Philosophy Night at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore. Tonight!

From RJ Julia.


-----------
We will examine ideas together, and share our thoughts on a question generated by the group. All attendees can choose to contribute one question as they arrive. The group will then vote on which question to discuss.

Keep Families Together Rally on South Green Saturday

Legal Luminaries Fête Judge Robert Holzberg

The portrait of retired Superior Court Judge Robert Holzberg now hangs in Courtroom 5A of the Middlesex Superior Courthouse on Court Street. 

Today's unveiling of the portrait brought scores of dignitaries who praised Holzberg as one of the finest jurists to serve the state.

Probate Judge Joseph Marino presided over the ceremonies, which included presentations by the former and current Chief Justices of the CT Supreme Court, Chase Rogers, and Richard Robinson.

Mayor Drew presented Judge Holzberg with the key to the city.

Holzberg is a Middletown native who is married to a former mayor of Middletown, Maria Madsen Holzberg.

Cat Tales ~ Cat of the Week ~ BELLE

​

Name:Belle

Gender:Female

 

Breed:Domestic Short Hair

 

Color:Grey & White

 

Age:1 year old

I'm a quiet and mellow kitty most of the time, but I also love to play. I especially enjoy chasing wand toys. I am affectionate and seek attention from the people I know, but tend to be a bit shy with strangers. However, I have recently come out of my shell and have been very friendly with many of the Cat Tales volunteers. I love it when they pet me. I will purr and rub against their hands for more attention. I still prefer to stay in my cage though where I feel safe. I would love a home with someone who has a very outgoing, affectionate cat that can be my buddy. I will take a some time to adjust and will need to be kept in a small room until I am comfortable. I am keeping my paws crossed that a very patient and understanding person will adopt me soon!  

No DogsNo Children
​

Web:   http://www.CatTalesCT.org/cats/Belle

Phone:   860.344.9043

Email:   info@CatTalesCT.org

Watch our TV commercial:  https://youtu.be/Y1MECIS4mIc​

Mario Pavone's Dialect Trio at The Buttonwood 6/30

I've been listening to, talking to, watching, and enjoying the music of Mario Pavone for over four decades.  His percussive yet melodic bass playing both anchored and freed up the music of the Thomas Chapin Trio. Before his 18 year run in the late saxophonist's ensemble (1980-97), he worked with pianist Paul Bley and trumpeter/ conceptualist Bill Dixon. Pavone has also led or co-led groups with Wadada Leo Smith, pianist Peter Madsen, guitarist Michael Musillami, and saxophonist Marty Ehrlich - his bands have featured drummer Michael Sarin, trumpeter Steven Bernstein, pianist Craig Taborn, and drummer Matt Wilson (among many others).  I have always admired how Pavone builds his music up from the rhythm section, his muscular playing and elongated melodies giving the musicians so much to work with.

Mr. Pavone, who turns 78 in November, remains active throughout the United States and Europe.  His latest album, "Chrome" (Playscape Recordings) features the Dialect Trio of pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer/Wesleyan Professor Tyshawn Sorey - they did a short tour around the release of the new album in May. The songs on the album are all originals, nine of the 10 composed solely by the bassist and one group improvisation.  As he has done in the past, Pavone reimagines pieces he wrote for larger ensembles to fit the dynamics, style, and creativity of his musical partners.  Not only did he produce the album (recorded at Firehouse 12 in New Haven) but also contributed the cover art.

The bassist is coming to The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street in Middletown, on Saturday June 30.  He'll have his partner from the Chapin Trio, Michael Sarin, at the drum kit and a relative newcomer to his groups, pianist Angelica Sanchez, one of the finest interpreters of creative contemporary music.  They'll perform music from the new album as well as pieces from previous Trio albums.

For more information, go to buttonwood.org/event/dialect-trio-feat-mario-pavone/.

Here's an older piece by the Pavone-Mitchell-Sorey trio:

A Rower Wades In: NO NEW BOATHOUSE!!!!!!

The following is an opinion piece submitted to The Eye by Debbie Dodenhoff. The Eye welcomes all signed opinion pieces. Send HERE.
---------------------
I am a taxpayer in the city of Middletown. I am also a rower.

I was vehemently opposed to the original " Taj Mahal " version of a boathouse and I continue to be vehemently opposed to the so called "downsized version" of a new boathouse. The state of Ct. Is in a fiscal crisis and the City of Middletown wants to build a boathouse. Let's not forget that this would require extensive remediation according to the powers that be....with no idea of what remediation would really cost!!!!!

Multi million taxpayer dollars!!!!!!

The committee talks about having to use a grant of 2.6 million dollars before it expires in a year!!!!

How much of that grant is really left after paying archietects, engineers, ect. Over the past few years in planning this Taj Mahal of a boathouse!!!

Please....could you shed more light on this to our taxpayers. I am soooooo tired of my taxes being raised every year. Stop the spending.

If I ran my household budget like these people run our city budget.....I would be broke, and in the depth of debt ....never to redeem myself fiscally!!!!               

Debbie Dodenhoff

Strawberry Festival Again Delivers Happiness

Lorraine Andrews delivered happiness on a plate

The annual Strawberry Festival at the Third Congregational Church last Thursday was again an occasion for enjoying a delicious shortcake and running into old friends and at 1:30 nearly the entirety of our city's delegation in Hartford.

The Ladies Aid Society made 1600 biscuits by hand, used 680 quarts of strawberries from Dzen Brothers in South Windsor, and whipped 190 quarts of heavy cream.

The happy faces of Matt Lesser, Paul Doyle, and Joe Serra, suggested that they enjoyed the shortcakes as much as everybody else who came to the 3rd Congregational Church for their yearly doze of early summer pleasure.

Replica of Adriaen Block's Vessel To Land in Middletown

The Connecticut River Museum announces that the Onrust, a replica of the first European vessel to explore and chart the Connecticut River, will rediscover the River this summer.

Following Henry Hudson’s 1609 expedition, Dutch captain Adriaen Block was hired to explore the northeastern coastline of America with the intent of establishing trade with Native Americans and claiming parts of the territory for the Dutch Republic.  On his fourth and final voyage (1613-1614), Block’s ship the Tyger was destroyed by fire while in New York Bay.  Block and his crew went to work near Manhattan building a new vessel - the Onrust (launched in New York Bay in April 1614).

The Onrust investigated coastal New York, Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. In the course of his travels, Block became the first known European to travel up the Connecticut River to just north of Hartford (a distance of approximately 60 miles from Long Island Sound).  He recorded the conditions, the places that he saw, and the native people he encountered.

The impacts of Block’s travels were many.  Upon his return to Amsterdam in July 1614, Block’s explorations, along with the collective knowledge from other expeditions, were documented in the “Figurative Map of Capt. Adriaen Block” -- an incredibly accurate map of the northeast region given the navigation and surveying instruments of the day.

From June 19 through June 26, the Onrust will cruise up the Connecticut River for the first time since 1614.  Between Thursday, June 21 and Sunday, June 24, she will be at Riverfront Recapture's Mortensen Riverfront Plaza in downtown Hartford.  During this time, she will be involved with a series of dockside and on-water programs.  On Sunday, June 24 she will make her way down River as part of a special cruise to Middletown's Harbor Park at the Mattabesett Canoe Club.  Spectators should be able to see her come into port around 4:30 PM (exact time will vary depending on currents).  Then on Monday, June 25 she will be open for dockside tours between the hours of 2 and 4:30 PM.  At 5:30 PM, visitors 21 and over can enjoy a Thirsty River Cruise with the Connecticut River Museum's resident folklorist Stephen Gencarella.  This program examines alcohol's complex history in the River Valley and is currently the featured summer exhibit at the Museum.  The program will include several regional drink tastings.   Everyone is invited to participate in a slightly longer sunset cruise at 7 PM.  Reservations to eat at the Mattabesett Canoe Club or to get a prearranged boxed dinner to enjoy on a cruise are encouraged. 

Connecticut River Museum Executive Director, Christopher Dobbs stated “We cannot be more thrilled to bring this historically important vessel up the River.”  In fact, as Dobbs notes, Block’s discoveries ushered in dramatic changes.  Most notably, the cultural interchanges (often leading to calamitous consequences) between Native Americans and Europeans, colonization, the founding of New Netherland, and the ecological impacts due to global trade.  It was “at least in part thanks to Block’s work that a Dutch trading post was established in 1624 in Old Saybrook and that Hartford [House of Hope] became New Netherland’s eastern-most trading post and fort.”

The re-creation of the vessel was spearheaded by New York based nonprofit The Onrust Project. Following extensive research, the rediscovery of traditional Dutch shipbuilding techniques, and the efforts of over 250 volunteers, the vessel was launched in 2009 at the Mabee Farm Historic Site, Rotterdam, NY.

Tickets to the Middletown Thirsty River Cruise at 5:30 PM are $32/person (21 and over) and the Sunset Cruise at 7 PM are $38/person (child or adult).  Tickets may be purchased online at ctrivermuseum.org, by calling the Museum at 860-767-8269, or at dockside at least 20 minutes in advance if available.  Please note that space is limited. 

The Connecticut River Museum is hosting the Onrust through early October.  During this time they will offer cruises and dockside tours.  To find out more details about the Onrust’s summer cruises, charters, and upcoming programs please visit the Connecticut River Museum’s website at ctrivermuseum.org. 

The Buttonwood Tree Yesterday and Tonight

                       605 Main Street, Middletown    www.Buttonwood.org     (860) 347-4957

TONIGHT

Sharp 5 Jazz Ensemble

 

Saturday, June 23rd 

 8 - 10pm, $15 Admisson

Sharp 5 is an ensemble of musicians brought together through the love of jazz.

The band has a repertoire that includes many styles of jazz from Swing to Latin, Bebop to Cool, Blues to Funk. The five members of the ensemble create a warm and enticing sound and are not afraid to push the limits. 
Reserve your seat HERE

See them on Facebook 

YESTERDAY

MAKE MUSIC DAY

Stephan Allison came by to meet up with old friends, performing for Make Music Day: (left to right) Bob Gotta, Stan Sullivan and Kent Aldrich

Ted Paulsen performs outside for all at The Buttonwood Tree on Make Music Day 2018

LAST NIGHT

Mark Kaplan performed killer sax with his jazz group, BadSlax to an enthusiastic audience! 

A View of the Riverfront

I’m a member of the Middletown Boathouse committee and here’s my perspective on our progress and what should happen next.  Consider this article “opinion, with a dose of information” (or perhaps visa versa).

The Middletown Riverfront is complicated.  

I think virtually everyone agrees that our riverfront is not living up to its potential, either as a resource for local residents or as a boost to economic development.   It’s complicated for lots of reasons - from environmental issues, access, funding, and regulators, to good-old-fashioned politics.

But after a half-century of stop-and-start planning efforts, we might be getting somewhere.  

That Smell

Middletown will join the Mattabassett District and close the old sewage treatment plant on River Road; the projected completion date of Spring 2019 is just around the corner.  Voters approved the approx. $55 million project in two referendums.  That’s a big price tag, but reportedly less than the cost to renovate the current plant.  In addition to the cost and environmental savings, moving the plant opens Middletown’s riverfront to new recreational, commercial and residential opportunities, without the industrial mess and the olfactory offense that made the plant a true roadblock to the efforts of previous generations.   Of course, one person’s “development” is another person’s “destruction” — so once the move was underway, figuring out what kind of development we want (or don’t want) became an urgent issue.  

A Community Vision

One of the best riverfront planning firms in the country - the Project for Public Spaces - took Middletown through a community brainstorming process that involved about 500 citizens in 2013 and 2014.  The plan that emerged suggested that residents like the idea of a linear park along the water’s edge for walking, biking, jogging, with the image of a “necklace” of smaller attractions along the way rather than one big attraction.  In other words - no stadium or convention/hotel complex.  Instead, a playscape here, a dog run there, places to put your kayak in the water, rent a bike, get an ice cream cone.  The community vision describes just the kind of “Riverwalk” that is attracting people to cities all over the world.  They've invested in small scale improvements to their waterfronts, reaping a higher quality of life, a lift in property values, a boost in recruiting the best employers and other benefits that come with being a destination. 

Taking a Next Step

It’s great to have a plan, but it’s nothing new for Middletown…we’ve had more than a few plans over the years.  What’s hard is taking the next steps and not getting off course while doing it.  The Mayor and Common Council chose one of the new community vision’s recommendations for a first project - building a boathouse.  The plan mentions the need for both a better facility for the Middletown High Crew Team and a better facility for our community rowing program.  The project also encompassed another of the vision’s suggestions - of an event/meeting space on the riverfront, for holding large gatherings such as weddings.  The town leaders put their political muscle into getting some support from the state for planning this first project, receiving $2.6 million for remediating contaminated land in the boathouse area, and doing a “concept” plan for a boathouse.  

I’m going to go more into the boathouse planning process - but I want to acknowledge that the three steps named above have brought us closer to a worthy use of our riverfront than we’ve ever been before.  It’s progress.

Of course, the devil’s in the details. 

The Work of the Boathouse Committee

The committee started meeting in March/April 2016, with the idea that there might be several crew teams who would be interested in sharing a new boathouse - including Wesleyan, Middletown High and a few other area high schools.  We also started with the idea that a 300-person venue could be included on the top floor, to take advantage of the views, with the income of the event space supporting the overall costs of the boathouse operations.    

That’s where we started - but not where we ended up.  

In short, after designing a Really Big Boathouse, we (ahem) came to our senses and took a step back to consider what we’d learned and what made the most sense at this point in time.

Before you cry that this was a waste of time and resources, let me say that we learned valuable things along the way:

-we learned about the remediation needs and general contamination of the riverfront area, and how to accommodate the regular and not-so-regular flooding events.  Some of the remediation will go forward with the state grant funds.

-we learned that the current dock generally only has room to launch two crew boats at a time - which begs the question of how we expect to have an increase in rowers at the riverfront.  I think one of the most useful things to come out of the whole committee process was the design for a floating dock which could accommodate 8 boats at a time, plus the necessary coach/motor boats, and improvements to the slope and safety of the ramp.

-we learned about what “best practices” would suggest for how much space the MHS team needs (roughly half-again-as-much as they have right now) and about the potential to grow the community rowing program (that’s adults and young people who are not part of a school team - in other words, the town park & rec operation and independent clubs). 

-we looked at boathouses around the region and considered the market for both event spaces and rowing facilities - perhaps not getting enough information from the consultants or absorbing those realities as well as we could have.  

As we persisted with the original concept, the conflicts started to add up.  We found that accommodating both a rowing and event facility had more of an exponential effect on costs than any kind of cost-savings (unless we put the needs of one over the other, which would have defeated the purpose - other towns have created event spaces by making the crew team vacate the space for events, sometimes during their busy season).  Combining space for multiple teams also added cost - the safety of school kids from other users had to be considered, requiring a separation within the building.  A potential event space would need to be competitive with other venues and required a certain level of finish.  An idea to incorporate a rent-paying tenant, like a for-profit rowing tank business, further expanded the footprint.

Despite the challenges, we soldiered on, directing the project architects to create a concept plan and cost estimates.  And the numbers which came back were just unsustainable.  To be honest, I think we spent more time than we could have in trying to make this work - but I understand the drive to explore the potential of the project.  I just wish that our consultants had given us more perspective as we went forward about what the implications (and price tags) were of our various agendas.  We waited too long to get a ballpark cost estimate - a back-of-an-envelope bit of math earlier in the process could have saved time.  On the other hand, we fully explored the charge of the committee - and found that it wasn’t feasible.  It took the committee some time to shift direction - but I thought it was refreshing that we accepted that our first design wasn’t the best option for the town.

So we regrouped.  In all the planning, our top priority had always been to give the Middletown High Crew team the kind of upgraded facility that other school sports received when the new high school was built (of course the boathouse, being off-site, was not part of that bond).  This goes beyond the benefit to the team - the active boathouses are a genuine attraction at the riverfront, not just on regatta or race days, but as people see the daily practices and use of the waterfront.   And beyond the riverfront, I think that our rowing program is an asset that puts us in the Farmington/Glastonbury bracket of Central Connecticut towns, and that’s good for home sales, the school system, and generally makes us a more vibrant place to live. 

The committee concluded that an event space could eventually be developed elsewhere, probably without the higher costs brought on by the third-floor location and the flood zone materials, though the view from up there would have been a great draw.  As an advocate for downtown, I think a large event space on the riverfront would bring a needed boost to Main Street - more nights at the hotel, more lunches at restaurants, more people strolling in our stores.  But it’s clear that the boathouse is not the place.

So here’s what you already know if you read the recent article in the Courant:  

The boathouse committee has agreed to move forward with the concept planning of a new boathouse for Middletown High on the site of 10 to 12 parking spaces adjacent to the current Middletown High boathouse.  It would be roughly the same size as the current Wesleyan boathouse (which would stay in use and reportedly meets the college’s needs).

The existing Middletown High boathouse would then be used for community rowing programs (and perhaps some other boat storage, like kayaks, or other high school teams that have smaller programs).  The old boathouse will need some renovations - a heating system, at a minimum.

Note to anyone who worries about removing parking spaces:  future work on River Road is projected to more than replace those parking spaces by creating a lot on the opposite side of the street. That would take place during the state’s work on the redesign of the one-car-per-green onramp that causes so much trouble as cars from Route 17 merge North onto Route 9.

This boathouse project is vastly smaller than the earlier proposal. If it holds together through a concept design and cost estimate process, it would then go the voters for approval.    

Two (more) Cents

If this project does goes forward, it should lead to the next one.  

At the last meeting, the committee considered locating the new boathouse on Columbus Point - and I’m so grateful that idea did not pass.  This preserves the potential of the Point and the old Peterson Oil property -  which was pitched in the community vision plan as a “great lawn” connected by a footbridge over Sumner Brook.  The remediation work (partially provided in the state grant) will be a first step in improving that area of the riverfront, so hopefully another community planning process is close on the heels of the boathouse committee, because the design of these spaces deserves careful consideration. Also, during the two years that the boathouse committee has been meeting, the Middletown Garden Club spearheaded a landscape design for the area of Harbor Park around the tunnel and south toward the Canoe Club restaurant, and that work should be considered as well.

I think the new boathouse proposal holds lots of promise for the riverfront, and embraces the spirit of the community vision developed with Project for Public Spaces.  So let’s keep going.

As a bonus for making it this far into an article on two years of committee work, here's a photo of a possible future for Columbus Point, with steps down to the river on one side and Sumner Brook on the other.  A wooden footbridge connects to the Peterson Oil property.  From the Project for Public Spaces report.

This post is not meant to be a comprehensive history of the riverfront planning process - but there are several online resources that can fill in the blanks, including resources on the city planning office’s website and a facebook page on Middletown riverfront development.  

Board of Education Member Lisa Loomis Self Report Card

Dear Middletown Residents,

I believe in holding our elected officials accountable for doing the job they asked for. As the 2017-2018 school year draws to a close, I am holding myself accountable by reporting to you what I have done in my role as a member of the BOE since my election this past November:

• Attended New Member Training by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education on Dec. 12th
• Chaired the curriculum committee which met monthly with a strong focus on equity
• Attended and actively participated in all 10 regular board meetings
• Attended and actively participated in all but 1 of the monthly budget committee meetings
• Attended and actively participated in BOE retreat as well as a number of special meetings on topics including the new transportation contract, hiring personnel, budget workshop with Common Council, and annual superintendent evaluation
• Served on Strategic Planning Team, attending and actively participating in 2 out of 3 meetings held so far
• Served on committee to determine recipients of Professional Improvement Grant
• Attended community meeting Jan 12th and planning meeting Jan 15th regarding the confederate flag incident at MHS
• Attended Once Upon a Mattress at MHS, Minds in Motion, annual district art show, Middletown Adult Ed graduation ceremony, and MHS graduation ceremony
• Used Facebook to keep community informed of BOE work and district successes
• Read What School Boards Can Do: Reform Governance for Urban Schools by Donald R. McAdams provided by Dr. Conner

I also believe in continuous improvement. To that end, I am reflecting on my areas of growth. While I have been very active on committees, I think it is important that BOE members be present and visible in the schools. Though I got to a few school/ district events, I did not get to as many as I wanted to, and sadly, I did not get to any events at Keigwin, which is my adopted school. I had planned on attending the community conversation that Dr. Conner was going to have there, but it ended up being canceled due to snow. Even so, I do not think attending that 1 event would have been sufficient. With that in mind, I am setting a goal for myself for the 2018-2019 school year to double the number of school/district events I attend, prioritizing events at Keigwin.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve on Middletown’s Board of Education. Our district has areas in which we need improvement, but I feel strongly that we are moving in the right direction, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to be a part of that work.

Sincerely,
Lisa Loomis

Another Year of Great Accomplishments at Middletown High School

-->

Photo courtesy Dr. Michael Conner

MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL

Established in 1840

Another Year of Achievement

In honor and memory of Jim Bransfield, we continue this tradition that he began by publicly celebrating the amazing accomplishments of Middletown High School seniors.

Once again 1300 students- and more than 300 seniors- at Middletown High School compiled a year of great achievement in the classroom, in co- curricular activities and in athletics. We celebrate their accomplishments with you, their parents and guardians and all the citizens and taxpayers of Middletown. We trust you are as proud of them as we are.

Here are some accomplishments of our students at your high school in the 2017 - 2018 school year.

Academics

Our students were accepted by some of the finest colleges and universities in the region and the nation. Some of the schools that accepted Middletown High School seniors include:

Barnard College, Boston College, Bryant University, Catholic University of America, Central Connecticut State University, Clark University, Colgate University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Emerson College, Fairfield University, Florida Atlantic University, Fordham University, Full Sail University, Hofstra, Holy Cross, Honolulu Community College, Ithaca College, James Madison University, Johnson and Wales, Lehigh University, Lincoln Technical Institute, Long Island University, Marist College, Merrimak College, Middlesex Community College, Morgan State, New England Institute of Technology, Nova Southeastern University, Paul Smith College, Plymouth State University, Providence College, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Roger Williams University , Sacred Heart University, Siena College, St. John’s University, Tufts University, University of Hartford, University of Hawaii, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, University of New Haven, University of Rhode Island, University of Vermont,Vaughn College of Aeronautics, Wesleyan University, Western Connecticut State University and Western New England University.

Rachel Gaudreau was named Valedictorian and will attend Georgetown University.

Sarah Nguyen was named Salutatorian and will attend The University of Connecticut.

Rachel Gaudreau was also named the school’s Female Scholar-Athlete by the CIAC. Carson Fitzner was named the school’s Male Scholar-Athlete by the CIAC and will attend the University of Connecticut. Some 68 seniors were honored at the Senior Awards Luncheon as Presidential scholars for achieving a four- year grade point average of 90 or above.

The Chemistry team won Second Place in the Connecticut Chemistry Olympiad held at UConn.

The Marching Band was named Best in the State in its class and is the largest high school marching band in Connecticut. The concert band, chorus and string orchestra performed at Disney.

Senior members of the Minority Student Coalition produced and performed the first annual Black History Assembly: Brianna Boirie, Nathan Chapeton, Domonique Chapman, Diamond Rose- Daniels, Nasharie Davis, Aliyah Hayes, Isaac Hendrix, Madison Johnson, Dreon Morris, Marie Perez, Teyanna Simmons, Andrew Smikle and Romaine Trimble.

Other seniors being recognized for their contribution and student agency activism:

Angelica Vargas, Elsa Torres, Silvana Barcomb and  Mayreni Barrios.

Middletown Career and Technical Education was ranked #1 for the second consecutive year by the State of Connecticut Department of Education among more than 130 programs in the state.

Marketing Education was ranked #1 for the fourth consecutive year by State of Connecticut Department of Education among more than 50 programs in the state.

DECA State Competition, a state-best 49 winners and 18 first place winners in various career-related events.

At the DECA International Career Development Conference, with almost 20,000 attendees from 10 nations, 15 DECA students earned championship medals including Gwyn Reutenauer, Rose Romano, Sheryn Albayati, Aliyah Hayes, Brianna Biorie, Veronica Meyer, Vanessa Pramberger and Richard Nakatsuka.

DECA earned “Top School Charity Team” for their work with JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.

BlueTube, the award-winning video production program, won many awards including being ranked #1 by the State of Connecticut Department of Education and winning an all-expenses paid trip to the World Cup in Russia to film.

The Robotics and Engineering team competed at many state and national competitions and earned 1st place at the Daniel Hand competition and top 10% at the national championships in Indiana.

Middletown Seniors participated in the 10th annual “Credit for Life” fair sponsored by Liberty Bank with dozens of community volunteers.

Agricultural Science and Technology Senior accomplishments include Nicole Charest placing in the top ten in four different Career Development Events: Floriculture, Ag Sales, Food Science and Prepared Public Speaking.

Jessica Hart served on the 2017-18 CT FFA Executive Officer Team as District III President, providing leadership programming and mentorship to more than 3,300 FFA members across the state of Connecticut.

Timothy Pawlak and Andrew Kekacs placed 2nd in the 2018 CT FFA Agriculture Mechanics Career Development Events- both students will be serving in the Army after graduation.

Lindsey Best was named the 2018 CT FFA Proficiency Award winner in Goat Production.

Nicole DiStasio and Nicole Badamo were both finalists for the CT FFA Star in Agricultural Placement Award for Horticulture and Veterinary Science respectively.

Middlesex County Superintendents’ Award for Academic Excellence went to Rachel Gaudreau and Richard Nakatsuka.

Championship Year

The following teams won Central Connecticut Conference South Division titles:

Girls Soccer, Boys Cross Country, Girls Swim/Dive, Football, Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Boys Indoor Track and Field, Boys Swim/Dive, Softball, Boys Golf, and Boys Outdoor Track and Field.

In addition to league titles, the Boys Outdoor Track and Field team was the state Class L runner-up.

The Ultimate Frisbee team was ranked 9th in the United States.

The football team finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1985.

Our boys swim/dive team recorded its 43rd consecutive winning season.

The Dance team placed 3rd at States in Hip Hop.

The Boys Crew Varsity 8 boat came in 1st in petite finals at the state championships and the Girls Crew Novice 8 came in 4th in the State Championships.

All-State Selections

The following were Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State choices:

Boys Cross Country - Matt Lecky

Girls Cross Country-Ariana Monarca - who also qualified for All-New England’s

Girls Soccer - Amalia Sessoms

Football--Max Cyr, Stone Belzo, Mike Aresco, DeAaron Lawrence, James Johnson

Boys Basketball--DeAaron Lawrence - also scored his 1,000th point

Boys Indoor Track and Field--Garrett Dandridge

Wrestling--Nick DeJesus, Tino Pusz, Eli Cyr - who was also named All New England

Boys Swim/Dive - Tyler Wenzel - who also qualified for All American status

Softball--Dominique Highsmith

Girls Outdoor Track and Field--Nasharie Davis, Veronica Meyer - both qualified for New England’s

Boys Outdoor Track and Field--Dylan Drescher, DeAaron Lawrence - both qualified for New Englands and Nationals.

Accomplishments

Carson Fitzner, Jayden Coughlin, Zachary Corvo, and Bilal Chapman were all named Connecticut Ultimate Frisbee All-Stars.

First class of the Jim Bransfield Legacy Award where Senior student athletes who played 12 seasons of their high school career were recognized:

Benjamin Carlson - Boy XC, B. Indoor Track, B. Outdoor Track

Dylan Drescher - B. Soccer, B. Swim/Dive, B. Outdoor Track

Aliyah Hayes - Cheer Club, Cheer, G. Outdoor Track

DeAaron Lawrence - Football, B. Basketball, B. Outdoor Track

Brennen Maxfield - B. Soccer, B. Basketball, B. Golf

Morgan Resnisky - Cheer Club, Cheer, G. Outdoor Track

Proudly brought to you by Principal Colleen M. Weiner, Assistant Principals Ryan Mertel, Raymond Byron, Jason Serra, Dean of Students Omaris Journet, Director of Athletics and Activities Elisha DeJesus and the MHS Booster Club and its President Anthony Fazzino.