Tag Archives: National History Day

Roundup: Gloria, National History Day …

Posted on June 21, 2021 | 2 comments

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Gloria — oysterman Alan Sterling’s beloved boat, which for years after his death has bobbed in Gray’s Creek between Longshore and Owenoke — has run aground.

Several Westporters noticed it yesterday. The years had taken their toll on the wooden vessel. But — defying weather and time — Gloria continued to enthrall everyone who saw it.

Alan was a Westport original. Saw was Gloria.

Her fate now is unknown. (Hat tip: Gene Gavin)

(Photo/Bruce McFadden)

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The last public concert Frederic Chiu played before the world shut down and all his concerts were cancelled was March 5 2020. The internationally famed pianist played a few miles from his home, at The Westport Library for an audience of 400 people.

This Thursday (June 24, 7  p.m.), he return to the Library. It’s his first post-pandemic live concert, once again on the Forum stage.

The program is the 3rd of his 3 Classical Smackdowns. It’s a great format. Chiu pits the music of 2 favorite composers against each other, with the audience voting, interactively, in real-time, round by round.

This one is “Young Geniuses: Mendelssohn vs. Chopin.” It includes music they composed before they were 20. It’s only the second time this program is played, after its premiere in 2020.

The ability to perform live was made only days ago. He’s excited by the chance to have votes from a global audience (virtually) and a live audience.

This is a great opportunity to help Chiu, the Westport Library and Beechwood Arts (series sponsor) celebrate their return to in-person, immersive music experiences!

Tickets are $30. They  provide a “Series Pass,” to see and vote on all 3 Classical Smackdown programs virtually.

To attend in person on Thursday, you must purchase a ticket. If you already have one, you must still register for the entry list.

To attend in person on Jun 24 at The Westport Library, you must register and purchase a ticket. If you’ve already purchased a ticket, you still need to register (for free, using the link above) to be put on the entry list.

To attend the Global Live-stream, click here, To purchase a Series Pass to watch and vote on all 3 Smackdowns at your convenience, click here.

For a sneak peek, click below:

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Staples High School students made history.

At, fittingly, the National History Day national competition.

Honorees included:

  • Zachary Brody, 3rd place, Senior Individual Exhibit
  • Jeffrey Pogue, 4th place, Senior Individual Performance
  • Hannah Fiarman, 6th place, Senior Individual Exhibit
  • Michael Nealon and William Jin, 10th place, Senior Group Exhibit.

Congratulations to all — and to their teachers, Drew Coyne and Neill-Ayn Lynch.

Click below for Jeffrey Pogue’s clever, creative performance, channeling Thomas Paine.

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Speaking of Staples: The high school rugby team returned yesterday from Kansas City. Playing in 100-degree heat, they exceeded expectations: Seeded 5th, they finished 4th, in the 8-team event.

They opened with a 26-22 win over higher-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas, then fell 48-14 to eventual champion Herriman (Utah) 48-14. The dropped the consolation match, 17-14 to Gonzaga (Washington).

Congratulations to coach Dave Lyme and his ruggers on a great run!

The 2021 Staples High School boys rugby team.

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Congratulations to Westport’s newest Eagle Scouts — and #86 and #87 for Boy Scout Troop 100.

For his project,  Benjamin Cohen collaborated with the Mianus Chapter of Trout Unlimited to repair the Norwalk River’s riparian buffer at Schenck’s Island. He removed invasive species, and used native plants to prevent further erosion and decline.

 Jeffrey Pressman worked with Temple Israel to organize materials, books and supplies for classrooms; inventory all materials, to determine needs for supplies; organize High Holiday books; clean and organize the basement to prevent flooding, and build and fix cabinets that hold religious school supplies.

Ben Cohen and Jeffrey Pressman.

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 Old Hill is the site for today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo. Brian Schiller captured a deer, nursing her fawn:

(Photo/Brian Schiller)

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And finally … it’s the first full day of summer.

I could have picked 100 songs with “summer” in the title today. These are 3 that stand out. What are yours? Click “Comments” below.

BONUS TRACK: It doesn’t have “summer” in the title. But it’s hard to find a better summer song than this one:

 

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Posted in Arts, Environment, History, Library, Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Roundup: Yarn Bomber; Rock Doc; Camper Fund; History; More

Posted on June 24, 2020 | 3 comments

You can’t keep a good Yarn Bomber down.

In the latest installment of Westport’s ongoing, fun mystery, TV reporter Anne Craig reports on the unknown knitter’s latest creation.

But in addition to showcasing her work on Compo Beach Road — right by the marina — Anne also makes an offer.

The Yarn Bomber wants to help someone who needs a colorful, lively, humorous pick-me-up. That’s right: a “gift bomb.”

“It can be someone on the front lines, or someone who has suffered a loss,” Anne says. “Someone who has been through a lot, or has given a lot.

All that’s needed is a nomination. So watch Anne’s new video below — it’s another winner! — and if you know someone who could benefit from a yard bomb, put his or her name in the YouTube comments section.

Bombs away!

“The High School That Rocked!” — Fred Cantor’s documentary about the amazing bands that played in Westport back in the (glory) days — is going national.

From June 26-28, it’s part of the Albuquerque Film & Music Experience’s online “Best of the Fest” programming.

In 2017, the film was chosen as Best Short Documentary 1st runner-up at the event.

“THSTR” is part of 6 music documentary shorts and videos. The cost to watch all is just $1. Proceeds are split 50/50 between the festival and filmmakers — but Cantor is turning his share back to the organizers.

To see this intriguing film — and 5 others — click here.

One consequence of COVID-19: closures and reductions in summer programs has left working families without affordable childcare options.

Westport’s Department of Human Services can help. They’ve created a Campership Fund, to help cover the cost of programs.

The average weekly cost of a day camp is $300. Donations of any size can help a child attend for a day, week or the entire summer. Contributions can be made online (click here), or by check (payable to Westport Human Services “DHS Campership Fund,” 110 Myrtle Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.

For more information, call Annette D’Augelli (203-341-1050) or email adaugelli@westportct.gov.

Summer camp is always fun. (Photos/Jaime Bairaktaris)

This year’s National History Day them was “Breaking Barriers.”

Long before the eyes of the nation focused on forgotten Black heroes, Staples High School sophomores Emma Nordberg and Lea Rivel chose Robert Smalls. A former enslaved man who stole a Confederate vessel and joined the Union, he convinced President Lincoln to allow African American men to join the army, was the first Black commander of an American warship, and became one of the first Black congressmen during Reconstruction.

The coronavirus forced this year’s History Day competition into cyberspace. But working together, Emma and Lea placed 4th nationally. It’s a great achievement for them, and their US History teacher Drew Coyne.

That’s not the first National History Day competition for Westport students — or even for a Nordberg. In 2016 Emma’s brother Konur and 4 Bedford Middle School classmates won 1st place at the state level, and went on to the national competition. They interviewed Claudette Colvin, the first Black woman who refused to give up her son, even before Rosa Parks’ famous act.

Congratulations, Emma and Lea!

Emma Nordberg

And finally … let’s all keep thinking about (and being aware of) stereotypes.

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Posted in Entertainment, History, Media, Organizations, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Bedford Middle School Students, Staples Freshman Make History

Posted on June 18, 2019 | 6 comments

I’ve covered the accomplishments of Westport’s National History Day  competitors before.

I’ve used the headline “Do Know Much About History” too, so I can’t do that again.

However, earlier this month 5 Bedford Middle School students and 1 from Staples proved Sam Cooke wrong. They do know a lot about history.

The 8th graders — already state champions — placed 5th in the national event in College Park, Maryland. Freshman Ishan Prasad — a Bedford National History Day alum — placed 2nd in the High School Individual Paper category, for his work: “Shah Bano and India’s Post-Colonial Predicament: Gender vs. Religion.”

Bedford Middle School National History Day competitors, with club advisor Caroline Davis (rear) and their project.

The Westport program is only 5 years old. But what a history it has!

When Caroline Davis moved here from New Jersey, she brought a dozen years’ experience as a middle school National History Day Club faculty adviser. She asked if she could start one here.

Principal Adam Rosen welcomed the idea. A year later, Bedford qualified for the national competition. They repeated in 2017, ’18 and ’19 — all 3 times as state champs. Last year, they finished 4th in the country.

Davis calls her students “incredibly motivated. They want to explore outside of Goggle and readily available sources.”

She’s not kidding. Last year — delving into the 1967 Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court interracial marriage case — one group tracked down and interviewed the Lovings’ attorney.

Chris Fields, in the famous photo by Charles Porter IV.

Another group made a website about the Oklahoma City bombing. They found — and interviewed — Chris Fields, the firefighter in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo from that 1995 day.

(I know — to many “06880” readers, that’s a “current event.” But it happened a couple of decades before the current BMS kids were born. So history it is.)

The club meets twice a week. Students bring their lunch to Davis’ classroom, eating and working together. She helps them stay on course. But finding sources, organizing information, laying it out, offering peer reviews — that’s all on the students.

The national competition in Washington, DC was a fantastic educational and fun experience. In addition to teams from all over the US, the BMS students (and Ishan) met others from South Korea, China and Guam.

They also met Senator Richard Blumenthal, who spoke with them about the importance of history.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, at the US Capitol with some of Bedford’s National History Day team.

This year’s theme was “Triumph and Tragedy.” The BMS team — Rhea Choudhury, Sharmila Green, Emma Losonczy, Malika Subramanian and Lucia Wang — researched and presented the career of Lise Meitner.

Never heard of her? Neither had I.

She’s a Jewish Austrian physicist who helped discover nuclear fission in the late 1930s. She never received credit, though — and was even excluded from receiving the Nobel Prize.

Fortunately, the Bedford students (and Ishan) got their prize. Congrats to them, to Caroline Davis and Westport 6-12 social studies supervisor Lauren Francese.

Take that, Sam Cooke!

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Posted in Education, History, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Do Know Much About History

Posted on June 27, 2018 | 9 comments

Sure, STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math — gets lots of education headlines.

But history is alive and well in Westport schools too.

Two Staples High students recently finished 8th in the nation.

Meanwhile, 4 Bedford Middle Schoolers landed in the national top 4.

Stapleites Shea Curran and Kate Enquist were students this past year in Drew Coyne’s sophomore US History Honors course. He asked his students to find a National History Day topic on the theme of conflict and compromise.

Initially, Shea admits, “Kate and I were not really looking forward to NHD. We imagined it was filled with history nerds and crazy parents.”

But as they searched for ideas, they found an article on Westport’s Nike missile sites on (ta da!) “06880.” They got hooked — and realized history can be interesting, exciting (and cool).

Nike missiles on display.

They spent months researching the topic, using old newspapers and other material — some of it previously classified. They also interviewed people who were there.

The process was not easy, Kate says. But it was rewarding.

Shea and Kate were amazed to learn that missiles were once stored on the current site of Bedford Middle School. They were stunned to discover how close the US came to nuclear war.

The project “opened our eyes to today’s society,” Shea says. “We realize the importance of civilians being able to voice their concerns, suggestions or opinions.”

During the Cold War, she notes, “if civilians did not speak up, the results of the Nike missile sites would be much different.”

Shea Curran and Kate Enquist

The entire National History Day experience has sparked Kate’s interest in government and history. She’ll volunteer in those areas this summer, and will take AP Government in the fall.

(To view Shea and Kate’s project online, click here.)

At the junior level, Bedford’s Jason Chiu-Skow, Jordan Chiu-Skow, Johann Kobelitsch and Lyah Muktavaram worked since October — during their lunches — with teacher Caroline Davis. They also spent hours together after school, and on weekend.

Their topic was “How the Treaty of Versailles Ended the Great War.” They chose it because they realized that compromise is not always fair.

The Bedford Middle School National History Day team, at the national competition.

As part of their project, the Bedford students learned how to do research, present a convincing argument, answer judges’ questions, and work as a team.

They finished 3rd in Fairfield County, then first in Connecticut, before earning 4th place at the national competition (which also included Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Singapore, South Korea and South Asia).

The National History Day winners will be honored — and their exhibits shown — at a reception on July 14 in Connecticut’s Old Sate House.

There certainly is a lot of history there.

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Posted in Education, History, Staples HS, Teenagers

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“Save Cockenoe Now”: Still Relevant, 50 Years On

Posted on April 23, 2017 | 18 comments

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of some significant events.

1967 was the Summer of Love. Martin Luther King spoke out against the Vietnam War. “Race riots” consumed Detroit, Newark and other cities.

Meanwhile, here in Westport, we debated whether building a 14-story nuclear power plant a mile off Compo Beach was a good idea.

The story is remembered by many — and unknown to many more. It starts with United Illuminating, the statewide utility that in 1965 secretly bought Cockenoe Island, a popular spot for boaters and fishermen.

Cockenoe Island, off Compo Beach. In 1967, it almost became the site of a nuclear power plant.

Another key player was Jo Fox Brosious, editor of the fledgling Westport News. She crusaded tirelessly against the idea.

It was not easy. Although plenty of Westporters opposed the plan, the more established Town Crier was all-in. What a boon for the tax base, the paper said.

Brosious helped rally a coalition of common citizens, conservationists, fishermen, attorneys, Senators Abraham Ribicoff and Lowell Weicker, and Congressman Stewart McKinney.

Local artists Walter and Naiad Einsel created a memorable (and very 1967-ish) poster with the group’s rallying cry:

Under pressure — with national coverage in the New York Times and Sports Illustrated, and thanks to the threat of a bill in the Connecticut legislature that would curb eminent domain requests of power companies — UI agreed to sell Cockenoe.

To the town of Westport.

The deal was struck in 1967. The purchase price was $200,000. When the contract finally closed 2 years later, the Westport News headline read: “Cockenoe Island Safe in Sound.”

Memorabilia saved by Jo Fox includes news clippings, a bumper sticker, a photo of Jo on Cockenoe, and another shot of her speaking in Hartford, as sunlight streams directly on her.

That’s the bare-bones, SparkNotes version. You can read more by clicking here.

Or — this being 2017 (not 1967) — you can watch a YouTube video about it.

The 9-minute mini-documentary comes courtesy of Julianna Shmaruk. A Staples High School sophomore, she created it for a National History Day competition.

The contest theme was “Taking a Stand” — which is exactly what Westporters did.

Julianna tracked down old newspaper clippings. She interviewed 91-year-old Joe Schachter (a boater involved in the battle), and got vintage home movie footage from Ed Stalling (a then 11-year-old who wrote a postcard decrying the sale).

Julianna’s video offers vivid evidence that — as Stalling says — “the people can win.” And that newspapers can rally public opinion.

Those lessons are just as important today as they were half a century ago.

To see Julianna’s video, click below:

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Posted in Education, Environment, Looking back, People, Places, Staples HS

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