Posted onDecember 9, 2023|Comments Off on Online Art Gallery #191
Today’s online art gallery opens with a special request.
In this season of giving, Westport artist Mark Yurkiw is thinking of his native Ukraine. As the Russian war grinds on, he wants to ensure that no one forgets the plight: 10 million Ukrainians are displaced, 20 million shelter in place, and 10 million are protecting their nation, any way they can.
Over the past 2 years Mark has donated his artwork, as a way to raise funds to help Ukraine. His work is serious, superb, and important. He invites interested collectors to contact him for an appointment to see it, in his barn/studio. Mark’s email is mark.think3d@gmail.com.
Art by Mark Yurkiw …
… and Mark outside his barn, with one of his Ukrainian-themed works.
Now, back to our weekly online gallery. As always, we welcome all kinds of art. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — whatever you’ve got.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world! (PS: Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.)
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
“Our Colorful Nation” (Dorothy Robertshaw)
“Beach Impressions” (Tom Doran)
“Our Love for Each Other Shines Forever” (Mike Hibbard)
Untitled — Photographer Dennis Jackson took this recentlyin Argentina’s Tierra de Fuego National Park, a few miles from the Chilean border.
Untitled collage — paper on paper (Maj Kalfus)
“Worth a Second Look” (Lawrence Weisman)
“All the Other Thanksgiving Gourds Are Gone!” (Steve Stein)
“Manspreading” — watercolor (Jo Ann Davidson)
“Red Sail in the Sunset? – A J-70” (Peter Barlow)
“Seaside Impressions 03” (Ken Runkel)
“Dawn in the Neighborhood” (Jerry Kuyper)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
A new lease for the operation of Longshore’s sailing school seemed to be cruising along.
Now, however, it may have hit choppy waters.
Residents are questioning the process by which the next 10-year lease may be awarded. The present one expired October 15. The Board of Selectwomen are scheduled to vote on Parks & Recreation Department director Jen Fava’s recommendation at their next meeting, on Wednesday (December 13, 9 a.m., Town Hall auditorium).
Bill King, Heidi McGee and John Kantor — board members of Greenwich Community Sailing, which submitted a bid to the town for the sailing school/ boat rental contract — contacted “06880” with concerns about the process. McGee and Kantor grew up in Westport, and still live here.
Separately, so did Jeff Manchester — another native Westporter, involved in a competing bid.
Longshore Sailing School (Photo copyright/Stefen Turner)
According to Manchester, RFP responses were due October 18, with feedback to come a week later.
After several delays, on November 30 3 potential suitors — the current operator, former operators currently running the Greenwich Sailing School, and a Boat Locker team — all independently met with Parks & Rec director Fava, deputy director Rick Giunta, and a sailing consultant doing business with the current operator.
On December 4, the 2 bidders received a brief message from Fava. She thanked them for their interested and said, “Upon further review, we have chosen to move forward with Longshore Sailing School” — the current operator.
Sources say that the 3rd member of the panel interviewing the RFP candidates was Stu Gilfillen, director of education for US Sailing. Sources say his department employs a leader of the current Longshore Sailing School to teach instructor training courses.
Previously, Gilfillen “liked” Longshore Sailing School’s Facebook page. “Not sure how this was not a conflict of interest,” the Greenwich group says.
After news broke of the Parks & Rec decision, reaction on social media was quick and intense. Among the comments:
What the hell happened here?
Why would the town renew its lease?
I am stunned and disappointed to hear this.
And may the worst team win. Makes you wonder what influenced the outcome.
This is sad in so many ways.
Bull****!
What a disaster. Were there other applicants?
Has anyone complained to Parks and Rec? The place is unsightly for residents who use the park.
I don’t understand how anyone over the age of 12 thinks this is an acceptable way to leave things.
WTF?!
Did anyone else make a bid?
So sorry to hear this.
It is dangerous for young children who play on the nearby playground.
Yikes! Hurts my eyes.
This desecrates all those shipshape awards given to students over the years.
It’s a law suit waiting to happen.
Seems a shame to sacrifice a 50-year-old institution that’s brought joy and taught work ethic to generations of CT kids. No way they can make a case to the town they are the best candidate in light of track record ( insurance ??) and literal photographic record. Frankly they are a liability to Westport and the surrounding towns’ children.
Supremely disappointed in this outcome.
The 2 unsuccessful bidders have independently asked for a review of the Parks & Recreation Department selection process, “particularly given the dawning realization that there was a serious conflict of interest involved.”
They hope the Board of Selectwomen will carefully review the matter, before voting to approve the contract.
“06880” asked Parks & Recreation director Fava for a comment about the process.
She said, “The RFP referenced training and certification in accordance with standards of the United States Sailing Association. Stu Gillfillen is the director of education for US Sailing, so we reached out to him to participate in our process as his expertise pertains directly to the core of this operation.
“We do not believe there was any conflict of interest as Stu knows all of the respondents personally and all have had various affiliations with US Sailing. Additionally, the decision was not up to Stu alone and questions from the panel were fair and consistent across the board.”
King, McGee and Kantor described the background of the Longshore sailing program.
It began in 1960, the year Westport purchased the private Longshore Country Club.
The Westport Recreation Commission (now called the Parks & Recreation Department) ran the program until 1975. That year, “Longshore Sailing School” took it private.
At first a sole proprietorship, Kantor — its president — reorganized it in 1978, as a for-profit corporation.
It ran successfully for decades, say Kantor, McGee and King. It was a pioneer and national model for community sailing programs.
An additional location in Old Greenwich was established in 1998. Called Greenwich Community Sailing, it was sponsored by Old Greenwich Yacht Club.
In 2001 Kantor, still president of Longshore Sailing School, Inc., donated the existing building to the town of Westport. A long-term lease was granted by the Town in order to amortize its cost.
That lease expired October 15, 2023.
Longshore Sailing School (Photo/John Videler for Videler Photography)
In 2017, Longshore Sailing School’s ownership changed hands. Jane Pimentel purchased all shares of its stock (including all assets: boats, docks, tools, furniture and equipment, at both locations) from Kantor for the token amount of $10.
Kantor, King and McGee now believe that “a public program, in a municipal park, should be run by a non-profit organization. That is the standard model for community sailing programs throughout the country. Now that the long-term lease is ending and the building is fully paid for, it is the right time for change.”
The trio have concerns about boating safety at Longshore. The Sailing School, they say, taught boating safety courses since 1960. But in 2017, the new owners “abruptly” stopped offering Connecticut Boating Safety certification courses.
In 2023, LSS also removed the boating safety component (one of the 2 weeks of “Sailing One”) from the junior program’s curriculum. “Boating safety education should never be compromised in a community sailing program – and certainly not for the sake of profit,” Kantor, King and McGee say.
They also note that a non-profit could give back to the community through lower user fees, and scholarship for people needing financial help.
Furthermore, they say, Pimentel’s group closed the sailboat rental program on weekdays in mid-August for the last 2 summers — “historically, the time of peak boat rental demand.” Last summer, they continue, LSS further cut sailboat rentals on weekdays through most of June.
In 2021, Kantor and fellow Greenwich Community Sailing Board members say, Longshore Sailing School abruptly abandoned its long relationship with Greenwich. It was “a needlessly embarrassing, avoidable, and well-publicized separation. Bridges were burned. As a result, LSS lost roughly 1/3 of its revenue, and its safety net of cooperative partnership.”
The bidders call the facility a winter “eyesore” Last year, they say, “tools, sails, electronics, hoses, etc. and all manner of equipment, including gasoline containers, were left unsecured outdoors – next to the children’s playground. Kayaks were left unsecured on beach racks, windows were left open, boats were left upright and uncovered – filled with moldy leaves, snow and ice – throughout the fall and winter.”
The situation seems the same this year.
(Photos/John Kantor)
Manchester — another bidder on the RFP — says that when vendors made a pre-proposal site visit to Longshore in late September, both they and the Parks & Rec team were surprised by the lack of upkeep on town-owned land.
Manchester calls it “a huge liability to the town, for any kid who walks a few steps from the playground and is injured.” The ice skating entrance is nearby too.
He adds, “Westport residents, the new hotel operator and any visitor will be stunned to see one of the best pieces of real estate in Westport being rented out as a junkyard, for a mere $5,000 license fee per annum.”
(“06880” covers the Westport waterfront. Please click here to support our hyper-local journalism. Thank you!)
Among the many great elements of last Saturday’s “06880”/Westport Downtown Association Holiday Stroll: the decorations.
Main Street and Church Lane look especially festive this year. with lights, wreaths, trees and more, everywhere you look.
Many Westporters have fond memories of downtown decorations from years past too.
But not in 1975.
As noted in a Friday Flashback 6 years ago, on Christmas Day that year Fred Cantor drove through town. He captured several scenes. Here is one:
Snow had fallen earlier. The plowed, shoveled and congealed streets and sidewalks have that bleak midwinter look.
There’s nary a star, ornament or whimsical Santa on any pole. You don’t see any twinkling lights either.
The only wreaths are on Sport Mart (far left).
But the view of the Mobil station (now Vineyard Vines) brings back fond memories. Every year — a few days before Christmas — owners Gene and Mary Hallowell lowered the hydraulic lifts. They covered them with table cloths. Then they laid out a feast.
The party was supposed to be for loyal customers. But anyone could wander by for food and (of course) drink.
And everyone did.
Further down Main Street, Fred found this:
The Remarkable Book Shop hummed with activity at holiday time. It was the perfect place for gifts — there were toys, puzzles and trinkets, plus a joyfully eclectic collection of books, maps and whatnot — as well as a great spot for curling up in an easy chair to read, relax or just people-watch.
But the Remarkable Book Shop did not go all out with holiday decorations either. In fact, as Fred’s photo shows, in 1975 there were none.
One place did get into the holiday spirit.
And with good reason: The Corner Spirit Shop — on Wilton Road, at the Post Road West intersection — was one of the most visible spots in town.
Plus — then, as now — a liquor store hops at holiday time.
So of course they threw a couple of wreaths on their windows.
That’s what Westport looked like, 48 years ago this holiday season.
The Sport Mart is gone. Remarkable, too. And the building that housed the Corner Spirit Shop is one more fond memory.
Just like some of those Christmas decorations of yore.
The 1880 Victorian just north of Saugatuck Elementary School — owned by the town, and used previously by the Board of Education — will include 5 apartments. Four are for people with special needs; one will be rented to a staff member, who also qualifies under regulations for affordable housing.
The off-site affordable housing is part of the Richmondville Mill project. Funding came from Sam Gault and Joe Feinleib.
It’s a great example of public/private cooperation to address affordable housing needs. The town gets a $500,000 prepaid lease, on property it still owns. The historic house got a $2 million restoration (and landscaping) through Redniss & Mead.
Abilis — the 72-year-old nonprofit serving over 800 people with special needs — gets a completely redone home, gratis, for clients. Each unit includes a kitchenette and private bath
The town gets moratorium points toward affordable housing units — without going through the contentious 8-30g process.
Once a certificate of occupancy is granted, residents and a staff member will move in.
Representative Town Meeting member Matthew Mandell rose, at Tuesday’s meeting, and requested time to speak on a subject he feels strongly about: antisemitism.
Less than 72 hours after announcing a holiday fund drive to heat 2,000 homes for the winter in Westport’s sister city of Lyman, Ukraine, we’re already more than 3/4 of the way to our goal.
We’re aiming for $60,000. That would pay for 2 wood pellet machines. Each would heat 1,000 homes — all heavily damaged in the Russian invasion, and all filled with families facing a cold, bleak winter.
Thanks to 2 large anonymous donations, and dozens of smaller ones, we’ve raised $48,112. We are less $12,000 away from helping 2,000 people — many of them elderly, and children — in the war-torn town.
Come on, Westport! Let’s close this out today! $30 will heat one apartment for the winter. $300 will heat 10. Any gift — of any amount — will make the winter bearable, in our sister city.
To donate by credit card, click here; then click the “I want to support” box; then select “Westport — Lyman Sister City.” Scroll down on the Donate page for other options: mail, wire transfer and Venmo. Thank you!
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The short block of Rayfield Road between Post Road East and Spicer Road is public — and gets plenty of traffic.
For years, Volvo of Westport used both sides as a parking lot. After many complaints, the Board of Selectwomen voted to ban parking there. The “No Parking” signs went up a month ago.
Big deal.
Volvo — and others — continue to park there.
This was the scene Wednesday, at 2 p.m.: 6 cars. Plus a tractor-trailer.
Police: Take note!
(Photo/Arthur Hayes)
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Speaking of parking … a reader sends a photo from yesterday morning, at the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve:
He writes: “Granted, there might not be huge demand for the very limited parkin spaces this time of year.
“But there were 4 commercial vehicles parked there, presumably by contractors working on a nearby house.
“I know there’s not much available parking down here. But those few spaces are intended for residents’ recreational use.”
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50,000 copies of “Agent Orange” — the new book by Westport author and Vietnam veteran Carl Addison Swanson — have been delivered to 4 regional VA offices. They’ll be distributed free to former servicemembers.
“The dreadful chemicals, some 19 million pounds, sprayed on Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos during the war have now murdered over 300,000 veterans since we left Vietnam in 1975,” Swanson notes.
Click here for more information on the book, and to order. Click here for Swanson’s website.
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Ring cameras capture some plenty of prosaic scenes.
And some pretty interesting ones.
But even the cutest deer nuzzling up against a door, or the most brazen thief running away with an Amazon delivery, can’t compare with this video, from a couple of nights ago, in the Cranbury neighborhood:
Screenshot of Ring video (courtesy of Brian McGunagle)
That’s right. You’ve always been told there’s no such thing as a unicorn.
It was 10 years ago yesterday that the almost instantly popular restaurant opened in Playhouse Square.
To celebrate — and for a limited time only — they’re offering a Morning Zest Parfait.
It’s made with morning zest granola, Greek yogurt, almost butter and strawberry compote, it’s part of TGB’s 10th anniversary menu. The Classic Parfait, Shrek, Granola Bowl, Dana, The Good Date, Very Berry and Lemon Drop are all just $10.
And — if you use the discount code “GC10” — you get 10% off online gift cards. The offer is only good through (of course) December 10.
The Staples football team hopes for a great turnout tomorrow (Saturday, December 9, 5 p.m., Central Connecticut State University’s Arute Field), for their state “LL” (extra large schools) championship game against West Haven.
But if you can’t make it to New Britain, there’s a livestream. Click here (and follow the prompts to subscribe).
As exciting as the game is, it’s tinged with tragedy. Christopher Fidalgo-Pugh — a sophomore player for West Haven — died suddenly on Tuesday.
Carmen Roda — Westport Parks & Recreation Department operations manager, and director of the Fairfield County Football League — is helping raise funds for funeral costs. Click here for the GoFundMe link.
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This bobcat looked right at home yesterday, hanging out on a deck off Wilton Road and posing for his “Westport … Naturally” close-up.
And finally … Denny Laine — the singer/songwriter/guitarist who co-founded both the Moody Blues and Wings — died Tuesday in Florida. He was 79, and suffered from interstitial lung disease. Click here for a full obituary.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. We rely on the support of readers like you. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here. Thank you!)
You may not know that this is National Inclusive Schools Week.
But your kids sure do.
All 5 Westport elementary schools — and Stepping Stones Preschool — planned special programming to celebrate the annual event. Begun in 2001, it encourages schools to support cultures of inclusion, and provide quality education to an increasingly diverse student population.
“Many activities open doors to understanding and respecting different ways of thinking, reflecting on themselves as learners, and fostering a sense of belonging in our schools,” says Coleytown Elementary principal Janna Sirowich.
“We are educating students about neurodiversity — the different ways that people’s brains work — and how disabilities do not define or limit an individual’s potential.”
Every elementary school read a book about a famed disability rights activist.
Each school designed a variety of learning opportunities and experiences, across all areas of the building.
For example, Stepping Stones classes read “It’s Ok to be Different,” by Sharon Purtil, which celebrates diversity and encourages acceptance.
Stepping Stones Preschool students watched a PBS show featuring Sesame Street character Julia, who has autism. The video promotes awareness and understanding of neurodiversity at a developmentally appropriate level.
Coleytown Elementary students learned about Special Olympics and Paralympics in their physical education classes — including many athletes who achieved great success in a variety of sports.
All kindergarten through 5th grade artists at Greens Farms Elementary studied Henri Matisse. In a wheelchair and despite his physical limitations, he made incredible art. Students creating their own all-school mural, using organic shapes.
Students in Kings Highway Elementary music classes students incorporated sign language in songs they sang. They also learned about a number of musicians who use their abilities and talents in different ways.
Inclusive Schools Week bulletin board.
All Long Lots Elementary 2nd graders visited with a therapy dog. They learned how animals provide emotional comfort and support to people of all ages and circumstances.
The daily TV news show, Saugatuck Seal News, highlighted individuals with disabilities who have adapted and overcome challenges to create new opportunities once seen as impossible.
Inclusive Schools Week began last week, with a special Cultural Arts performance. “Magic Into the Deaf World” was an inspiring show with Matthew “Magic ” Morgan, who enchanted his audience. Westport science coach Phaedra Taft signed and interpreted for “Magic Morgan.”
“Magic” Morgan (far right), his wife Liliana (2nd from left), with Kings Highway principal Tracey Carbone (wearing green), and parents during Inclusive Schools Week.
“National Inclusive Schools Week provides an opportunity for educators, students, families and communities to engage in conversations and activities that foster a more inclusive and supportive atmosphere within our schools,” Coleytown El principal Sirowich says.
“It encourages reflection on current practices, and the exploration of new strategies to ensure that every student feels welcomed, respected and valued.”
(“06880” highlights the often-overlooked achievements of students and teachers. Please click here to support hyper-local stories like these. Thank you!)
Speaking of the Festival of Lights: The Schneerson Center for Jewish Life sponsors community menorah lighting celebrations in Westport and Weston.
The “original Westport menorah” at Compo Acres Shopping Center (Trader Joe’s/Wells Fargo parking lot) — now in its 16th year — will be lit Monday (December 11, 7 p.m.).
The day before (Sunday, December 10, 5:30 p.m.), a menorah will be lit at the Weston Shopping Center. It continues a tradition begun 20 years ago.
Both ceremonies include music, cookies, gelt and dreidels.
Westport Scout Troop is selling wreaths as a fundraiser this weekend (Saturday and Sunday, December 9-10, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., while supplies last; Saugatuck Congregational Church).
Wreaths are $30 and $45. Baked goods and hot cocoa are available too.
Funds will help projects, like the recent construction of lanternfly traps for Sherwood Island State Park. The troop also partners with Sustainable Westport each year, for a mattress recycling drive.
Everyone should be mailing gifts and cards like crazy.
But — astonishingly — this was the scene at noon yesterday, in the post office lobby:
(Photo/Dan Woog)
Come on, Westport! This is show time for our postal clerks.
It’s when they shine: helping with packages, dispensing advice, tossing all your stuff into the back to be whisked away — all with the efficiency of a thousand Rudolphs.
Our great US Postal Service men and women are ready to serve you. Give ’em the business!
With leaves off the trees, and leaf pick-up by the town almost complete, the trash that litters our town has become quite visible.
Andrew Colabella, and his faithful crew of garbage pickers, come to the rescue.
And anyone can join.
After a successful spring, they’re starting again this Sunday. Everyone is invited to meet at 10 a.m. this Sunday (December 10), at the transfer station on the Sherwood Island Connector. They’ll work throughout the Greens Farms neighborhood.
Volunteers should wear boots, bring gloves and trash bags — and dress warmly.
For questions, or to be added to the email list, write acolabellartm4@gmail.com.
Andrew Colabella (center, front) and friends, picking up trash at the Westport train station last winter.
Westport Police made 1 custodial arrest between November 29 and December 6.
A man was charged with assault, unlawful restraint, interfering with an emergency call, larceny, sale of narcotics, possession of cannabis greater than 1.5 ounces, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, and criminal possession of a firearm.
The charges came after police responded to a report of domestic violence in a vehicle on the Sherwood Island Connector. After the assault, the man refused to let the victim leave, and prevented a 911 call.
The suspect left the area on foot. Officers located him in a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the I-95 northbound exit ramp, and initiated a traffic stop.
Westport Police also issues these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 12 citations
Failure to obey stop sign: 4
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 3
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 2
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 2
Distracted driving: 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 1.
A handgun was found, following a report of domestic violence.
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Speaking of crime:
Scooter Swanson — editor, and nephew of the TV dinner magnate — says his mail carrier tells him that leaving cash in the mailbox as a holiday gift (whether in an envelope or not) is subject to theft.
The carrier claims that UPS, FedEx and Amazon drivers yank out the cash cards intended for him and other US Postal Service colleagues. (This has not been verified.)
Swanson was ripped off of a $10,000 check for his credit card when it was robbed by a “correctional officer” making his nightly tour of mailboxes through neighborhoods.
Fortunately, People’s Bank reimbursed him for his loss. The Hartford also considered it personal property, and reimbursed him another $10,000.
PS: Swanson was once a federal attorney.
Think twice about leaving holiday cash for your mail carrier inside your mailbox.
Music is everywhere — including, often, the Westport Library.
On December 12 (7 p.m.), a multi-media presentation tracks the impact of music on a variety of art forms, in a range of venues.
Speaker John Brandt — a dancer, singer, actor, percussionist, PR consultant and lifelong Westporter — will highlight how music is “the soundtrack of our lives.”
The event — sponsored by the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston — is free, but registration is required (click here). For further information, email jkbrandt@aol.com or call 203-246-6280.
John Brandt
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Speaking of the Library:
The second of 3 “Short Cuts Film Festival” showings is next Thursday (December 14, 7 p.m.).
Documentaries selected from the Tribeca Film Festival include:
“Then Comes the Body” by Jacob Krupnick: An unlikely ballet school outside Lagos, Nigeria, gains national attention after a video of students dancing in the rain goes viral.
“In Her Element” by Idil Ibrahim: Hip-hop artist Daisha McBride takes the traditional rock and country audience in New Orleans by storm.
“Team Dream” by Luchina Fisher: Determined friends and competitive swimmers journey to the National Senior Games.
“Deciding Vote” by Jeremy Workman & Robert J. Lyons: Fifty years ago, a now-forgotten New York assemblyman cast single tiebreaking vote that legalized abortion in New York, and la the groundwork for Roe v. Wade.
After the screenings, “Team Dream” director Fisher will discuss her film, and documentary filmmaking in general.
Short Cuts Film Festival concludes on January 18, with a program of narrative shorts.
Tickets are $26.50; click here to purchase. Films are suitable for ages 12 and up. Refreshments and popcorn will be provided.
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Mark Yurkiw — whose work has lately been heavily influenced by his Ukrainian heritage — is December’s guest exhibitor, at the Westport Book Shop.
His exhibit — “Art is Always of Its Time” — includes 12 illuminated works using large-format film transparencies of 3-D images of the 1980s and ’90s.
Yurkiw is an artist, sculptor, filmmaker, scientist, designer, creative director and consultant. His work appears in magazines, advertising, television, feature films, exhibitions and public art. It has been exhibited globally, including most recently as part of a 2-man United Nations exhibit.
A reception for Yurkiw will be held December 14 (6 to 7:30 p.m.). Reserve a spot by phone (203-349-5141) or email: bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org.
Yurkiw’s art is on exhibit through December 31. All work is available for purchase.
The Weston Weston Family YMCA’s Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund honors its 2023 grant recipients at 5 p.m. next Tuesday (December 12) at the Y.
This year, the Fund will award $315,000 in grants to 31 organizations throughout Fairfield County. Their programs support equitable educational programs for students.
Organizers of last month’s fascinating presentation on easing the toxic achievement culture so prevalent in Westport promised it would not be a one-off event.
Members of the Westport Public Schools and Westport Together vowed to continue discussions on ways to address the relentless pressures felt by Westport kids, following Jennifer Wallace’s SRO talk.
Last week, nearly 2 dozen middle and high school parents met for the first follow-up, in the Staples library. The goal was to gain specific ideas from parents.
After sharing personal stories of raising children in a high-achievement culture, they broke into small groups to discuss “what messages are our kids hearing at school, in the community, online, and in society about what matters most in the world.”
Among the themes that emerged:
Students often believe their worth is determined by acceptance by a college with the lowest possible acceptance rate.
Many students believe they matter if they take AP and/or Honors-level classes, succeed in sports, etc., to the point where they take pride in who works the longest hours and sleeps the least.
It feels as if every student activity is about resumé-building. Nothing is done for fun, and students rarely try something new.
Tutoring and coaching begins in elementary school. Parents who choose not to use these services worry their children will be at a disadvantage. Parents call it “an arms race.”
The next question was: “What actions can you take to make your home a ‘mattering’ place?”
Parents offered ideas like:
Schedule non-negotiable family time together, and establish family traditions like board games, creating a family music playlist, family meals and/or family meetings.
Be willing to set up “guardrails” — putting appropriate boundaries around taking on activities and higher-level classes, and ensuring children get sufficient sleep and downtime.
Emphasize family values, both through what parents say in conversations and by setting examples through their own actions (for example, how they manage stress and set their schedules).
Share failures regularly, so children see that adults can fail, learn and move on.
Support children in stopping an activity if it is too time-consuming, and not something they genuinely enjoy.
Limit conversations about grades, focusing instead on effort expended and the learning process. Avoid excessive checking of PowerSchool (the online gradebook).
Online tools offer parents instant access to their children’s grades.
Staples school counselor Sarah Magilnick felt “energized” by parents’ insights and engagement.
“I would love to inspire my students to be their most authentic selves, where they navigate a world without feeling pressured to be someone that dee in their core isn’t filled with joy or aligns with their personal values,” she said.
Jeff Doornweerd, a Staples physical education teacher and Link Crew advisor who facilitated the program with Westport Youth Services program director Kevin Godburn, Staples student support specialist Allison Follett, and members of Staples’ school counseling staff, was heartened that “many parents recognize that there is a problem that many of our students are struggling with, and are open and willing to work towards finding solutions.”
School counselor Kim Curran added, “We all want Westport to be a place where everyone feels that they matter. The common goal of raising individuals who will contribute to the world in meaningful ways to both themselves and others was something we all shared.”
Parents expressed an interest in continuing the conversation, and joining efforts to reduce the negative impact that “achievement culture” has on Westport youngsters.
A similar meeting, following up on Jennifer Wallace’s talk, took place for elementary school parents yesterday.
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Members of the Westport Public Schools and Westport Together vowed to continue discussions on ways to address the relentless pressures felt by Westport kids, following Jennifer Wallace’s SRO talk.
