Three years after Brown vs. Board of Education, public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, were still segregated.
But on September 25, 1957, US Army soldiers escorted 9 black teenagers into Central High School. 14-year-old Carlotta Walls LaNier was the youngest
On May 24, 2022 (7 p.m.), Carlotta — now in her 70s, and the last survivor of that courageous group of 9 — will join her friend, Westporter Steve Parrish, “In Conversation” at the Westport Library.
Carlotta will describe what it was like to be escorted by armed soldiers through an angry mob, and what happened to her and her family in the months and years after. She’ll reflect on her journey — and ours, as a country and a society.
Click here to register.
Carlotta Walks LaNier
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Staples High School’s Independent Learning Experience allows to move beyond the classroom setting, tackling projects or courses not otherwise offered there. Through an Independent Learning Experience, students spend a semester or full
Several students have produced films (giving new meaning to the phrase “indie movies”). They’ll be screened on Tuesday (May 10, 6:30 p.m., Staples auditorium). Each is about 10 minutes long.
Themes and filmmakers include:
- An ex-criminal turned interdimensional defense officer investigates a lead on a former partner (Jacob Friedman)
- Co-dependency and instability challenge 2 teens as they deal with daily life (Leah Chapman and Tate Mullineaux)
- A high school girl struggles with mental illness (Elen Macaluso)
- A couple preys on victims in a twisted game of betrayal, manipulation and psychosis (Ben Seideman).
A question-and-answer session and small reception follow. The public is invited.
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I don’t have any young kids. Nor do I have much hair. So I would not know about what I’m told are lice outbreaks at some Westport schools (and pre-schools).
But Liz Solovay is on the case.
The Westport resident owns Lice Treatment Center. She’s been helping local families with in-home and treatment center services for over 15 years.
As if you don’t need more reasons to call Liz: This is Small Business Week. So while you’re taking care of some “small business” of your own, you’re also helping one.
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Lynsey Addario has taken some haunting, harrowing photos of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
But one that the 1991 Staples High School graduate (and Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist) published in yesterday’s New York Times may be among her most sorrowful.
Nothing illustrates the depravity of the Russian invasion — and its toll on innocent people — more than this simple shot.
Aleksandr, a resident of Kramatorsk, sat in a room of his destroyed apartment after it was hit by a Russian airstrike yesterday. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for the New York Times)
Thank you to Lynsey, fellow Staples grad and Times photographer Tyler Hicks, and all others in the war zone, for showing the world what is going on half a world away.
To learn more about the history, geography and culture of Ukraine, listen to Professor Walter Zaryckyj at the Westport Library on Monday (May 9, 7 p.m., in-person and Zoom). He’ll speak on “Understanding Ukraine: Past, Present and Future.” Click here to register.
“06880” is a proud co-sponsor of this important educational event.
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The 2022 rugby high school nationals will be televised.
That’s of interest to “06880” readers, because Staples High School will be in them.
The Wreckers — ranked #5 in the nation — head to Elkart, Indiana soon. They compete for a US title from Thursday to Saturday, May 19-21 (times TBD).
Can’t make it to “The RV Capital of the World”? Go to Little Barn instead. Matches will be shown there, on a big screen.
In March, a crowd gathered at Little Barn for the rugby team’s kickoff tournament in Virginia.
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The Joggers Club is moving — from Compo Beach to the Greens Farms train station.
They invite everyone to stop by, every Saturday at 8 a.m. The first run is free. They offer a variety of distances and paces. All are fun.
Plus coffee, treats and music after each run.
· When: Every Saturday @ 8:00am
· Where: Green’s Farms Train Station
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The Westport Weston Family YMCA will offer 15 needs-based lifeguard certification scholarships this summer.
Applicants must be 15 to 23 years old, with strong swimming skills. There are 2-day courses May 7-8 and 14-15, and June 4-5 and 11-12. Click here for the application, and more information.
Questions. Contact Julia Marshella by email (jmarshella@westporty.org) or phone (203-226-8984).
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The other day, our “Westport … Naturally” feature showcased a handsome swan, sitting on her eggs.
She must have been foraging for food yesterday. Here was the scene:
(Photo/Elaine Marino)
And we’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Don’t get too close! Give her and her cygnets-to-be plenty of space.
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And finally … on this date in 1940, John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath. It was a novel — but it cut very, very close to the truth.
