Region In Review

by Matt Perachi

Athletic Director

The Shepaug varsity teams had a successful spring athletic season, with all teams posting winning records, two teams winning Berkshire League championships, and all four of our "tournament teams" earning Top 5 rankings.

After posting a 16-2 regular season record, the softball team won the Berkshire League championship this spring. This was their first championship since they were co-champions with Nonnewaug in 2001, and their first outright championship since 1993. In the CIAC Class S State Championship tournament, the softball team drew a first-round bye, and won both their second-round and quarterfinal round games. At the time this is being written, the #4 ranked Shepaug Spartans will be competing against the #1 ranked Coventry Patriots in the CIAC semifinals, with the winning team advancing to the CIAC State Championship game.

The boys tennis team finished the regular season with a 13-1 record and was crowned Berkshire League co-champions (along with Nonnewaug). The Spartans won their first-round CIAC Class S State Tournament match against Cromwell High School before falling in the second round to local opponent Nonnewaug. They had three of their players (one singles player and a doubles team) selected to participate in the CIAC Open Invitational tournament.

The girls tennis team finished the regular season with an 11-3 record, and after beating The Morgan School and then East Catholic High School in the first two rounds of the CIAC Class S tournament, they competed in the semifinal match, losing a hard-fought battle to host Westbrook. Two of Shepaug's singles players were selected to participate in the CIAC Open Invitational tournament.

After completing the regular season with a 15-5 record, the baseball team earned the 5th seed in the CIAC Class S tournament. The Spartans lost a heartbreaker in the first round of the tournament on Ted Alex Field in front of a few hundred loyal Shepaug baseball fans.

The boys track team finished the season with a 6-2 record, while the girls track team finished at 5-3. The teams competed in the Berkshire League Championship meet, where the girls posted a 4th place finish, and the boys finished in 3rd place. Both teams traveled to Willowbrook Park in New Britain for the Class S State Championships, and two of the boys team members earned their way into spots at the CIAC Open Track and Field Championship meet.

This spring, Shepaug saw 1 All-State selection, while 17 of our spring athletes earned First-Team Berkshire League All-Star status, which is the largest group we have had in many years.

Our Spring All-Stars are:

All State

Amelia Jacob - Softball

Softball

Sophia Granata

Rachel Hofmann

Amelia Jacob

Clare Moore

Collin Harty

Jacob Conway

Griffin Blum

John Wild

Phil Ostrosky

Everett Gronbach

Charles VandenBosch

Kip Faison

Mary Katherine Eddy

Juliet Eddy

Saoirse Crossley

Annabelle Churyk

Kaelan McDonald

Seventh-grade students have been spending their class time working to improve their watercolor landscape skills. Throughout this unit, they learned about Edward Hopper's artwork, with a particular focus on understanding perspective. Students acquired essential skills in color theory, learning to mix natural hues while maintaining control over the balance between pigment and water.

Students created birch landscapes and gained exposure to an array of watercolor techniques. By experimenting and sharing their insights students were able to develop a deeper understanding of the medium.

As the culminating activity of the unit, students were encouraged to undertake a personal artistic journey by creating landscapes that held a special significance to them.

The Stephen Reich Memorial Award Assembly is an annual event that honors Major Stephen Reich and recognizes the outstanding achievements of exceptional students. Established in 2006 to honor one of Washington, Connecticut's favorite sons, the Award for Exceptional Citizenship is bestowed upon one student each year. Congratulations to Jack Buchholz, the deserving recipient of this special celebration.

by Jen Doiron

Elementary Music Teacher

Region 12 is a musical community! We were very fortunate to have several guest musicians work with and perform for the elementary students this year. We wrapped up our year with a final visit from local musicians, Jane Chung and Larry Deming, who helped students at Washington Primary School perform for each other.

Students listened to and learned about a variety of composers and musical skills. Ms. Chung and Mr. Deming workshopped with a couple of volunteer fifth-grade instrumentalists to prepare for a lunch time performance.

What a wonderful way to celebrate the end of a musical year!

by Friso Hermans

Science Teacher

Students in Mr. Hermans’s Physics 9 classes have been hunting for Supernovas. Using the online telescope Slooh, students are taking photographs of galaxies, with the plan of comparing photos taken on different nights. If there’s a bright spot in a distant galaxy one night that wasn’t there before, that could be a supernova!

At this point, students have one picture of each of several different galaxies, which they can use as a reference. They are in the process of gathering a second photo of the same galaxies, to compare. The weather has been interfering with some of our scheduled photos; this is a good introduction to the life of an observational astronomer! We are hoping to get our comparison photos soon.

What kind of galaxy makes a good target for finding a supernova? You would think that a galaxy with older stars would have a lot of stars approaching the end of their lifespan and exploding. That turns out not to be true: large stars burn hotter, faster, and end in supernovas, compared to smaller ones. So, galaxies with active star formation are also producing more massive stars with shorter lifespans: that’s the place to look for supernovas. For that reason, most target galaxies selected have been spiral galaxies, which have a lot of new star formation.

As luck would have it, a supernova was discovered in the Pinwheel Galaxy, a nearby spiral galaxy, during the first week we were working on this project. No student groups selected that galaxy as a target, although several students told me they had considered it. Someone, somewhere in the world was doing just what we were doing: looking at galaxies, searching for an unanticipated bright spot. We are continuing to monitor that galaxy so we can watch the change in intensity of the supernova over time.

Below are two photos of the Pinwheel Galaxy. The one on the left is from April, before the supernova happened. The one on the right is from May 20th, with the supernova in progress. Can you spot the supernova??

Thanks to Paul Cox, from Slooh.com, for consulting with us on this project

and providing us with photos of the Pinwheel Galaxy.

Celebrate the 2022-23 school year in Region 12 schools—a year of academic achievements and cherished memories. Join us as we reflect on unforgettable moments, from the first day of classes to remarkable accomplishments.

by Emily Judd, Washington Primary School Principal & Emily Rhew, Booth Free and Burnham School Principal

The annual Spring Art Show was spectacular! Each K-5 student was represented by a piece of their own artwork hung alongside middle and high school student work in the mall at Shepaug Valley School.

Student samples demonstrated the important skills and concepts developed through the K-12 art program. The pieces varied in nature and included different media such as drawing, painting, collages, photographs and sculpture. The community at large also had an opportunity to see the amazing work of our students as the artwork was displayed at the Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens in Washington Depot.

Fostering creativity and personal voice through art opportunities inspire our students to grow as young artists and to appreciate the visual arts in the world around them.

Seniors at Shepaug Valley School completed their thought-provoking project presentations. From innovative research to groundbreaking ideas, these students showcased their academic prowess with brilliance.

Congratulations to all our talented students on this remarkable achievement!

June 10th - Shepaug Graduation, SVS, 10am

June 13th - Early Dismissal for students only

June 13th - 8th Grade Promotion, SVS, 6pm

June 14th - Last Day of School - Early Dismissal for students only

June 19th - Curriculum/Education Committee Meeting, SVS, 6pm

The Region 12 community educates, challenges, and inspires all learners to become compassionate, creative, and courageous individuals who are empowered by the knowledge, character, and perseverance to achieve their greatest potential within the global society.

Email: rir@region-12.org
Website: www.region-12.org
Location: 11A School Street, PO Box 386 Washington Depot, CT 06794
Phone: 860-868-6100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shepaug-Regional-School-District-12-153899298123985/
Twitter: @Region12Schools