Tag Archives: Staples High School

Pics Of The Day #3160

Posted on December 13, 2025 | 3 comments

Heading to the Candlelight Concert at Staples High School …

… and on to the auditorium. (Photos/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

3 Comments

Posted in Pic of the Day, Staples HS

Tagged ,

Staples Smartphone Ban Begins Soon

Posted on October 10, 2025 | 2 comments

In June of 2024, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice recommended that Westport Public Schools move to a smartphone-free environment.

It’s already in place in the middle and elementary schools. On November 5 — the start of the second quarter — the ban begins at Staples High School.

Last night, the Board of Education — and students, parents and the rest of the public — heard details of the plan the BOE had asked the school to develop. An implementation committee included administrators, teachers and students.

Catherine Campagnino reports:

Scarice said that the new policy — in which phones must be put in lockers — “takes the burden off the teacher.” Students will have an extra 5 minutes each morning to go to their lockers — which are spread throughout the sprawling school — and another 5 minutes at the end of the day to retrieve them.

The extra time will come from slicing 1 minute off each class, and reducing the Connections period from twice a week to once.

Smartwatches and wireless headphones are included in the new policy. The goal is to limit as many technological distractions as possible.

Phones, watches, earbuds are all included in the Staples ban.

Teachers support the change, Scarice said. Social studies instructor David Willick noted that in a survey, 70% support it.

Math teacher and Westport Education Association president Stacey Delmhorst added, “The general feeling of the classroom has changed dramatically.” She praised the “extremely collaborative process” that led to the next stage.

One key to the plan was getting consensus from teachers and students. A working group will continue to meet throughout the year, to monitor its effectiveness.

An interim step — phone pockets in classes — has been “a great segue” to the next step, assistant principal Micah Lawrence said. Connections periods have been used to help students “learn the importance of face-to-face interactions.”

He was one of 4 assistant principals who spoke in favor of the plan. Christine Cincotta — favoring “restored focus in the classroom” — noted that the ban’s effectiveness depends on consequences.

Students caught with a smartphone will speak with an assistant principal. A parent must then come to get the phone, or give consent for the AP to return it to the student.

First-time offenders will get 1 detention; second-timers, 2. A suspension would follow the third offense.

AP Patrick Micinilio cited one initial problem: Because so few students used lockers since the building opened in 2005, 600 of the 1,850 lockers were inoperable. All have been fixed.

Staples’ lockers are large. They range from the culinary kitchens near the pool, to the furthest reaches of the third floor. Until now, they have seldom been used.

When the discussion was opened to BOE comments, Abby Tolan wondered about the effect on students with disabilities or medical issues, who may rely on phones for a variety of reasons.

That will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Scarice said it has not been an issue in Wilton, which imposed a similar ban last year.

After Kevin Christie asked about students who use smartphones for schoolwork. Scarice suggested “getting creative” — for example, buying iPads for art classes, and cameras for science classes. Students can also check out video cameras from the library.

A big change is coming soon to Staples High School.

Board of Education student representative Souleye Kebe offered a different view. The senior’s informal survey showed that 90% of students oppose the ban (though 35% acknowledge it would be good for students).

Only 3 of the 40 students he spoke with said they would put their phones in lockers. However, most said they would not take them out of their backpacks, because of fear of getting caught.

Kebe thought a “better habit” is to allow students to learn that simply having a phone on hand does not mean it has to be used.

Scarice disagreed, calling it “too much of an urge.”

One major issue, brought up by BOE student representative Anwara Olasewere, is that students who keep phones in their backpacks may use them in bathrooms. There is no plan in the policy to check lockers or backpacks for compliance.

Board of Education student representatives (from left): Souleye Kebe and Anwara Olasawere.

During the public comment session, math teacher Lenny Klein admitted he had been “dead wrong” about the policy. The current classroom pocket plan was working, he said, noting that it is nice to hear students talking with each other.

“It works for learning, it works for students, and it works for Staples,” Klein said.

Kate Bulkeley — co-president of the class, with Kebe — spoke about the lack of an exemption for seniors, who have spent 3 years without a ban.

“We are allowed to drive a car and vote, but not have our phone,” she said. She wondered if seniors could use phones during free periods, with an ID to prove their grade.

Math teacher Maggie Gomez said hat when she gave a questionnaire to seniors about the phone pockets, most said it helped them focus, and motivated them to get their work done.

Art teacher Carla Eichler observed that students are interacting more now — including freshmen with seniors.

Italian teacher Louisa D’Amore said that she has always made her son — a junior — put his phone in her desk. If he can go more than 2 yeas without a phone, she concluded, every other student can too.

(“06880” frequently covers education issues — and everything else of importance in town. If you appreciate our work, please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

2 Comments

Posted in Education, Staples HS, technology

Tagged , , ,

Photo Challenge #546

Posted on June 15, 2025 | 10 comments

Last week’s Photo Challenge was another one I thought would be a slam dunk.

Even readers who do not spend a lot of time in Staples High School are occasionally there — for an auditorium event, say.

And right inside the entrance, there’s a large mosaic “S.”

It’s also visible in many photos the school sends, of Students of the Month and other achievements (see photo below).

But a cropped version of the “S” — photographed by Lynn Untermeyer Miller (click here to see) — drew only 2 correct responses.

Congratulations to Charlotte Epstein and Edward Bloch. What’s up with the rest of our usual eagle-eyed readership?

You’ve got a chance to redeem yourself today. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Jeff Jacobs)

 

10 Comments

Posted in Photo Challenge, Staples HS

Tagged

Fencegate: No Answers To Staples’ New Padlocks

Posted on May 4, 2025 | 22 comments

In the 1960s I walked across the street from my house on High Point Road, up a hill, and onto the back fields at Staples High School.

My friends and I strolled through, on our way to Burr Farms Elementary. It was our time to be free, and talk about life through our 11-year-0ld eyes.

After school, we raced back up to play touch football and baseball on the Staples field.

When I became a high school student, it was my route to school. After soccer practice, it took me 2 minutes to walk home. That proximity was one of the joys of my childhood.

Generations of kids followed me — literally — to and from Staples.

At some point, a chain link fence was erected. Two gate doors — one at the corner of Jinny Parker Field, the other near left field of the baseball diamond — kept access open.

Suddenly — right after spring break last month — those gates were padlocked.

Padlock at the edge of Jinny Parker Field. 

There was no warning. No explanation.

And definitely, no entrance.

For nearly 20 years, Dave Briggs has lived a few yards behind Jinny Parker Field. His daughter — now in college — walked to Staples that way. His son, a junior, did too.

Now he — and many other High Point and nearby students — drive.

Others throw their backpacks over, and hop the fence. One may have rolled his ankle doing so.

Dave is furious. He says that neighbors — many of whom bought homes in part because it was so close to Staples (and Bedford Middle School, where High Point kids walked also) — are too.

High Point Road path, with fence at right. Brush and rocks on both sides shows the difficulty and danger of hopping the fence. (Photos/Dave Briggs)

Homeowners whose properties abut Staples have always allowed walkers to cut through their property. It’s a decades-old High Point Road tradition.

“Kids today don’t do enough independently,” Briggs says. “We should celebrate that they walk to school. And environmentally, we’re adding all these cars to the road.”

(Many students have after-school activities, so buses are impractical. Like I did decades ago, athletes who could walk 2 minutes home after practice now must drive, or be picked up.)

This aerial photo from 1965 shows the several buildings that comprised Staples High School; the athletic fields in back, and High Point Road behind it. The arrow marks where I grew up.

People are also angry that they were not warned about the padlocks. And their requests for explanation, Briggs says, have not been answered.

No one knows who made and approved the decision, or why. Staples administrators? The superintendent of schools?

“06880” asked superintendent Thomas Scarice: “Can you provide any info on who made the decision, and why they’ve been put in place?”

He replied quickly on Wednesday: “Not at this time. I am trying to learn about the purpose of these gates, the fence itself, who’s responsible for the land behind the fence, the history, etc. I walked the area today with facilities and our school security office from the Westport Police Department, also I’m meeting with the Conservation Dept as one area is specifically monitored by their department.  Working on it.”

In the meantime, the padlocks remain in place.

And — for the first time since Staples High School was built on North Avenue, in 1958 — students living nearby are fenced out.

22 Comments

Posted in Sports, Staples HS

Tagged , ,

[OPINION] Staples PTA Executive Committee Urges Ban On Cellphone Ban

Posted on April 9, 2025 | 45 comments

The Staples High School PTA Executive Committee wrote a letter regarding superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice’s proposed cell phone ban. It was to be read at last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.

When the session was canceled, the letter was emailed to all BOE members. A member shared it without consent, and it was published by a local media outlet.

The Staples PTA Executive Committee says: “To ensure transparency, we would greatly appreciate it if ‘06880’ shares this letter in its entirety with the Westport community. Anyone wishing to engage in further discussion should email us at shs_pta@westportps.org.”

Dear Members of the Westport BOE:

We, the members of the Staples High School PTA Executive Board, write to you as a united group concerning Superintendent Scarice’s proposed bell-to-bell cell phone (and personal device) ban at Staples High School.

For context, we are deeply committed to Westport Public Schools. We are the mothers of 25 current Staples students, 10 Staples graduates, and 11 kids rising from elementary and middle school.

Collectively we’ve spent 181 years inside of WPS, and our members have volunteered on 40 WPS executive PTA boards, including 15 turns as president. You’d be hard pressed to find a group more invested, with more historical knowledge, and with more school spirit than the current Staples PTA.

Cell phones are currently allowed, in certain places and times, at Staples High School.

First, we do not support the personal use of cell phones in the classroom. We believe kids should not have unfettered access to their phones, nor should they use phones for any unapproved personal reason inside of the classroom. That said, we unanimously oppose a school-wide cell phone (and personal device) ban, and we unanimously oppose the purchase of Yondr bags.

As you consider the various options on the road ahead, we feel it important to share 3 requests made to Superintendent Scarice at a meeting on March 19th:

  • That separate community conversations be planned between parents — one for K-8, and another for 9-12.
  • That a committee be formed, consisting of teachers, admins, students and parents.
  • That the survey be sent after the community conversation. We are disappointed that none were realized.

You are already aware of our concerns for the replacement of cell phones inside the classroom as integrated by teachers. Many among our Staples staff count on – and expect – phones to be used by students as cameras, video recorders, calculators, scanners, and more. No workaround has been presented for these uses.

We are concerned about the unintended consequences of a cell phone ban, and believe that if kids cannot access phones during their free time, they will instead be more inclined to do personal business on their computers during classroom time, and thereby create a tremendous problem for teachers.

Regarding the wuperintendent’s justification for a ban, we maintain – based on hundreds of conversations with parents, students and even teachers – that there is not a cell phone problem inside of Staples High School.

Further, while there is a policy governing cell phone use, it is rarely enforced, largely up to teacher discretion, and unknown to most students and parents.

Should the WPS BOE deem Staples a candidate for tighter cell phone regulations, then why not just tighten the rules? And have students – and their parents – sign a code of conduct, just like we do for internet use and plagiarism. We are confident this is a prudent place to start.

We believe students should have access to their phones during lunch and free periods. We’ve heard you when you say that the lunchroom is a good place to have a conversation and “just talk.”

But if you were to visit the Staples cafeteria, you’d see that’s exactly what they do: they talk. Even with their phones on their person.

And please understand cell phones are how our students find one another in the lunchroom. It’s a huge space with hundreds of kids on a rotating schedule. They use their cells to find their friends, then sit and talk.

These are not Staples students. But they could be.

Much of this conversation relates to social media usage. The Staples PTA does not believe students should use–or have access to–social media during classroom time.

We are surprised that the Westport Public Schools do not block these sites off of the district networks. That seems like an easy solution. In addition to considering a clearer cell phone policy, we ask that you consider blocking these sites before a bell to bell ban.

Most concerning of the proposed cell phone ban is the cost associated with Yondr bags. Wilton Public Schools spent $80,000 with Yondr (not $1,800 as reported by the Westport Journal) – with a smaller student population (1,200 at Wilton HS versus Staples’ 1,700+), and magnetized the outside of their one school entrance. Staples uses 5 separate student entrances.

That doesn’t even take into account the manpower needed to lock and unlock the Yondr “stations” multiple times during each school day, and the staff needed to maintain the bags themselves. If Yondr bags are to be used, it’s prudent to plan extra head count to the Staples staff for these roles. And they are a recurring cost.

Yondr bags have a limited shelf life. and every freshman class will need new ones, at a cost of $25-30 per unit. That doesn’t account for lost and broken bags (currently at a rate of 2/week reported in Wilton).

Students entering Northbridge High School in Massachusetts present their Yondr pouches — with phones inside — to be locked. (Photo/Allan Jung for Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

Has anyone determined where the Yondr magnets will be mounted? They are affixed to concrete poles outside of Wilton High School; the Staples facade is glass and brick. Are there construction costs associated with bringing Yondr to Staples?

Finally, we know that the Staples population will soar to well over 1,800 in the next few years, and so we ask, what are the actual costs, both for now and into the future?

As an overall question: What is the perceived defined problem, and what is the measurable solution? We believe that a cell phone ban is a movement–applicable to elementary and middle schools–as opposed to an actual Staples problem, and without a clear issue to solve or goal to meet, this is all just symbolic.

We also maintain that our Staples students are bright, motivated, eager to learn, gracious with their time and community support, and overall good citizens. The Staples PTA is profoundly confident that if given structured rules around cell phone usage inside the classroom, our students will rise to occasion, without requiring a punitive, prison-like environment.

There is one constant report among Staples graduates: that they leave Staples High School ready for the next level, whether that be college, the work force or the military.

That is a testament to everyone involved in their educational journey, and why Staples is the #1 high school in the state. So let’s treat these students as the young adults they are.

Let’s give them parameters and structure, but most importantly, let’s give them latitude. Let’s trust them with their free time, to make good decisions, and embody the Westport Public Schools’ value system.

Let’s work together to empower them.

Sincerely,
Jodi Harris, Co-President
Stefanie Shackelford, Co-President
Elena Caggiano, VP-Past President
Marie Tyber, VP-Secretary
Lara Willis, VP-Treasurer
Michelle Macris, VP-Treasurer
Aileen Brill, VP-Ways & Means
Jenny Sydor, VP-Ways & Means
Ying Stafford, VP- Communications Sandy Srihari, VP-Volunteers
Tracy Benton, VP-Volunteers
Karina Betfarhad, VP-Graduation
Amie Peck, VP-Graduation
Pamela Bernstein, VP-Community Outreach
Maria Mulvehill, VP-Community Outreach
Caroline Hendley, VP-Member at Large

 

 

45 Comments

Posted in Education, Staples HS, Teenagers

Tagged , , ,

Pic Of The Day #2740

Posted on October 18, 2024 | 1 comment

Autumn at Staples High School (Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

1 Comment

Posted in Pic of the Day, Staples HS

Tagged ,

Superintendent Reassures Residents After Swatting Incident

Posted on October 3, 2024 | 5 comments

Superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice says:

Last evening the Westport Police Department was informed of the potential of an international group planning to send swatting calls nationwide to schools reporting that a shooter was in the school building.

The information was shared with chiefs of police statewide. The Connecticut State Police command staff was also notified. The information was described as very vague.

Given the (Rosh Hashanah) holiday, the WPD shared the information. We remained on standby in the event Westport received this potential swatting call. The WPD confirmed that a call was received identifying Staples High School with information similar to the warning last night.

As a precaution, a number of WPD officers were dispatched to Staples. They walked the building, particularly the bathrooms, the place identified in the swatting call.  The entire facility was cleared by the WPD.

Westport Police presence at Staples today, after the swatting call.

I have been in communication with Police Chief Foti Koskinsas. We agreed that an additional presence will be on, and near, our campuses tomorrow, all arriving well before school starts.

Fortunately, our effective partnership with the WPD enabled us to prepare well in advance for this potential report. Although the holiday made it easier with our schools largely empty, we did not soften our preparation, and the WPD communicated an assertive response once the actual call was received.

A swatting call is a false report to emergency services to prompt a strong police response to a specific address. The goal is to frighten, harass, or cause problems for the target.

I can assure the community that our strong safety protocols and continued partnership with the WPD provide a safe school environment for all of our students and staff.

 

5 Comments

Posted in Education, Police, Staples HS

Tagged , , ,

Scarice Addresses Threats At Staples High School

Posted on September 17, 2024 | 5 comments

Last night, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice sent this message to Staples High School parents and students:

Earlier today (Monday) Staples Principal Stafford Thomas sent a message to the Staples community sharing that the school administration was made aware of language found on a wall in a bathroom stall which would be considered threats to the school.

The team spent the day working with the Westport Police Department, up to the level of the chief of police. This threat was not deemed credible, yet in an effort to reassure the school community, the decision was made to have multiple Westport Police officers stationed on campus tomorrow (Tuesday).

“06880” obtained this image of the message in a bathroom stall.

This evening (Monday), a social media posting (a separate incident from what was reported this afternoon) was shared widely from a number of students and parents.

An immediate response from the district administration and WPD initiated a visit this evening by the WPD to the home of the suspected source of the posting.

I was just informed that the WPD definitively identified the source of the posting and took enforcement action.

We will continue with our plans to have multiple WPD officers at Staples tomorrow (Tuesday).

Additionally, I can assure the school community that the individual who was identified as the source of the social media posting will not be in school tomorrow (Tuesday).

As an aside, I truly appreciate the calls and emails notifying the school district and WPD of this posting. We jumped into action immediately.

That said, we cannot, and will not be able to, keep up with the speed of social media, nor can we respond to emails during our response to an incident.

This message is intended to inform the community of the online threat, our assertive response in coordination with the WPD, and to respond to those email inquiries.

Staples High School will be well protected by Westport Police today.

 

5 Comments

Posted in Police, Staples HS

Tagged ,

Back To School!

Posted on August 26, 2024 | 9 comments

This story ran 2 years ago, as the new school year began. Several readers asked to see it again. It’s just as timely — and timeless — today. Have a great year!

======================================================

Forget January 1. Pshaw, Rosh Hashanah. Tomorrow — at least for Westport parents and students — is the real start of the new year.

It’s the first day of school.

Whether you’re a kindergartner heading off on your own, a Staples senior already counting the days to graduation, or a mom or dad feeling pride, trepidation and the warp-speed passage of time — or anyone else, who has ever gone to school — this story is for you. 

Summer vacation ends with a thud tomorrow. Each year it’s the same: One day a kid’s free as a cat; the next he’s trapped, chained to the rhythm of the school calendar for 10 long months.

Greens Farms Elementary School

Some youngsters love this time of year; they’re eager to greet old friends, and meet new ones. Or they can’t wait for the smell of newly waxed floors, the security of assigned seats, the praise they know will be lavished on them day after day.

Others abhor it. The thought of entering a strange building filled with strange faces, or trying to be part of a group of peers who won’t accept them, or sitting for hours at a time, doing work they can’t stand, is excruciating — even physically sickening.

Around this time each year, I think about the entire school experience. I wonder which kindergartner will hate school for the rest of the year because his teacher makes a face the morning he throws up in front of everyone, and which will love school because an aide congratulates her the afternoon she almost puts on her coat all by herself.

Which 1st grader will invent any excuse not to go to gym because he can’t throw a ball, and which will get through the school day only because he knows gym is coming soon?

Saugatuck Elementary School

Which 4th grader will walk meekly into class each morning with just one ambition — to get through the day without anyone noticing how ugly, or stupid, or poorly dressed she is — and which will look back on 4th grade as a turning point in her life because a guidance counselor took the time to talk to her, to show her how to comb her hair better, to make her feel good about herself?

Which 5th grader will have a teacher who does nothing when she catches him cheating on a test — too much effort to raise such a touchy issue — and which will have a teacher who scares him so much when he’s caught that he vows to never cheat in school again?

Which 6th grader will enter middle school intent on making a name for himself as the best fighter in his class, and which with the aim of never getting a grade lower than an A?  Which 6th grader’s ambition will change, and which will remain the same?

Bedford Middle School

Which 9th grader will temper his fledgling interest in current events with the feeling “it’s not cool; no one else in class cares,” and which will visit the New York Times website every day because her class is working on “this really neat project”?

Which 10th grader will hate English because all she does is read stupid books assigned by the stupid teacher from some stupid list, and which will go to Barnes & Noble on his own for the first time because his teacher suggests there are more books by the same author he might enjoy?

Which 12th grader will have the brains to apply to 3 Ivy League schools, but lack the common courtesy to thank a teacher who wrote glowing recommendation to all of them? And which will slip a note in a teacher’s box the morning of graduation that says, “Thanks.  I’m really glad I had you this year”?

Staples High School

It’s easy to wrap our school years in nostalgic gauze, or try to stuff the bad memories down our mental garbage disposals.

We also tend not to think in concrete terms about what goes on inside school walls every day. Learning, we assume, happens. Kids read, write, use laptops, draw, eat and see their friends.

We seldom realize how much of an impact this institution we call “school” has on our kids.

Or how much it has had on us.

9 Comments

Posted in Children, Education, Teenagers

Tagged , , ,

Friday Flashback #413

Posted on August 23, 2024 | 12 comments

When school begins next week, youngsters will head back to a variety of buildings.

There are well-built, well-renovated structures like Greens Farms, Kings Highway and Saugatuck Elementary Schools. One needs renovation (Coleytown El); another is slated for demolition, then an entirely new school (Long Lots).

Bedford Middle School works well, after a quarter century; Coleytown Middle shines, after a mold-induced closing and remodeling.

Then there is our high school. Already 20 years old, the “new” Staples still looks fresh, bright and modern. The $84 million price tag was worth it. It has served generations of students, and will serve many generations more.

But this is only the latest incarnation of Staples High School. Here is a pictorial history, through the years.

In 1884, Horace Staples donated both land and funds to construct the first building. It was on Riverside Avenue, not far from his own home.

Today, the site of the original Staples is the area behind the Saugatuck Elementary School auditorium.

It continued to be used by Bedford Junior High teachers and students until 1967, when it was demolished.

In 1936 — in time for the 50th anniversary of Staples’ first graduating class — a new building was constructed, just north of the original. Today, it’s the central wing of Saugatuck El.

A $800,000 north wing was added 12 years later. It included 5 classrooms, a gym and cafeteria.

The “new” 1948 wing. The original Staples building can be seen in the far background.

In 1959, with school populations surging, the high school moved to a modern new campus on North Avenue.

The California-style architecture included 7 separate buildings, connected by walkways. The design worked well in September, October, May and June. It was a bit problematic the rest of the year.

Clockwise from left: auditorium; vocational arts building; cafeteria; gym; foreign language and other classes; English and social studies; science and math; administration and library.

 

The view, looking north.

In 1964, an addition on the south added more social studies, math and science classrooms.

A 1978-81 project addressed the many issues of a multi-building, open-air campus (including heating pipes buried inadequately, resulting in frequent malfunctions and disruptions).

The 9 separate structures were all connected. But students and staff continued to refer to the “4 Building” (arts), “6 building” (English and math), etc.

(Photo/Steve Turner)

Eventually, that renovation outlived its usefulness too.

Work began in 2003 on an entirely new Staples. That 3-story building rose, while classes continued in the old one.

Gradually, piece by piece, the old structure was removed.

This was the result, shortly before construction was completed:

And the current view (circa 2020):

(Drone photo/Brandon Malin)

Since 1884, generations of Westporters (and, for a long time, Westonites and Wiltonians) have their own memories of Staples’ buildings.

What are yours? Click “Comments” below.

(Friday Flashback is one of “06880”‘s many regular features. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our website — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)

 

12 Comments

Posted in Friday Flashback, Staples HS

Tagged