Today is the first day of school. Student energy will be high.
Yesterday marked the opening convocation for the 965 educators and support staff in the Westport Public Schools. Their energy — at a welcoming breakfast at Staples High, and the only all-staff meeting of the year — was off the charts.
There were several standing ovations, including for teachers marking milestone anniversaries in the district, and the 11 Teacher of the Year nominees. The winner, Dr. Dan Cortwright, earned special applause.
Another standing ovation: Staples Orphenians, under the direction of Lauren Pine (right), for their rendition of the national anthem.
But the biggest ovation may have been for a group that never gets one: bus drivers.
Near the beginning of his remarks, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice singled out the work of the 60 First Student employees. He cited several incidents of “above and beyond” service — “small actions that have large impact” — and then invited the drivers to the front.
As they marched proudly down the aisles, hundreds of teachers and administrators rose to their feet, and cheered lustily.
First Student bus drivers enjoy a standing ovation.
There were cheers too for the Teacher of the Year nominees: Emily Boyle, Kim Chu, Erik Dey, Jeff Doornweerd, Jenna Giordano, Erin Hines, Eric Lawrence, Maggie Robinson, Jeremy Royster, Julie Sanzo and Katie Sullivan.
The selection of Dr. Dan Cortwright — an 8th grade science teacher at Bedford Middle School — was an affirmation of what Scarice called all the honorees: “the best of our profession.”
BMS principal Dr. Adam Rosen hailed the University of Michigan biochemistry Ph.D. as “a compassionate innovator and tireless advocate. He regularly includes the mot vulnerable students.”
Rosen said that Cortwright cultivates “creativity, belonging and engagement. He makes science come alive. His classroom is a place of challenge and joy. He inspires everyone. He teaches a master class in our district’s values.”
As head coach of the state champion and national contender Science Olympiad team, Cortwright reached out to a student in the intensive resource program. State judges said it was the first time a special needs youngster participated in the Olympiad.
After an emotional video in which that student spoke lovingly of Cortwright, he took the stage. The Teacher of the Year saluted the BMS students who made the young girl feel part of the team, then described the joy he gets from helping children “see the magic that happens when they figure things out.”
Westport Teacher of the year Dr. Dan Cortwright (right), with (from left) superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice, and assistant superintendent John Bayers.
Scarice, meanwhile, is trying to figure out artificial intelligence. So is everyone else in education.
His keynote address used the collapse of monasteries as a metaphor for colleges today.
Once central to all of European civilization, monasteries fell under the spread of a new technology: the printing press.
An array of forces — economic, demographic, political and technological — now buffet universities, Scarice said.
Combined with AI, the future is very uncertain.
Superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice. (All photos/Dan Woog)
“What does this mean for educators?” Scarice asked rhetorically.
His answer: It is an opportunity to “re-humanize” education.
For example, artificial intelligence can “lift the burdens on teachers, so they can spend more time with students. It can help us point our ethical compass to the true north. It can help us stay human-centered, and transparent.
AI is here to stay, he emphasized. The job of educators, Scarice said, is to “be architects, leading the pathway forward.”
He urged the Westport Schools “not to wait for change to happen, but to shape the way forward for students.
“If it can’t happen here in Westport,” he concluded, “it will never happen.”
AFTER THE BELL: Teacher of the Year Dr. Cortright is entering his 15th year as a WEstport teacher. Previously, he spent nearly 15 years in science research, contributing to advancements that help patients manage conditions like multiple myeloma …
The Westport Public Schools welcome 27 new teachers this year. There are also nearly 30 newly hired non-certified staff members, and 10 interns and student teachers. Combined with coaches, other extracurricular and stipend positions, and substitutes, there are nearly 1,200 WPS employees …
Scarice began the convocation with a moment of silence for Kristen Ryan Beirne. The popular and talented Bedford Middle School physical education teacher — a former star athlete at Staples — died earlier this month, after a long illness.
(“06880” reports regularly on education in Westport. If you appreciate stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Cheers to the bus drivers who have a terrible job every day, and go out of their way to keep the children safe.
It was good to see the school busses out on the routes and kids waiting cheerfully at each bus stop. And GREAT to see the Westport Police Department following each bus.
Too many drivers need reminders about traffic laws and keeping school kids safe. And (unfortunately) too many of our residential roads are used by I-95 spillover vehicles at the same time as school bus pickup.
While I didn’t necessarily appreciate it at the time; having the opportunity to be educated in Westport is a tremendous gift. I hope all of the students starting the new school year figure this out sooner than I did and make the most of it. Good luck all!