By Lindsay Carey
Staff Writer
Over five hundred students graduated as the Class of 2014 from Southington High School, with many sharing their appreciation for their close knit community and their excitement for the future.
Family, friends, administrators and town officials all gathered on the field to celebrate with the Class of 2014. Many of the graduates expressed that they will miss the Southington community and the peers they grew up with in this town as they move on to college, the military and the work force.
“Who we really need to thank is each other, because what makes this school amazingly amazing is the students,” said Class President Peter Masters, at graduation last Thursday. “We’ve all challenged, supported, and entertained each other.”
Masters also highlighted the success the sports teams have had by working together.
Emilee Kemnitz, who played as a center mid in soccer during her time at SHS, expressed her gratitude for the athletics at the school, which have prepared her to play soccer in college. Kemnitz, whose family moved from Lousiana to Southington 16 years ago, said she will miss the culture of the town most.
“Everyone just gets along so well and it’s such a good environment to have grown up in,” said Kemnitz.
Stephen Peccerillo, a Southington native, expressed his concern moving just an hour and a half away from the town. Though he’s glad he’s moving somewhere close enough to come back frequently,  Peccerillo said though he’s definitely going to miss the “small town feel” of Southington, a town where you can recognize almost everyone, as he moves on to college in Massachusetts.
For many, Southington High School is place of unforgettable memories. Graduate Jimmy Chen said he’ll cherish every one of them. Living in Southington since he was six, Chen said he’s come to love the close community that is Southington.
“It’s not really about the place or where you are, it’s more about the people you’re surrounded by,” said Chen. “That’s what really makes this place special. It’s not the actual school, because they could remodel the school as many times as they want, but they can’t change the people who go here.”
Class essayist Alexis Dziubek and Salutitorian Dan Connolly reflected on their growth since freshman year as well as their dreams for themselves and their graduating class in the future.
Valedictorian Alexander Queen echoed their hopes for the future as he said that he believes the open-mindedness of the younger generation will allow all kinds of people to come together and make positive change in our country.
“When I look out upon this group of students, I see great potential to change our society,” said Queen. “Maybe a congress occupied and elected by us will finally be able to look past petty differences, and actually lead our nation.”

By Tammi Naudus
Members of the Southington High School Class of 2014 gathered on the football field last Thursday for graduation.
Over 500 students graduated.

Southington High School has announced its honor roll for the fourth marking period.

Grade 9,  First Honors: Madison Aldieri, Abigail Alfieri, Michael Allen, Hallie Altwies, Kelly Angeli, Alissa Anglis, Jake Aparo, Lily Baker, Katerina Belales, Kayla Birmingham, Alyssa Boucher, Sydney Brault, Megan Burke, Laura Calandra, William Carbone, Michaela Carrera, Meghan Cichon, Kristen Craven, Anthony D’Abramo, Evan D’Agostino, Erica Daigle, Megan Delorme, Cassandra Dethlefsen, Nickolina Doran, Brian Durocher, Victoria Duszak, Kata Erdei, Katherine Estell, Jared Fernandez, Juliana Ferreri, Michael Freeman, Laura Furtak, Rebecca Gagne, Sarah Gallo, Jay Gandhi, Emily Gibney, Kelly Graff, Jonathan Gray, Samantha Greenslate, Matthew Gundersen, Paige Hadlock, Joshua Hilliard, Kailey Hinckley, Rachel Huff, Hannah Jackman, Emma Jaworowski, Jessica Karwowski, Katie Kelley, Kendra Kochol, Kelly Kritz, Sydney Kroll, Erik Kryzanski, Brooke LaChance, Samantha Lamkins, Kimberly Lebel, Lexie Lewis, Rebecca Lo Presti, Michael Loose, Morgan Maccione, Maegan Mariani, Marissa Matarazzo, Kristen Mathew, Michael Mauro, Matthew McLaughlin, Margaret Meehan, Natalie Messner, Amanda Morach, Mark Murdy, Thomas Murdy, Catherine Myers, Ashley Nelson, Hannah Olsen, Vasoula Papageorge, Anjali Patel, Brianna Pellerin, Timothy Perry, Benjamin Pestillo, Jessica Piotrowski, Andrew Premus, Samantha Purushotham, Jesse Rasten, Morgan Raymond, Christina Renzi, Michael Ricciardone, Turner Rodman, Benjamin Russman, Samantha Sagnella, Joseph Savage, Matthew Sciota, Kaitlin Semmel, Kyle Semmel, Kristen Shubert, Nathan Simard, Jeremy Spooner, Kimberly Stafko, Chloe Stary, Samantha Steeves, Carson Stifel, Brandon Stone, Brendan Taylor, Mallory Terry, Alison Theriault, Olivia Thomas, Rylee Van Epps, Stephen Vollaro, Oksana Voronchak, Megan Walsh, Natiya Washer, James Weil, Alexa Zborowski, Artur Zielinski

Grade 10, First Honors: Andrew Ackerman, Leandro Antonio Alejandro, Erin Angelillo, Andrew Ardolino, Matthew Becotte, Kimberly Biela, Alexandra Bieniek, Nicole Breedlove, James Brino, Samantha Butlien, Brooke Camden, Anthony Cammuso, Victoria Castillo, Katelin Chamberland, Fizza Chaudhry, Timothy Cocozza, Jennifer Congdon, Adam Cormier, Olivia Cranney, Destiny Cruz, Tessa Daly, Sarah Dolan, Steven Dorzens, Hali Doyon, Megan Enright, Jessica Gagnon, Victoria Gagnon, Paul Gambardella, Natalia Gimenez, Nicole Groll, Jessica Howe, Danielle Hughes, Christopher Iverson, Jenny Johnson, Samantha Jones, Jessica Kane, Kayla Kavanagh, Jacob Kligerman, Gregory Kloczko, Laura Koba, Sarah Lamb, Sylwia Lewkowicz, Katie Lindberg, Kristina Linehan, Jeffrey Lockwood, Samantha Lohneiss, Scott Lucian, Emily Maciejewski, Lauren Macri, Emily Mankus, Steven McPherson, Kelsey Molina, Brandon Murray, Brianna Muscio, Nathaniel Nagorski, Gabrielle Napoli, Kasey Newman, Nicole Nyerick, Alissa Paul, Niels Peschel, Christopher Pestillo, Nicholas Pierson, Emma Powers, Katrina Quoka, Alex Rasten, Sofia Ricciardi, Allie Rinaldi, Domenic Rossi, Benjamin Sadlowski, Brenna Sarantides, Allison Schroeder, Amy Serrano, Brett Simms, Steven Sokolowski, Amelia Sponauer, Alexander Statkevich, John Stevens, Aaron Tiscione, Krysta Tsangarides, Jennifer Turci, Jenna Uba, Natalie Wadolowski, Angelina Zollo

Grade 11, First Honors: Alexandria Abacherli, Megan Albert, Meagan Asklar, Trevor Baracchi, Alexandra Barmore, Zachary Bauer, Erik Bergland, Tiffany Blancato, Melissa Borysewicz, Michael Botsacos, Tyler Brinton, Adam Brush, Kaitlyn Budrow, Zachary Bylykbashi, Cassandra Camilli, Taylor Campanelli, Kayley Carrier, Jenna Casey, Madison Chapman, Caroline Charlton, Rong Chen, Ashley Christensen, Bridget Clark, Jordan Clarke, Sarah Colston, Elizabeth Costello, Erin Cova, Dakota Curtis, James Danielson, Shawn Devin, Kateri Downes, Kevin Drexler, Matthew Duszak, Stefanie Dzierlatka, Julie Falk, David Falvo, Nicole Fischer, Miranda Gazaferi, Ryan Goldstein, Jessica Goralski, Julia Granato, Antoine Harris, Abigail Heller, Benjamin Herms, James Hoder, Raegan Honyotski, Aubrey Jalbert, Kunal Kataria, Meghan Kelley, Arooba Khan, Sana Khan, Sharon Kwok, Jessica Lee, Stephanie Lemire, Natalie Liquindoli, Kristen Loose, Sarah Luczak, Nicholas Mauriello, Marissa Mayo, Katherine Mellitt, Margaret Mellitt, Haley Messenger, Jacob Molgano, Jennifer Monte, Zachary Murillo, Jack Myers, Jessica Nelson, Quan Nguyen, Zaya Oshana, Ryan Padden, Sarah Palko, Priya Patel, Bailey Potter, Cassidy Race, Jonathan Rappi, Julia Reilly, Anthony Renzi, Jonathan Richards, Francesco Ricigliano, Nicole Ricker, Raquel Romano, Alexandra Rothstein, Jacob Semmel, Brett Shaw, Lillian Shaw, Ryann Snodgrass, Matthew Sorrentino, Kathleen Spagnoletti, Connor Sperry, Matthew Steeves, Rianna Susco, Alexa Taylor, Michael Taylor, Matthew Torrisi, Christina Trovato, Rebecca Tsangarides, Elizabeth Veilleux, Veronica Viturale, Adam Viviano, Vedant Vyas, Jake Wallach, Colleen Walsh, Nicholas Wells, Caitlin Young, Lauren Zazzaro, Dominic Zmarlicki

Grade 12, First Honors: Rachel Andelin, Nathan Anderson-Delgado, Alex Angelillo, Alicia Anop, Austin Atashian, Gabrielle Baker, Sean Balducci, Brianna Barden, Kayla Bassingthwaite, Dillon Bauchiero, Samantha Becotte, Kayla Belanger, Deven Bernaiche, Andrzej Bielecki, Michael Bielecki, Caroline Burke, Paula Calandra, Anthony Califano, Allison Carangelo, Kayla Carrier, Nicole Carrier, Tommy Chen, Nicole Chubet, Nicholas Cianci, Brooke Cochrane, Daniel Connolly, Rachel Conte, Kristy Cook, Austin Cormier, Olivia Corriveau, Noah Cross, Taylor Curran, Julia D’Alessandro, Jordan D’Andrea, Samantha D’Angelo, Taylor Daddona, Laurel Dean, Megan DeSorbo, Sarah DiBenedetto, Mara Dubnicka, Alexis Dziubek, Kaylyn Fagan, Margaret Fagan, Megan Fazzino, Rachel Flodquist, Amanda Gagne, Elizabeth George, Victoria Gray, Abigael Guthrie, Elizabeth Gwara, Ryan Hair, Katherine Hartford, Diane Hassanieh, Lilian Herman, Michael Hoffman, Andrea Hoyt, Carolyn Hricik, Nicholas Hubeny, Christopher Hupper, Benjamin Johnson, Carolynn Keal, Kenneth Kerns, Krzysztof Konopka, Samantha Kowalczyk, Stephanie Krar, Michelle Krasuski, Nicholas Lamb, Erika Landino, William Lefkovich, Amber Lewis, Nicole Lidzbarski, Mary Lunn, Mckenzie Madore, Melissa Martin, Zachary Maxwell, Carissa Mirando, Lauren Mitchell, Sarah Mongillo, Amber Morelli, Allison Morris, Nathan Mullins, Sylvia Nguyen, Olivia Nowak, Sara Oakes, Samantha Palacios, Stefanie Pellerin, Amanda Perriello, Brianna Petersen, Samantha Potter, Olivia Premus, Alexander Queen, Jonathan Rauch, Michael Rogalski, Olivia Roth, Wesley Rushing, Madeline Sadlowski, Kylie Sarantides, Alisha Savaria, Annalisa Sega, Devinne Sharp, Julian Sherwood, Jian Siadat, Nicholas Siarkowski, Steven Sica, Zachary Skarzynski, Sarah Smith, Dylan Sperry, Megan Spooner, Kyle Sposato, Julianna Spring, Nicholas Stafko, Erica Stanhope, Lindsey Starr, Elizabeth Stearns, Megan Steele, David Swanson, Tyler Sweetman, Valerie Szmurlo, Marissa Tedeschi, Silvana Tellerico, Tanner Walsh, Samantha Welch, Stephanie Whelan, Carolyn Zesut

Grade 9, Second Honors: Alyssa Ash, Abigale Asklar, Jacob Badgley, Michael Balaoing, Rachel Baldick, Ashley Barry, Katherine Bauer, Rachel Belanger, Nicholas Benham, Jake Bertola, Daniel Berube, Ryan Bjorklund, Skylar Blumetti, Jenna Boccio, Dorina Bregu, Jennifer Briscoe, Taylor Brown, Robert Bunting, Jessica Camilli, Andrew Chavez, Kyle Chinigo, Nicole Chuchro, Alex Ciaffaglione, Samantha Cocchiola, Kamryn Cochrane, Megan Colleran, Dominic Coppola, Kayla Coppola, Cameron Coulombe, Tyler Cyr, Annelise D’Abramo, Dante D’Agostino, Bianca D’Amore, Presley Dahn, Emily Daley, Dante DeCesare, Michael DeFeo, Matthew DeLorenzo, Amanda Delorme, Hannah DeMaio, Isabella DiBattista, Brianna Eigo, Carol Fannon, Hunter Forrest, Andrew Gallagher, Derrick Gdovin, Shamus Geel, Erin Gibney, Lyndsey Giudice, Rachael Haberski, Daniel Hackerman, Diana Halla, Veronica Heigel, Jordan Helton, Kyle Hermann, Lynia Hilke, Evelyn Holbrook, Michael Jagos, Kornelia Jez, Rohan Kataria, Jacob Keroack, Aleia Kolodziejczyk, Allison Krampitz, Patricia Krzynowek, Nickolis Lada, Jordan Lamkins, Amanda Lavoie, Christina Lebel, Dylan Levesque, Nathan L’Heureux, Jamie Lindsay, Michael Listro, Andrew Luczak, Alexa Maddalena, Crystal Madore, Megan Mahon, Aaron Mallett, Janelle Mangassarian, Zea Manning, Christopher Martin, Samantha Martins, Ryan McIntyre, Taryn Meenan, Johnathan Mikosz, John Mindek, Sage Misluck, Sean Molgano, Morgan Mueller, Julia Mularczyk, Samantha Nardi, Cameron Nelson, Bao-Anh Nguyen, Madelyn Nichols, Jillian Noli, Tianna Oliva, Elysse Page, Ariel Perry, Brian Petrucci, Delaney Picard, Brianna Rainey, Nicholas Rappi, Joshua Salgado, Joseph Savarese, Paul Schweiger, Ryan Sheehan, Kayla Sica, Kyle Solomon, Samantha Stocking, Monique Szabo, Bianca Taylor-Soriano, Noah Tedeschi, John Testa, Mark Testa, Kristiana Torres, Kelly Tranchida, Madison Trask, John Vecchio, Gabrielle Veilleux, Hannah Weir, Madison Yurgaitis, Michael Zera

Grade 10, Second Honors: Michael Aberizk, Evan Aiudi, Griffin Alix, Kayla Allaire, Matthew Andrini, Dominic Annunziata, Jonathan Ardolino, Jacob Armstrong, Ciara Backus, Angela Balaoing, Joshua Barry, Quinn Becotte, Shallynn Beerbaum, Joseph Bernetti, Nathan Blitz, Alexa Bracken, Christine Brilla, Rachel Bruno, Austin Bull, Kyle Bunko, Lauren Cafasso, Rebecca Caisse, Taylor Carpenter, Angelina Caruso, Raegan Casarella, Benjamin Chasse, Jacob Chasse, Luis Chavez, Payton Chiaro, Nicole Christensen, Hayley Crafts, Jacob D’Alessandro, Patrick Dabrowski, Senton Dautllari, Anna DeCroce, Andrea Defeo, Margaux Degumbia, Adam Dell, Jack Dietz, Christie Dizenzo, Connor Dombal, Kealey Donahue, Adam Dorau, Bryan Doyle, Rachel Dufresne, Spencer Eaton, Daniel Fagan, Kathryn Falcetti, Drew Farkas, Jarod Florian, Michaela Ganezer, Taylor Garry, Cassandra Gaudio, Sarah Gerrish, Trevor Godston, Kaylee Graef, Bethany Greenlaw, Mark Howland, Julia Izydorczak, Kayla Judd, Hassan Khan, Sana Khan, Visal Kong, Ryan Kosienski, Reed Kroll, Carter Krzesik, Kevin Lalla, Kyle Lalla, Emily Landino, Jessica Lappen, Kelly Lappen, Dylan LeBlanc, Kaitlyn Lindsay, Salvatore Magnano, Gage Marshall, Blake McDonald, Colton McInnis, Morgan McNamara, John Meade, Christopher Minkiewicz, Kaylah Miron, Annie Mongillo, Caroline Mongillo, Haley Mullin, Andrew Muskatello, Alexis Negron, Olivia Nyerick, Shannon O’Connor, Sarah Parzych, Giavonna Paulus, Katherine Peccerillo, Dane Penksa, Lauren Perkowski, Briana Petta, Kali Pliego, Sofia Possidento, Bailey Powers, Griffin Ramey, Renz Rebeca, Natalie Rickard, Faith Ritchie, Andrew Rogalski, Jasen Rose, Amanda Sao, Emily Sargent, Samantha Schiffer, Jessica Seitz, Lauren Semataska, Jhanvi Shah, Cole Simoneaux, Justin Sliker, Valerie Slimskey, William Smelley, Kelsey Snodgrass, Jason Soltys, Kyle Somers, Nicolette St. Amand, Alexis Stohmal, Erin Sullivan, Brett Swanson, Alexa Sweetman, Melanie Tedeschi, James Terray, Kahli Travers, Delana Veilleux, Matthew Verrilli, Edmond Vitcavage, James Wadman, Ryan Wells, Codie Wershoven, Catherine Wormer, Alexandra Wyluda, Aron Zamfino, Joseph Zavorskas

Grade 11, Second Honors: Ryan Abouchacra, Alaina Albino, Rachel Babon, Katherine Baldwin, Caroline Barry, Kyle Barry, Jonathan Blain, Angelica Brilla, Matthew Briscoe, Alicia Brocki, Michael Burek, Timothy Carrier, Bailey Carter, Brandon Christino, Catherine Coppola, Emily Csuka, Kyle DeAngelo, Kyle DeFrancesco, Andrea DiCesare, Tyler DiTunno, Geraint Downey, Casey Doyle, Maxwell Eldridge, Olivia Ende, Michaela Falk, Michael Fazzino, Kayleigh Flanigan, Mack Golos, Jocelyn Gregor, Natalia Grosfeld, Amanda Hamel, David Harrison, Kendra Hill, Abigail Hodges, Shane Holley, Mark Horanzy, Marissa Jackson, Alexander Jamele, Brian Jaworowski, Devin King, Christopher Kingsbury, Leah Kligerman, Colin Kochol, Matthew Koczera, Haley Kolesnik, Benjamin Landrette, Ellie Lefkovich, Jared Lentini, Alexa Luponio, Catherine MacKay, Erin Martin, David Massabni, Morgan McCarthy, Anthony Meneo, Kayla Michalic, David Michel, Vincent Milardo, Eric Minton, Evan Misiorski, Jacqueline Morelli, Rachel Mouris, Flora Nardi, Rachel Nardi, Luke Nichols, Daniel Normandin, Connor O’Hara, Franklin Pac, Michael Pagano, Kathryn Palinkos, Megan Palumbo, Kyle Partiss, Kristina Patterson, Colby Pelletier, Lee Ann Pelletier, Ryan Pelligrinelli, Emily Pestillo, Lucas Pfanzelt, Erin Reilly, Kailey Richardson, Destiny Ritchie, Maryssa Romano, Nicholas Rosario, Isabella Russo, Amanda Scheffler, Autumn Sheffy, Jarod Shurack, Andi Skenderi, Daniel Smolinski, Natalie Soto, Marilyn Sporbert, Alana St. John, Victoria Swartz, Christian Testa, Michael Theriault, Shelby Thurston, Julia Tinyszin, Kelly Toomey, Curtis Topper, Jonathan Tumolo, Timothy White, Jeanette Wiese, Brittany Williams, Daniel Williams, Chase Yurgaitis

Grade 12, Second Honors: Matthew Albrecht, Timothy Angell, Michael Aylett, Julia Bailey, Andrea Baldick, Tyler Bard, Alyson Baribault, Stephen Barmore, Josef Barry, Blake Bauer, Colin Burke, Kyle Burleigh, Quinton Carmichall, Brandon Carney, Jacob Chrusciel, Myles Clarke, Courtney Clavette, Conor Combs, Cial Cook, Kevin Cop, Shania Crawford, Marissa Cusano, Martin Cusano, Joseph Daigle, Makenna Daly, Taylor DeBishop, Gisella DelBuono, Amanda DePonte, Nishi Desai, Erika DiNeno, Brendan Donahue, Rachel Dube, Lauren Durand, Joseph Fazzino, Samantha Ferla, Thomas Fischer, Eric Flood, Shane Florian, Michaela Gee, JoAnna Gendreau, Matthew Gerrish, Anna Golos, Rylee Gothberg, Deanna Goutzos, Abigail Harris, Bianca Hilerio, Justin Infante, Ian Jacobs, Zachary Jamele, Tia Jones, Daniel Kane, Patrick Kiernan, Rachel Klem, Ryan Knight, Richard Kudla, Emilie Labouliere, Heather LeClerc, Matthew Listro, Alicia Maffiolini, Alexander Martin, Megan Martin, Peter Masters, Amanda Mastroianni, Sean McGurgan, Brian Minahan, Michelle Morris, Colin Murphy, Susan Murphy, Samuel Najarian, William Niemierowko, Natalie Nyerick, Randolph Parent, Stephen Peccerillo, Amanda Pedrak, Emily Pelletier, Kaileen Pfeiffer, Victoria Plante, Gabriela Pulaski, Sierrah Purvis, Samantha Ramey, Jessica Rodriguez, Mitchell Rossitto, Jocelyn Skurat, Anthony Smith, Joseph Taglia, Joseph Tatro, Shawna Toppi, Zoe Tyz, Jessica Uba, Joseph Valenti, Emily Van Kirk, Noah Violette, Amanda Vollaro, Annie Walsh, Anna Williams, Lianna Wodzicki, Elana Wojenski, Megan Wolf, Sarah Wysocki

The Southington High School Marching Band will perform excerpts from their 2014 competition show at their annual open house on Thursday August 21 at 6 p.m. All parents, friends, young musicians, supporters and community members are welcome to attend.

This is an opportunity for the students to showcase the hard work they put in during Band Camp, which runs for 8eight hours a day, from August 11-22.

The performance will take place at Southington High Schools Fontana Field.  In case of rain the performance will occur at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium.

The 2014 field show is titled “Lasting Impressions” and the music comes from the composers Widor, Satie and Debussy (Impressionism time period). The music is classical in nature and very demanding.

A parent’s meeting will be held in the library following the performance. For more information, visit www.shsmarchingband.com.

By Margaret Waage
Correspondent
Something new is needed sometimes to appreciate the familiar things in life.
Such is the case for Southington High School Vo-Ag student Sariah Dutkiewicz. Volunteerism proved to be the vehicle that motivated Dutkiewicz, a Bristol resident, to choose to spend a big part of her summer vacation travelling to Belize to do humanitarian work for the poor.
The purpose of the trip, organized by Humanitarian Experience for Youth (H.E.F.Y.), a non-profit service organization that works towards land development in poverty stricken areas of the world, is to provide teens with opportunities to serve those communities where improvements are in dire need.
From June 19 to July 4, Dutkiewicz and 18 other youth from around the United States spent time doing manual labor consisting of digging, mixing cement and laying brick in order to construct a school classroom. Each H.E.F.Y. expedition is planned so that participants can see their work to completion. Projects range from building houses, school classrooms, an orphanage or medical clinics.
“I wanted a different vacation experience from say something like a New York trip,” said Dutkiewicz. “When I volunteer it makes me feel more appreciation for what we have here at home.”
That’s a lesson Dutkiewicz learned when she and her family volunteered through the Church of Latter-Day Saints program, Mormons Helping Hands, cleaning out destroyed homes in Rockaway, N.Y. from Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.
Dutkiewicz is entering her senior year of high school. When asked whether volunteering will influence her career path she answered, “I’m still exploring ideas. For right now though, I’m not sure.” While her future is not determined, what is certain is Dutkiewicz’s determination.
Dutkiewicz started fundraising for the Belize trip in November 2013. Through babysitting jobs and requests for cash gifts from siblings over the holidays, Dutkiewicz raised $2,200. A portion of the cost of the trip goes to help pay four workmen that worked on the school classroom with the group of volunteers.
“Some of the local men wouldn’t have worked if we weren’t there. What that meant is they wouldn’t have a way to feed their families,” said Dutkiewicz. Other observations Dutkiewicz made were locals farmed for food, had chickens and used horses for transportation.
Dutkiewicz enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people from far away places and feels she’d like to stay in touch. The experience enriched Dutkiewicz’s own life by providing a new way in which to appreciate the world in a more personal way. To learn more about H.E.F.Y., visit http://www.hefy.org/.

Southington celebrates the 46th annual Apple Harvest Festival once again.  The festivities started last Friday with opening ceremonies.  People enjoyed music, dancing, food, amusement park, and various vendor booths.  The festival was canceled on Saturday due to the rain.  Sunday the town celebrated with the annual parade.    The festival will carry on this weekend with the addition of  the Harvest The Arts festivities.  Some of the activities will include pottery throwing, live action painting, and interactive art projects for the whole family.   The festival weekend will also  host an arts and craft show as well.

Photos by:  Tammi Naudus

By Lindsay Carey
Staff Writer
Southington High School (SHS) Principal Dr. Martin Semmel shared the High School Academic Report for 2014 at last week’s Board of Education meeting.
The report compared test results of Southington students to the state as a whole for the ACT, the SAT and CAPT. Semmel’s report also included information regarding Advance Placement (AP) classes and college acceptance rates.
Semmel shared the ACT information for SHS students between 2010 and 2014.
“The ACT in the country, and really in New England, is starting to grow,” said Semmel. “I think it’s good to just put this out there this year so we can have more conversation about that, because I believe our numbers will continue to grow at a faster rate.”
According to his report, students taking the ACT increased from 88 students in 2010 to 106 in 2014.
The state of Connecticut has also increased the number of students who take the ACT. It has grown from 10,453 to 12,044 students. Percentages regarding the scores for subjects English, math, reading and science on the ACT were included in reference to the Benchmark Score.
According to Semmel’s presentation, the Benchmark Score is “the minimum score needed in an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50 percent chance of obtaining a B or higher or a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher” in a college course.
One of the more impressive statistics was the math scores for SHS. These scores have increased from 67 percent in 2010 to 93 percent in 2014, which is well above the state score of 69 percent this year.
SAT scores also reflected an upwards trend. Over the years, more and more students have been taking the SAT. In 2010, 69 percent of SHS students took the SAT, while in 2014, 80 percent of SHS students took the test.
“We always want to have as many of our kids to take this as possible, because I never know what my kids are going to do after high school,” said Semmel. “And even if they decide to go to a trade school that may not need an SAT scores. They don’t know what they’re going to do ten years after high school and having an SAT score does not hurt that.”
Southington students combined scores on the SAT exceeded both the national average and the state average in 2014. The national average was 1497 and the state average was 1425, while the SHS 2014 average was 1574.
In order to meet the needs of the exceling student body at SHS more Advanced Placement (AP) courses have been offered each year. The school report revealed that during the 2011-12 year there were 12 AP courses offered at SHS. This year, there are 18 AP courses available to SHS students.
“I’m expected over the next year or two the Curriculum Instruction Committee will start seeing some recommendations for yet another one or two classes that we’re looking to add,” said Semmel. “You might hear about a human geography class, you might hear about an AP economics class, so we’re looking at other courses.”
Students at SHS can take more than one AP course, so Semmel include the amount of seats available for all AP courses at SHS in his report.
In 2010, 349 seats in AP courses were being taken at SHS. However by 2014, 559 seats in AP courses were taken.
“For this school year we actually have 733 seats of AP are being taken,” said Semmel.
The total number of AP students at SHS in 2010 was 211, by 2014 the number increased to 254. Semmel said that this year, there are a total of about 350 students enrolled in AP courses.
“To me that’s really an exciting number, that we had that many more kids taking AP classes,” said Semmel. “I don’t worry about kids getting college credit for these AP classes, my biggest concern is that they have the opportunity to take a college level course before they graduate high school.”
All of these test scores and courses make a difference in college acceptance. In 2014, 88.5 percent of students continued on to a post-secondary educational institution. The report revealed that 61. 9 percent of graduates went on to attend four year colleges, while 25 percent went on to attend two year colleges.
Semmel said many people are surprised to find out where SHS ranks in post-secondary education.
“I was having a conversation with a parent not too long ago and I told him that we’re close to 90 percent of our students going on to four year and two year colleges,” said Semmel. “And they were like, ‘Wow that many!’”
Semmel’s report also included the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) scores of SHS students. The CAPT test results are measured from level below basic, basic, proficient, goal and advanced.
In 2014, SHS 481 students took CAPT. According to Semmel’s report, about 91 percent of these students tested at or above the proficiency and 64 percent tested at or above goal.
Despite the majority of students testing well, Semmel said that he would like to get more resources to address students that are testing at a low level.
“We should never ever forget about the group that tests at the below basic level,” said Semmel. “I’ve still got kids reading at the fifth grade level who are coming to high school. I know teachers have been working hard with them from K to up to where they are now, but we can’t just say “Oh well.’”

By Lindsay Carey
Staff Writer
The Southington High School (SHS) Wall of Honor Committee inducted five graduates, including a research astronomer, a renowned choreographer, a Coast Guard hero, a leader in motor vehicles, and an international relations expert to the Wall of Honor Monday evening.
“Its amazing when you look at who goes up here and the people this year and in the past to think they all grew up in Southington and went to our schools,” said Bob Brown, SHS social studies teacher and chair of the Wall of Honor Committee. “I would hope that our students look at it, especially if they are struggling with something, and think that they can achieve something like this.”
Dr. Taft Armandroff, John Krafcik, Alwin Nikolias, Captain Jim Passarelli and Michael John Williams, Ph.D had their 2014 Wall of Honor plaques presented during a brief ceremony.
Two of five inductees, Williams and Passarelli, were able to attend the induction ceremony at the high school. Brown read the plaque of every inductee and presented them with one to take home or be mailed to them, while the other plaque would go in the case at the high school.
Armandroff graduated from SHS in 1978 and holds a Masters and Ph.D in astronomy from Yale University. He is a respected research astronomer and is an author of 41 journal articles and review papers. Armandroff currently lives in Texas and runs the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas.
Inductee Krafcik graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in engineering and received a Masters degree from the MIT Sloan School in Management. He formerly achieved record sales as President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America and was also a leader for Ford Motor Co. He has received several awards for his innovation with motor vehicles and sales. Krafcik currently lives and works as the President of TruCar, an online car shopping website.
Nikolias, who passed away in 1993, was born and raised in Southington. He was trained in dance at Bennington College and has received five honorary doctorate degrees. Nikolias was a nationally recognized choreographer, modern dancer, teacher, designer and also did active duty in the army during WWII. He also co-founded the Nicholas Murray Foundation for dance. Nikolias received several prestigious awards from countries including France, Italy, Yugoslavia and the U.S.
Passereli graduated from SHS in 1987. He holds degrees from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, George Mason University and MIT Sloan School of Management. He was honored for his work helping evacuate Haiti and rescue more than 3000 Haitian refugees. Through national security, Passereli has also helped to cease millions of dollars in drugs and stopped terrorists from entering the country.
“It’s very humbling when you hear all the citations for the other people, you kind of feel like what am I doing with this group,” said Passarelli. “There are so many accomplished people that come from this school and to be a part of that group is very humbling for me.”
Williams, who was one of Brown’s students, graduated from SHS in 1998. He has received multiple degrees including a Ph.D in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Some of his accomplishments include being a professor of international relations at the University of London, a visiting fellow at Oxford University, Assistant Political Military Affairs Officer for the U.S. Embassy, Editor in Chief of a couple international relations publications and much more.
As the most recent graduate this year to be inducted, Williams was supported by not only family, but teachers at the event.
“It’s actually really nice the number of teachers who came out that I had. I was really touched by that,” said Williams. “It’s kind of a blast from the past to be in the building, but what made the high school special were the people in the building not so much the building and so without the people here it’s not the same.”

By Tammi Naudus
Michael John Williams, left and Captain Jim Passereli, right, stand with Southington High School teacher Bob Brown, center, following the induction ceremony into the Wall of Honor at the school.

By Lindsay Carey
Staff Writer
The Southington High School Robotics Team, Team 195, or more commonly known as the Cyber Knights, recently competed in and won at the 16th annual Bash at the Beach post-season competition in Old Lyme.
The Cyber Knights competed for one last time with the F-195 Knighthawk, which was named in honor of the U.S. Air Force, in the 2014 game “Aerial Assist.”
“I think it was really good to see the Knighthawk in action,” said Team Mentor Sandra Brino. “The robot was special to them and they really enjoyed playing with it one more time.”
The Cyber Knights achieved a 6-1 record and qualified as the number 3 seed with the Knighthawk.
For the final round of the competition, which saw 24 teams compete, the Cyber Knights collaborated with Team 558 Robosquad from New Haven and Team 1699, the Robocats from Colcheste,r and won the competition.
Team 195 won not only for their robotics, but was also recognized for their character. The team received the Gracious Professionalism Award at the event and Brino said that they have one this award before at other competitions.
“What makes 195 unique is their reaching out to other teams throughout the state of Connecticut,” said Brino.
According to her they help other teams by practicing together, building and sharing resources like the practice field.
“We want to bring all of the state of Connecticut to the best it can be in robotics,” said Brino. “So we help other teams even though we compete against them. It makes the competition a lot more fun when you’re competing with and against friends.”
Brino said that the Cyber Knights have developed close relationships with other robotics teams like Team 558 Robosquad, who they won the Southington district event with last year.
The Cyber Knights have enjoyed working with other teams to improve each others robots, despite it being a competition. According to Brino, the SHS Robotics team has developed a reputation for welcoming other teams and lending a help hand when needed.
“It’s not uncommon to see someone from the Southington team fixing a robot from an opposing team,” said Brino.
Brino said that the team is currently gearing up for Jan. 3, when FIRST will announce what the 2015 game will be through a live broadcast to 3,000 teams all over the world via a web feed.
“There’s a lot of excitement around the new game,” said Brino.
After the FIRST kickoff broadcast on Jan. 3, the students will have six weeks to design, manufacture, assemble and wire a new robot.
Brino said that their first competition will be the weekend of Feb. 28 and they will continue to compete through April.
“They’re really excited and looking forward to another great season,” said Brino. “We couldn’t do it without the support of the local businesses. They’re the ones that fund this program and keep it going.”

File Photo
The Southington High School Cyber Knights robotics team recently won a post-season competition in Old Lyme. The team is awaiting the FIRST kickoff broadcast on January 3.

By JOHN GORALSKI
SPORTS WRITER
Ally Schroeder cut almost five seconds off her personal best in the 200 individual medley to claw her way into the top 30. In her final race, she climbed over eight swimmers and dropped her time by almost three seconds to break into the top 20 in the 100 backstroke.
That’s the kind of effort that Coach Evan Tuttle was looking for at the Class LL qualifying meet in East Hartford. Sure, Schroeder will only advance to the finals in one of her two individual events, but she started the day as a longshot in both races.
“I can’t say enough about her efforts,” said Tuttle. “She was on the outside looking in at the start of the meet, but she got back to finals. Her times didn’t get her into the championship heats, but to get down to where she is and back into finals was a great testament to the hard work she’s been putting in all year.”
The Lady Knights opened the state competition on Saturday, Nov. 8, and they took the competition by storm. Southington swimmers set a pair of school records with two individuals battling into a medal heat. Every relay advanced to the finals, and at least five individuals have earned a chance to compete at the finals.
“I am pleased, but it’s not really a mystery,” said Tuttle. “You go in with the anticipation of being the best you can be. Some performed better than others, but overall everybody was able to do a good job.”
For the second year in a row, Marissa Matthews battled her way into the medal round. The sophomore advanced to the finals with her time in the 50 freestyle (25.89), but she enters the final meet with the third best seed time in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.56). Her finish in the breaststroke broke the previous school record, set last year by Laurel Dean.
“That was one of the better races that we saw out of anybody,” said Tuttle. “She came in at a 1:11 but she dropped almost three seconds off her time. It was incredible.”
Joining her in the medal round is Olivia Fournier. The freshman leapfrogged over two other qualifiers to get into the top eight in the 50 freestyle and enters the final as the No. 6 seed. Her time (25.44) broke the previous school record. Only one other freshman finished ahead of her, and that’s a good sign of things to come.
Fournier also advance in the 100 freestyle as the 12th seed (55.77).
“This was a great showing at her first high school state meet,” said Tuttle. “She finished third or fourth in her heat, but she was sitting in lane six. It’s always difficult to swim on the outside. You can’t see the girls in the middle, and those are the ones that are usually seeded the highest with the fastest times. If we can get her off the blocks a little faster, she’ll do even better at the finals.”
To advance to the finals, swimmers and relays need to finish in the top 24 at the qualifying meet, but only the top eight are eligible for medals at the finals. On the other hand, everyone is battling for a state open berth no matter which heat they are competing in.
Shroeder advanced as the 20th seed in the 100 backstroke (1:04.57), and two others claimed the 25th position for a chance to compete in the finals as first alternates. Kerry Buchanan (5:47.01) is first alternate in the 500 freestyle. Ashley Christensen (1:15.93) is first alternate in the 100 breaststroke.
“We want to give ourselves the best chance we can to get back to opens on Saturday,” said Tuttle. “This was a great first step at the qualifying meet. Now, we have to continue that momentum on Wednesday.”
In addition, the Knights will send all three relays into the second fastest heats at finals. Schroeder partnered with Bethany Greenlaw, Sam Sagnella, and Hannah Olsen for 12th place in the 200 medley relay (2:03.84). Buchanan and Christensen teamed up with Kristen Loose and Bailey Potter for 13th place in the 400 freestyle relay.
The 200 freestyle relay finished just outside the medal round with a ninth place finish at the qualifying meet. Matthews and Fournier paired with Loose and Buchanan (1:46.22), and Tuttle expects them to have a good chance to advance to the state open..
“We knew going into states that our 200 freestyle relay was our best opportunity at advancing into the state opens, and it still is,” said Tuttle, “But the results from the qualifying meets in four different classes show that it’s a really fast year in the state. We’re going to try to put ourselves in the best possible position to advance. It just might take a faster time than we anticipated.”
The finals are scheduled for Wednesday at Wesleyan University, and the top 24 performances across all four Class finals will earn a berth at the state open championships. State open competition is schedule for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Kiputh pool on the campus of Yale University in New Haven.
To comment on this story or to contact sports writer John Goralski, email him at jgoralski@southingtonobserver.com.

Marisa Matthews, above, was one of two Lady Knights to set a school record and advance to the medal round at the Class LL finals. Matthews set a record in the 50 freestyle (25.89), and Olivia Fournier set a new record in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.56).

By JOHN GORALSKI
SPORTS WRITER
Kyle Borawski ripped the ball from the air and surveyed the field in front of him as his teammates shifted into position like an army of chessmen preparing to strike.
Austin Morin stumbled out of the backfield to throw the first block. Matt Maxwell swept another defenseman out of the way. A line of blockers seemed to point in the direction of Alex Jamele, and the Blue Knight receiver seemed to beckon Borawski from the other sidelines.
“I caught it, and I knew that there were people in front of me,” he said. “I just had to follow my blocks, and I knew they had my back. I saw Jamele, so I went all the way across the field because I knew that he’d get that block for me.”
Borawski fell in step behind his teammates and they wove a path that criss-crossed the field for a 50-yard score. The first quarter wasn’t even over, and Southington had all but secured the victory.
“We just wanted to establish our tempo and execute. That’s the biggest thing,” said Blue Knight football coach Mike Drury. “We want to be able to execute every play to the best of our ability offensively. Defensively, we want to fly around to the ball, tackle great, and play clean, disciplined football. That’s what we did.”
On Saturday, Nov. 15, it was a clear case of the haves versus the have-nots. Southington was looking for their ninth straight victory after clinching a postseason berth. South Windsor was looking to survive their 10th straight loss against one of the top seeds in Class LL.
It wasn’t even close.
“Everybody did their jobs. The offense blocked. The receivers caught their balls. Everybody held their stand, and that’s what we needed to do here today,” said Blue Knight quarterback Jasen Rose. “South Windsor’s not the toughest team, but they put up a good fight. I give them props. They fought the whole game. We just fought harder.”
Southington scored in every quarter and built a 34-0 lead by the end of the first half. Rose completed 10 of 14 passes for 191 yards and five scores. Borawski managed just two catches for 56 yards, but he scored both times. Jamele (79 yards) scored twice to move within one touchdown catch of the state’s career scoring record. Maxwell scored the other.
On the ground, five ballcarriers combined for 143 yards and two scores. Alessio Diana (69 yards) scored in the first half, and Ryan Montalvo capped the scoring in the fourth quarter as Southington surged to a 48-0 win.
“It all starts off with the offensive line who provided great protection for Jay. Then, it’s just the receivers making plays,” said Drury. “He’s got some great weapons there. All of those guys can make plays at any given time. He did a great job keeping the tempo and seeing them downfield and making the throws.”
Defensively, the Knights were even better. Matt Thompson led the charge with nine tackles. Logan LaRosa added seven, and Dan Williams finished with six. Matt Koczera, Steve Hamel, and Montalvo contributed five tackles apiece as the Knights held the Bobcats without a single completion and just 31 yards of total offense.
“It was a great day to play football, and the kids battled,” said Drury. “We picked up a couple penalties in the first half, but the guys cleaned it up and we did a great job.”
Now, all that remains is the Thanksgiving Day rivalry with Cheshire. Southington needs one more win to complete their second straight bid for a perfect regular season. Coming off a 49-21 win over Wilbur Cross, Cheshire (8-2) needs a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. Kick-off is scheduled for 10 a.m.
“Throw out the record books,” said Drury. “It’s Thanksgiving Day, and I know that they’re going to be prepared. We’ll be prepared, and it’s going to be a great football game.”
To comment on this story or to contact sports writer John Goralski, email him at jgoralski@southingtonobserver.com.

Jasen Rose stays steady in the pocket as Southington receivers scramble to get open. Rose completed 10 of 14 passes for 191 yards and five scores during a 48-0 win over South Windsor.

Tickets are available for the Class LL-Large school semifinal between top-seeded Southington High School (10-0) and No. 4 Glastonbury (8-3). The game is scheduled to kick-off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 on Fontana Field in Southington. Tickets are $10 for adults ($5 for students and seniors). Advance tickets are available for purchase at http://ciacsports.ticketleap.com.

By LINDSAY CAREY
STAFF WRITER

Last year, Southington High School started with one book club.
Today, SHS Literacy Specialist and Teacher of the Year Jennifer Paul is leading 11 book clubs for students at the school and says the clubs just keep growing.
“This year, it’s crazy. I can’t keep up,” said Paul. “There are just so many groups and we just keep getting more. More kids want to join, more kids want to read. It’s unbelievable.”
The clubs meet with peers in their grade level to discuss modern books in genres that interest them. Everyone in the group is invited to make suggestions of books they would like to read and discuss with their peers.
One club of about a dozen seniors met this week to discuss the novelm, “Attachments,” by Rainbow Rowell. Paul not only read the book along with the students and led the discussion; she also provided snacks such as Oreos, tortilla chips, and Capri Sun Juice Drinks.
The club discussed much more than whether they liked or disliked the book. They openly shared in a casual way their analysis of characters, the author’s motives, turning points in the tale, and the conclusion of the book.
Student book club leader Ashley Christensen, who chose “Attachments,” said that she is conscious of making sure that the club doesn’t feel like another English class and that everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. Christensen said she offered a couple of book titles as suggestions for the group before finally landing on one. She was pleased to find everyone enjoyed her choice.
“I think it’s cool, because we have to read things like ‘The Scarlet Letter’ or ‘The Crucible’ or ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and it’s just not exciting,” said senior Mack Golos. “This is like a modern topic that students can relate to.”
Paul said students enjoy that the book clubs are all about reading for pleasure. The students in these groups choose books on topics they enjoy and can relate to rather than reading something just because it was assigned. 
Another member of the book club Bailey Potter said sometimes she dreads reading certain books for school, but when she was reading “Attachments” she found herself up late at night trying to finish just one more chapter of the book.
Although the students may not like reading the classic English books for their literature classes, Paul said the book clubs are improving their ability to read those books by increasing students’ reading stamina. According to her, there are students who were reading below grade level that are spending their weekends reading books at their grade level and taking notes, because they are excited about what they’re reading.
“They’re able to read more in less time. They’re able to enjoy and understand what they’re reading,” said Paul. “So when they get to their English books they’re more ready to meet the challenge of those books.”
The book clubs at SHS are also helping the students socially, because they have a group of people now that they have gotten to know through the book club. Paul said that sometimes teachers will participate in the book club meetings, which allow students to form better relationships with them as well.
“When we see each other in the hallway, we’ll stop and say to each other, ‘Hey, did you finish the book yet?’ or ‘Hey, what do you think about this scene?’ because we have that shared experience,” said Paul.
Paul is now taking the book clubs even further by giving the students the opportunity to mentor younger children. After speaking with the principal of Thalberg School, Paul has invited some of the book clubs to collaborate with fourth grader students at Thalberg for a virtual book club.
She said each SHS book club that participates will be assigned a fourth grade class at Thalberg and they will meet by video chatting. After initially meeting online, the group all will read a fourth grade level book. Using Google Docs, the high school students will post questions for the fourth graders to answer. 
After corresponding about the book chapter by chapter, the fourth graders will be invited to SHS for a field trip. The mentors and mentees finally will meet face to face and may take a tour of the Agricultural Science department at SHS to see some of the animals. The virtual book club collaboration experience will challenge the fourth grade students and also provide leadership experience for the SHS students that can be put on their resumes or can be discussed in future job interviews.

By LINDSAY CAREY
STAFF WRITER

The Town Council unanimously approved a bond ordinance of $407,000 for the replacement of the roof at the atrium of Southington High School.
There was a public hearing for the ordinance held at the beginning of the meeting, however, the public remained mum.
Director of Operations for the Southington Public Schools Peter Romano said leakage has been an ongoing problem in the atrium area.
“We’re looking to do a responsible design that will consider the structure of it as well as the aesthetics of it,” said Romano.
He said the area is often used for executive level meetings and the current roof tends to be dirty, because it is made of plexiglass. According to Romano, aesthetics will be considered, but not at the cost of the building’s original design.
“Although, the high school is the flagship of the Southington school system, we do want to be responsible to what the design is,” said Romano.
Romano shared with the council that the next step is to hire an architect and engineer to get some designs prepared. He also explained multiple designs will be drawn up, so that there will be back up plans in case the original plan does not work within the budget.
Romano said he is hoping the designs will be complete by late December or early January, so that bids for the project can be opened.
“The work would obviously not open while the school is in session, but it’s a very good bid climate to be out in February,” said Romano. “The contractors are aggressive and we’d like to hit the ground running as soon as school is out of sessions.”

Southington High School has announced its first quarter honor roll:
Grade 9 First Honors

Rosanna Airo, Victoria Aldieri, Jacob Anderson, Katarina Aulbach, Cicily Balachandar, Madison Beaudoin, Mackenzie Beaupre, Emma Becotte, Chloe Becquey, Evan Bender, Allison Blaszko, Julia Brilla, Allison Brown, Timothy Budnik, Collin Burbank, Zachary Burleigh, Carolyn Callahan, Gina Calo, Ryan Case, Gabrielle Cerra, Sophia Chaltas, Kevin Chudy, Chelsea Cocozza, Jacqueline Coley, Abigail Connolly, Steven Cova, Madison Daddona, Carlie DeFelice, Kira Dethlefsen, Julia Dietz, Brianna Dixon, Kathryn Dondero, Melissa Drexler, Trevor Dufresne, Michelle Flynn, Ryan Flynn, Olivia Fournier, Diamond Garcia, Matthew Garry, Ariana Gazaferi, Brianna Gee, Julia Groll, Adam Gwara, Jeffrey Hannigan, Taylor Harton, Jack Herms, Daniel Hunter, Katelyn Ierardi, Alexa Imme, Katie Judge, Mikaela June, Brandon Jurkowski, Julia Kahl, Rea Kelolli, Alex Klinzmann, Alexander Kuhr, David Kupcho, Alex Le, Abigail Legere, Shane Leone, Tanthalas Lowrey, Zachary MacDonald, Claire Macioce, Teresa Maffiolini, Faryn Malley, Joseph Martin, Nicole Martocchio, Marissa Mastroianni, Ariella Matarazzo, Sydney Mauro, Donna McNeill, Julia McPherson, Hartlee Meier, Sarah Minkiewicz, Daniel Minton, Jessica Monte, Zachary Monti, Kayleigh Moses, Emily Nadile, Michelle Nogaj, Kathleen O’Reilly, Eric Padden, Erin Palinkos, Gianna Passarelli, Britni Pastyrnak, Amisha Paul, Amy Paul, Spencer Perry, Tyler Peruta, Jessica Pesce, Jacob Petruzzi, Anthony Riccio, Tayler Riddick, Andrew Robel, Rachel Roberts, Julia Rodman, Holly Ross, Katarina Rothstein, Alexa Rutkowski, Sylvia Rutkowski, Christina Sack, Isabella Salazar, Morgan Santos, Isabella Scalise, Ashley Shafran, Saipriya Sharma, Anna Shugrue, Ashley Son, Niko Sophroniou, Faith Sporbert, Caitlyn St. Jarre, James Starr, Jack Storm, Bethany Synott, Robert Taylor, John Terray, John Terry, Cade Testa, Jennifer Thai, Zachary Thomas, Emily Tinyszin, Vanessa Tischofer, Cheyenne Tomassetti, Daniel Topper, Emma Topper, Amanda Travers, Thomas Tsangarides, Justin Verrilli, Janette Wadolowski, Benjamin Wakefield, Joelle Wankerl, Madina Welcome, Julia Wells, Rachel Williams, Molly Wright, Sean Young, Lydia Yu, Kateryna Yurkevych, Emily Zakrzewski, Kara Zazzaro, Stephanie Zera, Sammi Zhang, Nicholas Zollo

Grade 10 First Honors
Madison Aldieri, Hallie Altwies, Kelly Angeli, Alissa Anglis, Jake Aparo, Lily Baker, Katerina Belales, Kayla Birmingham, Skylar Blumetti, Sydney Brault, Megan Burke, Laura Calandra, William Carbone, Andrew Chavez, Meghan Cichon, Kamryn Cochrane, Dominic Coppola, Kristen Craven, Tyler Cyr, Annelise D’Abramo, Anthony D’Abramo, Evan D’Agostino, Erica Daigle, Amanda Delorme, Megan Delorme, Cassandra Dethlefsen, Nickolina Doran, Brian Durocher, Victoria Duszak, Jasmyne Engman, Kata Erdei, Katherine Estell, Jared Fernandez, Juliana Ferreri, Hunter Forrest, Michael Freeman, Laura Furtak, Rebecca Gagne, Jay Gandhi, Emily Gibney, Matthew Gundersen, Joshua Hilliard, Rachel Huff, Hannah Jackman, Katie Kelley, Kelly Kritz, Sydney Kroll, Erik Kryzanski, Jordan Lamkins, Samantha Lamkins, Michael Listro, Rebecca Lo Presti, Michael Loose, Emily Lyons, Morgan Maccione, Alexa Maddalena, Maegan Mariani, Marissa Matarazzo, Kristen Mathew, Leen Matit, Michael Mauro, Connor McDonough, Ryan McIntyre, Jordan McMeans, Margaret Meehan, John Mindek, Tyler Moquin, Amanda Morach, Mark Murdy, Thomas Murdy, Catherine Myers, Ashley Nelson, Cameron Nelson, Bao-Anh Nguyen, Jillian Noli, Elysse Page, Evyenia Papageorge, Anjali Patel, Jessica Piotrowski, Andrew Premus, Samantha Purushotham, Jesse Rasten, Morgan Raymond, Michael Ricciardone, Turner Rodman, Benjamin Russman, Stephen Rutkowski, Joseph Savage, Joseph Savarese, Matthew Sciota, Kaitlin Semmel, Kyle Semmel, Brendan Shea, Nathan Simard, Kyle Solomon, Kimberly Stafko, Samantha Steeves, Carson Stifel, Brandon Stone, Brendan Taylor, Sean Terry, Alison Theriault, Olivia Thomas, Stephen Vollaro, Megan Walsh, Natiya Washer, James Weil, Michelle Woodruff, Alexa Zborowski, Artur Zielinski

Grade 11 First Honors
Jacob Armstrong, Nicole Breedlove, James Brino, Rachel Bruno, Samantha Butlien, Jacob Buzzell, Anthony Cammuso, Raegan Casarella, Katelin Chamberland, Fizza Chaudhry, Nicole Christensen, Timothy Cocozza, Jennifer Congdon, Adam Cormier, Olivia Cranney, Andrea Defeo, Adam Dorau, Steven Dorzens, Megan Enright, Jarod Florian, Tyler Fox, Chelsea French, Katrina Furgalack, Jessica Gagnon, Cassandra Gaudio, Natalia Gimenez, Bethany Greenlaw, Nicole Groll, Jessica Howe, Mark Howland, Jenny Johnson, Samantha Jones, Kayla Judd, Kayla Kavanagh, Sana Khan, Jacob Kligerman, Laura Koba, Visal Kong, Reed Kroll, Sarah Lamb, Sylwia Lewkowicz, Katie Lindberg, Kristina Linehan, Jeffrey Lockwood, Samantha Lohneiss, Scott Lucian, Emily Maciejewski, Salvatore Magnano, Steven McPherson, Haley Mullin, Brianna Muscio, Nathaniel Nagorski, Shannon O’Connor, Nicholas Ottalagana, Lauren Parker, Alissa Paul, Katherine Peccerillo, Niels Peschel, Christopher Pestillo, Nicholas Pierson, Alex Rasten, Allie Rinaldi, John Rivers, Domenic Rossi, Kalista Ruoff, Brenna Sarantides, Amy Serrano, Sarah Sherwill, Brett Simms, Lucia Sintoni, Jason Soltys, Nicolette St. Amand, Alexander Statkevich, John Stevens, Kahli Travers, Krysta Tsangarides, Natalie Wadolowski, Joseph Zavorskas, Angelina Zollo

Grade 12 First Honors
Megan Albert, Alexandra Barmore, Caroline Barry, Zachary Bauer, Erich Bender, Erik Bergland, Cheyenne Bevans, Jonathan Blain, Michael Botsacos, Tyler Brinton, Adam Brush, Kaitlyn Budrow, Cassandra Camilli, Lauren Carney, Jenna Casey, Madison Chapman, Caroline Charlton, Ashley Christensen, Bridget Clark, Erin Cova, Dakota Curtis, James Danielson, Kyle DeAngelo, Austin DeGumbia, Kevin Drexler, Matthew Duszak, Julie Falk, David Falvo, Marissa Feeney, Nicole Fischer, Kayleigh Flanigan, Mackenzie Flanigan, Kayla Folcik, Miranda Gazaferi, Mack Golos, Jessica Goralski, Julia Granato, Jocelyn Gregor, Patrick Gustavson, Amanda Hamel, Antoine Harris, Rebecca Hayes, Abigail Heller, Benjamin Herms, Adriel Hernandez, James Hoder, Abigail Hodges, Aubrey Jalbert, Alexander Jamele, Meghan Kelley, Leah Kligerman, Sharon Kwok, Jessica Lee, Ellie Lefkovich, Zachary Levesque, Emily Lippincott, Kristen Loose, Sarah Luczak, Joshua Marcil, Brianna Marinelli, Angela Masciangioli, Nicholas Mauriello, Marissa Mayo, Morgan McCarthy, Margaret Mellitt, Anthony Meneo, Haley Messenger, Kayla Michalic, Eric Minton, Jake Moise, Zachary Murillo, Talia Nanfito, Flora Nardi, Quan Nguyen, Luke Nichols, Daniel Normandin, Connor O’Hara, Ryan Padden, Michael Pagano, Sarah Palko, Priya Patel, Colby Pelletier, Lee Ann Pelletier, Emily Pestillo, Bailey Potter, Ryan Pulver, Cassidy Race, Julia Reilly, Anthony Renzi, Francesco Ricigliano, Nicole Ricker, Raquel Romano, Alexandra Rothstein, Amanda Scheffler, Brett Shaw, Autumn Sheffy, Jarod Shurack, Ryann Snodgrass, Matthew Sorrentino, Kathleen Spagnoletti, Connor Sperry, Matthew Steeves, Rianna Susco, Michael Taylor, Michael Theriault, Matthew Torrisi, Christina Trovato, Elizabeth Veilleux, Veronica Viturale, Adam Viviano, Abigail Wadman, Colleen Walsh, Nicholas Wells, Brittany Williams, Elizabeth Woods, Caitlin Young, Chase Yurgaitis, Maghen Zagryn

Grade 9 Second Honors
Michael Abucewicz, Nandani Adhyapak, Syed Ahmed, Brianna Albanese, Jacob Albert, Maria Alecsandru, Sarah Allard, Haley Allen, Nolyn Allen, Cora Altomari, Catrina Aszklar, Jessica Baillargeon, James Baril, Samantha Barmore, William Barmore, Gabriella Bassi-Belanger, Andrew Bauer, Jordan Beaupre, Shawn Begin, Nicoletta Belales, Madeline Belfonti, Megan Biscoglio, Amanda Boccio, Logan Brayfield, Brandy Brinton, Cole Brock, Amanda Brocki, Lokshmi Brown, Erica Bruno, Connor Brush, Shalyn Butkiewicz, Marissa Calandra, Jordan Cammuso, Jacqueline Carbone, Kaitlyn Carrubba, Allison Carta, Elizabeth Cassan, Amy Cayer, William Ceruti, Odalys Chavez, Dylan Chiaro, Cameron Clynes, Emily Cole, Mark D’Agostino, Evan Daddona, Nicholas Daddona, Amber Daley, Thomas Danby, Jacob DeLorenzo, Kaitlyn DeMaio, Rachel DePonte, Mason Dibble, Sarah Dill, Molly Dobratz, Shelby Doerfler, Noah Dombal, Zachary Domian, Michael Dorsey, Brendon Egan, Kaylee Fantoli, James Feltz, April Fenn, Francesca Ferrante, Mario Ferreri, Katherine Foley, Lauren Foligno, Anthony Gandolfo, Brooke Garcia, Jessica Gesnaldo, Matthew Gioia, Casandra Govoni, Lauren Graef, Heather Hannigan, Jacob Hayes, Amanda Howe, Taylor Hubert, Nathaniel Huff, Aisha Hussain, Medina Iljazi, Kristian Izydorczak, Keegan Jarvis, Felicity Keyworth, Quintin Kimmel, Kelly Koba, Joseph Koczera, Brandon Kohl, Jakub Kolodziejczyk, Radoslaw Konopka, Jonathan Kryzanski, Jake Kubisek, Megan Lamontagne, Benjamin Lavertu, Conner Leone, Sarah Lew, Ariana Llabani, Andrew Lohneiss, David MacKay, Jacob Manente, Sydney Marecki, Lindsay Marziarz, Alyssa McDonald, Shelby McMahon, Mahima Mehta, Jeremy Mercier, Jacob Mohr, Jake Monson, Sarah Myrick, Michaela Nanfito, Sarah Newhart, Katthy Nguyen, Timothy O’Shea, Matthew Olson, Richard Olson, Katherine Oshana, Stephen Pannone, Samuel Pappas, Safiyah Pathan, Angelo Pederson, Tiana Perez-Toro, David Perlot, William Pfanzelt, Katryna Pfeiffer, Jonathan Pierson, Megan Posadas, Nicholas Ragozzine, Ethan Rathbun, Emma Reney, Sydney Rice, Brett Rycki, Dorian Sa, Timothy Sadlowski, Sana Saeed, Brittney Sao, Shaan Shah, Suchi Sheth, Keegan Smith, Morgan St. Jarre, Garrett Susi, Kendall Suski, Kieran Tindall, Coral Tommervik, Phuong Trinh, Sarah Tynan, Christian Vargas, Jasmin Vega, Vincent Viturale, Nicolina Votino, Shivali Vyas, Ester Vynar, David Wadman, Shaun Wagner, Stephanie Wang, Rosalese Waskowicz, Tagan Welch, Rosalie Whitehead, Brandon Willis, Brett Wolff, Cheyanne Young, Patrycja Zajac, Cameron Zegzdryn, Hannah Zelina, Lia Zelvis, William Zesut

Grade 10 Second Honors
Austin Abacherli, Amir Agoora, Abigail Alfieri, Michael Allen, Seth Almeida, Alyssa Ash, Abigale Asklar, Jake Babon, Rachel Baldick, Martha Barry, Katherine Bauer, Rachel Belanger, Nicholas Benham, Jake Bertola, Daniel Berube, Ryan Bjorklund, Zachary Blake, Jenna Boccio, Alyssa Boucher, Jennifer Briscoe, Colton Brown, Taylor Brown, Robert Bunting, Michaela Carrera, Jade Cassidy, Kyle Chinigo, Nicole Chuchro, Alex Ciaffaglione, Samantha Cocchiola, Megan Colleran, Kayla Coppola, Adam Curley, Bianca D’Amore, Presley Dahn, Dante DeCesare, Michael DeFeo, Matthew DeLorenzo, Hannah DeMaio, Isabella DiBattista, Andrew Gallagher, Austin Garuti, Matteo Gaudio, Shamus Geel, Erin Gibney, Lyndsey Giudice, Kelly Graff, Jonathan Gray, Stephanie Gray, Samantha Greenslate, Rachael Haberski, Daniel Hackerman, Skye Hamm, Alexandra Harris, Veronica Heigel, Jordan Helton, Kyle Hermann, Kailey Hinckley, Michael Jagos, Emma Jaworowski, Kornelia Jez, Lance Johnston, Jessica Karwowski, Rohan Kataria, Catherine Kates, H. Kilgore, Kendra Kochol, Aleia Kolodziejczyk, Allison Krampitz, Nathan L’Heureux, Amanda Lavoie, Christina Lebel, Kimberly Lebel, Dylan Levesque, Lexie Lewis, Andrew Luczak, Crystal Madore, Megan Mahon, Ryan Mailhot, Janelle Mangassarian, Samantha Martins, Marisa Matthews, Matthew McLaughlin, Kaitlyn McNamara, Mark Meade, Taryn Meenan, Natalie Messner, Peyton Mitchell, Sean Molgano, Anthony Mondo, Ashlee Montefalco, Julia Mularczyk, Madelyn Nichols, Tianna Oliva, Hannah Olsen, Lars Olson, Albert Palumbo, Vasoula Papageorge, Chandni Patel, Brianna Pellerin, Ariel Perry, Timothy Perry, Benjamin Pestillo, Justin Phen, Delaney Picard, Thomas Ragozzino, Nathan Raposa, Nicholas Rappi, Joshua Richardson, Bailey Robarge, Alexyss Roderick, Francesca Russo, Samantha Sagnella, Joshua Salgado, Paul Schweiger, Ryan Sheehan, Kristen Shubert, Joel Spinelli, Jeremy Spooner, Monique Szabo, Caitlin Taddeo, Noah Tedeschi, Mallory Terry, John Testa, John Thompson, Leann Tonnotti, Lauren Torino, Kristiana Torres, Rylee Van Epps, John Vecchio, Gabrielle Veilleux, Hannah Weir, Madison Whillock, Madison Yurgaitis, Zachary Zakreta, Michael Zera
 
Grade 11 Second Honors
Michael Aberizk, Andrew Ackerman, Leandro Alejandro, Griffin Alix, Kayla Allaire, Paige Allen, Timothy Anop, Andrew Ardolino, Jonathan Ardolino, Ciara Backus, Alicia Badorek, Joshua Barry, Austin Baumann, Matthew Becotte, Quinn Becotte, Mikayla Bedell, Shallynn Beerbaum, Joseph Bernetti, Kimberly Biela, Alexandra Bieniek, Brandon Birmingham, Nathan Blitz, Christopher Borkowski, Jasmine Boschulte, Kyle Bunko, Lauren Cafasso, Rebecca Caisse, Brooke Camden, Grace Cardozo, Victoria Castillo, Benjamin Chasse, Jacob Chasse, Luis Chavez, Payton Chiaro, Courtney Christino, Jacob D’Alessandro, Senton Dautllari, Anna DeCroce, Anthony DeGennaro, Margaux Degumbia, Adam Dell, Christie Dizenzo, Sarah Dolan, Connor Dombal, Kealey Donahue, Bryan Doyle, Hali Doyon, Rachel Dufresne, Spencer Eaton, Kristen Elliott, Daniel Fagan, Kathryn Falcetti, Nicholas Falco, Skye Farago, Drew Farkas, Luke Ferreira, Riley Freehling, Paul Gambardella, Michaela Ganezer, Taylor Garry, Sarah Gerrish, Trevor Godston, Megan Hamilton, Austin Hochstrate Hamera, Danielle Hughes, Christopher Iverson, Julia Izydorczak, Danielle Jaffer, Hassan Khan, Gregory Kloczko, Ryan Kosienski, Ashleigh Kristopik, Carter Krzesik, Kevin Kukla, Kyle Lalla, Kelly Lappen, Emily Mankus, Gage Marshall, Colton McInnis, Morgan McNamara, John Meade, Jordan Meier, Kaylah Miron, Kelsey Molina, Jonathan Moller, Annie Mongillo, Caroline Mongillo, Parker Mulholland, Ashley Nafis, Catherine Najarian, Alexis Negron, Nicole Nyerick, Mackenzie Parks, Sarah Parzych, Kushal Patel, Kaylee Pawlak, Dane Penksa, Briana Petta, Kali Pliego, Brandon Porter, Emma Powers, Devin Prive, Katrina Quoka, Sofia Ricciardi, Faith Ritchie, Erin Roach, Trever Rogers, Benjamin Sadlowski, Amanda Sao, Emily Sargent, Samantha Schiffer, Allison Schroeder, Jessica Seitz, Lauren Semataska, Jhanvi Shah, Morgan Shubert, Cole Simoneaux, Robert Sirko, Justin Sliker, William Smelley, Kelsey Snodgrass, Kyle Somers, Andrew Spitz, Amelia Sponauer, Emily Stafford, Michael Stafko, Mark Stalter, Erin Sullivan, Andrew Szandrocha, Melanie Tedeschi, James Terray, Paris Testa, Amanda Thompson, Aaron Tiscione, Jason Tosta, Katherine Trykowski, Jennifer Turci, Jenna Uba, Delana Veilleux, Diana Verderame, Matthew Verrilli, Edmond Vitcavage, James Wadman, Abigail Wallace, Ryan Wells, Lindsey Witte, Alexandra Wyluda, Aron Zamfino, Aaron Zerbe, Gabriella Zuk

Grade 12  Second Honors
Alexandria Abacherli, Ryan Abouchacra, Alaina Albino, Annelise Alfieri, Hayley Arduini, Marissa Asal, Meagan Asklar, Rachel Babon, Natane Baldwin, Trevor Baracchi, Kyle Barry, Lily Bernabe, Tiffany Blancato, Zachary Blanchette, Kyle Borawski, Melissa Borysewicz, Nickolas Brazil, Matthew Briscoe, Alicia Brocki, Zayda Broderick, Zachary Bylykbashi, Julian Cardozo, Patrick Carozza, Kayley Carrier, Bailey Carter, Kristiana Ceta, Cameron Chubet, Sarah Colston, Alana Conti, Kevin Corcoran, Elizabeth Costello, Austin Daly, Nicole Davey, Shawn Devin, Tyler DiTunno, Jessica Dos Santos, Sebastian Doughty, Kateri Downes, Casey Doyle, Brandon DuBois, Olivia Ende, Christopher Falk, Michael Fazzino, Kendra Friedt, Jessica Galatro, Jared Gavronski, Melissa Geffken, Allison Gibney, Ryan Goldstein, Elena Gomez, Alexander Gorr, Anna Gregoire, Natalia Grosfeld, Monica Hicks, Kendra Hill, William Holian, Mark Horanzy, Bailey Kahl, Leo Kavanah, Arooba Khan, Sana Khan, Devin King, Christopher Kingsbury, Colin Kochol, Haley Kolesnik, Antonella Kuziak, Megan Langdeau, Sarah Leahy, Stephanie Lemire, Jared Lentini, Spencer Levesque, Natalie Liquindoli, Catherine MacKay, Peter Majchrzak, Erin Martin, Kaitlin Martocchio, David Massabni, Matthew Maxwell, Gwyneth McFall-Gorman, Katherine Mellitt, Richard Ministro, Evan Misiorski, Jacob Molgano, Jennifer Monte, Jacqueline Morelli, Jack Myers, Rebekah Najarian, Rachel Nardi, Jessica Nelson, Amber O’Regan, Grant Ogrin, Zaya Oshana, Franklin Pac, John Pac, Dominick Palmisano, Megan Palumbo, Kyle Partiss, Kaitlin Paterson, Brenden Peasley, Thomas Perzanowski, Lucas Pfanzelt, Evan Pokorski, Christian Raczka, Mitchell Raczka, Jonathan Rappi, Erin Reilly, Maryssa Romano, Nicholas Rosario, Courtnie Roy, Isabella Russo, Rebecca Ryan, Cristian Sanchez, Liam Scafariello, Lillian Shaw, Daniel Smolinski, Francesca Sophroniou, Zachary Spratto, Victoria Stepien, Victoria Swartz, Alexa Taylor, Morgan Terry, Jake Thayer, Matthew Thomson, Shelby Thurston, Julia Tinyszin, Nicole Tombari, Curtis Topper, Rebecca Tsangarides, Ryan Wackelin, Nicole White, Timothy White, Adam Whitford, Neil Young, Jolanta Zajac, Lauren Zazzaro, Dominic Zmarlicki

By LINDSAY CAREY
STAFF WRITER

The American Legion Southington Post 72 is holding its annual oratorical contest at Southington High School on Monday, Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m., providing the opportunity for students to win cash prizes and possibly move on to compete both statewide and nationwide.

The Post 72 contest is open to all high school students who either attend SHS or live in Southington, but attend another local high school.

The American Legion Oratorical Contest will test students’ skills in writing and memorizing a speech, said Kathleen Reilly, SHS tenth grade English teacher.

Although most students have had to prepare and give speeches in school, this competition requires a certain level of dedication.

“It is an immense undertaking to write and memorize a speech,” said Reilly, who has taken on running the contest for the second year.

In order to write the speech, students must explore the Constitution and American citizenry, specifically anything that discusses civil rights for Americans.

“They also need to have a general understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of an American citizen,” said Reilly.

Participants also will be asked to discuss assigned topics, which will be based on the different amendments. Reilly said prompts for assigned topics will be provided on the day of the competition, which gives them a short amount of time to prepare for it.

Reilly said preparing a thought process in advanced can help students when it comes time to craft their piece. Speeches from last year’s competition are available on the American legion website.

“Viewing those ahead of time will help students with their timing and cadence,” said Reilly.

The SHS teacher also recommends that participants reach out to her or another adult for guidance prior to the competition.

“Even if they aren’t sure about what they are writing, they should get something down on paper,” said Reilly. “This will help the adult better help them mold their point.”

Other than being prepared to speak on these topics, a student’s speech must showcase their ability to think and speak clearly.

The American Legion Oratorical Contest is a learning experience in many ways. The competition is an opportunity for students to get involved in the community, an experience that they may not have otherwise had.

“Some students don’t have any involvement in their community,” said Reilly. “This is a great way to connect students with a town organization.”

Participants will meet veterans from the American Legion Post 72 and work with educators throughout the process.

Reilly also said the contest is a good lesson in following rules. The American Legion is strict about how it runs the contest and provides no leniency.

“This is possibly the first time a student comes across such a stringent process,” said Reilly.

Another benefit of participating in the competition is the cash award granted at the local, state and national level. The winner of the Post 72 contest will receive a $500 and and will go on to the First District American Legion contest.

If the student wins that contest, they will receive another $200 and a trip to the State of Connecticut contest. A first place win at the state level will provide the student with another $1,500, second place will win $1,000, and third through seventh place winners will receive $500 each. The first place winner will progress to the national contest in Indianapolis, Ind., where they could win between $14,000 and $18,000.

“Some students do work in the community to earn a living, but many of the jobs available for high school students don’t capitalize on their particular talents,” said Reilly.

However, Reilly said this competition allows students to capitalize on their talents by competing and provides them with an opportunity to earn money for college.

“This is something these students have not experienced before,” said Reilly. “Usually their competitions are for recognition, not monetary payout.”

Unfortunately in the past, the contest has not attracted many students. Reilly said last year the contest seemed to pique students’ interest until they found out they were expected to memorize the speech without using notecards or any prompting. Last year, one student competed uncontested.

The panel of judges chosen for the local competition remains unbiased and can range from members of the community, school board, or veteran members of the American Legion.

The Southington High School counseling department is offering a seminar aimed at high school juniors and their families. The informational session “Navigating the College Process” is designed to help families form a plan for future college students.

A power point presentation about college admission requirements and admission processes will be the main focus of the program.

The seminar will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 6:30 p.m., in the high school auditorium. All students and parents of the Class of 2016 are encouraged to attend.

American Legion Kiltonic Post 72 championed four local youth in their annual oratorical contest on Thursday, Feb. 5. The four anonymous contestants, above, pose with the Legionnaires after the contest.

SHS Principal Martin Semmel has been named as the new Plymouth superintendent.

By LINDSAY CAREY
STAFF WRITER

Back-to-back state football championships, a state marching band championship, a nationally-recognized robotics team, and an increase in students taking AP classes are just a few of the accomplishments Southington High School (SHS) principal Martin Semmel is proud to have been a part of.

Semmel reflected on the success Southington High School has had over recent years, as he will be leaving his position as principal to become the Superintendent of Plymouth-Terryville for 2015-2016 school year.

Semmel said, first and foremost, that his most rewarding experiences have come from interacting with the students in Southington.

“I think the most important thing that I will always have at the heart of what I will do is the kids,” said Semmel. “I love coming to work every day and just seeing our students. Just their presence reminds me about why we’re all here.”

The current SHS principal said that he is also most proud of the way SHS challenges its students academically and works to prepare students for the next step in their lives.

“We’ve really tried to make sure that every single student gets challenged and that they’re prepared for whatever happens after high school,” said Semmel. “We’ve increased the number of students taking AP classes dramatically.”

Semmel said that success in extracurricular activities in the athletics department and specifically robotics has just been the icing on the cake for him.

“I’m also excited about all the success besides academically, we’ve also had a lot of success athletically,” said Semmel. “All the hard work from student athletes and coaches is something I’ll continue to be proud… As for the robotics team, we’re pretty much known nationally in robotics. We’re definitely feared in the Northeast.”

Semmel said that the teachers he has worked with at SHS have greatly contributed to the success of the school. “I’ve seen how seriously our teachers take teaching the kids here and how engaged they are in trying to improve their own instruction for the benefit of our kids,” he said.

As a resident of Southington, Semmel said that he has enjoyed living in a town where he is principal, because it has allowed parents and students to get to know him as a person and build trust with them.

“People have seen me on different levels here in town,” said Semmel. “They might know me as a coach of a softball team in town or a soccer team. People in town might know me as a band backer.”

Semmel said the only thing he won’t miss is feeling like he has to be well-dressed everywhere he goes in town. “Now I can go to Stop and Shop in sweatpants and not be worried about it,” he joked.

Although he won’t be living in Plymouth, Semmel said he will be making an effort to learn the town and get to know the people.

“To me, it doesn’t matter where I’m working,” said Semmel. “The goal is to help the students of that location—in this case Plymouth—to get the most they can out of their education.”

The current SHS principal said that he thinks he will handle the transition from principal to superintendent well, because he has already had to deal with transitions throughout his career.

“The hardest transition I ever had to make was when I left the classroom to become assistant principal,” said Semmel. “You get to see the same kids day in and day out and you work with them with their struggles. You do the same as an assistant principal and a principal, but not always as directly.”

As a superintendent, Semmel said that he is going to make a point to try to develop relationships with the students and teachers at all of schools.

“You can’t lead a district unless you understand who you’re trying to lead,” he said. “Without being in the classrooms you won’t necessarily truly understand what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Semmel earned his doctorate degree and Superintendent certification from UCONN.

Working under former Southington Superintendent Dr. Joseph Erardi and being taught at the University of Connecticut by former superintendent of Farmington Public Schools Bob Villanova, Semmel said both his education and work experience have provided him with good examples of superintendents.

Additionally, Semmel said working at the central office level within Southington Public School by being on different committees has also prepared him for his new position.

As for how he hopes to be remembered as a principal of SHS, Semmel said that he hopes he’s seen as a person who cared and nurtured the success of his students.

“I hope that I’m seen as a person who had high expectations for the entire system, and that we challenged our students to even higher expectations,” said Semmel. “And we won a few state championships along the way, of course.”

Superintendent Tim Connellan shared a timeline for filling the SHS principal vacancy at the most recent Board of Education meeting.

Connellan said that the job would be posted on Mon, Feb. 23 for about a month. Following the application process will be two rounds of interviews during the weeks of April 20 and April 27.

The interview by the Board of Education will take place on May 12 and the Board will appoint a May 14 with a start date of July 1.

Brian Stranieri, courtesy of Southington Public Schools

Southington High School Assistant Principal Brian Stranieri has been appointed as the Interim Principal of Southington High School effective on March 14.

Stranieri began his career in education at Southington High School in September 1982 and has served as Assistant Principal since September 2002.  During his 13 years in administration, Stranieri has been responsible for directly overseeing the educational well-being of thousands of Southington High School students.

“Please join me in congratulating Mr. Stranieri on this appointment and in supporting him as he and the Administrative Team continue their work in establishing Southington High School as one of the premier comprehensive high schools in Connecticut,” Southington Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connellan said in a press release.

By LINDSAY CAREY
STAFF WRITER

The Board of Education recognized students from the Southington High School (SHS) Art Department for winning awards in the Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards Show held at the University of Hartford.

SHS Art teacher Tom Horanzy said described the six students who won as having “shown great skill, great creativity and a passion for art work” at the celebration of excellence for the students at the Board of Education meeting on March 12.

With over four hundred participants in the awards show, six students from SHS won awards ranging from gold key, silver key, and honorable mention. One student even won two awards.

Shelby Thurston won a gold key for her charcoal self-portrait. Sarah Kaufmann won a silver key for a digital photograph “Haunted.”

Skye Farago won two awards, a silver key for her oil pastel drawing “Blossom Tree” as well as an honorable mention for her charcoal self-portrait “Criss Cross Apple Sauce.”

Allie Abacherli received an honorable mention for her oil pastel “Carousel Horse,” and Steven Drozen received an honorable mention for his self-portrait “Me N Stuff.” Jocelyn Gregor received an honorable mention oil pastel drawing of a forest picture called “Quinniapiac in the Back,” which depicts the Quinnipiac River in the background of the drawing.

“As a parent who had a daughter that took art at Southington High School for many years, I know the work that you put in and the example you set is one that we in Southington are proud of,” said Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski at the celebration of excellence ceremony. Goralski also said that these students’ achievement reflects positively on the art program in the Southington Public School system.

“On the behalf of the Board, I want to tell you that one of the greatest prides we have is seeing our artists here that stay in Southington and don’t choose a magnet school, don’t choose to go somewhere else, that stay here and show how great our department and our program is,” Goralski said. “You represented our school with great dignity to have [six] of you win in a state wide competition shows that we have great things in this district.”

Skye Farago displays her awards from the Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards Show. She won a silver key for her oil pastel drawing “Blossom Tree” and an honorable mention for her charcoal self-portrait. Photo by Lindsay Carey.

“Carousel Horse” by Allie Abacherli (Honorable mention)

“Quinnipiac in the Back” by Jocelyn Gregor (Honorable mention)

“Haunted” by Sarah Kaufmann (Silver Key winner)

Self portrait by Shelby Thurston (Gold Key winner)

“Blossom” by Sky Farago (Silver key winner)

Self portrait by Skye Farago (Honorable mention)

Self portrait by Steven Dorzens (Honorable mention)