Over 93% of last year’s Staples High School graduating class went on to 4-year colleges.
The average number of schools each senior applied to was 9.
The University of Connecticut received the most applications (146), and was also the most popular place to go (17 members of the Class of ’23 enrolled).
Those were some of the statistics offered at Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting. School Counselor Department chair Bill Plunkett, and College and Career Center coordinator Sandra Zeigler, made the presentation.
Besides the 93.1% of graduating seniors who headed to 4-year schools, and 2.3% went to 2-year colleges; 1.2% took a gap year; 0.9% took another year at a prep school; 0.9% went directly into the work force; 0.7% went to career education schools; 0.2% entered the military, and 0.7% were undecided.
The overall acceptance rate for the Class of ’23 was 52%. 154 students were accepted by at least 75% of the schools they applied to.
Their mean SAT score was 1244. Their mean ACT score was 28.9.
Of last year’s seniors, 45% applied for need-based financial aid; 30% applied for local or community scholarships.
14% said they intended to play an intercollegiate sport. 9% applied to a visual or performing arts program.
The top 3 factors in choosing a college, they said in a survey, were academic programs, location, and campus life.
Staples’ Class of 2023 heads off into the world. (Photo/Dan Woog)
After UConn, the most popular schools to apply to were Penn State (77 applicants), Indiana University (76), the University of Maryland (76), the University of Michigan (66), Northeastern University (65), Syracuse (63), the University of Wisconsin 962), the University of Colorado (61) and Boston University (60).
Those tracked closely with actual enrollment. After UConn came Indiana (16), BU and Syracuse 911 each), Colorado and Wisconsin (10 each), Northeastern (8) and Tulane, Michigan and Virginia Tech (7).
In terms of Advanced Placement tests (all grades), 95% of all scores were 3 (on a scale of 5) or higher. The mean AP score across all subjects was 4.2.
(“06880” reports regularly on Staples — and all of Westport’s schools. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
As the search continues for the submersible, lost in the Atlantic Ocean during a dive to the wreck of Titanic, media outlets cite David Pogue’s report on the company catering to the ultra-rich.
Last November, the Westporter and “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent described his own dive — and the warnings that preceded it. “06880” wrote about that now-noteworthy segment.
Our piece included a link to his broadcast:
There was a link to his “Unsung Science” podcast too. Click here, then scroll down for his 2-part series on his experience with the vessel.
This week, Pogue has been quoted in print and broadcast media outlets around the world. He has become the world’s go-to expert, both from personal and professional experience.
Large red and technologically advanced “Wrong Way” signs will be installed soon at the northbound and southbound I-95 Exit 17 entrances.
They’re part of a statewide program to cut down on head-on collisions — often fatal — resulting from drivers entering highway exits.
The state Department of Transportation has identified 236 high-risk ramps. Many are like Exit 17, where the on- and off-ramps are in close proximity. The highest priority goes to ramps that are near to places that serve alcohol.
The new signs will include cameras that identify when cars drive the wrong way. When that happens, lights flash.
The signs will also notify the closest state police barracks, and DOT Highway Operations Center.
I-95 Exit 17 on- and off-ramps are right next to each other.
Speaking of traffic: The Westport Sunrise Rotary’s annual Great Duck Race is this Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). The Taylor parking lot (between Jesup Green and the Saugatuck River) will be closed beginning Friday evening.
Also this weekend: the downtown Sidewalk Sale (Friday through Sunday). Expect extra traffic — both vehicular and pedestrian.
Oblivious to the upcoming closing of the Taylor parking lot. (Photo/Mary Sikorski)
Since 2019, Wakeman Town Farm, Earthplace and the Westport Garden Club have promoted Westport’s “Pollinator Pathway.” It’s part of an area-wide effort to restore and connect habitats for ecologically crucial pollinators.
This Saturday (June 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), the group has organized a second annual Pollinator Pathway tour. It features 2 private and 4 public gardens. Other Fairfield and Westchester County towns are also involved.
Westport locations include:
4 Deepwood Lane
Earthplace
Prospect Gardens (13 Prospect Road)
Sherwood Island State Park Nature Center
Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve
Wakeman Town Farm
All sites except Earthplace will have guides and/or gardeners on hand to answer questions, and provide information about plant choice and best practices to support biodiversity using earth-friendly practices for healthier lawns and gardens.
Earthplace will be a self-directed tour.
Click here for more information on participating gardens, and an interactive map with descriptions, photographs, and directions.Click here for a list of Northeast native pollinator plants.
Part of the Sherwood Island State Park Pollinator Pathway. (Photo/Kelle Ruden)
A few days after the end of the legislative session, State Representative Jonathan Steinberg addressed the Westport Rotary Club at yesterday’s weekly meeting.
“We hope Connecticut can get back to where it was pre-pandemic,” Steinberg said, referring to the local economy. Election initiatives such as early voting and new election technology, and sensible gun reform, are other priorities for Governor Lamong.
The legislator also discussed Westport’s crippling traffic. He said, “We need to do more work on improving traffic in Westport, We have no choice not to.”
Though a proposal to levy highway tolls failed in the past few years, Steinberg hopes to keep the issue alive. He says it could help alleviate congestion.
State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, at the Westport Rotary Club. (Photo and hat tip/Dave Matlow)
At 57 Diane Meyer Lowman set off on a life-changing adventure: a “senior year abroad” studying in the MA program at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.
She learned a lot.
She wrote a lot too.
Her memoir –“The Undiscovered Country: Seeing Myself Through Shakespeare’s Eyes” — will be published in September.
Diane details her “transformative experiences, both personal and academic,” as she immerses herself in the world of Shakespeare. She learns as much about herself as she does about the Bard.
“Undiscovered Country” is available for pre-order. Click here for details.
==========================================
Former Westport resident Patricia Lane Willett died unexpectedly on June 8. She was 83, and lived in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Her family calls her “a devoted wife for nearly 6 decades to William H. Willett, a loving mother of 5, a loyal friend, an active philanthropist, and an extraordinary hostess. Pat embraced life with boundless energy, a competitive spirit, and a knack for timely humor.
“Her infectious smile, unwavering desire to please, and unmatched passion for entertaining ensured that every gathering she hosted was unforgettable and filled with laughter.
“She possessed a remarkable ability to spoil her cherished grandchildren, showering them with affection, Nana kisses, and indulgences that will forever hold a special place in their hearts. Pat’s dedication to philanthropy revealed her depth of competitive spirit as she tirelessly pursued charitable goals, all the while expressing immense gratitude for those who supported and shared in her endeavors.”
Patricia was preceded in death by her siblings Mary, Judy, Linda, Joe, Paul, Chubby, Greg, and daughter-in-law Shannon Willett. She is survived by her husband; children Wendy Sellers (Rick), Chris Willett, Jeff Willett (Lisa), Brad Willett (Jennifer) and Elizabeth Johnson; sister Joanne Lane; 16 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests considering donations in Pat’s memory to Autism Speaks, a cause close to her heart.
Before they even entered Staples High School, the Class of 2023 faced mold.
The end of their freshman year was obliterated by COVID; the effects lasted far longer.
Just last week, smoke from wildfires canceled all after-school activities.
If any class deserved a beautiful graduation day, it was this one.
They got it.
The sun shone. The temperature was a perfect 75. Not a smoke particle or coronavirus atom marred the air.
The 430 members of one of the most flexible, adaptable classes in the school’s 139-year history received their diplomas the old-fashioned way: They earned them.
(Photo/Tracy Porosoff)
During the early months of COVID, Stafford Thomas Jr.’s son, Stafford III, starred in the almost-daily videos the principal posted to inform the school community about the pandemic.
(“We’re hoping to be back in a few days,” he said in an early one. Westport missed that target by 6 months.)
So it was only fitting that a tape of Thomas’ “greatest hits” — those videos — entertained the full stadium before the processional.
Then Stafford III helped his dad carry the ceremonial mace.
Principal Stafford Thomas Jr. and his son Stafford III carry the ceremonial mace. Directly behind are Class of 2023 assistant principal Jim Farnen, and superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice.
Valedictorian Lucia Wang called her 430 classmates “adaptive, capable and creative.” Salutatorian Rebecca Schussheim noted they were “mold-less and mask-less,” and launched into a metaphor fitting her passion: astrophysics.
Thomas gave a special shout-out to 4 graduates who are heading to the military.
Then it was on to the main event: the awarding of diplomas.
Today the Class of 2023 is part of history.
That’s very fitting. After all, they helped make it.
The Staples custodial staff never stops working. An hour before the ceremony, they put a bottle of water under every graduate’s seat.
One of over 400 happy families.
Unlike in the fieldhouse, there was no jostling for seats — or better views.
Teachers applaud, as the Class of 2023 marches in …
… and here is the processional.
Lilly Weisz was a proud member of Inklings. She held up the final copy of the year.
The Choralairs sang the national anthem, and performed a stunning rendition of “The Road Home.”
Jet Tober — and every other graduate — posed in front of the graduation arch.
The view from the back.
Signs from departments, teams and clubs congratulated the graduating seniors.
A capacity crowd (including namesakes Rev. John and Judyth Branson) filled Christ & Holy Trinity Church’s Branson Hall last night, for the annual 1st Citizen Award dinner.
The 7th annual event — sponsored by the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, but the first held since the pandemic — honored Westport Library director Bill Harmer, CastleKeepAdvisors founder and CEO Charlie Haberstroh, and 4 student entrepreneurs: Marley Brown, Akhila Kooma, Addison Moore and Jamie Semaya.
Charlie Haberstroh (center) and his family.
The theme of the evening — echoed by Chamber director Matthew Mandell and keynote speaker US Senator Richard Blumenthal — was “giving back to the community.”
Westport Library director Bill Harmer speaks. Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce director Matthew Mandell is at left.
All 6 honorees have done that in major ways. And all expressed thanks that the communities of Westport and Weston have inspired, and enabled them, to do so.
Keynote speaker Senator Richard Blumental. (All photos/Dan Woog)
“Reluctant Liberators: Westport in the Civil War” was curated by students. Staples High School junior Talia Moskowitz took the lead, as part of an independent study project.
She got help from the museum’s high school interns: Amelia Gura, Devan Patel and Oscar Scher (Staples), Stephanie Field (Weston) and Tess Innes (Wilton).
The exhibit includes information on early Westporters like the Toquet, Coley and Ketchum families, and an exploration of racial issues during that time.
It runs through November 11.
Talia Moskowitz, at the Westport Museum for History & Culture exhibit.
As the end of school nears, here’s an important reminder: Not every family here can afford the camps and enrichment programs many take for granted.
Westport’s Department of Human Services can help.
Last summer, 58 income-qualified youth, from 32 families, participated in the department’s campership program.
This year, the number may be higher.
Human Services director Elaine Daignault encourages residents who can, to contribute. Online donations can be made to the “DHS Campership Fund” (click here), or mailed to 110 Myrtle Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.
For more information — including how to qualify for a campership — email youth and family specialist Annette D’Augelli: 203-341-1050; adaugelli@westportct.gov.
Summer Camp has been part of growing up for decades. In 1953, Westport artist Stevan Dohanos used Camp Mahackeno for this Saturday Evening Post cover.
Tomorrow marks the start of Wakeman Town Farm’s farm stand.
Open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., it features fresh produce, fresh-cut flower bouquets, WTF logowear and honey, and products from local vendors like artisan baked goods, extra virgin olive oils, gourmet balsamic vinegars, Chaga mushroom elixirs, homemade salsas and more.
The gardens are open. It’s also a chance to see the animals, and chat with farmers.
PS: This week: limited amounts of country and roasted garlic sourdough, multigrain pan loafs, focaccina minis, olive-Focaccia and bomboloni Nutella.
When it comes to powerful adjectives and action verbs, no one beats the New York Post.
Yesterday’s story on the the future of Phil Donohue and Marlo Thomas’ former Beachside Avenue home begins:
A Connecticut “Gold Coast” mansion sold by talk show pioneer Phil Donahue for $25 million is to be be bulldozed by its current owners who say it is falling apart and overrun by vermin.
The once-palatial Tudor on Westport’s most exclusive avenue has become a home for rats and raccoons with a caving-in roof, its new owner Peggy Reiner claims.
She is involved in a bid to tear down the 8,500 square foot manse after building a 20,000 square foot beach-view home with a commanding prospect of Long Island Sound in front of it.
The long story describes the history of the current property, and others nearby.
It also calls “06880” a “popular gossipy and newsy blog.”
Nice. But we’ll stick with “where Westport meets the world.”
Click here for the full Post story. (The “06880” mention comes near the end.)
The New York Post story includes this Google Earth photo of Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas’ “vermin”-filled old house (rear), and the 20,000-plus square foot home that replaced it.
The recent haze from Canada’s wildfires prompts this message, from Westport’s Office of Emergency Management:
Daycare providers, summer camps and older residents should subscribe to the Air Quality Index . It is fast, easy and provides important daily information. The link includes ground-level ozone, its health effects, what to do on a high ozone day, and how to reduce ground level ozone in your backyard.
Learn how to cope with days like this. Subscribe to the AQI. (Photo/Charlie Scott)
Yesterday’s Roundup posed a question: What’s up with the Photoshopped figure on top of the Westport Country Playhouse photo I posted on “06880” a couple of days ago.
It took about 12 minutes to find the answer.
Miggs Burroughs — Westport’s graphic artist/photographer extraordinaire, who has worked with nearly every organization in town — Photoshopped Ann Sheffer on the roof of the building, several years ago.
It was a gift from the Playhouse to her, for her many years of service and support.
In fact, Ann — one of our town’s most philanthropic residents — spent one summer, back in the day, as an usher there.
Decades later, she made it onto the roof.
And now the mystery is solved.
===============================================
Also yesterday, our Roundup gave an incorrect date for this weekend’s “Last Lollapaloosa” at Blau House & Gardens.
The correct day for the Bayberry Ridge event is Sunday, June 11.
The day includes tours of the magnificent property, yoga, children’s book readings, a reception and more.
Click here to register (deadline: June 5), and for information on payment and shuttle transportation from Coleytown Elementary School.
And finally … George Winston, the new age pianist (he called it “rural folk piano”) died Sunday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He was 74, and had been ill with cancer.
(“06880” will cover Staples’ graduation — as we do with every big town activity, and many small ones. Please help us keep doing it. Click here to contribute — and thank you!)
Most are boilerplate: “Talented.” “Hard-working.” “The future.”
They are seldom called “heroes.”
There are several ways to define that term. One is “a person who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength.”
When they receive their diplomas next week, the nearly 500 young men and women in Staples High School’s Class of 2023 will know that they have faced — and overcome — adversity.
In the spring of freshman year — as they rounded the corner toward a time when finally they feel fully comfortable in their new school, and really begin enjoying their time there — their world abruptly changed.
For 3 months, COVID forced them to learn at home. They struggled with isolation, depression, and teachers who struggled too.
Despite uncertainty and fear, many 9th graders reached out to friends, neighbors, strangers (and their teachers) to see how they could help.
In the spring of 2020, James Dobin-Smith quickly created the OneWestport.com website. It provided up-to-date information on what’s open and closed, all around town. It’s still live.
Some of those students — though certainly not all — returned to campus for the fall of sophomore year. They spent the year wearing masks, following 1-way arrows in the hall, separated from friends by Plexiglass at cafeteria tables.
Sports schedules were truncated. The drama program was curtailed. The Candlelight Concert went virtual.
And in the classroom, students and teachers still struggled with “hybrid learning.”
It may not have been a lost year. But it came close.
in the 2020-21 school year, athletes competed in masks. (Photo/Dylan Goodman)
Junior year was a bit more normal. This year has been even more so. But the scars — the fears, the solitude, the years of high school shattered — still linger.
The soon-to-graduate seniors faced adversity even before the pandemic. They were in Coleytown Middle School when it was closed by mold. They were crammed into Bedford and Staples — fun, but a further disruption of their education.
“I’m not gonna lie,” to use a popular teenage expression. Our Staples seniors were hardly the only ones to face adversity. Students in most school districts across the country — not to mention billions of other people around the globe — faced far worse.
But obstacles are not a contest. We should not try to discount anyone’s experiences, for any reasons.
So today’s Unsung Heroes are each and every member of Staples High School’s Class of 2023.
Congratulations on getting through high school (as every graduating class is told). And, for you in particular, for doing it with ingenuity, courage and strength.
Our “06880” hats — and mortarboards — are off to you.
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com)
(“Unsung Heroes” runs every Wednesday on “06880.” If you enjoy it — and everything else we do — please consider a contribution. Just click here — and thank you!)
Lucia Wang and Rebecca Schussheim did not set out to earn the highest grades in Staples High School’s Class of 2023.
But by taking challenging classes they were interested in, working hard in the classroom and beyond, and working collaboratively with teachers and classmates, they did.
Along the way, they also participated in a variety of clubs and activities, both in school and outside, as leaders and “doers.”
Which is why Lucia is valedictorian, and Rebecca salutatorian, for this year’s senior class.
Lucia’s Westport education began in 4th grade, at Saugatuck Elementary School. Fifth grade teacher Peter von Euler encouraged her writing. At Bedford Middle she was editor-in-chief of Ursus, the school paper, and worked on the literary magazine.
She continued writing at Staples, but her focus shifted. Lucia is now editor-in-chief of the high school’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) journal. She contributes articles on the environment, noting that the planet is at a climate tipping point.
She also earned honorable mention in the New York Times’ annual STEM Writing contest, for a story on crumbling Indonesian cave art.
Lucia Wang
Her Advanced Placement science courses, like Biology with Dr. Michele Morse-Gaudio and Chemistry with Will Jones, were meaningful.
But so were classes like AP Language and Composition with Meghan Scheck, US Government with Suzanne Kammerman, and Contemporary World Studies with Cathy Schager.
Despite her STEM interests, one of Lucia’s most important extracurricular activities was Model UN Club. It’s been helpful, she says, for her writing and public speaking skills. She has learned to work with “crisis committees,” think on her feet and develop solutions.
Tennis helps Lucia decompress. A 2-year varsity player, in a program that last year reached the FCIAC finals, she finds the sport gives balance to her week. She says, “I love competing, and the entire tennis community.”
For her senior internship, she’ll continue work begun earlier at the Yale University School of Public Health, studying the intersection of public health and the environment.
That interest helped spark a National History Day project. Lucia researched Minamata disease, a Japanese public health and pollution crisis that caused thousands of deaths. Her work earned her a second place prize, in national competition.
But, Lucia says, her most important activity has nothing to do with school. She is the social media director for Dear Asian Youth (DAY), an international activist organization with 200 chapters in 18 countries.
She oversees several platforms, including Instagram with over 100,000 followers. Lucia works with young people around the globe, in areas like writing, graphics and video.
She has also been a Staples representative to the Asia Pacific Young Leaders Summit and Normandy International Youth Leadership Summit.
The exchange of ideas at those events and through DAY, along with opportunities to learn about different cultures and perspectives, excites her. It’s what she looks forward to in college too.
Locally, Lucia has made an impact through her volunteer work at the Westport Museum of History and Culture. She spent hours working with the collection of Sigrid Schultz, the female reporter, social justice activist and longtime Westporter.
Lucia’s advice to younger students is: “Explore lots of classes. Try activities outside of school. Find your own passion and joy. Everyone has a different story. What’s yours?”
Like Julia’s, Rebecca’s resume sparkles with a broad array of courses and activities.
The salutatorian (whose sister Emily was valedictorian in 2017, and brother Benji was salutatorian in 2020) attended Coleytown Elementary School, where orchestra leader Jim Andrews introduced to her lifelong love, the cello. Some CES musicians still play with her at Staples. Eileen Shannon was Rebecca’s next musical influence, at Coleytown Middle.
She is now principal cellist for the Chamber Symphonic Orchestras. Conductors Carrie Mascara and Jeri Hockensmith are “super engaging,” she says. “They create bonds.”
Playing beautiful music is “a great way to break up the day.” Highlights of her Staples career include the traditional Candlelight and Pops concerts.
Academically Rebecca chose an Independent Learning Experience in astrophysics. She and a graduate student at Yale examined early galaxy images from the James Webb Space Telescope, searching for patterns. Most of their fellow researchers were grad students, and professors.
In January she presented her findings at the International Science Youth Forum, in Singapore. It was a chance to meet, and share ideas with, students from around the world.
Rebecca Schussheim
Another outlet for Rebecca’s passion is the Sikorsky STEM Challenge. She is co-president of Staples’ chapter. They’re building a helicopter, for entry in the state competition.
“It’s very self-directed. There’s a lot of trial and error,” Rebecca explains. “If something doesn’t work, we put our heads together to figure out why.”
Rebecca cites David Scrofani – her instructor for AP Physics C, AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A, and with whom she worked on the James Webb project – as an important influence.
She surprised herself by loving AP English Language and Composition, with Noreen McGoldrick. “I’m a STEM kid, so I was nervous,” she admits. “But she gives great feedback. We read a lot of genres. She really helped me with thinking and writing. That class was a gift.”
Rebecca also enjoyed Multivariable Calculus with Robert Papp, Calculus BC with Jonathan Watnick, AP Statistics with Phil Abraham, and US History with Drew Coyne.
At Staples Rebecca has learned how to prioritize activities, and make time for friends. Many of those friends come from squash. She has played since third grade, and co-captains Staples’ girls team.
“It’s a physically and mentally demanding sport,” Rebecca notes. “There’s lots of tactics, with all the angles. You need stamina, because of all the short lunges and sprints. Plus, there’s always something new to learn.’
Already strong bonds were tightened during this winter’s’ trip to the national tournament in Philadelphia.
Becoming salutatorian is really “just a number,” she says. “There are so many great courses at Staples, and so many kids doing so many things. GPAs don’t tell the whole story.
“Grades are important. But more important is passion, and leading a balanced life.”
Rebecca was accepted early action at Yale. She may major in physics or astrophysics. But, she says, “I’m open to anything.”
(“06880” is proud to highlight the accomplishments of young Westporters — and every other age. Please click here to help us continue our work. Thank you!)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
The University of Connecticut received the most applications (146), and was also the most popular place to go (17 members of the Class of ’23 enrolled).
But obstacles are not a contest. We should not try to discount anyone’s experiences, for any reasons.
