Tag Archives: Staples High School boys lacrosse team

Roundup: Ospreys, Lacrosse, Sewers …

Posted on June 13, 2023 | 5 comments

Mother osprey, and chick. (Photo/Carolyn Doan)

There are 3 osprey chicks, at the Fresh Market nest.

Photographer extraordinaire Carolyn Doan reports that the chicks hatch in the order their eggs were laid, so they vary in size. They also start out with reddish-brown eyes, which differ from the yellow eyes of the adults.

When she left this morning, they were lying down for a nap.

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Charlie Scott is a talented runner, and WWPT-FM sports broadcaster.

He’s also a very creative videographer.

The Staples High School junior was there on Sunday, as the boys lacrosse team won their second straight state championship.

Then he went to work, editing his excellent camera work into an exciting 1:10 video. Click below to see the Wreckers’ championship game highlights — and the joyful aftermath.

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A sanitary sewer system servicing the east portion of Whitney Street and abutting streets is will be installed soon.

The work zone is between Witch Lane and Roseville Road. Installation begins June 19, and will be completed by August 4.

Detour hours for through traffic are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. Whitney Street will be open to residents only.

Whitney Street (the diagonal street in the middle of this aerial view) will be closed to through traffic from Witch Lane to Roseville (right side). 

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Speaking of sewers: Nothing disturbs the rest of those buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

Except, perhaps, risers for manholes. They recently appeared next to the centuries-old burial ground, part of the ongoing sewer project.

(Photo/Mark Mathias)

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Sunday’s Roundup included an idea from Tom Kretsch.

Inspired by what he saw in Washington state, he suggested putting large photos of all graduates in stores throughout Westport each year.

No one commented, either for or against it.

But alert reader Jon Sinish followed up. He sent photos of a similar project — much closer to home.

Here’s what our friends in Stratford do, for their 2 high schools. Blue is for Bunnell; red is for Stratford High.

(Photo/Jon Sinish)

Any interest, Westport?

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World class pianist/local treasure David Morgan headlines the June 15 shows (7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399).

He has performed and recorded with Wynton Marsalis and Wes Anderson, and written music for CBS Sports, Discovery, A&E, MTV,  and TV shows like “Pawn Stars,” “Little Women” and “Catfish.”  He also produces recordings for other artists in his own studio. Area audiences known him as a member of the jazz group Portal.

He’ll be joined by his old friend and Portal collaborator saxophonist Greg (“The Jazz Rabbi”) Wall, bassist Yuriy Galkin and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza.

Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.

David Morgan wants YOU to come to Jazz at the Post.

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Scott Brodie took today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo at his mother’s house, on Burr Farms Road.

He adds: “I always thought that the choice of the robin as our Connecticut state bird was utterly uninspiring.

“But our state flower, the mountain laurel,  grows wild throughout the state, and puts on a wonderful display in late spring.

(Photo/Scott Brodie)

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And finally … 2 of the greatest-named rules of the Holy Roman Emperor were born on this day, 16 years apart.

Charles the Bald came into the world on June 13, 823. Charles the Fat followed in 839.

(From ospreys to sewers to Charles the Bald — and the Fat — “06880” has it all. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Entertainment, Environment, Sports, Staples HS

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Roundup: Ireland, Lacrosse, Politico …

Posted on July 8, 2022 | 3 comments

“06880” readers know that Westport is a great place to live.

Now it’s official — at least, across the Atlantic.

Susan Garment spotted this sign the other day in Westport, Ireland. It says: “Tidy Towns National Winner.:

And below that: “Best Place to Live in Ireland.“

(Photo/Susan Garment)

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Westport sports fans know that the Staples High School boys lacrosse team’s rout of Darien in the state championship final was big.

But just how huge was it?

Inside Lacrosse just ranked the Wreckers’ win as the top performance in all of public high school lax this spring — in the entire country.

The site says:

A strong argument could be made that the Wreckers’ stunning 12-3 victory over Connecticut powerhouse Darien in the Class L state championship game was high school lacrosse’s biggest story in June. Scoring the game’s first eight goals to take a 9-1 lead into halftime, Will Koshansky’s squad played smart, methodical lacrosse en route to a commanding win over a Blue Wave squad that spent much of the season in the national Top 10.

This spring, the Wreckers picked up six victories over teams from the computer ratings Top 100, topping Massachusetts state champ St. John’s Prep, as well as Fairfield County foes Greenwich, Wilton, New Canaan, Ridgefield and Darien….

The 9-goal victory over Darien in the state championship stands above all of the Wreckers’ previous accomplishments this season, and now, Staples finishes as IL’s No. 1 public school program to end 2022…

AD

A young nucleus returns, so expect to hear even more about Westport’s finest going forward. (

(Click here for the full story. Hat tip: Dave Briggs)

Staples High School: boys lacrosse state champs — and now, #1 in the nation. (Photo/Chris Greer)

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Earlier this year, Steve Parrish brought Carlotta LaNier — one of the Little Rock 9, who desegregated Central High School in 1957 — to the Westport Library.

Now the consultant specializing in specializing in crisis management, corporate social responsibility, public affairs and communications — and frequent TV news show guest — has reached into his Rolodex, to plan another intriguing evening.

On July 19 (7 p.m.), he’ll chat with political journalist and Politico co-founder John Harris. Prior to creating one of the country’s most visited news sites, Harris was a national political reporter for the Washington Post.

Click here to register for a seat in the Trefz Forum. Click here for the livestream.

John Harris

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Kathie Motes Bennewitz — who serves as both Westport town arts curator and executive director of the Hopper House Museum and Study Center in Nyack, New York — joins Westporter Robin Frank in inviting “06880” readers to the Museum on July 19 (6 p.m.). Frank will give a presentation on “Framing Memory in American Art: Visions of Love and Loss.” The lecture is followed by  complimentary cocktails to toast the current exhibition Liliane Tomasko: Evening Wind.

Memory is the underlying theme of both Hopper’s isolated figures in interiors and Tomasko’s lyrical paintings of unmade beds. In addition to their works, I will discuss a diverse array of historic and contemporary objects—ranging from eighteenth-century mourning jewelry to a Covid-inspired video on view at the Whitney Biennial—that celebrate love and memorialize loss.

Click here for more details and tickets.

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Longtime Westporter, Red Cross volunteer, and one of Staples High School’s longest-lived graduates, Eloise Neyle Reilly died peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family and caregiver, on July 1. She was 102 years old.

Born on March 22, 1920 in New York City, she was called “a remarkable, self-sufficient and independent woman, known for her positive outlook on life.”

Eloise moved to Westport in 1934, and graduated from Staples High School. One of the most important chapters in her life began during World War II. She joined the American Red Cross Club Mobile Unit, a service to provide comfort and support to combat troops on the front lines with coffee, donuts and conversation.

After the war ended, she spent 2 more years in Germany, supporting US troops. She often told stories of her remarkable friendships and experiences during her years with the Red Cross.

Eloise’s strength and independence continued beyond the war when she returned home to Westport. In the late 1940s and ’50s she built a career in New York City, culminated as a human resource director at the advertising firm Young and Rubicam.

Eloise designed and worked with a local contractor to construct the home that she lived in since 1957. She was an avid gardener, a lover of nature and a long time member of the Westport Garden Club.    

In the late 1960’s, she left the city and the commute to start a second successful career as a real estate agent, with Helen Benson Real Estate.

One of her passions and strengths was maintaining great friendships in her community, and staying connected with lifelong friends and family across the country. A result of this passion came in the early 1970’s, when she began the first of many annual Red Cross Club Mobile reunions at her home here.

The tradition gained momentum and continued through the early 2000’s.   Reunions were held at the homes of Red Cross members and friends across the US and Europe.

Eloise is survived by her nephews, Kevin (Leslie Carrere) Reilly of Newfield, New York; William (Laura Gotfried) Reilly of Enfield, New York and Peter (Mary Picard) Reilly of Rye, New Hampshire; grand-nieces and nephews Colin, Marissa Mia, Megan and Conor Reilly, and great-grand-niece Kendall Reilly.  Her brother, Donald Reilly, recently predeceased her.

The family gives special thanks to Mary Krewsen, her personal caregiver, for her loving care, and the staff of Visiting Angels of Fairfield for their support.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her honor can be made to The American Red Cross.

Family and friends are invited a visitation on Wednesday, July 13th (9:30 a.m., Christ & Holy Trinity church. Funeral services will follow at 10 in the church sanctuary.  Interment will follow at the Christ and Holy Trinity Cemetery.  Click here to sign the online guestbook.

Eloise Reilly

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Crabs are not the most elegant looking creatures.

But they — like this one, today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature — have been at Compo Beach and environs longer than we have.

A lot longer.

(Photo/Jeanine Esposito)

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And finally … happy 52nd birthday to Beck. The one-named singer/songwriter/ producer turns 52 today.

(“06880” relies on the support of readers like you. Please click here to donate.)

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Posted in Library, Obituaries, Politics, Sports, Staples HS

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COVID-19 Roundup: Bank Of America, Bottles And Cans, Library, Yoga, Lax Food Drive And More

Posted on April 24, 2020 | 11 comments

Bank of America’s 3 Westport locations — downtown, between Starbucks and the Maserati dealership, and on the Southport line — are closed until further notice.

The nearest open BOA location is 578 Westport Avenue, just over the Norwalk border.

The Westport Library’s doors are closed. But its online presence has never been more active.

Staffers are adding new resources all the time. Digital content, programming, resources, exhibits — you name it, it’s all there. Click here to “enter” the library.

It’s “virtually” the same as being there!

For more than 6 years, Westport writer/director Chris Bolan has been working on a Netflix Original movie. It’s about Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel, 2 women who fell in love in 1947. They kept their relationship a secret for over 6 decades.

Their remarkable journey — and eventual decision to come out late in life — forms the basis of “A Secret Love.” Bolan is Donahue’s great-nephew.

He says, “Given the world we currently live in and the amount of uncertainty, fear and upheaval we all face, uplifting stories like this have never been more important. We could all use a love story like this right now.”

Click on the trailer below. Then be sure to watch the entire film next week!

At this point in the year, the Staples High School boys lacrosse team should be deep into their season: playing games, hosting car washes, giving fans something to cheer about.

They can’t do any of that. But they are still coming together as a team, to support their community.

They’ve organized a food drive to collect non-perishable items and cleaning supplies for Homes with Hope’s food pantry. It runs from today through next Tuesday (April 28).

Items can be dropped off at 199 Bayberry Lane. No glass, please! Questions? Email bhoward0222@gmail.com.

From left: senior Ben Howard, Livy Howard and sophomore Charlie Howard.

Richard Jaffe writes: “I’m not going to bring back my ever-growing mountain of returnable bottles and cans any time soon.

“Is there a group out there that will safely return them and collect the deposit money, hopefully for one of the many not-for-profits trying to help (like our very own Westport Department of Human Services)?

“What does $10, $30 or $100 per household add up to? Something meaningful.”

If you or your organization “can” take those returnables off Richard’s hands — to donate to a worthy cause — click “Comments” below. And if others have bottles and cans they’d like to donate, add your name too.

Like a number of other instructors, Paula Schooler has moved her weekly yoga therapy classes online. She’ll teach Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m., Wednesdays at 2 p.m., beginning next week.

As a show of appreciation for front line personnel, Paula will donate $5 from the suggested donation of $15 per class to the American Nurses Association’s local chapter.

She’s also working with Miggs Burroughs on a design for t-shirts with one of the best slogans ever: “NamaSTAY@OM.” That’s so good, on so many levels.

To register or for more information, call 203-226-6465, or email stringofpearls36@aol.com.

And finally … what better way to end another week of isolation than with a little Survivor?

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Posted in Entertainment, Environment, Library, Local business, Sports, Staples HS

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[OPINION] Time To Defuse The “Bomb Squad”

Posted on June 2, 2018 | 84 comments

On Wednesday, Fairfield Prep’s boys lacrosse team defeated Staples 11-10 in sudden death overtime, in the state tournament. It was an exciting, hard fought and well-played game.

There was action off the field too. 

More than a dozen readers sent me links to a story that ran in all local Hearst papers — the Westport News, Norwalk Hour and Stamford Advocate — describing actions by the “Bomb Squad,” a longtime Prep fan group.

According to the story, Prep students directed anti-Semitic chants at Staples, held up X-rated signs, and urinated as a group on cars in the parking lot.

Geralyn Brieg is a 20-year resident of Westport. Her son played youth lacrosse here, then 4 years at Staples. Her husband coached in the Westport Youth Lacrosse program for more than 10 years. She sent “06880” this opinion piece about the Bomb Squad.

A lot of us wonder what can be done about the increasing lack of civility,  coarsening of discourse, divisiveness, and racism.

Let’s start in our own backyard.

If you, like me, have sat through one too many sports events over the years forced to listen to the increasingly horrific chants coming out of the mouths of the Fairfield Prep “Bomb Squad,” you were disappointed but not surprised by the Stamford Advocate headline about the “boorish behavior” and anti-Semitic chants at the Staples-Prep lacrosse game.

Earlier this season, Staples lacrosse players wore special shirts at a game honoring the “Sticks for Soldiers” veterans organization.

While I was not there this time, it appeared that no Prep parent, staff or coach put a stop to this.

This would be consistent with what I witnessed watching my son play lacrosse at Staples from 2007 to ’11. Those 4 years include one playoff game in particular, when I witnessed the Bomb Squad single out one of our Jewish players by name, and attack him personally.

Back then, I looked around shocked that no one did anything to end the Bomb Squad’s outrageous behavior. As the product of 12 years of Catholic schools myself, I was confused their behavior was tolerated, outraged as a parent, and yes, embarrassed to be Catholic.

Flash forward to this year when the Bomb Squad’s reported behavior goes well over the line. Prep once again administered a mere boys-will-be boys wrist slap.

Why must we host the “Bomb Squad” here in Westport? If Fairfield Prep lacks the moral conviction to ban this formal or informal group, let’s not sit around helplessly.

I say: Time’s up. Either ban the Bomb Squad from our athletic facilities, or ban Fairfield Prep from athletic contests with Staples until they eliminate it and/or replace it with a cheer squad with proper governance just like other high schools.

I am calling on the athletic director, Board of Education and first selectman to find a solution that welcomes Fairfield Prep, but not its Bomb Squad.

(Click here for a link to the Stamford Advocate story.)

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Posted in Politics, Sports, Staples HS

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