Category Archives: Staples HS

“We The People”: Staples Students Prepare

Posted on February 6, 2021 | Comments Off on “We The People”: Staples Students Prepare

It’s been nearly a year since Staples High School’s “We the People” team won the Northeast US championship, and finished 5th nationally, in the annual Center for Civic Education competition.

The event was virtual — not in Washington, DC, as in years past. But the joy and feeling of success was real.

This year’s team is ready to top that.

State competition — the first step on the road to the finals — begins Tuesday.

As usual, the “Citizen and the Constitution” contest is divided into 6 sections. Each group of students — all members of Suzanne Kammerman’s Advanced Placement Politics & Government class — tackles a different one.

This is not exactly “name the president and your 2 US senators.”

Here for example are 3 questions from Unit 4, asking how the values and principles embodied in the Constitution have shaped American institutions:

Should states be willing “‘to purchase’ what [James] Wilson called ‘federal liberty’ with ‘the necessary concession of their political sovereignty’”? Why or why not?

“On a single day in 1964, the [Supreme] Court in effect declared that almost all state governments were constitutionally defective! … Thus, a bloodless revolution occurred without a shot fired.” Do you agree or disagree with Akhil Reed Amar’s statement regarding the Supreme Court’s opinion in Reynolds v. Sims? Why or why not?

“The doctrine of the separation of powers was adopted by the Convention of 1787 not to promote efficiency, but to preclude the exercise of arbitrary power.” How well has the Constitution’s design accomplished what Justice Brandeis described? Explain your position.

Click here — if you dare — for the other 5, and the equally probing subsets of questions.

To prepare, teacher/coach Suzanne Kammerman enlisted the help of some heavy hitters. Attorneys Andy Laskin and Jamie Dockray, former student Sam Laskin and CEO Manoj Wadhwani are honing the competitors’ presentation and oral delivery skills.

Volunteers help Staples students prepare for the 2021 “We the People” competition.

For one of the units — addressing a major freedom of speech case involving students and the internet, just accepted by the Supreme Court — Andy Laskin contacted an attorney involved. In a compelling session, he told the Staples teenagers how he is preparing to argue before the high court.

He’s ready for Justices Roberts, Sotomayor and the rest.

Now, 2 dozen Staples students are just as ready for their own “supreme” competition.

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Roundup: The Porch At Christie’s, Kids’ Food, Vaccinations, More

Posted on February 5, 2021 | 18 comments

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Renovations are coming along well at The Porch at Christie’s — the new  breakfast/lunch/dinner-to-go (plus brunch, coffee, smoothies, baked goods and ice cream) spot that will build) upon a Cross Highway tradition dating back to 1926.

Owners Andrea and Bill Pecoriello — “proud Westporters since 1994” — already own Sweet P Bakery in Norwalk, providing job training and employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Sweet P will supply most of the baked treats for The Porch. Graduates of its programs will bake there, with 2 amazing pastry chefs. Additional Sweet P staff will work in front-of-house operations.

As the sign below notes, The Porch will open this spring — offering “local food, community and purpose.” Follow online, or on Facebook and Instagram (theporchatchristies; @sweetpbakeryct). For more information, email info@theporchatchristies.com.

(Photo/Wendy Cusick)

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Carrie Kerner and her husband moved to Westport in September.

She owns a PR firm (CG Social Inc.) and is a social media influencer (@CarrieGeorgette). Her husband Brian is an anesthesiologist at Yale Hospital.

They are foodies, and conscious of what they feed their 1-year-old daughter Chloe — mostly homemade, organic, healthy meals.

Yesterday morning, “CBS This Morning” featured the family in a story on a government report that baby foods are tainted with dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.

It’s not something she’s thought about before. Now she will. Click here for the full, frightening story.

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There’s a new COVID vaccination site, not far away.

Harry Evans reports it opened this week at 110 High Ridge Road in Stamford (the Lord & Taylor parking lot). He called Wednesday to schedule an appointment, and I got one for the next day.

He was in and out yesterday in 20 minutes — including the 15-minute waiting time after the shot itself.

“Everything was easy and very efficiently run, and extremely easy to reach from Exit 35 on the Merritt,” he reports.

“When the word gets out it may be mobbed. But right now it is the only drive-through facility in Fairfield County.” Harry called Connecticut’s COVID assistance hotline: 877-918-2224.

Though Connecticut is one of the leading states in the nation in terms of percentages of vaccines administered, it is still available only to people over 75, healthcare personnel, medical first responders, and residents of long-term care facilities. The next phase will include people 65 to 74.

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In 2005, Deborah Dohme got a parking ticket in New Canaan.

Six years ago she moved from Westport to Tucson.

Yesterday she got a letter, demanding $30. It was the first notice she’d gotten as a scofflaw.

“Is New Canaan that desperate for money, that they hired a debt collector for $30 after 16 years?!” she wonders.

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Overheard at the library, by Michael Catarevas: “Excuse me, but there is no sitting allowed in the library.”

“That sums up the pandemic perfectly,” he says.

The Westport Library Forum, way back a year ago.

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Today’s New York Times includes a story on Samuel Fisher — aka Brad Holiday — the 2007 Weston High School graduate/misogynistic dating coach arrested last month for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection at the US Captiol.

Investigators found a shotgun, machetes and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his Chevy Tahoe

Despite plenty of information about Fisher/Holiday’s social media posts celebrating his role on the storming of the building — along with other videos “denigrating women (and guides on) how to defeat Communists, expose what he claimed were government pedophilia cabals, and properly wield a Glock.”

However, the Times story does not mention Weston. It says simply that he “grew up in New Jersey.” Click here for the full story.

Samuel Fisher in Washington on January 6.

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And finally … happy 77th birthday to the multi-talented Al Kooper.

He wrote hits like Gary Lewis & the Playboys’ “This Diamond Ring” …

… played organ on Bob Dylan’s groundbreaking “Like a Rolling Stone” …

… was the Blues Project’s keyboardist …

… and discovered, produced and performed with Lynyrd Skynyrd.

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Roundup: Vaccines, Liquor Stores, Real Estate, More

Posted on February 4, 2021 | 6 comments

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How many Westporters have been vaccinated?

As of February 1, 2,289 Westport. That’s 8% of our total population.

According to Westport Patch, we have 2,094 residents over the age of 75 — the first group in line for the vaccine (along with medical personnel and first responders). Nearly 54 percent — a total of 1,095 — have received their first dose.

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Westport has plenty of small, independently owned liquor stores. Nearly every Westporter has a favorite.

Now a “superstore” has entered the mix.

Yesterday, trucks delivered supplies to BevMax’s new outlet in the former Pier 1 store — the Julien’s Pizza shopping center on Post Road East. In other words: directly opposite Castle Wine & Spirits.

BevMax has 8 locations in Fairfield and New Haven Counties, plus a nationwide shipping office in Stamford. There’s a BevMax in Norwalk, near Stew Leonard’s.

They bought the license of Saugatuck Grain + Grape, which had relocated from Railroad Place to Post Road West. The owner of a liquor store can move anywhere in Westport that zoning allows.

Last year, plans were underway to convert the entire Julien’s shopping center — except for the Bluepoint Wellness medical marijuana dispensary — into medical offices. The plaza has since reverted to retail use.

(Photo/Jack Krayson)

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The other day, “06880” posted a few “sizzling real estate” statistics. Here are a few more:

January saw a continued swift pace, despite the decrease in months of supply in inventory. Here is a quick snapshot of this past month:

  • $70,956,000 total sales, vs. $33,796,846 total January 2020 sales — a more than 100% increase.
  • 40 single-family and condo units sold in January; 25 single-family and Condo units sold in January 2020 — up 60%.
  • $1,318,000 was the median home sales price; in January 2020 it was $1,012,500. That’s more than a 30% rise.
  • The home inventory supply was 2.4 months; a year ago it was 9.3 months. That’s a 74% decrease.

The highest sale in January was a 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom home listed with Brett and Jean Lieberman at 4 Bluewater Lane: $5,125,000. (Hat tip: Jody Peters, the Riverside Realty Group)

4 Bluewater Lane

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Seven Staples High School athletes signed letters of intent yesterday to play sports at NCAA Division I universities.

Congratulations to (from left in photo below): Kevin Lynch, University of Massachusetts lacrosse; Julia DiConza, Lehigh University lacrosse; Carter Kelsey, Seton Hall University baseball; Autumn Smith, Marist College soccer; Laine Ambrose, Boston College field hockey; Shira Parower, James Madison University lacrosse; Sam Milberg, College of the Holy Cross football.

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Speaking of Staples: Composting has come to the high school cafeteria. It’s an initiative of the school’s Zero Waste Committee. Students will serve as monitors.

Composting is already underway at several Westport schools.

Greens Farms Elementary School offers 3 choices for waste. The same options are now available at Staples High.

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MoCA Westport and Up|Next Teens are partnering to present a Winter Lights Festival at MoCA. It’s set for Saturday, February 27 (noon to 6 p.m.).

The Festival features a maker and crafts space in a large outdoor tent, with supplies and step-by-step instructions for families to work together to create winter-themed decorations. The decorations will be incorporated into a walk-through Light Path, to be lit at sun down. The public can view the experience through the following weekend.

Also planned: live performances by high school musicians, food from The Melt truck, and hot cocoa.

The Festival includes free entry to MoCA ’s exhibition “Hindsight is 2020,” showcasing nearly 200 high school student artists from across the region.

Click here for tickets.

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And finally … happy birthday to Alice Cooper. He was born on this day in 1948. In other words, he’s no longer 18.

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Staples Interns Need You!

Posted on February 4, 2021 | 1 comment

Staples High School’s Internship Program is a win-win-win.

Every spring, talented and eager seniors leave school 4 weeks before graduation. They spend the final month out in the real world.

They work everywhere: retail stores, salons, restaurants, non-profits, medical offices, financial firms, design shops, farms, marketing companies, photography studios, publishers … you name it. If there’s a job to be learned and done, they do it.

(And not just in Westport. Interns head to New York City — even beyond.)

During their internship with a builder of energy-efficient luxury homes, Josh Berman and Teddy Lawrence worked on spreadsheets and handled social media. They also did lots of manual labor.

The work and real life experience they gain is invaluable. The energy, creativity — and help — they bring to the workplace is huge. And the internships get them out of high school at a time when senioritis would otherwise kick in (that’s the third “win”).

But as hard as they work, the program coordinators work equally hard right now arranging 450 or so internships.

So they’re asking the greater “06880” community: Can you help?

Do you need a senior (or two, or three) for daily onsite (or remote) work? Perhaps you’re beefing up your social media presence. Or looking for research help, design work, web content, data entry. Or hundreds of other tasks.

Colin McKechnie and Hallie Lavin capped their internship with a caterer by throwing a delicious party.

You can be a small, medium or large size firm– or a single proprietor. Maybe you were an intern once yourself, and want to give back.

Internships begins May 17. Students are expected to work 5 hours a day for 3-4 weeks, onsite, remotely or in a hybrid model. Program leaders provide guidance and oversight.

If interested, or to learn more, email program directors Michelle Howard and Denise Pearl: shsinternship@westportps.org.

Alice Sardinian with a young patient at a pediatrician’s office.

 

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Board Of Ed Meeting: Masks, Money And More

Posted on February 2, 2021 | 4 comments

C. Chien covered last night’s Board of Education meeting for “06880.” She writes:

Last night’s Board of Education meeting primarily addressed the upcoming budget and COVID-19-related issues.

Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice began the virtual session by emphasizing that there is no shortage of masks in the schools, thus no need for donations from parents and community members. However, donations will be taken at the central office only, to increase the stockpile.

Scarice then emphasized that the flexible Absent In-Person Present Online (APO) attendance option the schools implemented in response to the pandemic — initially intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 if any student experienced symptoms — is being abused. There are reports of students going on vacation, and that attendance on assessment (test) days drops significantly.

“Absent In-Person Online” attendance — designed for students who feel sick, and are encouraged to study online for the day — is being abused, school officials say. 

This leads to “material disruption” in the school environment. Scarice noted there may be changes to the policy.

After updates on the Youth Arts Collaborative program in the elementary schools, and on statewide COVID-positivity rates, the bulk of the meeting focused on items being considered for budget cuts in the 2021-22 school year.

Budget discussion focused on the potential implementation of a pay-to-play fee policy for sports. That model is used in towns including Weston, Wilton, Darien, Ridgefield, Trumbull, Avon and Simsbury, but not in New Canaan, Fairfield or Greenwich.

There was discussion too of eliminating the grade K-2 world language program. Board members questioned what would replace it, and whether that would be of benefit to the students.

Much of the public comment on the budget focused on the elimination of certain administrators in the schools.

On the slate for potential cuts are grade level assistants at Staples High School, the reduction of 1 full-time paraprofessional per school at the elementary level, and the reduction of one full-time assistant principal at Kings Highway and Saugatuck Elementary Schools, to match the numbers at Coleytown and Greensn Farms Elementary Schools. Public comment emphasized the impact this cut may have on students with special needs.

The board made no final decisions. Budget discussions will continue at further meetings.

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Roundup: Reusable Takeout, Super Bowl, More

Posted on February 2, 2021 | 4 comments

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Like many Westporters, Yulee Aronson’s family orders a lot of takeout food.

Environmentally conscious, he hates throwing away single-use containers. So he researched companies that offer reusable ones.

He found several. The closest — DeliverZero — is in Brooklyn. They provide containers to restaurants, for takeout or delivery. Diners can return them to the delivery person the next time they order from a participating restaurant, or drop them off themselves. A list of DeliverZero restaurants is on their website.

Yulee asked the owner what it would take to bring his service to Westport. He said, “5 participating restaurants.”

So: How about it, Westport? If you’re a restaurant owner, do you want in? If you’re a diner, would you ask your favorite owners to join?

If so, email yulee.aronson@parsons.com. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to start!

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Not sure who to root for in Sunday’s Super Bowl?

Forget the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs. Just cheer for a guard: the Bucs’ Ali Marpet.

He has a great back story: The Hobart College alum is the highest Division III player ever drafted in the NFL. Now he’s got a 5-year, $54 million contract blocking for Tom Brady.

He grew up not far away, in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where his mother sang in the band Housewives on Prozac, and founded both the Mamapalooza music and arts festival and the Museum of Motherhood.

Oh, yeah: That mom is 1975 Staples High School graduate Joy Rose.

The New York Post provides the full back story. Click here for details. (Hat tips: Bill Halprin and Fred Cantor)

Ali Marpet (left) on draft day and his mother Joy Rose (right), flanking his siblings Zena and Blaze.

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Before cheering for Ali Marpet — and digging into wings and nachos — consider doing a tough workout. You’ll feel good. And you’ll help a great cause.

The workout is a 6-minute pullup bar hang or 6-minute plank, followed by either a half-mile run and 30 pushups, or 2 rounds of 75 jumping jacks, 35 mountain climbers, 15 pushups and 7 burpees. There are other options too.

The cause — after registering ($25 per person, or $40 if you want a t-shirt) is Catch a Lift. The national organization — which has a strong Westport presence, thanks to Adam Vengrow and Andy Berman — helps thousands of post-9/11 combat-wounded veterans regain mental and physical health through gym memberships, home gym equipment, personalized fitness and nutrition programs, and a peer support network.

Click here to register, and for more information.

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Lynsey Addario’s compelling New York Times photos of COVID’s very real effects on very real people in the UK has caught the eye of CNN.

The 1991 Staples High School graduate (and Pulitzer Prize winner, and MacArthur fellow) was interviewed by Rosemary Church. It’s a sobering look at her work — and at the lives and deaths of a few of the millions impacted by the pandemic. Click here (not below — that’s a screenshot) to see.

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Once again, Homes with Hope is part of the Wilton Kiwanis Club’s annual Citrus & Chocolate Fundraiser.

A variety of offerings includes combo packaging with samplings of citrus, plus a great assortment of See’s chocolates.

Every box of fruit or chocolate ordered through the Homes with Hope link benefits our local supportive housing organization. Click here to order. Click here for more information.

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Westporters are used to deer. One, two, sometimes even three eat our bushes, and bound out of the woods.

But it’s rare to 6 at once. Eric Roth took this photo yesterday, on Dogwood Lane.

(Photo/Eric Roth)

They look hungry. It’s not easy feeding such a large family — especially in a snowstorm.

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Hal Holbrook — who died recently at 95 — spent more than 6 decades portraying Mark Twain.

As John Kelley notes, one of those performances was on Halloween night in 1959, at Staples High School.

The school had just opened its modern North Avenue campus. The PTA had an active arts program, bringing musicians, dancers and actors to the new auditorium stage.

Hal Holbrook might have been the most famous name of all.

Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain (Photo/Sara Krulwich for the New York Times)

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COVID-delayed openings today: Westport Library (1 p.m.) and Westport Weston Family YMCA (12:30 p.m.).

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And finally … Happy Groundhog Day!

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Staples Players: Sorry, Wrong Number!

Posted on January 31, 2021 | 3 comments

During the pandemic, we’ve all done a lot of listening.

Podcasts have boomed. Audiobook sales soared.

And — as Staples Players have discovered — there is a huge audience for old-time radio broadcasts.

The nationally recognized drama troupe pivoted last fall to radio shows. Produced virtually on Sunday evenings, they were a surprise — and welcome — addition to our vastly curtailed entertainment calendars.

This spring — the 3rd season in a row without a mainstage production — Players is back on the internet. Four shows are planned, starting next Sunday. It’s time to gather round the radio — well, the laptop — for sure.

The series kicks with “Sorry, Wrong Number” this Sunday (February 7, 5 p.m. — — yes, you’ll have plenty of time before the Super Bowl).

Orson Welles called 23-minute thriller  “the greatest radio script ever written.” A woman accidentally overhears a phone conversation about a planned murder. Terror followa quickly, as the plot unfolds in real time.

Players directors David Roth and Kerry Long wanted variety in their 4 shows. They sure have it.

“Little Women” (February 28, 6 p.m.) and “Dracula” (March 14, 6 p.m.) follow. The series concludes with “The Marvelous Mellow Melodrama of the Manager of the Mislaid Manor” (March 26, 7 p.m.), a madcap comedy that will be Players’ first-ever freshman and sophomore-only production, of any kind.

Roth and Long — and their actors and tech crews — love the radio show format. The cast is not tied down to one character for 3 months. They can create multiple personalities — with diverse accents and back stories, and grow rapidly as performers.

Sophie Rossman stars as the woman who overhears a murder plot in “Sorry, Wrong Number.” (Photo/Kerry Long)

Musicians and sound effects people have plenty to do. So do costumers, hair and makeup designers, who create special looks for the actors. They’re never seen by audiences, but they help each cast member get into his or her role.

The radio shows are intended to be performed in the Black Box theater — with social distancing, of course. But in the event of a sudden quarantine (as happened last fall), the show can be done entirely remotely.

Each performance is available on www.wwptfm.org. They are not aired on the radio station itself, due to FCC restrictions on commercials. (Highlights of each show include clever Player-produced ads for local businesses.)

Audiences appreciate the format. “People listened lots of different ways last fall,” Roth says. “Some tuned in during dinner. Some turned off the lights, built a fire and listened that way.” The length of the shows — from 23 to no more than 75 minutes — lends itself to those kinds of rituals.

The Super Bowl — this is number LV — is a relatively new American ritual. Decades earlier, Americans gathered around the radio in another communal radio.

Thanks to our new pandemic normal — and Staples Players — we can all do that again.

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Roundup: Fatheads, Steve Lyons, Abilis, More

Posted on January 30, 2021 | Comments Off on Roundup: Fatheads, Steve Lyons, Abilis, More

 

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The Staples boys basketball season starts (finally) soon. COVID restrictions prohibit fans in the gym. But they don’t say anything about cardboard cutouts with faces ono them.

The parent booster club hopes to fill the gym for every home game with “fathead” images of family, friends and classmates.

It’s a clever fundraiser — and easy. Just click here and attach a selfie (or more).

The deadline is Wednesday (February 4). Act quickly, fatheads!

Stephh Curry does not play for Staples. But here’s his fathead.

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Earlier this month, “06880” learned of the tough times Steve Lyons has faced.

The talented artist was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and closed Bankside Contemporary, his Post Road West gallery. During treatment in California, he and his partner of 36 years, Peter Demers both contracted COVID. On January 10, Peter died.

Heartbroken, fighting for his life and 3,000 miles from home, Steve continues to make progress toward recovery. His many friends hope he can do that in his longtime, beloved Chatham, Massachusetts.

Travel in his condition is challenging and costly. It requires a complex plan, including on-board medical services and monitoring from door to door.

His friends say: “If you have enjoyed Steve’s company, delighted in his captivating artwork in your home, or if you are simply compelled by this harrowing story, we ask you to consider donating to our effort to bring Steve home.

Click here to donate to his GoFundMe page, or to send words of encouragement.

Peter Demers and Steve Lyons.

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Now 70 years old, Abilis supports over 800 people with special needs, and their families, throughout Fairfield County. Abilis Gardens & Gifts is their store — a training site where participants gain retail experience, on their way to obtaining community jobs in sales and production.

They’ve got a wide variety of gifts and flowers available for Valentine’s Day: bouquets of roses and flower arrangements (pre-order by February 3 for pick-up February 12 – 14); love-themed home decor items; handcrafted candles, soaps and bath products; books, games and puzzles for children, and more.

Shopping can be done in their Greenwich store, online, or by phone for pick-up. To order online and place pre-orders for flowers, click here or call 203-531-4438.

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One bright light in this dark winter is the wolf moon. Westporters may not have heard wolves howling last night — the reason for its name — but they sure did enjoy watching it rise.

Joel Treisman captured this shot, at Compo Beach:

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And finally … today is the 52nd anniversary of the Beatles’ last public performance: the now-famous impromptu concert on the roof of Apple Records in London. It was broken up by the police.

 

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Friday Flashback #229

Posted on January 29, 2021 | 11 comments

Everyone remembers their first job. Staples High School Class of 1963 graduate David Grant — now a California resident — remembers his.

As far back as I can remember, my parents loved playing tennis.

My father and his regulars played doubles from 9 to 11 every Saturday and Sunday morning. My mother played singles with her friends. Now and then my folks played mixed doubles, but that was usually only for a tournament.

My mother, the clothing designer, wore her Midge Grant tennis dresses. My father wore a white t-shirt and sharkskin shorts.

They played at the Doubleday courts next to what was then Staples High School on Riverside Avenue (now Saugatuck Elementary School). The pro was Freeman Marshall; everyone called him Doc. I started taking lessons from him when I was 10, and continued for several years. Doc Marshall was also my high school tennis coach.

The Doubleday tennis courts are behind PJ Romano Field (formerly Doubleday Field) at Saugatuck Elementary School. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)

The Doubleday courts were made of clay. They take much more maintenance then asphalt or concrete. They have to be watered regularly and get a weekly dose of calcium chloride so they don’t dry out. They needed to be rolled often, brushed daily, and lines had to be painted on as needed.

Doc Marshall hired me when I was 14 to help maintain the courts. I rode my bike 3 or 4 miles to the courts, arriving (if I was on time) by 7:30 to get the courts ready for each day’s play. At first my lines were a little squiggly, and needed to be straightened. After a while, perfect.

In 1957 — several years before David Grant entered Staples — the tennis team posed with Coach Doc Marshall (standing, far right).

There was a tennis shack at Doubleday. We took reservations, set up tournament pairings, sold tennis balls and soft drinks, and strung racquets. Eventually I took over most of these chores while Doc was on the courts teaching. I kept my job for 8 summers, earning $80 a week — a king’s ransom to me.

As I got older I was also allowed to teach, from 12 to 1 each day and 6 to 8 in the evenings. For that I charged $6 per half hour.

After I’d been working at the courts for several years, Doc hired my best friend Jerry Keneally to help with the work of the courts and shack. It was so great for us to work together and play tennis into the dark after everyone went home. I had the greatest job and the most fun imaginable.

David Grant’s 1963 Staples High School tennis team.

When there was little to do I would pick up trash, or hit balls against a practice wall. Quite often someone would need someone to play with or fill in a fourth for doubles, and there I was.

There was an artist named David Levine, best known for his caricatures. You could see his works regularly in the New York Review of Books. David spent summers in Westport. One day he asked me to hit with him, then on to a set of tennis. I played right-handed, David Levine left-handed. We played, I won.

David challenged me to switch hands, so in our second set I played left-handed and won again. My reward was a trip to his studio in Brooklyn to pick out one of his artworks called “Spies.” Almost 55 years later, I still have it.

“Spies,” by David Levine.

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Lynsey Addario: In UK, Pandemic Takes “Almost Unbearable Toll”

Posted on January 28, 2021 | 1 comment

In her Pulitzer Prize-winning career as a photojournalist, Staples High School graduate Lynsey Addario has trained her camera on the world’s most dangerous hot spots.

She’s done it again.

This time the place is Britain. There, the coronavirus is taking “an almost unbearable toll.”

Having covered war and humanitarian crises for 20 years, the MacArthur fellow  writes today, “I recognize the trauma I see in front-line workers. The pain and sadness can be overwhelming.”

One of 30 ICU patients in north London’s Barnet Hospital. It usually holds 15 to 19. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for New York Times)

Her story today — “It’s Still Getting Worse. Inside Britain’s Vicious Second Wave” — is visually stunning. Her words are an equally graphic reminder that the pandemic is far from over.

“Though the vaccine — which has reached over seven million people in Britain — is a light at the end of the tunnel, the darkness of what the country has experienced must not be forgotten,” she adds.

“For frontline workers and all Britons, these pictures stand as testaments to their trauma and their perseverance.”

Click here for the full story.

Funeral homes in Britain are ordering extra coffins. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for New York Times)

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