RPS Update

Wow, that was fast! Spring made a quick shift to summer, just in time for our elementary school field days! The weather is one of many signs that we are winding down the traditional school year, in addition to the concerts, celebrations, art shows, performances, proms, smiles, and, of course, happy tears.

Next week will be filled with moving-up, promotion, and graduation events-we can’t wait to be a part of these special events! Of course, all roads lead to RHS, and I know that Friday night’s commencement ceremony will be incredible as we celebrate the RHS Class of 2025! They are a wonderful group of students.

Next Friday will be the last RPS Update until my mid-summer letter. That said, I want to take a moment to acknowledge our RPS Communications Coordinator, Alison Pratt (shown here with senior intern, Murphy Everdell). Alison is an absolute talent and has highlighted the work of our District in meaningful ways. Her work as the creator and publisher of the RPS Update has won the CABE Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence for Educational Communications for two consecutive years.

Members of our community recently shared news of our District being named as Top 5 School Districts in Connecticut….and while the accolade doesn’t surprise me (and I don’t really agree on the way in which they collect their data), when I look at RPS Update each week and what we offer our students, I can say with confidence that this is a wonderful community to be a part of.

Hope to see you next week,

Warmly,

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

RPS is ALL IN! This is Ridgefield Tiger Talk’s season finale for the 2024-25 school year. On today’s show, we welcome Cory Gillette, the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction. We discuss some of the amazing work that our teachers, students, and administrators have done to be ALL IN here at Ridgefield Public Schools. Tiger Talk will be off for the summer, but don’t worry, the show will return a few weeks into the 25-26 school year. Thanks for listening and have a great summer!

Ridgefield Tiger Talk

RPS Director of Personnel Karen Dewing surprised RPS Paraeducator of the Year Deb Faillaci with a balloon, flowers, and special guest celebrators, Dr. Tony Showah, Superintendent Dr. Da Silva, and FES principal Nancy Caron. Ms. Faillaci has been at Farmingville Elementary for almost 10 years and is beloved for her thoughtful support for students and staff. Congratulations to all the paraeducators who have been nominated for this recognition—Anne Zeller, Beth Molyneux, Claire Lewis, Darrian Lacey, Deb Faillaci, Gandolfa Somma, Jennifer Milton, Kelly Veiga, Kerry Williams, Laura Misciagna, Lori Arias, Monica Martinez, Nicole Brodsky, Rekha Markos, Robin Westman, Sandra Casey, and Shannon Quinn.

RPS loves our paras!

Each school celebrates paraeducators and teachers of the year a little differently. Scotts Ridge brought some to tears and laughter (at the same time) during its last faculty meeting/celebration of Teacher of the Year Christie Judge and Paraeducator of the Year Laura Misciagna. Principal Tim Salem honored both, and the SRMS faculty put down their pizza to give Ms. Judge a standing ovation for her teamwork, good humor, and excellence. RISE (Ridgefield Intensive Special Education) teacher Jessica Lotstein spoke about Ms. Misciagna's devotion to her students, and the members of the staff joined in, sharing how much Ms. Misciagna contributes to the school's climate.

Elementary principals recently sent a letter to RHS seniors and their parents about the Graduation Walks—a tradition when seniors put on their caps and gowns and march along the halls of their elementary schools. Grad walks are an opportunity for each school to celebrate their students, in their own way, and for graduates to thank their teachers. Please read the full letter here to learn about registration, parking, and other security protocols, and tell your friends!

Dates, times, and schools below!

Please see the August calendar for the first days of RHS sports, and check your email over the summer for more orientation events.

Ridgefield High School’s Hope in Humanity program was awarded the “Challenge to Educational Citizenship Award” on Tuesday. The Connecticut Association of Schools, in association with the State Student Advisory Council on Education and the Commissioner of Education, selected the RHS program among several state submissions, as they felt that the student activity embodied “the spirit of citizenship, commitment to serving others, and altruism.” On behalf of the 32 staff members and 56 student leaders involved in running the program, Maddie Ferrara, Lia Munoz Rojas, and Social Studies Department Chair Danny Martins accepted the award. RHS extends a very important thank you to the students who livestreamed from Ukraine to provide insight into how life and perspective have changed in various parts of the war-torn country, as part of KidsKonnect Ukraine. Finally, we want to thank Judith Altmann, a Holocaust survivor, who has been our main speaker and has shared her story of resilience and hope for over 20 years. Although she passed away in April at the age of 100, her words will continue to inspire us and this program.

For regular readers of the RPS Update, the name of the Class of 2025's Valedictorian will be familiar. Senior Will Carter seems to be in every issue of the newsletter. National Merit Finalist, Math Team, Robotics Club, Geography Club, Science Olympiad, and a senior internship at the engineering firm Kohler Ronan Consulting are just some of the recent mentions of Will.

However, despite numerous accomplishments, during an interview earlier this year, Will comes across as reserved and not particularly interested in self-promotion, as if being Valedictorian or a Merit Scholar wasn't noteworthy. He hadn't even told his two older brothers of his distinction when we met.

Once we started talking about his classes, however, Will's engagement shines. He's deeply interested in how the world works and describes AP Physics One and Two as two of his favorite classes at RHS. He says he likes making “stuff" and plans to study mechanical engineering in college. His avid participation in the Robotics Club and Math Team reflects the demands of an engineering education.

Will's academic achievements go beyond STEM. As founder and co-president of the Geography Club, he recently led RHS to victory at the Geography Challenge at the University of Connecticut. He cites AP Language, taught by Kathy Gabbay, as an example of a class that stretched his sense of what he could accomplish. "I never thought of myself as an English student. I thought I wouldn't do well, but she made me enjoy it," he said.

Senior leaders created a video offering advice to RHS students. In it, Will advises them to "Challenge Yourself." Will has challenged himself academically and in his extracurricular activities, giving back and leading. He plans to attend Yale University next year. Congratulations, Will.

Please help RPS go green by checking your students' e-Backpack weekly for important information. Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net.

For some students and parents, Field Day is one of the yearly highlights of elementary school. For the RPS Update, covering Field Day is a way to highlight the District’s team of elementary Physical Education teachers—a dedicated group of educators. PE class touches on so many essential life skills—physical fitness, gross and fine motor skills, teamwork, health, regulating emotions, and having fun. Thank you to our ES PE team—leader Steve Ethier (Farmingville), Shirley Hughes (Barlow Mountain), Sarah Wiedemann (Branchville), Kristi Montemurro (Ridgebury), Christian Truchsess (Scotland), and Brian Piechowicz (Veterans Park) for your essential contributions to the elementary experience, your collaboration on Field Day activities, and for pulling together staff and families to make Field Days (and every day) so fun.

Elementary Spanish classes across the district are celebrating the inaugural year of Spanish instruction, Grades 3-5! At Ridgebury on Wednesday, RHS World Language Chair Allyson Power joined Elementary Spanish teacher Jill Quattrocchi, which added even more festivity to this joyful celebration. In recognition of RPS's plans to expand Spanish to grades K-2 in the fall, students in grades 3-5 welcomed the younger students into class and showed off their Spanish singing, taught their new "amigos" a few phrases, read them a book about Puerto Rico, and played games. Our youngest students met Coqui, the frog puppet from the Puerto Rican rain forest. Maria, a third grader, sang a song to a second-grade class. At the end of the class, the students hugged Ms. Quattrocchi. Classroom teachers, paras, administrators, and students couldn't contain their enthusiasm for this wonderful addition to our elementary program. ¡Que precioso!

Mrs. Johnson, Elementary Director, shared: “It has been incredibly exciting to watch our third, fourth, and fifth graders learn Spanish this year. The collaboration between Señora Quattrocchi, our teachers, and administrators has brought real joy to the process of learning a second language. We have many successes to celebrate and look forward to expanding the program to include all grades, K–5, next year.”

Wednesday provided the perfect weather for...running! East Ridge Middle School celebrated Global Running Day with the help of our friends at CT Running Co (formerly known as Ridgefield Running Company). PE teacher Alison Picarella did the legwork to make this fun yearly event happen. Megan Searfoss and her team brought the finish line, and ERMS provided the runners. Students and staff ran, walked, and skipped in a competition to see which grade could do the most laps around the field. They also ran fun relays. What grade ran the most laps?.... sixth!

Either way you spell it, props for our twin ERMS Hil(l)arys...do you spy them in the photos above?

Ten Scotts Ridge Middle School students, who qualified in preliminary rounds, competed in the 2024-25 Scotts Ridge Geography Bee on Wednesday morning. Six eighth graders, two seventh graders, and two sixth graders were among the contestants. Kai Hagan (far right in photo) earned the championship and a gift certificate to Books on the Common in Ridgefield. Jack Robertson (on left) earned second place while Bibi Maderia (in the middle) was awarded third place. Winners also received medals and trophies. Other students who earned the chance to compete were: Owen Burns, Dylan Hamilton, Oliver Homan, Haresh Karthikeyan, Milo Kuzmanovic, Michael Mulvilhill, and Mia Suhul. Principal Tim Salem served as the emcee for the event, which was held in front of a live audience comprising students, teachers, and parents.

Scotts Ridge eighth graders made vision boards about the classic Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Working in groups or individually, they reimagined the play through their unique interpretations, as if they were directors, showcasing new settings, characters, costumes, props, a revised script, and music that enhanced the symbolism and mood. They thought of everything from 1920s Chicago to post-apocalyptic zombie hunters. One student changed the ending so no one died; another group recast the play in Gossip Girl NYC. They used mixed media (there was even knitting and sour candy involved) and their imaginations to bring the play to life. The SRMS team is proud of the hard work the students have put into not only acting out the play but also visualizing their own versions of Shakespeare's masterpiece.

The Barlow Community Garden got a BIG makeover this spring! An amazing volunteer crew of Barlow parents laid landscaping rocks on the garden floor to help keep weeds at bay and beautify the space. They also had a Barlow parent alum stop by the garden with more than 40 plants to donate, including several varieties of tomato plants, oregano and mint. They planted as many as they could and were thrilled to be able to give the rest away to Barlow faculty and families!

On Wednesday, they welcomed BMES Principal Rebecca Laus and Trish Cerniglia’s kindergarten class to take a tour of the new and improved garden. The students were so excited to help plant bush beans, cauliflower, and basil, and pick ripe radishes to eat at school or bring home. They also enjoyed reading books from the little free library and smelling a teeny tiny carrot. The garden looks forward to hosting various grade parties to celebrate a wonderful year at Barlow—and hopes the RPS community will come visit this summer to enjoy the space and help harvest the bounty, from lettuce and tomatoes to sugar snap peas, cucumbers, beets, squash, edible flowers, and much more!

State playoffs continue with the Tigers set to play at home! Each game is a CIAC event so the state sets the ticket prices, and tickets for all three games are available through the Ridgefield High School GoFan page or can be purchased at the game. Come out and root for the home team!

Today, FRIDAY:

• Class LL Softball vs. Fairfield Ludlowe, 4 PM
• Class LL Girls' Lacrosse vs. Conard, 5 PM

SATURDAY:

• Class LL Boys' Lacrosse vs. Glastonbury, 6:30 PM

See the RHS Athletics website for more information and schedules. Let's go, Tigers!!! Please see the most recent RHS Athletics newsletter, which also includes results from the Track team's FCIACs and States meets, as well as more photos from the Unified Track meet.

The Ridgefield Historical Society, Ridgefield High School, and Ridgefield CT Pride concluded their oral history project this year, interviewing nearly 30 people about life as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community here in Ridgefield. Those interviewed had to have grown up here, work here now, or live here now. The people interviewed ranged from 25-87 years old. These interviews, conducted by 18 Ridgefield High School students, are now part of the permanent oral history record of the Ridgefield Historical Society. The interviews are available for anyone to access as primary sources online at this link.

The Ridgefield Library will be hosting a celebration on Saturday, June 21, from 2-4 p.m. More information and registration on the flyer.

Barb Jennes, who taught at Scotts Ridge Middle School for 13 years (2004 -2017) and has become a self-described "Promoter of All Things Poetry," wrote this week to call RPS Update readers' attention to some exciting events coming up. Check out the eBackpack for a flyer about "Poetry in the Garden: Voices from Marginalized America" reading series at Keeler Tavern. Ms. Jennes reports that one of the events in the series is an evening of Indigenous poets, including Natasha Gambrell (in photo), Tribal Councilor of the Eastern Pequot Nation. In addition to reading her poetry, Natasha will perform traditional East Pequot dances, both at the evening event and during an afternoon demonstration/explanation specially designed for a young audience. For more information and tickets, please visit the Keeler Museum's website.

As my last week of internship comes to a close, I'm wishing a heartfelt goodbye to the RPS Update. During my internship, I visited all six elementary schools and both middle schools and even met the Governor of CT. I recorded a podcast about internships and posted stories every day on the RPS Instagram. I wish I could have made it to every internship, but I've thoroughly enjoyed covering as many as I did and am proud of what I accomplished over the last four weeks. Read my last Senior Internship column below, and see some highlights on Instagram. Next week, RPS Update will run my Q&A with the Senior Class Speaker, and I'll enjoy the final days with my RHS classmates!

For his senior internship, Matt Jang has been gaining some valuable real-world experience in his intended career path, observing Dr. Teresa Lee at Tooth Fairy Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics as she performs routine check-ups and other procedures.

RPS Update sat in on a meeting between Niro Feliciano and her senior interns: Natalia Feliciano, Mara Furneri, Paige Gallagher, Rose Idone, and Wilton High School senior Jess McLaughlin. They've been focusing on the issue of mental health for local high school students. Ms. Feliciano, a certified cognitive therapist and author, has provided guidance as the girls conduct qualitative and quantitative research. Interns used a survey and one-on-one interviews to break down the many stressors in peers’ lives—juggling homework with clubs, community service, after-school jobs, college applications, SATs, AP exams, at-home responsibilities, and social life. Interns strategized and worked through solutions, from minor adjustments during FLEX to larger shifts in school culture. Now, they are eagerly preparing to present their findings to RHS Principal Dr. Greenwood. In addition, they have been reading Ms. Feliciano's book, This Book Won't Make You Happy, and experimenting with turning their phones to grayscale to limit phone usage. "At first, the lack of colors on my phone made me mad," said Rose. "But then I realized that was like withdrawal. I wasn't getting the dopamine." Natalia added, "TikTok is just not as interesting without the colors." The interns also accompanied Ms. Feliciano to the NBC studio, where she appeared on a segment of the "Today Show" to discuss the differences between happiness and true contentment, as well as strategies for managing stress. Interns enjoyed a unique behind-the-scenes tour of the control room and even saw Hoda Kotb!

Ridgefield will soon have eight new CERT-certified individuals trained to assist the town and community in times of crisis. The CERT interns have thoroughly reviewed storm preparation and recovery, the role of town law enforcement and security, and how to communicate effectively with community members during a crisis. They’ve participated in CPR, AED, and NARCAN training. They met with Homeland Security Officer Steven Mullen, who discussed his most notable investigations, how to recognize victims of human trafficking, and his methods for dealing with criminals. Interns also learned about the role of the Public Information Office from Gerri Lewis; this office ensures that the community receives timely, accurate information at all times (even without power) through many different outlets, preventing the spread of misinformation and panic. The interns are now prepared to help run a phone bank during a crisis, allowing citizens to call in with urgent questions, and assist the RPD in answering calls if they are overwhelmed. These seniors, Michael Caramadre, Andrew Isaac, Riley Keane (not pictured), Sai Marapareddy, Chase Parrish, Lucas Reiner, Chris Vezos, and Andrew Wilkinson, gained invaluable training on how to help in a crisis, both in town and at college.

Although the Town Hall interns have been doing a lot of interesting and challenging policy work for First-Selectman Rudy Marconi or assisting Ridgefield’s Republican Registrar of Voters Wayne Floegel, RPS Update wanted to highlight their most recent accomplishment: meeting Governor Ned Lamont. Interns Zoe Munoz Rojas, Dylan Rainbeau, Michael Riccio, Natalia Schaffer, Dylan Sutcliffe, and Sophie Zezula toured the State Capitol building in Hartford on Thursday with Mr. Marconi and Mr. Floegel. They had the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak briefly with the Governor, then spent the rest of the afternoon learning about the various events, meetings, and caucuses held at the Capitol.

RPS Update visited four schools this week to see our school interns fully entrenched with the younger students. From Field Day to concerts to a kindergarten play practice, elementary and middle school activities are made better with our RHS student interns.

Barlow Mountain Elementary interns at Field Day

Scotland Elementary interns at the fourth and fifth-grade concert

Ridgebury interns in the classroom

Scotts Ridge interns help their students in class after attending the GeoBee

We would love to hear from you! Families and staff can submit stories, comments, or corrections to RPS Communications. Please follow us on Social Media with links below.