I want to share a small-town story that perfectly captures why I love this community so much.
After 8 years in business, it was time to move my ELEVEN11 Accessories studio to our new location (1835 Post Road East) in Westport.
Who showed up to make it happen? 11 incredible women.
They brought pickup trucks and Suburbans, tons of muscle, and all the love. Who knew moving could be fun?!
On the move.
No professional movers. Just 11 women loading up their own cars, hauling furniture, carrying boxes, and getting it done.
We laughed. I cried (happy tears, of course). We ate PopUp Bagels. And somewhere in all the flurry of circling cars and sweat, we moved an entire business.
It was one of those moments that reminds you what small-town community is really about. Women showing up for women. No questions asked. I needed help, and they were there.
Just love, friendship, and a whole lot of heavy lifting.
During the move.
And the fact that 11 women moved ELEVEN11? You can’t make this stuff up.
I’m still overwhelmed with gratitude. Sometimes the best part of owning a small business isn’t the business at all.
It’s the people.
“06880” salutes the 11 women who moved ELEVEN11:
Brette Berman
Britt Steel
Catrina Hegarty
Jayme Martino
Julia Felleman
Kaitlyn Steffa
Liz Leary
Rory Little
Ryann Giannone
Sarah Zuckerman
Tara Chlupsa
Unsung heroes.
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com. “06880” is proud to honor them — and tell many other tales of town too. Please click here to help us do that, by supporting this hyper-local blog.)
One of the biggest fundraisers of the year — Pink Aid‘s “Pink Royale” — takes place tomorrow (Thursday, Mitchells of Westport, 6 to 10 p.m.).
The Breast Cancer Awareness Month evening aims to raise $1.5 million to support Pink Aid’s work keeping patients financially afloat during treatment, with help for rent, utilities, transportation and more. The non-profit was founded in Westport. It’s now national in scope.
The guest speaker is Tina Knowles. The breast cancer survivor, philanthropist, businesswoman — and mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles — was diagnosed after falling behind on routine mammograms when her scheduled screening was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She will speak about her journey, including the importance of early detection.
The evening will honor breast cancer survivors with the Celebration of Life Warrior Fashion Show, a Pink Aid tradition that celebrates survivorship and the people behind each journey. Breast cancer survivors will walk alongside family members and friends who supported them through diagnosis and treatment.
The event also includes a designer fashion show, silent auction, and performances by Staples High School musicians.
Over 40 startups “pitched” Startup Westport, to be part of this year’s Pitch Competition.
Sixteen — in industries like healthcare, wellness and education — from across the state were chosen to participate in an intensive boot camp. They refined their ideas, strengthened their presentation, and prepared to pitch in front of a live audience and panel of judges.
Now, the 4 finalists have been announced. They’ll compete on November 19 (6 p.m., Westport Library) for $30,000 in prizes (first prize: $25,000). They are:
Batch Global: A global sperm donation marketplace designed to make the process of finding and connecting with donors more accessible.
PayScopeMD: An AI-powered platform that helps physicians benchmark employment contracts and better understand their compensation.
Biome Botanicals: A natural digestive health company developing botanical-based products that support digestive wellness.
Starteryou: An AI-powered work-based learning platform connecting people with real-world work experiences and opportunities to build career-ready skills.
Does our beloved American flag unite us today? Or does it divide us?
That’s the question explored by a wide variety of citizens in “Flagged,” a documentary co-written and directed by a woman who lost her firefighter husband on 9/11.
It will be screened tonight (Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., Earthplace amphitheater). The event includes snacks and beverages, a guided conversation after the film, and an appearance by singer Suzanne Sheridan.
Where do our General Assembly hopefuls stand on environmental issues?
Sustainable Westport, the League of Women Voters of Westport and Earthplace all host a candidate debate, featuring candidates for State Senate District 26 and State House Districts 136 and 143.
It’s at Town Hall October 13. There’s a “Mix and Mingle” at 6 p.m., followed by the debate at 7.
One of the great Staples High School boys soccer traditions — besides winning — is Quiz Night.
Varsity, junior varsity and freshman players, parents and siblings join in a fun evening of trivia (and fundraising: It’s $25 to play). There are prizes, raffles, food — and everyone learns something.
This past Sunday featured questions like “Who is the leading scorer in US soccer national team history?”
Many players confidently said, “a tie between Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.”
Nope! The answer: Abby Wambach.
Other questions from longtime quizmaster and former head coach Dan Woog included the number of black keys on a piano (36), the artist with the hit “Birds of a Feather” and her relationship to Staples (Billie Eilish; her father went there), and the famous person with whom JK Rowling shares a birthday (Harry Potter).
Congratulations to the winners: Luke Diederich, Jack Fenn, Oliver Lynch, Charles Nivaud, Luca Roberts, Michael Roberts, Zach Selig and Harrison Welsh.
A friendly competition: Staples boys soccer Quiz Night. (Photo/Gustavo Reyna)
Thomas Orofino died peacefully at his home on Saturday. He was 79.
A resident of Westport for 44 years, he spent the last 13 years at his home near Compo Beach, a place that brought him great joy.
A graduate of Villanova University, Tom owned and operated his own company, Collateral Guarantee, for many years. In later years he enjoyed working as a commercial real estate agent.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Leslie; children Tom (Kelly) of Westport, and Liz Simpson (Matt) of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; grandchildren Colin, Olivia and Liam Orofino, and Connor, Cameron, and Bryn Simpson.
A funeral is set for Friday (October 9, 11 a.m., St. Luke Church), with a Mass of Christian burial. Condolences may be left online.
Tom Orofino
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Janine Scotti was struck by the clash of 2 holidays, and snapped it for today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo.
Kaile Zagger has spent her professional career in healthcare. She has private insurance.
But after the Westport mom underwent a bilateral mastectomy last January, she was astonished to discover the many non-reimbursable costs that piled up..
And she was stunned to learn how many women without her resources — single moms, those working and living paycheck to paycheck, women lacking the time or ability to find help — are forced to choose between treatment, and paying for food, rent and utilities.
Pink Aid — the national non-profit founded 16 years ago in Westport, which provides compassionate support and rapid emergency financial assistance to patients in treatment — was a lifeline.
Kaile found a peer-to-peer mentor in Courtney Prussin, a local mom who had undergone a similar journey.
Kaile Zagger and Courtney Prussin.
Fortunately, Kaile did not need Pink Aid’s financial help. But, she wondered, what about the 180,000 women each year who do?
Pink Aid has provided $16 million in funds since 2011. Still, the organization cannot come close to funding every request.
Yet.
Kaile — and a group of determined, whip-smart, and very well-connected women — are on a mission to make that happen.
The vehicle is the Visionary Circle. Just 3 month old, its goal is audacious: to fund every woman’s needs, including utilities, phone and cable, transportation to and from hospital visits and treatment centers, car loan and insurance premiums, and much more. Grants are usually provided within 48 hours.
Then again, these are very audacious women.
“Lots of groups spend money on research grants, and those are so important,” says Courtney. “But it’s just as important to help get these women, and their families, through such a traumatic time in their lives.”
Kaile knows her way around corporate America. She also knows there are many women who have been touched by breast cancer, or knows others who were.
If they knew about Pink Aid, she thought, they could leverage their power and resources to help raise the money that would serve every woman in need.
This summer, the Visionary Circle was born. It consists of nearly 2 dozen women, in prominent positions in finance, law, business and other fields, in New York, Chicago, California and beyond.
The women meet monthly. Each is reaching out into her own circles. Soon, they hope to have contacts — and receive large donations — from the 100 top American companies.
One early call was typical. A woman who runs a billion-dollar firm, and whose own family has been touched by cancer. said, “I had no idea this number of women are suffering.”
She signed on immediately.
The timeline is “as fast as possible,” Kaile says. “The woman in the Visionary Circle know how to make a difference.”
There are many ways to help, she adds. Executives can join the Visionary Circle.
In addition, peer mentors are always needed. So are donations. For more information, click here. To contact Kaile directly, email kailezagger@outlook.com.
From left: Pink Aid founders Amy Gross, Amy Katz, Renee Mandis and Andrew Mitchell-Namdar at their gala and fashion show. Mitchells of Westport has been a longtime sponsor of Pink Aid.
Sure, Staples Players performed “Urinetown” a few months ago.
But they also staged it in the spring of 2017.
That’s the version we’re posting today. Thanks to Jim Honeycutt, former media teacher, for compiling the highlights of directors David Roth and Kerry Long’s show. Click here or below to see.
What have cast members been up to in the 9 years since?
Avery Mendillo (Penelope Pennwise) is a New York–based actor and singer with roots in musical theatre, and a career in film and TV. She recently filmed her first feature film.
Remy Laifer (Bobby Strong) is a New York-based actor and musician. A graduate of Northwestern University’s theatre program, he has appeared on television in NBC’s “New Amsterdam.” His film work includes “Escape from Myrtle Broadway” and “3 Worlds, 1 Modern Romance.”
Jacob Leaf (Officer Lockstock) is a professional actor. He has appeared in “Mamma Mia!,” “Gypsy,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Eurydice” and more.
Zoe Samuels (Hope Cladwell, UGG Secretary) is an associate strategy director at Edelman. She graduated with a degree in theater and Chinese from Middlebury College.
Antonio Antonelli(Hot Blades Harry, Wiley Fred) is an actor and crew member. He voiced the character Shane in “Santaman,” an appeared as Wes in “Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow.”
Colin McKechnie (Tiny Tom) is part of the premiere of Dance With Us with DGDC. He graduated from Ithaca College g with a BFA in acting, and a minor in dance. A stage and screen actor, he is playing Tony in the film adaption of Stephen King’s “I Know What You Need.”
Brooke Wrubel(Little Becky Two Shoes, Hidalgo Jane) is a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University specializing in Early Christian, Byzantine and Western Medieval Art, with a focus on the development of pilgrimage shrines across Italy, Greece and the Holy Land. She holds a BA in art history and Italian studies from Bowdoin College, and an MA in the history of art from the University of Pennsylvania.
Sophia Sherman(Josephine Strong, Tawny Tess) studied acting and performing arts management at the University of Michigan. Based in Los Angeles, Sophia has focused on screen acting.
Chad Celini(Shem the Shameless) is an actor and performer who works in regional theater and independent productions. He has appeared in “Godspell,” “Curtains” and holiday musical revues, and on screen in the 2025 film “Game Over.”
Nick Rossi(Otto the Spoon) is a professional singer, actor and musician. He has appeared regionally in “Master Harold … and the Boys,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Pericles,” “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Jersey Boys.”
Jackie Rhoads (Mrs. Millennium, UGG Secretary) is a filmmaker, actor, writer and producer, who studied film at Vanderbilt University. She creates and stars in videos on her YouTube channel, which has over 20,000 subscribers, and supports the development team at Fivestone Studios, a production company based in Nashville.
Mikayla Czizik (Nurse Clackett) is a New York-based actor, singer and dancer. She graduated with a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch and the Atlantic Acting School. She played Ash in her UK and Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut
Mia Kobylinski(UGG Secretary) is a performer and creative visual artist. She is also a professional visual artist and filmmaker under her brand MAK Filmworks, capturing film photography and media content across the West.
Jake Watzman (Ensemble, the Poor) is a voice actor and theatre performer. He graduated with a BA in theatre from Muhlenberg College. He is recognized for his work in indie animation, visual novels, and voiceover projects.
In the wake of last month’s flooding, the Small Business Administration will provide low-interest loans for homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profits in Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties.
The declaration comes in response to a request Governor Lamont submitted to the SBA immediately after assessments conducted by SBA, state, and local officials determined that the damage from the storm exceeds the criteria necessary to qualify.
Specifically, the loans cover:
Homeowners: Up to $500,000 to repair their primary residence.
Homeowners and renters: Up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.
Business owners: Up to $2 million to replace real property, inventories, machinery, equipment and other physical losses.
Businesses and nonprofits: Loans of up to $2 million to provide working capital until normal operations resume.
Businesses like The Visual Brand that were damaged in the September 13 flood, as well as homeowners and renters, can apply for Small Business Administration loans.
The application deadline for physical damage loans is December 1. The application deadline for economic injury loans is July 2, 2027. To apply:
In-person: A temporary, in-person outreach center will open at the Margaret E. Morton Government Center at 999 Broad Street in Bridgeport beginning tomorrow (October 7).
It will operate Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Adjusted hours include 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 9, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. October 20 and 21. It will be closed October 12, and close permanently after October 21.
Online: The MySBA Loan Portal at https://lending.sba.gov allows applicants to apply online, view loan details, check balances, make payments and access statements.
To learn more about the plan, click here, then scroll down to “96 Compo Road South.” You’ll see all materials submitted by Garden Homes Fund to the Planning & Zoning Department.
96 Compo Road North is the white area, in the middle of the pink.
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The Representative Town Meeting meets tonight, as regularly scheduled.
A special meeting has been added for Thursday (October 8, 7:30 p.m., Zoom). They’ll consider an appropriation request of $172,500, for the design cost and permitting of the Jesup Road bridge replacement. Click here for more details of both sessions.
Yesterday — just a few hours before show time — the Westport Country Playhouse announced that Tom Hanks would join Wendie Mali and Tony Shalhoub onstage.
The occasion was the 95-year-old theater’s 100th Script in Hand play reading.
A full, high-energy house enjoyed “Portrait of a Woman in Repose.” The star-studded cast did not disappoint.
Script in Hand events are different from fully staged shows. Last night, just as the play opened, Hanks spilled a bottle of water, largely on Malick. The audience roared.
(Photo/Dave Briggs)
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Speaking of downtown: There’s a new bespoke tailor there.
Well, not exactly new. Welvin Rosario has been open on the 2nd floor at 141 Main Street since March.
Before that, he spent 9 years as Stephen Kempson’s tailor.
Now he’s struck out on his own.
His workspace is bright, with a vaulted ceiling. A balcony overlooks what everyone still calls Brooks Corner.
Welvin welcomes everyone with a smile. The Dominican Republic native says he was “born on a sewing machine.” Hi grandmother, mother and cousins all sewed.
Welvin Rosario at work … (Photo/SirTay Jackson)
He began designing when he was young. After studying the craft at university, Welvin moved to Spain.
Visiting his mother in the Bronx in 2013, he met the woman who soon became his wife. He worked in New York, then was introduced to Kempson by a mutual friend. He earned a reputation for craftsmanship, and diligence.
He earned a great reputation. “Everyone wants to grow, and go out on their own,” he says.
One Sunday after church, Welvin found the Main Street space. He signed a lease the next day.
Welvin offers men’s and women’s bespoke tailoring, made-to-measure, and alterations.
Trousers, shirts, pants, jackets — he does it all.
Customers like his combination of skill, relaxed personality, humility — and quick turnaround time.
Pumpkins, saplings and children’s books come together this Saturday (October 10), at Jesup Green.
From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., kids are invited to a “Painting Pumpkins on the Green” event. There’s that, plus a chance to meet children’s authors, play games, enjoy treats, and meet Earthplace critters. Youngsters are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes.
Parents (and non-parent adults) can pick up free oak saplings.
It’s all sponsored by Westport Book Shop, Earthplace and the Westport Tree Board.
Don’t carve it (yet). Paint it on Saturday!
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Speaking of pumpkins: Check out this (non-orange) display outside The Artist Loft.
Salon owner Bianca Bazante painted and decorated them. Now you’ve got something to enjoy, while waiting (and waiting) at the Post Road West/Riverside Avenue light.
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Absentee ballots are now available for the November 3 election.
A free open mic night of laughs is set for Wednesday (October 7; sign-ups at 6:30 p.m., show at 7). Perform yourself, or laugh with the talent. Bar food and drink specials too. For more information, email meganharvist@gmail.com.
On Thursday (October 8) the Dave Kardas Band plays blues, jazz and originals from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Following Dave Kardas, Jazz at the Post features trumpeter Michael Mossman. He’s joined by pianist Oscar Perez, bassist Alex Ayala, drummer David Alvarez III, percussionist Gabriel Globus and saxophonist Greg Wall. Dinner service begins at 6:15 p.m. Shows are 7 and 8:15 p.m. Click here for tickets.
And on Saturday (October 10, 6:30 p.m.), Eliot Lewis — rock star, soul singer, multi-instrumentalist, formerly of Hall & Oates and the Average White Band — takes the stage. Enjoy light bar food, with drink specials. Click here for tickets ($15 in advance; $20 cast at the door).
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Rachel Markus lost her AirPods this weekend. They were pinging a house in Greens Farms, where she had not been.
Turns out someone found them during Westoberfest, and handed them to the emcee.
He was none other than CBS weather personality Lonnie Quinn. He opened the door to his (Greens Farms) home, and handed them to Rachel’s husband.
Her mother wanted to know how Lonnie looked. “Her friends used to have a crush on him,” Rachel reports.
Meanwhile, she thanks whoever found her AirPods and handed them in.
And, of course, Lonnie.
Lonnie Quinn: weatherman and AirPod savior.
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Also last weekend: A thrilling, come-from-behind home win by the Staples High School football team, 14-10 over previously unbeaten Cheshire.
But there was lots of action beyond the gridiron. Click here or below to check out this display by Ryan Inzero, the internationally (at least on social media) famed sign spinner:
On the podcast “SmartLess,” hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes chatted recently with the longtime movie star (and long-ago Westport resident).
The interview includes his recollections about working at the Mobil gas station on Main Street (now Vineyard Vines). Click here to listen.(Hat tip: Richard Stein)
Staples High School graduate Mary Lou Wokanovicz died on June 17, after a brief illness. She was 90, and lived in Fairfield.
She worked as a secretary at Famous Artists Schools. After marrying Joseph Wokanovicz, who would become Westport’s postmaster, they moved to a house on Sturges Highway. They cherished it for 70 years.
Mary Lou loved gardening, cooking, feeding wild birds, tending her flock of chickens, and the many St. Bernard dogs she raised with her husband.
She also enjoyed the beach, boating with her family, and family holiday celebrations.
An avid follower of current events who read multiple newspapers daily, she was “a proud Democrat who passionately and unselfishly wanted the best for all the world’s people.”
Mary Lou was predeceased by her husband of 63 years. She is survived by her children Anne and Peter, daughter-in-law Nancy, grandsons Nicholas and Benjamin Wokanovicz, sister Patricia O’Connor and her daughter Marleen, many nieces and nephews, and her cats Lucy and Darcy.
Per her wishes there are no services. In lieu of flowers, friends are invited to donate to Guiding Eyes For the Blind, Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Habitat For Humanity or Connecticut Audubon Society.
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A handsome Sherwood Island State Park bald eagle holds a place of honor, as today’s “Westport … Naturally” star.
Sheila Keenan — a longtime, well-known Westport realtor and civic volunteer — died September 17. She was 88.
The Massachusetts native graduated from Boston College. She launched her career as an elementary school teacher in Charlottesville, Virginia while her husband Tod Keenan pursued a law degree at the University of Virginia.
In 1964 the couple settled in Westport, and raised 3 children. Tod built his law practice, while Sheila built a career of her own. She was a founding partner of KMS Partners, which grew into the number one real estate team in Connecticut. Honors included the Coldwell Banker Vision Award, and many President’s Elite designations.
Sheila spent much of her life advocating for children with special needs and their families. She co-founded both Pegasus Therapeutic Riding and CLASP, and served on the board of the Bethel Recovery Center, where her efforts earned a citation from the state Attorney General.
She served as secretary of the United Way of Westport/Weston for 5 years. As a longtime member of Sunrise Rotary Club, she took on roles of membership chairman and social chairman with enthusiasm.
She was active in the Westport Young Women’s League and the Junior League of Fairfield County, and for 12 years answered calls as an emergency medical technician with Westport Emergency Medical Service.
Most recently, she was involved with PEO International, an organization that helps women re-enter the workplace.
Sheila Keenan
Her obituary says, “To her family, she was simply ‘Didi,’ known and adored for her kindness, her generosity, her enormous heart, boundless energy and a deep and abiding faith in God. She loved nothing more than gathering people, and she connected people, for work, for love, or just for friendship.”
A devoted member of St. Luke’s Church, she also belonged to the Gaelic American Club, Fayerweather Yacht Club, the Yale Club, and the Fairfield County Hunt Club.
A skilled card player, she co-founded a bridge group that recently celebrated their 61st year. She also enjoyed mah jongg, tennis and paddle tennis.
She loved travel, and proudly wore silly hats.
Sheila is survived by her children, Maura Keenan (partner Peter Teed); Kerry Keenan (Michael Jarvela), and Sean Keenan; grandchildren Olivia Firstenberg (Anthony Terlizzi), Maggie Teed, Franny Jarvela and Lucy Jarvela; great-grandchildren Owen Madigan and Rosie Sally Terlizzi, and a wide, devoted circle of friends.
Sheila had the joy of meeting Rosie, born September 14, just days before she passed. She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas “Tod” Keenan, and her brother Francis Forziati.
A Staples High School student offered some thoughts on a podcast last week — and ignited an online firestorm. Today, he describes the aftermath of that podcast.
I am a junior at Staples High School, and over the last week my life has been turned upside down.
I am escorted to class every day by school administrators. Classmates I sit beside have told me, in writing, that they wish to gang rape and kill me. My retail job has let me go, claiming of course that it was entirely unrelated.
My home address along with my father’s phone number have been posted online. He now fields a near endless stream of calls from strangers detailing their perspectives on his son.
I have loved ideas my whole life. I launched a newsletter my freshman year, and a podcast over the past summer. I gave my perspective on the situation at Cornell last Tuesday, which was similar to voices as politically opposed as what “The View”’s Sunny Hostin and “The Daily Wire”’s Ben Shapiro both espoused: that under New York state law, and with the evidence given to the district attorney in 2024, the decision not to prosecute was not unreasonable.
My tone may have been too cold, my wording imprecise, but nothing that could possibly merit what happened over the course of the week.
Let’s be fully clear: Rape and sexual assault are among the most disgusting things that occur in our society. The video itself labeled what occurred as “morally wrong” and “disgusting.”
My intention was never to minimize or denigrate anyone who falls victim to these situations. Yet the people who ostensibly claim to share that position were willing to threaten me with becoming a victim of it myself.
I have handled the backlash the best I am able. I cooperated fully with law enforcement and the administration at Staples High School. I have ignored the streams of texts and calls, and deleted Instagram off my phone to avoid obsessing over the situation.
I have attended my classes and walked into school despite being told not to go, both by those looking out for my best interests and bad actors seeking to intimidate me.
My current situation has become untethered from the Cornell case itself. It is a story of a 16-year-old kid who expressed an opinion that, whatever issues in presentation may have precipitated the response, was not outside the Overton Window.
The response was not counter arguments. It was hardly anyone seeking to educate me, understand me, or engage in the sort of discourse that only serves to help make our communities better.
The response was doxxing and death threats.
What has stuck with me most this week is the gap between the unflinching vitriol of the online mob, and the everyday good of the people who know me. What has stuck with me are the friends who have stood by my side, despite facing immense judgment for such a stance.
What has stuck with me are the people who, in the days since the night the clip was posted, have come to me to apologize for their threats and harassment.
I have a teacher I expected to disagree with on nearly every political issue, and I probably do. But I would now say I agree with her on everything that matters. Before class, she spoke to me privately to make sure her classroom would be a safe space for me, too.
It is those people who expressed a commitment to integrity, values and principles, concepts steadier and more important than partisanship. It is a commitment to how you treat people, your peers and neighbors, including those you disagree with.
I have seen people who vehemently disagree with me show more integrity than those who stand by every word I have said. And to say I am forever grateful to those people would be an understatement.
I am not asking everyone to agree with what I said in the video, or any political stances I hold at all. The beauty of living in a town, and a nation, where people have such a diversity of opinions and are allowed to speak their minds freely, is exactly what drew me to being so enamored with ideas at such a young age.
What I would ask is simpler: Let dissent be accompanied by an explanation, not a threat of violence or a doxxing.
Westport is a town that prides itself on being a place that values education and civic participation. If that is true, then it should be the place where a 16-year-old kid can make an argument, however unpopular or poorly expressed, without having his family doxxed, and his little sister living in fear, over it.
That is an entirely apolitical ask, and the bare minimum for a town that wishes to call itself a community.
(“Students Speak” is a forum for all students, who live in or attend school in Westport and Weston. Email submissions to 06880blog@gmail.net. To support this hyper-local blog, click here. Thank you!)
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