For 84 years, the Candlelight Concert has been the Staples High School music department’s gift to the town.
With its “Sing We Noel” processional, “Hallelujah Chorus” finale, and wondrous performances by the choirs, orchestras and bands, Candlelight is timeless.
Scores of musicians make Candlelight magic.
But there is always something new, too.
This year, it’s the debut of band leader Kevin Mazzarella. He joins veteran orchestra director Carrie Marasco, choral conductor Lauren Pine, and the rest of the outstanding Staples music department, in presenting the beloved holiday concert that is always fresh and exciting, yet also warmly traditional.
This year’s concert is Friday, December 13 (8 p.m.) and Saturday, December 14 (3 and 8 p.m.).
Tickets will be available to the public at 9 a.m. on Monday, November 25 (online at www.staplesmusic.org). There is a maximum of 4 tickets per order.
There is no charge for Candlelight tickets. However, donations to support the music program are graciously accepted.
(Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
This year’s Candlelight Concert features inspiring selections and familiar favorites.
Susato’s lively “La Morisque,” a brass and wind rendition from 16th-century Germany, leads seamlessly into the “Sing We Noel” processional.
The haunting “Sing We Noel” proessional. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
The full orchestra will highlight “March of the Toys” from “Babes in Toyland,” followed by the combined choral ensembles’ Liberian folk song “African Noel,” “Ave Maria,” and a vibrant arrangement of the Ashkenazic folk song “S’Vivon.”
Mazzarella’s band debut includes a stirring rendition of Aaron Copland’s “The Promise of Living” from “The Tender Land” — a hopeful, reflective close to the year — followed by the vibrant and dramatic “Bacchanale” by Saint-Saëns.
After Alan Silvestri’s “The Polar Express,” Handel’s “HallelujahChorus” provides a rousing and popular finale.
In the spirit of the season, the Staples Tri-M Music Honor Society will conduct a “CanDelight” canned food donation drive, to benefit the Homes for Hope food pantry. There will be collection bins in the auditorium lobby, before each concert.
Veteran Candlelight-goers know: Tickets sell out fast. Mark your calendar now for 9 a.m., November 25. And remember the website: www.staplesmusic.org.
This year’s Candlelight poster was designed by art and music student Connor Yuan.
The Sunrise Rotary and Westport Rotary Clubs have pledged $2,500 each, to Ukraine Aid International.
Rotarian Ken Bernhard is seeking more funds, which the national club will match. The goal of $15,000 would purchase water filtration systems, for use in the war-torn nation.
The need is critical, in areas where Russian forces have destroyed water supplies.
UAI founders Marshall and Brian Mayer — who grew up in Westport — described the water filtration systems, and other aid their non-profit provides (including communications equipment, vehicles, and funds for children’s therapy camps) on Sunday, at a special dinner provided by Nômade.
Among the attendees: Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Jim Himes. Both provided insights into the current status of US aid to Ukraine. Blumenthal — who has traveled there 6 times — noted the bipartisan support, with ties forged on his trips with Republican senators like Lindsay Graham.
Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Jim Himes at Nômade. (Photo/Dan Woog)
The Downtown Plan Implementation Committee holds a public meeting this Thursday (November 21, 8:30 a.m., Town Hall Room 307-9).
The agenda includes reviews of the parking lot project, a review of the public engagement process, and an update on the parking study and feasibility analysis.
Meanwhile, the Long Lots School Building Committee meeting scheduled for today (Tuesday) has been canceled.
The Westporter debuted his stunning new documentary, before a large Westport audience crowd.
“Pat Tillman: Life, Death, Legacy” is a profound and impactful look at the life and legacy of the NFL star who volunteered to serve in Afghanistan, then was killed by friendly fire.
Missed it? Click here for details on how to stream the video.
Jeremy Schaap, at the Westport Library. (Photo and hat tip/Dave Briggs)
Also last night: A nearly sold-out audience enjoyed the Westport Country Playhouse’s latest Script In Hand reading.
“A Danger to Yourself and Others” took place — appropriately — the week before Thanksgiving, It involved a gas station robbery, library card revocation, love, and much more.
Script in Hand readings are regular — and very popular — Playhouse events.
Script in Hand readings give a great flavor of interesting plays. This is a scene from “A Danger to Yourself.” (Photo/Dave Matlow)
But there was plenty of Staples blue in Cary, North Carolina on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Paddy Donovan — a 2022 Staples High School grad — saved one penalty kick, in the ACC men’s soccer final.
But 2 Clemson teammates missed theirs, and Wake Forest captured the league championship, 7-6, after regulation and overtime ended 1-1.
Among the other local connections: Clemson is coached by 1979 Staples grad (and former state champion) Mike Noonan. He’s led the Tigers to 2 national titles in the past 3 years.
In the stands: Paddy’s parents, Dan and Nicole Donovan. Both are SHS alums too. Dan is a former Wrecker soccer state champion. And his late brother Doug was Noonan’s teammate, on that ’78 state title squad.
Also on hand: former Staples teachers Dave and Marianne Harrison (social studies and physical education, respectively). Both now live in North Carolina.
Next up for Clemson: The NCAA tournament. Donovan and his teammates earned a first-round bye.
From left: Nicole Donovan, Dave and Marianne Harrison, Dan Donovan. All sport Clemson orange.
Speaking of sports: The Staples girls rugby program hosts a clinci for all current interested girls, in 8th grade and above, on November 24 (12:30 to 2 p.m., Staples football field).
Players from the University of New Haven Women’s Rugby Team will be lead the event. It’s a chance for girls (and their parents) see what rugby is all about, ask questions, and meet athletes. No prior experience is required.
The Staples girls rugby season runs from March through June.
Staples High School girls rugby. (Photo/Dylan Chatterjee Photography)
And finally … on this day in 1493, Christopher Columbus landed on an island he first saw the day before. He named it San Juan Bautista. Today we know it as Puerto Rico.
The island has given the world many great gifts. Among them: our neighbor, longtime Weston resident José Feliciano.
(“06880” is where Westport — and Weston — meet the world. If you enjoy the connections you find here, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
At 15, Dylan Diamond built an app. Now, his Staples High School classmates had an easy way to view their schedules and grades.
Most people would have stopped there.
Diamond rolled it out nationally. It’s evolved into Saturn — a must-have calendar and time management app for high school and college students.
Customizable and shareable, it includes classes, clubs, sports practice and games, concert and show rehearsals, and more.
Dylan Diamond
As CEO of Saturn Technologies, Diamond oversees 100-plus employees, at its New York headquarters.
Long before he earned a dual degree in computer science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, Diamond’s Staples Class of 2017 teachers and classmates knew he’d go far.
Diamond is just one of a remarkable crop of recent SHS grads who are creating companies, raising tens of millions of dollars in funding, and redefining entire industries.
Max Hammer graduated a year before Diamond. He too went to Penn, where he majored in international relations and affairs.
Today, Hammer and classmate Josh Karol — a fellow 2016 Staples grad, who earned a degree in compueter science and mathematics at Emory University — are CEO and CTO, respectively, of CrowdVolt.
Max Hammer and Josh Karol.
Their start-up solves a problem bedeviling their generation: how to exchange rave and EDM tickets, without the hassle of buying them of Facebook Marketplace or Reddit, or paying high fees on other sites.
How serious are they? Hammer and Karol are backed by Y Combinator — the most prominent start-up accelerator in the world.
Jack Sharkey is even younger than those three. The University of Texas computer science and business grad — now CTO of Whop — is a 2018 Staples alum.
His platform connects buyers and sellers in the digital economy, focusing on influencers and content creators.
Jack Sharkey
Whop secured $17 million in a Series A funding round. Investors — including Insight Partners, the Chainsmokers fund and Peter Thiel — valued the startup at $100 million. With a million customers and 3,000 sellers, Whop has facilitated $100 million in transactions.
Like Diamond, Hammer and Karol, Sharkey got his start in Staples’ computer science program. He created an app offering schedules, sites and other info on all 27 sports played at any of Connecticut’s 183 high schools — including varsity, JV and freshman.)
Next Monday, November 25 (6:30 p.m., Westport Library), they’ll all pay it forward.
The 4 creative, hard-working entrepreneurial superstars will be featured at Startup Westport’s Young Innovators Forum.
Molly O’Shea
The Staples connection continues with the moderator. Molly O’Shea
A 2014 Staples grad who earned a BA in design and entrepreneurship at New York University, she’s a venture capital investor, and founder of Sourcery, the VC deal and startup trend newsletter.
Previous Startup Westport forums focused on women and minorities.
Now, Westport’s public-private tech and innovation partnership shines a spotlight on a new group of entrepreneurs. All are younger than 26.
Next week’s Young Innovators Forum is open to all ages.
“We are excited to welcome Staples High School students, their parents, alumni and all other Westporters for an evening celebrating the success of these extraordinary, home-grown innovators — and to hear how they journeyed from classrooms here to the pinnacle of innovation,” says Startup Westport co-founder and president Cliff Sirlin.
The panelists will discuss the challenges they’ve faced, the creative solutions they’ve pioneered, and how Westport and Staples shaped their journeys.
Hammer looks forward to inspiring others, and building connections — just as he did, a few years ago here.
Diamond adds, “The mentorship I received, and the encouragement to build products that served the community, were hugely motivating. I’m thrilled to return, to share my experiences.”
O’Shea — who is coming from California to moderate the evening — notes, “Each of these companies has achieved incredible milestones and legitimacy.
“This is not just a typical panel. They’ve collectively raised from top-tier Silicon Valley firms, hit significant growth, and reached product market fit.”
And, looking back at her alma mater, O’Shea says, “I’m excited to support Staples’ growing role in tech.”
(The Young Innovators Forum is free, but registration is required. Click here for details.)
(“06880” often highlights the success of Staples graduates, of all ages and types. If you enjoy this coverage on your hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The Staples High School field hockey team won their 6th state championship — and 2nd in a row — yesterday.
The Wreckers beat Darien 5-2, at Wethersfield High School. They put the game away with 3 straight goals, breaking a 2-2 draw. Goals came from Leah Larit (2), and Emma Larit, Alex Hackett and Sofia Fidalgo.
It was a clash of titans. Staples was seeded first in the class “L” (large schools) tourney. The Blue Wave were second.
They’re longtime rivals. The Westporters — ranked number 8 nationally — lost only once all year, to out-of-state Camden (New Jersey) Catholic. Darien had only 2 losses before yesterday. Both were to Staples.
And … the Blue Wave were victims of the Wrecker juggernaut in this year’s FCIAC final, and last year’s championship game as well.
Well done, coach Ian Tapsall and all the girls. Now, Darien and the rest of Connecticut: Get ready for a three-peat!
Staples field hockey: once again, state champs! (Photos courtesy of Staples High School Athletics)
Speaking of sports: ESPN journalist — and Westport resident — Jeremy Schaap hosts a special screening of his new E60 documentary tomorrow (Monday, November 18, 7 p.m., Westport Library).
“Pat Tillman: Life, Death, Legacy” highlights his career as a football star with the Arizona Cardinals, followed by his life as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. His death (by friendly fire) received national attention.
After the film, Schaap will lead a discussion about it, and Tillman’s legacy.
And the New York Times — no easy reviewer — loves the first effort, from the 2002 Staples High School graduate.
Hilary Leichter writes:
Public and private moments of upheaval are the catastrophes in Chris Knapp’s fantastically dense and omnivorous debut novel, “States of Emergency.”
Climates both marital and global, existential terror and immediate terror, the dissolution of borders between countries and also people — such a list only simplifies the vertiginous simultaneity achieved in these pages.
Knapp doesn’t just tighten the perceived distance between our inner lives and the world around us; he erases it.
The result is a masterfully digressive story that moves across perspectives, time zones and time periods.
Imagine a 24-hour news cycle that name-checks Walter Benjamin, Frantz Fanon, the New York City water supply, the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges and Chris Martin’s 2016 Super Bowl halftime show, and you’ll have something approximating the serious and often playful intellectual terrain of this novel. Knapp’s narrator is a flâneur with push notifications.
Click here for the full review. Click here for more information, and to order “States of Emergency.” (Hat tip: Jeff Wieser)
Chris Knapp
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1972 Staples High School graduate Jeff Scher is a filmmaker and animator. He works in a Cross Highway studio, a few steps from his house.
He says: “In the pursuit of tiny post-election joys, here’s a new video I made for the Tom Petty estate. It premiered Friday.
“It’s an unreleased song from the ‘Long After Dark’ album that’s been re-released, with new songs from the original session.”
The video includes a couple of shots based on Compo Beach.
The Heida Hermanns Piano Competition never gets the local attention it deserves.
But the event — set for November 22 and 23, at MoCA CT — is one of the most prestigious in the piano world. It celebrates emerging talents, ages 18-35.
This year’s 3 international finalists — Nick Bai, Carter Johnson and Yongqiu Liu — were chosen from over 70 pianists, who submitted videos of their performances. The trio will premiere a new commissioned work, by composer Lowell Liebermann.
Chair of the jury panel is Frederic Chiu, the local resident, internationally known pianist, and a previous Hermanns winner. The winner receives $10,000.
Speaking of music: On November 24 (The Klein, Bridgeport; 6:30 p.m.), longtime Westport resident and nearly as longtime instructor Bernice Friedson will receive the Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras’ inaugural Inna Berson Wetmore Excellence in Teaching Award.
Friedson “demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of music education, inspires young musicians, and makes meaningful and lasting connections to their students and our community through their teaching,” the honor says.
Friedson grew up half a block from Carnegie Hall. She gave her first recital at age 7, and later performed on WQXR and WNYC. As a teenager, she played with the New York Philharmonic and NBC Symphony.
She studied at Juilliard and Mannes Schools of Music. At 18 she auditioned for conductor Leopold Stokowski, and was accepted into both the City Center Opera and RCA Recording Orchestras.
After moving to Connecticut, Friedson played with the Norwalk, New Haven and Stamford Symphonies, and served as concertmaster for the Greater Bridgeport, Danbury and Ridgefield Symphonies, Connecticut Ballet, and Connecticut Grand Opera. She was concertmaster, violin soloist and assistant conductor of the Connecticut Chamber Orchestra, and founded the Connecticut String Quartet.
Friedson helped found the Greater Bridgeport Symphony Youth Orchestra (now GCTYO) in 1961. She was also a founding member of the Fairfield County String Teachers Association, and a specialist at Neighborhood Studios of Fairfield County.
She continues to teach violin and viola, coach chamber music groups, and prepare students for auditions at at her Westport studio.
Bernice Friedson, with instruments created by her violin-maker father.
“06880” photographers can’t get enough of this full moon.
Matt Murray snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” image yesterday, as it rose over Sherwood Mill Pond.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
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And finally … on this date in 1973, President Nixon told 400 Associated Press managing editors, “I am not a crook.”
(Sports, music, literature — and everything else going on in town — are all part of today’s Roundup. Just like every day. If you enjoy our hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The high school troupe punched way above their weight, thrilling last night’s audience with a Broadway-quality presentation of “Elf: The Musical.”
It’s fresh, funny and festive — a perfect, high-energy and wholesome respite from reality, and a great way to begin the holiday season a couple of weeks early.
The show continues today (Saturday, November 16, 2 and 7 p.m.) and tomorrow (Sunday, November 17, 2 p.m.). There are performances next weekend too, on November 21 and 22 (7 p.m.) and 23 (2 and 7 p.m.).Click here for tickets. Though some shows may be sold out, tickets are often available at the door.
“Elf” cast members take their bows last night. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The Westport Board of Education hosts a “community conversation” for all residents this Wednesday (November 20, noon to 1:30 p.m., Westport Library).
Any school-related topic can be raised.
Velma Heller — former RTM moderator, and longtime Westport Public School admistrator, will facilitate the event.
31 men and women have just graduated from Westport’s Citizens’ Police Academy.
They spent 8 weeks learning all about the Westport Police Department’s many functions, including criminal investigations, specialty units, forensic science, financial scams, motor vehicle stops, and post-arrest procedures.
They also participated in firearms familiarization, rode with patrol officers, and received “stop the bleed training.”
A buck jumped in, then became trapped for a day inside a half-finished cement foundation. Two members of the Fairfield County Hunt Club horse barn team provided hay bales.
Public Works Department employees and Westport Animal Control officer Peter Reid began assembling a ramp from the bales.
Suddenly, the buck ran at the wall, and jumped out cleanly. “He just needed the right motivation,” Julie Loparo reports on social media.
Deer trapped in foundation. (Photo courtesy of Westport Front Porch, via Facebook)
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Longtime Westporter — and elected (Representative Town Meeting) official — Dick Lowenstein reminds all candidates for office earlier this month: It’s (past) time to remove your lawn signs!
This photo is from yesterday afternoon:
(Photo/Dick Lowenstein)
Today’s weather is perfect to get out, get ’em — and sotre them for the next campaign.
NBC announced this morning that the veteran host will succeed Hoda Kotb as an anchor on “Today.” The show has been a television staple for over 70 years.
He begins his new role, with Savannah Guthrie, on January 13.
Melvin has been the news anchor of “Today” since 2018, and co-hosts the 9 a.m. hour.
Craig Melvin
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Last night’s Westport Library conversation between billionaire financier/former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and fellow Westporter/TV personality Dave Briggs, was fascinating on many levels.
The chat ranged between politics (Lasry donated to Kamala Harris’ campaign), sports and more.
Lasry engaged well with the audience. He showed a humorous side — besides his investment genius.
Veterans Day is always special for VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399.
This year, it was extra special.
Susan Derkowski — the great-niece of Private Joseph J. Clinton, a fallen hero of World War I and the namesake of Westport’s Veterans of Foreign Wars post — drove 7 hours from Aldie, Virginia to pay tribute to her great-uncle’s legacy.
She was greeted by Phil Delgado — VFW Post 399 quartermaster, Lieutenant Commander, US Navy (retired) — and Patty Kondub, VFW Post 399 Auxiliary senior vice president.
Delgado gave her a tour of the Post. He told stories of servicemembers honored on its walls.
The group then visited Christ & Holy Trinity Cemetery, where Private Clinton rests. Killed in action in France just 4 days before the end of World War I, Joseph J. Clinton’s legacy remains a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by so many for freedom and peace.
Delgado says, “It was a powerful and emotional moment to witness a family member’s dedication to honoring a hero’s memory. Susan’s journey to Westport shows the lasting impact that servicemembers have on their families and our community.”
Susan Derkowski, at the Christ & Holy Trinity Cemetery of her great-uncle, Joseph J. Clinton.
Speaking of the VFW: Dredging continues at their Saugatuck River dock.
When completed, the private project will increase capacity, behind the Riverside Avenue building.
(Photo/Andrew Colabella)
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Fillow Street residents are a tight-knit community. They enjoy a group text, to share news and views. They look out for each other. They wave, and say hello.
Recently though, one neighbor put up a sign:
“I find this so upsetting,” a resident emailed “06880.”
“The world is upside down right now. There is so much division and hatred. Today (Wednesday) is actually National Kindness Day. I wish people were more kind, especially in our little Westport neighborhoods.”
Staples and Darien — the #1 and #2-seeded teams, respectively — battle for the state class “L” (large schools) Connecticut championship this Saturday, at Wethersfield High School.
They are longtime rivals.
Since 2016, the Wreckers and Blue Wave have met 9 teams, in the FCIAC tournament and state finals.
Staples reached another final with an 11-1 shellacking of Fairfield Ludlowe, in the semifinals. That’s an astonishing score for a field hockey game — particularly for the state semis.
The Westporters — ranked #8 nationally — have lost only once this year. And it was to a team from 2 states away: Camden (New Jersey) Catholic.
Darien, meanwhile, has lost only twice. Both defeats were to Staples: 5-2 in the regular season, and 3-2 in a thrilling FCIAC overtime final.
Good luck to coach Ian Tapsall and his girls, as they look for their 6th state final. All have come since 2016.
The Westport Youth Commission and Staples High School’s Teen Awareness Group are preparing to dodge the cops.
They do it every year.
The annual Dodge-a-Cop event is actually a dodgeball tournament. Students make up their own teams — and one Westport Police officer is assigned to each.
The idea is to bring kids and cops together. And to raise funds for TAG.
It’s set for December 16, in the Staples fieldhouse.
Participants in last year’s Dodge-a-Cop event. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Westport Police made 1 custodial arrest between October 30 and November 6.
A 44-year-old Westport man was charged with interfering with an officer and breach of peace, after a report that someone was assaulted while walking on the Main Street sidewalk. The suspect was allegedly intoxicated, and fought with officers as they tried to question him.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 7 citations
Traveling unreasonably fast: 4
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
Unsafe/improper passing: 2
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 2
Disorderly conduct: 1
Criminal trespass: 1
Reckless driving: 1
Traveling unreasonably fast in a school zone: 1
Driving while texting: 1
Distracted driving: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Operating a motor vehicle while under suspension: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Improper use of markers: 1
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Rotary District 79800 Governor Robert Friend spoke to an interested audience on Tuesday: The Westport Rotary Club.
He reminded Rotarians how they touch and improve lives, through projects like aid sent to state residents after recent floods, and a drive for food and supplies for victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the south.
Friend started the Opus for Peace program, which promotes wellness and harmony through the arts. Westport Rotary’s production of the opera “Amistad” at the Westport Library was part of that initiative.
Alan Goldberg offers today’s unusual “Westport … Naturally” image.
(Photo/Alan Goldberg)
It’s unusual for his neighborhood, at least. Alan writes: “I found this guy in my backyard today. Blue Ribbon Drive (off North Avenue) is definitely not his usual stomping grounds.”
And finally … Aaron Copland was born on this date in 1900. The composer/ conductor — one of the giants of the American music scene — died in 1990.
(Every day, “06880” offers a window on Westport. From a World War I veteran to a neighborhood dealing with dog poop, we are your hyper-local blog. Please click here to support us. Thank you!)
The second-hand clothes and accessories store will take over the space vacated by The Loft, next to Shoe-Inn.
Their first Connecticut location — one of about 50 nationwide — opened last month, in New Haven.
The idea to repurpose clothing and reduce waste is not new.
And I don’t mean Goodwill.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Functional Clothing was a popular shop down some stairs, next to the building that is now The Gap.
It was great. I think I may still have some jeans from there.
(Photo/Jem Sollinger)
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Congratulations to Joey Zelkowitz!
The Class of 2013 Staples High School and ’17 Middlebury College football star has been named to Sports Business Journal‘s “New Voices Under 30.”
Zelkowitz, now 29 years old (and called “Joseph”), is a senior associate with JP Morgan’s sports finance group. Previously, he was a financial operations analyst with the New York Yankees. (Hat tip: Amy Schafrann)
Congratulations too to more Stapleites: the school’s Students of the Month.
Seniors Molly Oliver and Nathan Smith; juniors Jocelyn Connors, Matthew Perez and Leila Stein; sophomore Luke Cooper, and freshman Emma Rivel, have been nominated by their teachers.
Principal Stafford Thomas calls them “the ‘glue’ of the Staples community — the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students that keep the high school together, making it the special place that it is.”
From left: Emma Rivel, Matthew Perez, Leila Stein, Molly Oliver, Jocelyn Connors, Nathan Smith, Luke Cooper.
The other day, John Brandt brought his illustrative presentation “The Soundtrack of Our Lives” to the Y’s Women.
It demonstrated visually how music is part of our everyday lives, from film and dance to Broadway. Brandt’s journey included “Casablanca,” “Star Wars,” “Titanic,” “Exodus” and “Gone with the Wind”; Martha Graham and “The Nutcracker,” and “A Chorus Line.”
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Trombonist/composer/bandleader Altin Sencalar brings his magic to this Thursday’s Jazz at the Post (November 14, VFW Post 399; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7; $20 music charge, $15 veterans and students).
Sencalar has shared the stage, toured, and/or recorded with Christian McBride, Michael Bublé, The Temptations, Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Ne-Yo, Big Sean and many others. An apt musician to close out the first NextGen Fest.
He’ll be joined by pianist Tylerl Henderson, bassist Gram Kozak, saxophonist Greg Wall and drummer Mike Camacho. Click here for reservations, and more information.
Matt Davies — the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist (and 1985 Staples High School graduate) — headlines this year’s TEA Talk.
The annual Westport Arts Advisory Committee event is always a thoughtful conversation featuring thinkers, educators and artists.
This year’s TEA Talk — set for the Westport Library on Sunday, November 17 (2 p.m.) — explores “Humor in the Arts: When a Ha-ha is a No-no.”
Davies and his fellow panelists (writer/actor/comedian Olivia Levine, satirical fine artist Norm Siegel, and playwright/screenwriter Frederick Stroppel) will discuss the impact of social media on humor and satire; the challenges of balancing humor with respect and inclusivity; the role of irony and absurdity in contemporary art, and the changing nature of audience expectations and reactions.
WAAC co-chair Nancy Diamond moderates the sure-to-be-insightful event. Click here to register.
Matt Davies’ post-election cartoon. (Copyright Newsday)
Staples High School students Aidan Lapatine and Logan Noorily are.
And they’re doing something about it.
They run the Students Demand Action club. Today (Saturday, November 9, noon to 3 p.m.) they’ll give out free gun locks, at the Post Road East/Main Street corner (near Starbucks, across from Fred).
Any Artists Collective of Westport show is great (and fun).
The next one will is also practical. Over 100 works — in a wide variety of styles, genres and materials — will be shown.
And sold. They make great holiday gifts. And all are 12″ x 12″, making them easy to ship.
The show runs from Thursday, November 21 through Sunday, November 24 (noon to 4 p.m., Sheffer Barn at Westport Country Playhouse). A reception on Wednesday, November 20 (6 to 8 p.m.) is a great chance to meet the artists, and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres.
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For nearly 50 years, quietly — but fiercely — Bloodroot has raised consciousnesses, fought for women’s rights, and served great food on a side street near the water in Bridgeport.
Now, the institution — co-founded by longtime Westporter, 89-year-old Selma Miriam — is getting the film treatment it deserves.
“A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot” premieres tomorrow (Sunday, November 10, United Congregational Church, 2200 North Avenue, Bridgeport). The 80-minute documentary will screen twice, at 5 and 7 p.m.
Speaking of great food: Yesterday’s Roundup story on Wakeman Town Farms’ “Thanksgiving Pies for Good” — the sale benefiting CTFoodShares — did not include a link to purchase the apple, apple crumb, blueberry, blueberry crumb, cherry, cherry crumb and pumpkin delights. (Or the à la mode ice cream that’s also on sale.)
So: Click here to order. The deadline is noon on November 22.
Tomorrow (Sunday, November 10, 1 p.m., Room 210), the Westport Library hosts an “illuminating” event.
The public is invited to use one of their state-of-the-art 3D printers to create solar-powered lanterns for Open Doors, a homeless shelter in Norwalk.
No experience is needed, to help provide lighting solution for unhoused people, improving their safety and well-being during nighttime hours.
Created and designed by Staples High School sophomore Rohan Sareen and senior Shreyas Gorre, the lanterns use lights, wires, batteries and solar panels for sustainable illumination.
Shreyas Gorre and Rohan Sareen, with their solar-powered lanterns.
Despite the rise of the internet, Consumer Reports continues to be the gold standard for product reviews.
This past week, the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston brought CR experts Ellen Kunes, Barrie Rosen and Jen Shecter to the Westport Library for an inside look at those reviews.
Click below for a video of the informative and engaging presentation.
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A celebration of the life of Lis Comm — the longtime Staples High School English teacher and town-wide director of language arts, who died in August — will be held this Thursday (November 14, 3 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club).
Her husband and fellow Staples educator, Frank Corbo, invites Lis’ many former colleagues, students and parents to the ceremony.
Lis Comm
In addition, a celebration of the life of Dan Szymczak — the 1996 Staples High School graduate who died last week — is set for Sunday, November 17 (3 to 8 p.m., 1920 Bar & Bistro, 2 Wilton Avenue, Norwalk). The public is invited.
Dan Szymczak
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Callie Jo Meehan died peacefully at her Westport home, after a lengthy illness. She was 58.
Raised in the small town of Hazen, North Dakota, Callie took part in nearly every activity available. She enjoyed sports, music, theater and civics, as well as the family farm tradition of butchering and sausage-making each fall.
At Harvard University she participated in cheerleading and softball, and earned a varsity letter playing volleyball.
Following graduation Callie began a career in banking in Minneapolis and Philadelphia. She retired to focus on her family. They moved to Charlotte and Dallas, before settling in Westport in 2005.
She participated in the Junior League of Philadelphia, Charlotte and Dallas, and bible studies. She attended services at Saugatuck Congregational Church.
Callie is survived by her husband John; their children Grace, Claire and Peter; son-in-law Tate Johnson; parents Harvey and Kathy Huber, and sisters Christie Obenauer and Stephanie Huber.
The Meehan family thanks the many friends and caregivers who supported and assisted Callie and her family during her illness.
The Class of 1988 is long gone from Staples High School.
Those guys and girls are in their mid-50s now. They’re well into their careers. Many look forward to retiring; some already mayhave.
Their kids are mostly in high school or college. One or two of those ’88 grads might be grandparents.
They are so different, you’d think, from high school students today.
They took notes in notebooks, not on laptops. They used payphones, not cellphones. Their 1-story school was divided into 9 “buildings”; Staples today is 3 stories, with elevators.
Yet a look at a recently unearthed “video yearbook” from 1988 shows how little has really changed.
Hairstyles and clothes are not wildly different. The gym and auditorium have hardly been touched. Laddie Lawrence is still coaching.
And high school kids celebrate Homecoming, strut through the halls and flirt the same way in 2024 as in 1988.
Once upon a time, people buried time capsules so that future generations could see how they lived.
Now we’ve got video evidence of it.
Complete with a soundtrack that does not sound out of place, nearly 4 decades later.
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Staples High School’s Internship Program is a win-win-win.
Every spring, talented and eager seniors leave school 3 weeks before graduation. They spend those final weeks 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.)
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”).
This is not a 2020 photo. For many years, Staples interns have worked at hospitals, medical clinics and doctors’ offices.
But as hard as they work, the program coordinators work equally hard right now arranging 420 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.
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 begin May 19. Students are expected to work 5 hours a day for 3 weeks, onsite, remotely or in a hybrid model. Program leaders provide guidance and oversight.
If interested, or to learn more, email program directors Jessica Larit and Lauren Goldshore: shsinternship@westportps.org.
These students capped their internship at a local kitchen with a delicious party.
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Hammer looks forward to inspiring others, and building connections — just as he did, a few years ago here.
