GPS District Digest (v8, i06)
Stories, news, and updates from Greenwich Public Schools
Whether you are new to the GPS District Digest newsletter, a casual onlooker, or a loyal reader of Connecticut's favorite school newsletter, it becomes apparent rather quickly why you come to us for all good things GPS.
We have loads of stories, photos, and videos for you read and view. It is a good time, so come on down. Student achievement, staff recognitions, a loads of fun: that is what the Digest is all about. If you have not already, hit that subscribe button at the end of this newsletter. You will be glad you did.
Enjoy Issue No. 6 and thank you for your support.
GPS District Digest
Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones recently revealed the “Difference Makers” November honorees.
Difference Maker award recipients are staff members who have made an overwhelming impact on the lives of others inside and outside of our classrooms. GPS honors one from each school and one from each district department that are considered “unsung heroes.”
The Greenwich Public Schools “Difference Maker” award is presented monthly to full or part-time employees who, through their unique commitment and humanitarian spirit, have made exceptional and lasting contributions to the GPS community through one life-changing event, extraordinary long-lasting efforts, or making a difference in the lives of others every single day. Honorees are officially nominated by principals and district senior leadership.
You are encouraged to review the full history of the Difference Maker employee recognition program on the Greenwich Public School’s website.
Some look forward to the treats. Some to the tricks. Or maybe you are here for the costumes. Here at the GPS District Digest, we could not wait to see what Greenwich HS art teacher Dr. Cheryl Iozzo was going to look like on October 30. We asked her weeks before.
In volume 7, issue 5 of Connecticut's favorite newsletter, we introduced you to her insanely creative, colorful, and brilliant tradition of painting her face to replicate an art masterpiece to celebrate Halloween. The video we posted on the district's YouTube channel went viral with more than 1.3k views.
This year's chef-d'œuvre features Georges Seurat’s most famous work, "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte."
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
By Christopher Shields, Director of Library & Archives, Greenwich Historical Society
(special to the Digest)
The food we eat sustains us physically, celebrates cultural identity, and plays a pivotal role in many social gatherings. A balanced, nutritious diet is also fundamental to the ability of children to learn and engage at school.
Early efforts to provide school day meals in the United States began in the mid-19th century. The food was often provided by charitable organizations and prepared by volunteers. The federal government became more involved when the need became dire during the Great Depression. The National School Lunch Program was established later in 1946. The School Breakfast Program began as a pilot initiative in 1966 and was established in 1975. Both programs are administered at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The focus of these efforts was to prevent malnutrition in children and allow them to focus on their schoolwork. The nutritional standards that were generally accepted at the time were used to design guidelines and menus. There was also an effort to educate parents about appropriate foods and provide suggestions for quality, economical choices.
In addition to enjoying hot meals prepared by dedicated cafeteria staff, many children choose to bring their lunch and snacks from home.
Today, millions of students are provided free or reduced price breakfasts and lunches every day. It is a necessary, ongoing effort to support the needs of the nation’s students.
Editor Notes: To get a full sense of how our school menus have changed through the years, head to the district's webpage featuring current menus. Kudos to Food Services Director Ms. Martha Ramkellawan and her staff.
The great folks at the Greenwich Historical Society have agreed to partner on a regular basis with the GPS District Digest by sharing some amazing artifacts found within their historic walls on Strickland Road. If you have never visited the Greenwich Historical Society and seen everything they have to offer, you are missing out. Plan your visit now and say hello to our good friends Mr. Shields and Manager of Education and Outreach Ms. Olivia Luntz, GHS Class of 2017. Tell 'em the Digest sent ya.
Hamilton Avenue School’s Media Center got into the fall spirit with its Pumpkin Book Character Decorating Contest. Students were invited to transform a real or artificial pumpkin into their favorite book character using craft items such as paper, paint, markers, fabric, and glue. Students were required to carry their own pumpkins into the school building, and entries were assigned anonymous numbers for judging.
A committee of Hamilton Avenue staff members judged the entries, and one winner from each grade level received a $25.00 Scholastic Book Fair voucher to use at the Fall 2026 Book Fair.
The winners were:
- PreK: Alessi for Silly Monster from “The Spooky Wheels on the Bus”
- Kindergarten: Daisy for Uni from “Uni the Unicorn”
- First Grade: Marija for the Smart Cookie from “The Smart Cookie”
- Second Grade: Jacob for Fly Guy from “Meet Fly Guy”
- Third Grade: Charleigh for Daddy Moose from “Moosekitos”
- Fourth Grade: Taylor for Junie B Jones from “Junie B Jones and the Stupid Smelly School Bus”
- Fifth Grade: Kelly for Aria, Nainai, Bobba Monster from “Super Boba Café”
In the last issue of the GPS District Digest, we told you about the 16th Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive at Greenwich High School. We just got update from Legend Ms. Jess Somma.
As of early this week, Folsom House is currently in the lead with 237 donated items. As they hit the midway point week of the food drive, while all donations are accepted, their top 5 most-needed items right now are:
Gravy
Cranberries
Tomato sauce
Fruit
And, their most needed item: financial support. Tuesday, November 10 marks the halfway point of the food drive and the account balance is at $1,845, which is about 20% of the funds needed to purchase $100 gift cards for 100 families.
If this is not enough time for you to get donations to GHS, or you prefer to donate cash, they are still accepting donations through through the MySchoolBucks Thanksgiving Food Drive online fundraiser or by check payable to “GHS” with “Roots and Shoots Thanksgiving Fundraiser” in the memo, dropped off at the GHS Student Activities office.
To help those in our community, the Greenwich High School Roots & Shoots club has partnered with the Greenwich Department of Human Services to provide Thanksgiving meals to 100 families in our community. They will be hosting the 16th Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive at GHS from Monday, November 2 through Friday, November 20.
Greenwich High School art teachers, Dr. Elizabeth Vazquez and Mr. Benjamin Quesnel recently took their AP Art History and Shapers students to New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
They saw artwork from the AP Art History curriculum and checked out the exhibit entitled: "Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous." This is the first major New York presentation devoted to Lee Krasner or Jackson Pollock in more than 20 years. Featuring more than 120 works, it is the first exhibition to look at the full arc of their careers together.
Who loves essay contests more than the GPS District Digest?
The answer is no one.
Our girl, Kit Evans, a fifth grader from Old Greenwich School, stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park with her essay about the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz, as part of Congressman Jim Himes' Congressional Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest. For her efforts, her written work came away with a victory in the Elementary School category.
"When I grow up I want to be a singer," Kit said in her essay. "Celia Cruz is a Cuban-American singer. I love the way her strong melodies wrap around the lyrics. Most good melodies are like swirls of hopes, dreams, and feelings, are exposed raw and beautiful, glistening like dew settling on a rose until it crystallizes to frost only to be prettier than before."
"As a person born and raised in Latin America, I know firsthand the pride and honor that Hispanic Americans bring to this country...," Mr. Himes wrote to Kit. "I celebrate Hispanic Heritage month by engaging young Americans in a conversation about the diversity and values that make our community special. Your essay is a reminder of the principles passed through generations and the cultural inheritance that makes this country great."
Himes added: "I encourage you to continue writing and thinking about the impact of Hispanic Heritage on your life, your community, and your nation. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with my office, and best of luck in your continued studies."
You can read Kit's award-winning essay yourself.
The Zero Waste Schools Program training has been a resounding success at both Julian Curtiss School and Cos Cob School last month. Volunteers from Waste Free Greenwich and PTAC Green Schools promoted positive habits and reinforced proper sorting through interactive videos, the "Ready, Set, Sort" game, and live worm encounters.
At Julian Curtiss, the Eagles crushed their training week in their beautifully renovated cafeteria, achieving an impressive 82% waste diversion rate and separating an average of 22 lbs. of food scraps daily to be converted to compost, which will be used in the new school garden in spring. Meanwhile, over at Cos Cob School, the Phoenix students mastered sorting procedures, reaching a stellar 75% waste diversion rate and diverting an average of 28 lbs. of food scraps daily.
Across both schools, food and liquids make up the vast majority of initial cafeteria waste, but through systematic liquid separation, food scrap recycling, and recovery, students are dramatically cutting down their environmental footprints. Liquid collection reduces contamination in the recycling and cuts tonnage. Collected food scraps are transported to Quantum Biopower anaerobic digester to be converted into energy and nutrient-rich digestate, a higher and better use of this material.
Furthermore, both schools are successfully tackling food waste upstream and supporting student needs using share refrigerators, dedicated stations that allow students to place unopened items they choose not to eat into communal fridges for peers, turning everyday lunchrooms into models of community care.
Keep up the great work, Greenwich Public Schools!
Greenwich HS junior Briar Lissauer was recently invited to participate in the 54th North American Symposium on Bat Research at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO to present a project initiated through the GHS Science Research class.
During the past two years, she investigated development of natural anti-fungals using invasive plants to prevent the spread of White-nose Syndrome that has decimated American bat populations.
Briar's project was successful and she was excited to share her results with the 400+ attendees from the academic community and beyond, and is hopeful these findings will have future conservation applications.
Mr. Andrew Bramante advised her throughout this research and she is grateful for his advice and support.
In the last two issues of the Digest, we let you know the four runners we were rooting for in the NYC Marathon. While we were not out on the streets with our “Read The GPS District Digest” sign, we did check their times the next day.
- The wife of long-time Communications Specialist Michael Antonaccio, Jenny, ran in her third NYC Marathon with a time of 5:51:49 and raised more than $8,000 for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Mike reported that she just missed Salt-N-Pepa perform at Mile 14 in Long Island City.
- New Lebanon Fourth Grade Teacher Ms. Trish Auray ran her first NYC Marathon with a personal best of 4:10:04 and raised more than $6,277 for Soccer Without Borders. She reports that several New Leb staff members came to cheer and support. Go Bobcats!
- Marathon Sheldon House Social Worker Ms. Michelle Franks at Greenwich High School had “an epic day” and ran a personal best 5:26:09.
- Greenwich HS Social Studies Teacher Ms. Jessica Somma did “great” in her first marathon with a time of 5:51:33, although her Metro-North commute back home could have been better.
S'up Tyler.
Greenwich HS junior Tyler Malkin can't stop, won't stop.
Loyal readers of the GPS District Digest already know that he developed an inexpensive saliva-based test for iodine deficiency. But what you may not know that he is one of 21 young people profiled in the new book for children ages 10-14 called “Superhero Kids” by Micaela Myers.
“I was inspired to create my research to help the millions of people who aren’t able to access iodine deficiency diagnoses and thus can never get treatment,” Tyler says in the book. “I strongly believe that where you are born should not determine whether you get to be healthy.”
“Superhero Kids” tells 21 such stories of real kids using courage, creativity and compassion to make a difference and can be purchased online.
Hamilton Avenue School recently held "College Day" as they continue their schoolwide AVID journey.
Staff proudly wore their college gear and highlighted the post-secondary nameplates posted outside classroom doors, encouraging the little Huskies to dream big about what comes after high school - whether that is a college, university, trade school, or specialized career path.
During morning announcements, students reflected on how everyday AVID habits like organization, time management, and asking questions build the foundation for future success.
Families were tasked with asking their children how they completed the day's classroom prompt: "Because of AVID, I’m getting better at ___."
Blue Ribbon knowledge.
The dynamic duo of Assistant Chief Officer of K-12 Curriculum and Leadership Ms. Tara Fogel and New Lebanon School Principal Dr. Daniel Russo were key presenters at the Connecticut State Department of Education's recent annual Performance Matters Forum at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
The focus of the event was to bring together state educators and school leaders to exchange best practices, review data and assessments, and strengthen student learning outcomes.
What better way to share than to explore the successes of Connecticut Blue Ribbon School New Lebanon.
