Jordan D’Andrea, Samantha D’Angelo, Laurel Dean, Megan DeSorbo, Mara Dubnicka, Alexis Dziubek, Kaylyn Fagan, Margaret Fagan, Megan Fazzino, Rachel Flodquist, Shane Florian, Amanda Gagne, Michaela Gee, Elizabeth George, Abigael Guthrie, Ryan Hair, Katherine Hartford, Diane Hassanieh, Lilian Herman, Michael Hoffman, Nicholas Hubeny, Benjamin Johnson, Daniel Kane, Carolynn Keal, Rachel Klem, Krzysztof Konopka, Samantha Kowalczyk, Stephanie Krar, William Lefkovich, Nicholas Legere, Amber Lewis, Nicole Lidzbarski, Mary Lunn, Alicia Maffiolini, Melissa Martin, Allison McCormick, Brian Minahan, Carissa Mirando, Lauren Mitchell, Sarah Mongillo, Amber Morelli, Allison Morris, Colin Murphy, Sylvia Nguyen, Olivia Nowak, Sara Oakes, Jeffrey Paquet, Amanda Perriello, Brianna Petersen, Samantha Potter, Olivia Premus, Seth Pritchard, Alexander Queen, Jonathan Rauch, Michael Rogalski, Wesley Rushing, Kylie Sarantides, Alisha Savaria, Annalisa Sega, Devinne Sharp, Julian Sherwood, Nicholas Siarkowski, Steven Sica, Zachary Skarzynski, Anthony Smith, Dylan Sperry, Kyle Sposato, Lindsey Starr, Elizabeth Stearns, David Swanson, Tyler Sweetman, Valerie Szmurlo, Isabelle Tedeschi, Silvana Tellerico, Kyle Torres, Zoe Tyz, Brittanie Vontell, Samantha Welch, Stephanie Whelan, Elana Wojenski, Carolyn Zesut

Grade 9, Second Honors: Kelly Angeli, Abigale Asklar, Rachel Baldick, Sean Barile, Martha Barry, Katherine Bauer, Rachel Belanger, Nicholas Benham, Jake Bertola, Ryan Bjorklund, Daniel Borkowski, Dylan Breutzmann, Jennifer Briscoe, Taylor Brown, Robert Bunting, Makenna Calabrese, Lexi Chasse, Andrew Chavez, Nicole Chuchro, Samantha Cocchiola, Dominic Coppola, Kayla Coppola, Cameron Coulombe, Tyler Cyr, Annelise D’Abramo, Evan D’Agostino, Presley Dahn, Alexis Degumbia, Matthew DeLorenzo, Amanda Delorme, Hannah DeMaio, Matthew Dominello, Kenneth Dowler, Brianna Eigo, Carol Fannon, Juliana Ferreri, Hunter Forrest, Mateusz Gaciarz, Derrick Gdovin, Erin Gibney, Lyndsey Giudice, Allison Hair, Andrew Hall, Kylie Helton, Lynia Hilke, Evelyn Holbrook, Hannah Jackman, Samuel Johnson, Rohan Kataria, Jacob Keroack, Aleia Kolodziejczyk, Kelly Kritz, Samantha Lamkins, Amanda Lavoie, Christina Lebel, Dylan Levesque, Nathan L’Heureux, Michael Listro, Megan Mahon, Aaron Mallett, Zea Manning, Christopher Martin, Samantha Martins, Marisa Matthews, Mark Meade, Matthew Meade, Johnathan Mikosz, Rachel Miller, Sarah Mirisola, Katlin Misiorski, Sean Molgano, Morgan Mueller, Julia Mularczyk, Gabrielle Mulholland, Cameron Nelson, Madelyn Nichols, Jillian Noli, Tianna Oliva, Hannah Olsen, Elysse Page, Vasoula Papageorge, Anjali Patel, Brianna Pellerin, Timothy Perry, Brian Petrucci, Delaney Picard, Anthony Plantamuro, Laosa Qazimi, Brianna Rainey, Nathan Raposa, Nicholas Rappi, Abiose Reid, Joshua Richardson, Bailey Robarge, Alize Rodriguez, Kaitlynn Rossi, Kelsey Sargent, Joseph Savarese, Ryan Sheehan, Kayla Sica, Kyle Solomon, Samantha Stocking, Monique Szabo, Bianca Taylor-Soriano, Sean Terry, Leann Tonnotti, Kristiana Torres, Connor Trzcinski, John Vecchio, Hannah Weir, Madison Yurgaitis, Zachary Zakreta, Michael Zera

Grade 10, Second Honors: Michael Aberizk, Christian Aguayo, Griffin Alix, Kayla Allaire, Dominic Annunziata, Timothy Anop, Andrew Ardolino, Jonathan Ardolino, Ciara Backus, Joshua Barry, Matthew Becotte, Quinn Becotte, Joseph Bernetti, Nathan Blitz, Alexa Bracken, Nicole Breedlove, Christine Brilla, Rachel Bruno, Ryan Burrill, Lauren Cafasso, Taylor Carpenter, Raegan Casarella, Victoria Castillo, Benjamin Chasse, Jacob Chasse, Luis Chavez, Payton Chiaro, Nicole Christensen, Destiny Cruz, Jacob D’Alessandro, Patrick Dabrowski, Tessa Daly, Andrea Defeo, Margaux Degumbia, Christie Dizenzo, Sarah Dolan, Connor Dombal, Kealey Donahue, Adam Dorau, Rachel Dufresne, Kristen Elliott, Daniel Fagan, Kathryn Falcetti, Drew Farkas, Jarod Florian, Paul Gambardella, Michaela Ganezer, Taylor Garry, Cassandra Gaudio, Sarah Gerrish, Trevor Godston, Kaylee Graef, Bethany Greenlaw, Nicole Groll, Julia Izydorczak, Kayla Judd, Jessica Kane, Hassan Khan, Sana Khan, Jacob Kligerman, Ryan Kosienski, Kevin Lalla, Jessica Lappen, Kelly Lappen, Keegan Leahy, Sylwia Lewkowicz, Katie Lindberg, Kaitlyn Lindsay, Maya Litke, Samantha Lohneiss, Lauren Macri, Salvatore Magnano, Emily Mankus, Gage Marshall, Morgan McNamara, John Meade, Lindzay Medeiros, Christopher Minkiewicz, Kaylah Miron, Kelsey Molina, Annie Mongillo, Caroline Mongillo, Haley Mullin, Andrew Muskatello, Catherine Najarian, Gabrielle Napoli, Matthew Natelli, Alexis Negron, Christopher Niemierowko, Nicole Nyerick, Shannon O’Connor, Nicholas Ottalagana, Tiffany Palmieri, Sarah Parzych, Giavonna Paulus, Kaylee Pawlak, William Perkins, Lauren Perkowski, Christopher Pestillo, Briana Petta, Kali Pliego, Brandon Porter, Bailey Powers, Emma Powers, Devin Prive, Griffin Ramey, Renz Rebeca, Natalie Rickard, Faith Ritchie, Erin Roach, Andrew Rogalski, Stephen Salmon, Amanda Sao, Emily Sargent, Samantha Schiffer, Allison Schroeder, Jessica Seitz, Lauren Semataska, Amy Serrano, Jhanvi Shah, Robert Sirko, Valerie Slimskey, William Smelley, Kelsey Snodgrass, Jason Soltys, Kyle Somers, Andrew Spitz, Nicolette St. Amand, Alexis Stohmal, Andrew Szandrocha, Melanie Tedeschi, James Terray, Krysta Tsangarides, Jennifer Turci, Jenna Uba, Delana Veilleux, Matthew Verrilli, Edmond Vitcavage, James Wadman, Abigail Wallace, Savannah Waters, Ryan Wells, Codie Wershoven, Catherine Wormer, Aron Zamfino, Gabriella Zuk

Grade 11, Second Honors: Ryan Abouchacra, Alaina Albino, Caroline Barry, Jonathan Blain, Matthew Briscoe, Alicia Brocki, Adam Brush, Michael Burek, Taylor Campanelli, Timothy Carrier, Jenna Casey, Bridget Clark, Catherine Coppola, Emily Csuka, James Danielson, Kyle DeAngelo, Ryan DeAngelo, Kyle DeFrancesco, Shawn Devin, Andrea DiCesare, Breanna DiDomizio, Tyler DiTunno, Kateri Downes, Geraint Downey, Olivia Ende, Michaela Falk, Michael Fazzino, Kendra Friedt, Miranda Gazaferi, Melissa Geffken, Mack Golos, Anna Gregoire, Natalia Grosfeld, Amanda Hamel, David Harrison, William Holian, Mark Horanzy, Marissa Jackson, Alexander Jamele, Brian Jaworowski, Arooba Khan, Sana Khan, Devin King, Colin Kochol, Haley Kolesnik, Ellie Lefkovich, Jared Lentini, Catherine MacKay, Sara Magnanini, Brianna Marinelli, Erin Martin, Angela Masciangioli, David Massabni, Steffan Mayette, Shannon McDonald, Adalain Meier, Katherine Mellitt, Kayla Michalic, David Michel, Vincent Milardo, Eric Minton, Rachel Mouris, Jack Myers, Flora Nardi, Rachel Nardi, Catherine Natelli, Quan Nguyen, Franklin Pac, Daniel Parzych, Kristina Patterson, Katelyn Pavloski, Colby Pelletier, Lee Ann Pelletier, Ryan Pelligrinelli, Lucas Pfanzelt, Ian Powell, Ryan Pulver, Christian Raczka, Mitchell Raczka, Erin Reilly, Destiny Ritchie, Maryssa Romano, Nicholas Rosario, Isabella Russo, Amanda Scheffler, Jacob Semmel, Lillian Shaw, Autumn Sheffy, Jarod Shurack, Andi Skenderi, Daniel Smolinski, Matthew Sorrentino, Connor Sperry, Rianna Susco, Michael Theriault, Shelby Thurston, Julia Tinyszin, Kelly Toomey, Curtis Topper, Rebecca Tsangarides, Jonathan Tumolo, Vedant Vyas, Colleen Walsh, Nicole White, Timothy White, Jeanette Wiese, Daniel Williams, Chase Yurgaitis, Maghen Zagryn

Grade 12, Second Honors: Matthew Albrecht, Alicia Anop, Austin Atashian, Tanmay Athreya, Julia Bailey, Tyler Bard, Alyson Baribault, Stephen Barmore, Josef Barry, Andrzej Bielecki, Jessica Bocek, LeeAnne Boucher, Caroline Burke, Kyle Burleigh, Quinton Carmichall, Brandon Carney, Marisa Caruso, Christa Case, Desirae Casiano, Antonia Cavallo, Nicholas Cianci, Courtney Clavette, Megan Cochran, Conor Combs, Cial Cook, Kevin Cop, Austin Cormier, Shania Crawford, Marissa Cusano, Zachary Cyr, Joseph Daigle, Makenna Daly, Maria DaRocha, Taylor DeBishop, Gisella DelBuono, Amanda DePonte, Nishi Desai, Nicole DiMasso, Lauren Durand, Thomas Fischer, Eric Flood, Rylee Gothberg, Victoria Gray, Elizabeth Gwara, Allison Hammersley, Abigail Harris, Courtney Hedges, Bianca Hilerio, Andrea Hoyt, Christopher Hupper, Shanza Hussain, Zachary Jamele, Tia Jones, Kenneth Kerns, Ryan Knight, Michelle Krasuski, Richard Kudla, Michael Lange, Stephanie Lutz, Mckenzie Madore, Megan Martin, Peter Masters, Amanda Mastroianni, Zachary Maxwell, Sean McGurgan, Megan Medeiros, Michelle Morris, Susan Murphy, Siera Murray, Samuel Najarian, William Niemierowko, Sara Noori, Stephen Peccerillo, Amanda Pedrak, Stefanie Pellerin, Emily Pelletier, Kaileen Pfeiffer, Victoria Plante, Gary Plourde, Samantha Ramey, Joseph Rivera, Olivia Roth, Derrick Rustigian, Fiona Scanlon, David Shaughnessy, Jian Siadat, Jaime Simard, Megan Spooner, Julianna Spring, Nicholas Stafko, Megan Steele, Marissa Tedeschi, Alexander Thomas, Shawna Toppi, Jessica Uba, Emily Van Kirk, Noah Violette, Amanda Vollaro, Tanner Walsh, Amber White, Anna Williams, Lianna Wodzicki, Anna Wyluda, Sarah Wysocki

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
A damaged van parked outside Southington High School last week served as a reminder for students about the consequences of distracted driving.
The van, which was actually involved in a texting and driving incident, served as one part of a presentation that has become a tradition at Southington High: the distracted driving assembly. For seniors at the high school, the assembly serves as a reminder to think before getting behind the wheel intoxicated or texting while driving, especially since graduation is just around the corner.
“It’s such a real thing and your life can turn around in the blink of an eye,” said Steve Barmore, the president of the National Honor Society at Southington High.
“It’s as simple as just thinking about their actions,” said Southington High School Principal Dr. Martin Semmel. “Given that this is one of the best times for a senior, we want to make sure they’re enjoying themselves, but make sure they do it in a good way.”
During a distracted driving assembly, students learned about the consequences of drinking and driving as well as texting and driving through a presentation put together by Dina DeGumbia, the PTO president at Southington High, School Resource Officer Don Mackenzie and Lou Martocchio, a lawyer in town.
“It’s a real community effort to do our best to keep kids safe,” Semmel said.
DeGumbia has served as a certified trauma/SWAT nurse at Yale New-Haven Hospital. She assembled together  different video clips of actual motor vehicle accidents, some of which had graphic details to show the reality of the consequences caused by distracted driving. A nurse for 25 years, DeGumbia said she has seen the medical outcomes of distracted driving accidents too often.
“Unfortunately I have had a lot of experience caring for critically injured teenagers who have both lived and died due to car accidents, and those car accidents were due mostly because of distracted driving,” said DeGumbia, who currently has two children attending  Southington High.
One video featured a texting accident that involved two 16-year-old girls. The texter, who blew through an intersection and t-boned another girl, died with a massive open head injury after getting ejected from the car and landing on her head. The victim, who was not breathing, suffered different injuries, including a crushing chest injury. Students also saw a video depicting an actual brain surgery as the result of a distracted driving accident.
“My goal was for you to see the outcome if you choose to make those decisions,” DeGumbia told seniors. “I see this every day.”
During the assembly, Mackenzie provided an overview of the different types of distracted driving and emphasized the importance of wearing a seatbelt. If worn properly, a seat belt can reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about 50 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Young people are also most likely to text and talk behind the wheel.
“Think before you do it—don’t be a statistic,” said Martocchio, adding that the driver of the van displayed outside the school survived the accident. “It takes a split second to change the rest of your life.”
During his presentation, Martocchio explained the legal consequences of distracted driving in both criminal and civil cases.
“We’re the second strictest state in the entire country when it comes to juvenile drinking and driving,” Martocchio said. “If you get caught drinking and driving…you go to prison for 90 days, and at a bare minimum you do 48 hours.”
The assembly also included two guest speakers who shared their personal stories with students. For guest speaker Lauren Beja, the message of the assembly itself hit home. Beja’s parents were killed by a man who was talking on his cell phone while driving.
“It happened years ago, but it’s so real,” said Beja, warning students to think before they get behind the wheel. “It changed my life.”
The message also resonated with guest speaker Nick Richter, a graduate of Southington High., who lost his friend in a drinking and driving accident. Nine months ago, Richter’s friend was thrown from one side of the highway to another as a result of alcohol. He was on life support for six days before having his breathing tube removed. Two other people were also in the accident, including one who underwent nine hours of surgery.
Richter recalled how he and his friends never imagined they could be affected by a distracted driving accident. He reminded peers to have fun in a safe way.
“It’s not a joke,” said Richter, who has seen a distracted driving assembly at the high school. “Be safe about it, because one second can change your life.”
Richter’s story resonated with Senior Class President Peter Masters. Masters said his brother knew Richter’s friend who died in the accident, and the story served as a reminder that teenagers and adults should find an alternative to driving drunk, even if it means paying for a taxi.
“He went through the real thing,” said Masters.

By Lisa Capobianco
This vehicle, parked at the high school, served as a reminder about distracted driving. Despite the damage to the car, the driver survived.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
With graduation less than a month away, Southington High School has announced the top three students in the Class of 2014.
For seniors Alex Queen, Dan Connolly and Alexis Dziubek, graduating at the top of their senior class means that four years of hard work and dedication paid off. Southington High School has named Alex Queen valedictorian and Dan Connolly salutatorian, out of over 400 students. Alexis Dziubek has been named class essayist. Graduation will take place Thursday, June 19.
“It was an accomplishment,” said Queen, who has played on the high school’s varsity soccer team since his sophomore year. “It’s an honor.”
“It’s such an honor,” said Dziubek, who will make a speech at graduation.
Throughout their four years of high school, the top three students found time to balance their school work with their involvement in extracurricular activities and other interests. Connolly, who plans to pursue a career in mechanical engineering at Duke University, played soccer and volleyball all four years of high school. He has also served as the vice president of the National Honor Society and is part of the high school’s engineering program, Project Lead the Way.
“I enjoy having things to do,” said Connolly, who has also worked as an umpire for the Southington North Little League and was named captain for the senior season of the volleyball team.
Dziubek, who plans to pursue a career in molecular biology at the University of Connecticut, said she has also acquired time management skills between juggling her homework and school involvement. As a member of the Key Club, Dziubek has served as treasurer, not only taking care of dues but also helping with the organization of events, such as the annual Halloween party that welcomes elementary school students. When reflecting on her graduation speech, Dziubek said her essay will focus on the message, “Keep learning.”
“Even if we fail, we can learn from it,” said Dziubek, who has been a Girl Scout since 2001 and a member of the YMCA Senior Leaders Club.
Queen, who will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) this fall, not only made time in his schedule to play soccer, but has also played basketball while serving as secretary of the National Honor Society. Outside school, Queen has given back to the community, serving as a volunteer for Camp Sloper and working on local charitable and humanitarian projects during his involvement in the United Way of Southington Youth Committee. When reflecting on his high school accomplishments, Queen said his parents planted his seeds of success.
“They always supported me and encouraged me to do the best I can,” said Queen, who completed an internship with Attorney Anthony Sheffy last summer.
Looking back on their high school years, the top three students said they will never forget the interactions they had with their friends, classmates and staff members.
“You can always find someone down the hall you never met before,” said Connolly, adding that he looks forward to even more opportunities in college. “You can have so many different experiences to learn and grow from.”

By Lisa Capobianco
These three are the top students in the SHS senior class. From left, Alex Queen is valedictorian, Dan Connolly is salutatorian and Alexis Dziubek is the class essayist.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
With Relay for Life scheduled to kick off next week, teams throughout Southington are wrapping up their fundraisers in preparation of the annual event.
For members of the Jean’s Angels team, hosting seven fundraisers at Wendy’s on Queen Street before the annual event served as a way to give back to cancer victims while sharing their experiences with the disease with the community at large.
Jean Rose has served as co-captain of “Jean’s Angels in Action Against Cancer” team for 12 years now, honoring thousands of individuals who suffered from the disease. A breast cancer survivor for 12 years, Rose said cancer changed her life in a way that she will always appreciate.
“Cancer for me has been a gift,” said Rose, adding how she has met countless new friends through her involvement in relay. “It changes your whole attitude on life.”
Through her involvement with relay, Rose met her current co-captain, Suzanne Culbert, who has participated in Relay for 15 years now. Culbert joined Jean’s Angels after the death of Jean’s former co-captain.
“I’m a 17-year breast cancer survivor,” said Culbert, who became Rose’s co-captain last year. “It’s my way of giving back.”
“She’s been a friend, she’s been a mentor,” said Jean, adding how her friendship has grown with Culbert. “She is there when I need her.”
Decorated with balloons, the Jean’s Angels fundraiser sold “ribbons of hope,” and other Relay items such as the luminaria bags and relay fans. Wendy’s was also set up with a table equipped with art materials for children and families to decorate the luminaria bags they bought.
For Rose, organizing the fundraisers also serves as a way for her team to spend more time together before the Relay kickoff.
“We don’t have much time to spend together as a team,” said Rose. “This makes it happen.”
Team Rock For Life has also been prepping for Relay through its fundraiser, “Dinner for a Cure” at Machiavelli’s Restaurant. Through the fundraiser, Team Rock has brought members of the community together while raising cancer awareness.
Ashley Aleksinas, the captain of the team, said she has participated in relay since the age of seven, and hopes to honor all victims of cancer as well as her mother, who died from the disease two years ago. Aleksinas said she decided to get involved with relay at a young age after a close friend was diagnosed with leukemia years ago.
“That is what ultimately got me started in relay,” said Aleksinas.
Since then, her passion for raising awareness about cancer grew. In 2007, Aleksinas formed her own relay team after her mother was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. After her mother passed away two years ago, Aleksinas has continued to keep the memory of her mother alive while raising more awareness. She will also host a bake sale Sunday, May 25 at Tops Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Aleksinas has also supported Relay through a CD she created that features songs performed by local artists. The local artists all wrote a song about their experiences with cancer through different genres of music. Aleksinas has sold these CDs with the hope of helping others who may be going through a similar experience.
“I think it’s inspiring,” said Aleksinas, adding that she found over several local artists to give back through social media. “When I was going through everything, I reached out to music to help me hope.”
Scheduled to begin Friday, May 30 at 4 p.m. at Southington High School, Relay for Life’s theme this year is “We Can Be Heroes.”  Relay will feature a variety of guest speakers from the town, a torch ceremony, a survivor walk, a movie night, a scavenger hunt, a kids walk and a theme walk, among other activities. The event will end Saturday, May 31 at 4 p.m.
“I enjoy the survivor walk,” said Culbert, adding how emotional it feels to meet her caregivers on the other side. “It’s really inspirational.” “It’s fun and tears.”
“You can feel the relationships between the survivors, the caregivers and the bystanders,” said Rose, who will also participate in the survivor walk.
Any cancer survivors interested in participating in the walk can contact Joyce McAloon, the event chair of Southington Relay, at (860) 302-0519 or joycemac24@cox.net.

Submitted
The annual Southington Relay for Life will take place at Southington High School on Friday, May 30.

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
Southington High School reached to the top on a national scale, as it recently was included in the 2014 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings.
The report, which involved a three-step process to determine the results, ranked Southington High number 34 out of over 200 best high schools in Connecticut. U.S. News teamed up with the American Institutes for Research, one of the largest behavioral and social science research organizations worldwide that is based in Washington D.C. to identify the best public high schools.
“This was based on many factors including the percentage of students who are taking AP classes, and the students who score a three or higher on the AP exams,” said Interim Superintendent of Schools Karen Smith during a recent school board meeting. “We’re very proud of them.”
Initially, 31,242 public high schools were analyzed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to an article reported on the U.S. News website. The report then reduced that number to 19,411 schools, which equal the total number of public schools nationwide that had enough 12th grade enrollment and sufficient data from the 2011-2012 school year to be eligible for the rankings. To select the best high schools, the first two steps of the process used performance on state proficiency tests as indicators. Once the schools surpassed the first two steps, a third step evaluated the degree to which students were prepared for college-level work, according to U.S. News. The report indicated a 33 percent AP participation rate at Southington High.
School board member Jill Notar-Francesco said Southington High was the only high school represented from its District Reference Group (DRG) D in the report.
“This was a phenomenal recognition—it is the first time we are in this category,” said Notar-Francesco during the meeting. “I’m very proud of the high school.”
To view the complete report, visit http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/national-rankings?int=974b08.

By Lindsay Carey
Staff Writer
Twenty-eight students from the 2007 fifth grade class at South End Elementary School returned to their old stomping grounds to open a time capsule they put together seven years ago.
Two of the student’s former teachers, Rita Stearn and Betty Brown were also on hand for the time capsule opening.
The graduating seniors opened their time capsules to find inside letters from their parents and teachers, along with memory books they had made when they were in fifth grade. The group also had the opportunity to look at pictures of their younger selves and their time at South End School in a slideshow.
Senior Carissa Mirando described the experience as “bittersweet.”
The seniors laughed with one another and tried to determine who looked the most different as they bonded through the nostalgic experience about a week before their high school graduation.
Most of the students in the group will move on to college, and for some, that means moving out of state.
Tyler Sweetman, who moved to Southington in first grade, was already sporting his University of Florida gear with the signature gator emblazoned on his shoulder. Sweetman said he is excited to start college, although being away from home will take some getting used to.
Other students, who are not moving away from Connecticut, expressed similar sentiments. Matt Gerrish, who will be attending Quinnipiac University for accounting in the fall, said even though he is planning to commute to school next year, he is definitely going to miss his friends.
The graduating seniors from Southington High School shared their memories at South End School as well as their plans for the future with the current fifth graders.
Natalie Nyerick shared a letter from her fifth grade self, in which she hoped she and her best friend Abigail Harris would not be in competing with each other for the rest of their lives.
Nyerick and Harris said they are still close friends, encouraging the current fifth graders with their testimony of lasting friendship.
Nyerick will stay in Connecticut and attend UConn, while Harris will be going to Villanova University to study English and communications, with hopes of becoming a print journalist one day. Once she moves in the fall, Harris said she is going to miss the close knit group of friends that she grew up with for 18 years.
When Stearn asked the group who still hangs out with their friends from South End School, all twenty-eight seniors raised their hands.
“We were a really close class,” said Nyerick.
Even their teachers expressed their attachment to the graduates. Stearn told the group they were one of her favorite classes. Brown, who still teaches fifth grade at South End, became the class’ substitute while Stearn battled cancer.
“I still have every single one of the cards you guys made me and a blanket with your faces on it, which I have to admit I don’t use very often,” joked Stearn. “I have a special place in my heart for you guys.”

By Tammi Naudus
Kayla Padroff and Laura Smedburg look at the items they left in the time capsule.

By Tammi Naudus
Tyler Sweetman and Joe Fazzino share a laugh as they go through the contents of the South End time capsule.