GPS District Digest (v7, i10)
Stories, news, and updates from Greenwich Public Schools
Is it time for another issue of Connecticut's favorite school newsletter again? You betcha!
We know you are just as excited for the 10th issue of the GPS District Digest as we are. We have so much to share with you.
The Digest would like to offer their congratulations to school nurse, Mrs. Maryann O’Connor, on her retirement last month. Mrs. O’Connor, a long-time GPS employee, has been a staple in the Greenwich High School nurse’s office for many years.
Enjoy Issue No. 10 and thank you for your support.
GPS District Digest
There is Madonna, Adele, Beyoncé, Cher, and Laura Jean - celebrities known only by their first name. No explanation needed.
It would be hard to find a single person at GPS that does not know Ms. Laura Jean Waters, Greenwich High School's media specialist. Colleague to many, respected by all, Ms. Waters has been the mainstay in the media center at GHS for more than 15 years. She is the one with all the answers.
In this, the ninth episode of GPS District Digest's favorite new video feature, "Get To Know Your Educator," Ms. Waters breaks it down for us, as she discusses how students get "unstuck" with all of the information they already know, to having a thesis and developing an argument.
You can only have 4:25 with Ms. Waters this time. She needs to get back to engaging with her students.
I saw the sign or an omen on the branches in the mornin'.
Fifty years in the world of education - it is an amazing milestone and a career that has come to an end.
The man with maybe the best smile to have ever walked the hallowed halls of Havemeyer, Mr. Braulio Santiago has hung up his chalk, put away the text books, and said goodbye to this chapter of his life and onto the next into retirement. More recently as an English Language Learning teacher at Parkway School and prior, supervisor of adult and continuing education, he will be missed.
"Leaving behind such a supportive and talented group of people at Parkway School, and a profession that I have truly loved, is not an easy decision, but one that I have thought about for quite some time," Mr. Santiago said. "I am grateful for the friendships I have gained during my time in Greenwich both at the school, and during the time I was overseeing the Adult and Continuing Education Program. I will always cherish the memories. I am proud of the impact we continue to make on the lives of our students."
His career started in 1976 as a middle school Spanish teacher in Berlin. In 1979, he became a fifth grade teacher in New Britain. The following year, he taught kindergarten and then was promoted to district coordinator of bilingual, ESL, and migratory. In 1986, he was appointed assistant principal at Smalley Academy in New Britain and after five years, Mr. Santiago became principal.
In 2008, he became executive director/superintendent of Tribal Education at the Foxwoods/Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. After fours years, he began coaching administrators. In 2014, he became the director of turnaround schools for Cooperative Educational Services.
"It has been a great privilege to have worked with somebody of his high character and quality," Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Jonathan Budd said.
Cardinals stand up!
The GPS District Digest recently learned that 10 Greenwich High School students earned Scholastic Art Awards. The Scholastic Art Awards is the nation’s longest-running recognition program for creative teens. The program honors young artists and writers who demonstrate originality, skill, and a strong personal voice or vision.
Student work is evaluated by professional jurors using three core values: originality, skill, and personal voice. Skill is viewed broadly and may include craftsmanship, creativity, critical thinking, empathy, and the thoughtful development of ideas over time. Students are encouraged to explore topics that matter to them and create work that reflects an authentic perspective.
Receiving a Scholastic Art Award is a meaningful achievement and highlights a student’s dedication to creative expression and artistic growth. These awards recognize not only technical ability, but also the confidence to share a unique artistic voice.
Also, congratulations to our teachers Ms. Shekaiba Bennett, Ms. Jaimie Charles, Mr. Benjamin Quesnel, and Ms. Elizabeth Vazquez for their assistance with some of these projects.
After more than 50 years working for the Town of Greenwich and Greenwich Public Schools, Ms. Sue Belmonte retired at the end of December. She was a media assistant at North Mianus School for the past 24 years and, most recently, also split her time at Central Middle School.
Ms. Belmonte was treated to a “Hallway Walk” around NMS on her last day, as the entire school gathered to thank and serenade her with “My Wish,” by Rascal Flatts. She was presented with a box full of wishes written by the NMS community.
Since 2001, Mr. Barry Hoffman, an October 2024 Difference Maker, has been a music teacher at Greenwich Public Schools. But he has done so much more for the regional musical community.
In addition to his work with students at Riverside School, he is also the founder and artistic director of the Symphony of Westchester, a professional orchestra giving a series of four separate concerts at Iona University. In addition to this series, he has created several programs for children, including the Jazz Institute for Homeless Children in White Plains, since 1998.
In recognition of his amazing work, Mr. Hoffman was recently recognized by Congressman George Latimer of New York in front of a full session of congress.
Here in the newsroom, we love when our loyal readers get in the act!
One of our favorite loyal readers, Melina P., jumped on the artificial intelligence craze with this sweet message.
Do you have a groovy idea for an AI photo having to do with Connecticut's favorite school newsletter? Share it now!
Does anyone celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month like Amanda Feminelli and Mary Ellen Munro?
Imagine our excitement in the newsroom recently when they sent us a message. We hope to hear from them again.
***
We are all smiles this February for National Children’s Dental Health Month. As the school dental hygienists from the Greenwich Department of Health, we love reminding families that healthy smiles start with daily habits. Brushing twice a day, flossing every day, and regular dental visits help stop cavities before they start — and keep kids smiling bright all year long.
Healthy smiles start with healthy choices. Crunchy fruits and veggies, dairy foods rich in calcium, and plenty of water all help keep teeth strong. Cutting back on sugary snacks and drinks is a win for every grin.
Parents and caregivers play an important role by making oral care part of the daily routine and modeling good habits at home. When children learn these habits early, they build confidence, develop healthy smiles, and set the foundation for lifelong oral health.
If you have any dental questions this month — or anytime during the school year — we are always happy to help.
Amanda Feminelli, RDH <Amanda.Feminelli@greenwichct.gov>
Mary Ellen Munro, RDH <MaryEllen.Munro@greenwichct.gov>
Greenwich High School's Theater Arts Department recently hosted its second GHS Theater Arts Invitational Program.
In the afternoon session, 38 eighth graders from the three middle schools joined the high school students in the GHS Black Box Theater for workshops on acting, musical theater, technical theater, and improvisation. After sharing dinner with the high school theater students, the eighth graders joined in performances in the Comedy Tonight improv show.
Improvisation teaches spontaneous and creative thinking, keen audience awareness, an intrinsic understanding of dramatic structure, and a profound understanding of teamwork and strategy. It was enormous fun for both the performers and the audience, even if the audience thinks it can be unnerving to go on stage without a script.
Improvisation, like all of the theater arts at GHS, is taught in an environment which is continuously supportive and engaging, stimulating creativity and group connection. It is one of the main pillars of the Theater Arts program, along with classical theatrical training and Shakespeare, performances of works of great literary merit, a workshop class producing a musical with as many as six different casts, a writing class cultivating the creation and performance of student written works for the stage, and finally a Broadway caliber musical in the spring.
The GPS District Digest has learned that Greenwich High School's Mr. Sean Astle has been selected by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the 2025 Boys' High School Cross Country Coach of the Year for the State of Connecticut.
Started in 2014, the USTFCCCA High School Coach of the Year Award Program recognizes the best high school boys' and girls' coaches, at both the state and national levels, in cross country and track & field. A boys and girls coach from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia are chosen at the end of each respective season as state-by-state winners - from there, those 102 honorees are vetted, and two national award winners are selected.
Third graders at Parkway School recently walked into their classrooms to find a surprise event waiting for them. At their seats were construction vests, tape measures, hard hats, and work packets - everything they needed to jump into a new project as "contractors." Fully equipped and ready to go, they were set to tackle the school site like true construction pros.
Working in teams, students set out to measure everything from basketball courts to garden beds, eagerly calculating the area and perimeter of each shape they encountered. Armed with tape measures, they measured in both inches and feet, compared their results, and collaborated to solve challenges along the way. The event felt like the perfect blend of construction zone and math workshop, proving that with teamwork and creativity, even the most challenging numbers can turn into an exciting adventure.
The Greenwich Public Schools Honor Band has been hard at work rehearsing for their concert in the Performing Arts Center at Greenwich High School on Tuesday, January 27 at 7:00 PM. The GPS Honor Band is co-directed by Mr. Michael Strange, Band Director at Central Middle School and Ms. Holly Brown, Band Director at the International School at Dundee, Julian Curtiss School, and Parkway School.
The Honor Band is comprised of nearly 90 musicians in fifth and sixth grade from all 11 elementary schools and three middle schools. The musicians in the GPS Honor Band, who play more than 11 different instruments, are recommended by their band teachers to participate as a result of their hard work and dedication to their craft.
The rehearsal process, which is led by a collaborative effort of all of the district’s band teachers, takes place in January. This presents musicians with a wonderful opportunity to bridge the gap between elementary and middle school level band performance.
All are welcome to come and hear the beautiful music performed by these highly skilled young musicians.
New Lebanon School recently celebrated "Harvest of the Season: Radish Day." Harvest of the Season is a seasonal farm-to-school educational series that features a locally grown vegetable or fruit.
Principal Dr. Daniel Russo led students in a “radish survival activity,” engaging them in discovery as they dug into the winter soil to determine whether the radishes planted in the fall had survived a cold Connecticut winter. It was a beautiful sight. The excitement among the students was remarkable as they eagerly searched the ground for surviving radishes.
Other highlights of the day included pickling and fermenting with farmer Levi Booker from Riverbank Farm. Levi taught daikon radish preserving techniques, such as “overwintering” as well as pickling and fermenting.
GPS's food service director, Ms. Martha Ramkellawan, and her team organized a radish tasting. Fresh and pickled watermelon radishes, procured from the Northwest CT Food Hub, were taste-tested and voted on during lunch.
Radish salads were made, art projects were crafted, and stories were shared. It was an amazing day of community, connection, learning, and fun.
