Tag Archives: “We the People” competition

Roundup: Closures & Delays, Ukraine, We The People …

Posted on January 26, 2026 | 2 comments

Among today’s closures: Town Hall.

1st Selectman Kevin Christie says: “Safety is our top priority. We are asking residents to stay home if they are able, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep roads clear so our public safety and public works teams can do their jobs. Please avoid parking on streets if possible, and take a moment to check in on any neighbors who may need assistance.”

Public safety operations, including Police, Fire, and Public Works, will continue under established storm and emergency response protocols.

Residents should sign up for emergency alerts by texting 06880 to 888777, to receive Westport notifications via Nixle.

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Also closed: the Westport Library.

All programs planned for today will be rescheduled.

The Westport Weston Family YMCA plans a noon opening today.

The view from the YMCA is beautiful on days like today. But you won’t be able to see it until noon. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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Speaking of snow: There must be some back stories to these photos, both taken by Harris Falk:

But whatever they are, he didn’t say.

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As Westport’s sister city of Lyman remains under siege, and Russia’s war against Ukraine drags on into a 4th year, Ukraine Aid International continues to help.

The non-profit — created by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, and credited with delivering tons of food, vehicles, supplies, communications equipment, clothing and more, to the most war-torn regions of the nation, while developing partnerships between towns in Ukraine and the US — is hosting a March 5 fundraiser at the Westport Country Playhouse.

The entertainment at “Keys for Resilience” is spot-on: 2 superb Ukrainian artists whose work speaks to resilience, identity and hope.

Pianist, composer and educator Ruslan Ramazanov was forced to rebuild his life and career in the US, following Russia’s invasion in 2022.

Since arriving here, his music has taken on an added layer of meaning, reflecting his personal journey of adaptation and rediscovery through art. He works at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

He’s joined by Ukrainian-American soprano Teryn Kuzma. A versatile performer passionate about both contemporary works and rarely heard Eastern European opera and art song, she plays

In addition to her acclaimed vocal career, she is an accomplished performer on the bandura, Ukraine’s 55-string harp-zither instrument.

“Keys for Resilience” weaves classical and traditional music with stories from Connecticut’s sister cities in Ukraine.

All proceeds will support sister cities in Ukraine — including Westport’s own, Lyman — and the sister-state relationship between Connecticut and Donetsk. Click here for tickets, and more information.

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Staples High School’s musicians, actors and athletes get plenty of props.

Today, we applaud the equally accomplished “We the People” team.

For 12 years, students in Suzanne Kammerman’s Advanced Placement Politics & Government class have participated in the state event. Often, they qualify there for national competition.

On Saturday, they did again.

The all-junior team placed 2nd in the state competition, at Hartford’s historic Old State House. That earns them a trip to the national event, this spring in Washington.

“We the People” has both a classroom and extracurricular component. Students prepare and present oral arguments on specific sections of the Constitution in simulated congressional hearings. Then comes an intense questi9n-and-answer session, with a panel of judges.

It is not for the faint of heart. The students grapple with difficult constitutional questions. The judges demand clear, compelling answers.

Several seniors — veterans of last year’s best-ever 8th place national finish — helped coach the squad: Lila Boroujerdi, Olivia Cohn, Gunnar Eklund, Jay Hari, Miles Kahn, Souleye Kebe and Jake Shufro.

Congrats to all. Now go rock DC!

PS: It was a full day for the competitors. Many raced back to Westport from Hartford, to get ready for the County Assembly formal dance that night.

Staples’ “We the People” team in Hartford on Saturday. They were in the same room where the Connecticut House of Representatives convened in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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The Sweet Remains — Westporter Greg Naughton’s band, perennial Levitt Pavilion favorites (and international stars, with over 65 million Spotify streams) — wowed a large Westport Country Playhouse crowd Saturday night.

There was a hometown feel too, as Greg’s wife Kelli O’Hara, daughter Charlotte and father Jim Naughton joined the folk-pop, 3-part harmony group onstage.

Click here for more about the band, and their music.

The Sweet Remains’ Rich Price. (Photo/Jerry Kuyper)

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“06880” is where Westport meets the world.

And Westport meets the World Cup.

Rebecca Lowe will have a memorable year. The former Westport resident will be one of Fox Sports’ primary hosts for the soccer spectacle that comes to the US, Canada and Mexico this spring.

She’ll be on loan from NBC Sports, where next month she’ll host daytime coverage of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Oh, yeah: She’ll also cover the Kentucky Derby.

When Lowe began hosting NBC Sports’ Premier League soccer coverage — from its studios in Stamford — she and her husband, former English player and coach Paul Buckle, lived on Main Street.

At NBC she works with Robbie Mustoe, who also lives in Westport. A former NBC colleague, Kyle Martino, lives here too.

Click here for a full story from Sports Business Journal, on Lowe’s route from “imposter syndrome” to the highest level of broadcasting.

Rebecca Lowe (Photo/NBC Sports)

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World Cup story #2: The other day, Joe Pierce — a long-time area resident, former Staples High School assistant soccer coach, and producer of a film about legendary English star Sir Stanley Matthews — was at Dandelion, the new Delamar Westport restaurant. He writes:

“My friend Hicham, the corporate restaurant director for the Delamar group, was eager to show me around. It’s a stunning space: refined, intentional, full of life.

“But as can happen when 2 football obsessives meet, the talk of interior design lasted exactly 30 seconds.

“We settled onto bar stools, and the conversation shifted to our shared obsession: The Beautiful Game.

“Hicham is a devoted Arsenal supporter. But when he speaks of his beloved Morocco, you feel a different kind of energy.

“He’s a witness to a national metamorphosis. Morocco didn’t become the darlings of the last World Cup by luck; it was a masterclass in strategic infrastructure. They’ve funneled millions into the Mohammed VI Academy, scouting the global diaspora and building a “Golden Generation” that won the U-20 World Cup in October.

“As a Scottish expat living in Connecticut, I couldn’t help but see the parallels to the grit and discipline of the 1970s squads I grew up with. But on June 19, when our nations meet at in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Hicham and I will be on opposite sides of the park.

“He’ll be in the red and green of a rising power. I’ll be in the blue of a Tartan Army. seeking redemption for 1998.

“That is what football is all about. It turns a casual drink in Westport into a geopolitical debate. It takes the “home soil” we walk on every day, and connects it to the “away soul” we never truly left behind.

“If you find yourself at the Dandelion on a Saturday night, stop by and have a chat with Hicham about football. Feel the passion like I did.”

Joe Pierce

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With all the whiteness today, a bit of color really stands out.

Jamie Walsh captured this scene, for today’s very appropriate “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/Jamie Walsh)

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And finally … on this date in 1863, Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrews received permission from Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to raise a militia of men of African descent.

Recruitment for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry was helped by Frederick Douglass, whose 2 sons were among the first to enlist.

The writer of this song about the unit is unknown. Richie Havens delivered a stirring version.

(Tired of shoveling? Take a break! Let your fingers do the work: Just click here, and support “06880” — your equally hard-working hyper-local blog — with a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

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Posted in Library, Politics, Restaurants, Sports, Staples HS, Westport Country Playhouse, YMCA

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Staples’ “We The People” Team Makes School History

Posted on April 15, 2025 | 6 comments

One of the joys of March Madness is watching low-seeded teams succeed.

“We the People” is not the NCAA basketball tournament.

But don’t tell that to the high school students who compete every year.

For 11 years, Staples High School juniors and seniors in Suzanne Kammerman’s Advanced Placement Politics & Government class have participated in the event.

They’re spurred by their interest in the subject, a strong desire to win, and the fierce passion their teacher — a former “We the People” competitor herself, at Shelton High School — brings to the classroom.

This is not exactly a “name the president and your 2 US senators” contest,

Here is one example of the questions they tackle, from a previous year:

Supreme Court Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote, “I think that we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe and believe to be fraught with death, unless they so imminently threaten immediate interference with the lawful and pressing purposes of the law that an immediate check is required to save the country.” Do you agree or disagree with Justice Holmes? Why?

That’s a tough question. It takes a ton of work just to understand what Holmes said — let alone figure out what you think, then devise arguments for or against it.

But that’s what Staples students — under the direction of Kammerman (with help from Westport men and women with experience in government and law, who volunteer their time, plus several alumni) — have done since September.

In addition to the regular classroom component, they prepare and present oral arguments on specific sections of the Constitution in simulated congressional hearings, followed by a questi9n-and-answer session with a panel of judges.

It is not for the faint of heart. The students grapple with difficult constitutional questions — and the judges demand clear, compelling answers.

After months of preparation, the Staples team placed second at February’s state competition. Trumbull — their traditional “We the People” rival, who they’ve edged out in the past — took the top spot.

But the Westporters’ performance earned them a wild card spot. They began feverish preparations, for the 4-day trip to Washington.

Staples High School’s “We the People” team …

There were 48 teams in DC (making it more difficult, in a sense, than March Madness, with 68).

The first 2 rounds — and a meeting with Senator Chris Murphy in his office — were followed by a Thursday night DJ dance party. The highlight there was not grinding, but the announcement of the top 10 teams.

Among them: Staples High.

Kammerman’s kids were ecstatic. But they quickly settled down.

The first rounds had been held in a convention center. Friday was more historic: The finals were set for the National Union Building, an 1890 event space.

Friday night featured the awards ceremony. Staples’ “We the People” team finished 8th in the nation.

… and their national competition award.

That’s their highest finish ever. In 2020, the pandemic forced the competition into a virtual format. With fewer states competing, and a trunacated format — 1 round of competition, instead of 3 — Staples placed 5th.

Staples was not the only wild card team to succeed this year. Five of the top 10 teams shared that honor — including national champion Sprague High of Oregon.

Perhaps the NCAA could benefit from some of that excitement.

“We the People” take their show on the road.

Congratulations to Kammerman and her students: Lila Boroujerdi, Kate Bulkeley, Lucas Ceballos-Cala, Olivia Cohn, Sofia Donroe, Gunnar Eklund, Will Enquist, Kasey Feeley, Nolan Francis, Jay Hari, Hugo Jacques, Souleye Kebe, Miles Kahn, Aidan Lapatine, Ryder Levine, Gray Peters, Andrew Rebello, Jack Robinson, Zara Saliba, R E I Seltzer, Jake Shufro, Alex Sod.

We — the Westport people — are very proud of you!

PS: Kammerman and the entire team give thanks to their “guest judges” who helped this year — Ira Bloom, J. Russell Bulkeley, Rachel Cohn, Danielle Dobin, Jamie Dockray, Jonathan Francis, Steve Gerber, Deb Goldfarb, Lee Goldstein, Jeff Hammer, Liz Heyer, Lauren Karpf, Rob Hordon, Andy Laskin, Jim Marpe, Nita Prasad, Candice Savin and Maria Signore.

Alumni who assisted include Andrew Berkowitz, Will Boberski, Mia Bomback, Nina Bowens, Emerson Briggs, Kendra Cheng, Alex Cozzolino, Dylan Fiore, Mack Haymond, Nate Hordon, Sorel Kennedy, Sam Laskin, Tucker Peters, Srish Popuri, Ko Seltzer, Jack Srihari and Lilly Weiz.

(For more information on “We the People,” and its sponsor The Center For Civic Education, click here.)

Staples’ “We the People” team, with Senator Chris Murphy. There may be a future US senator in Suzanne Kammerman’s class.

The video below features one of the 6 “units” of the Staples “We the People” calss. This panel focused on the Bill of Rights, exploring the rights and protections it guarantees.  The team includes Olivia Cohn, Graysen Peters and Alex Sod. Nolan Francis was on this team, but could not participate in Washington because of an injury.

(“06880” often highlights the achivements of Staples students. If you appreciate stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

 

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Posted in Politics, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Roundup: Town Meeting, Taste Of Westport, Tel Aviv …

Posted on March 22, 2024 | 9 comments

More than 70 years ago, Westport scrapped its annual town meeting.

The New England tradition — dating back to colonial days — had gotten unwieldy, as our community grew in the post-war years.

But town meetings still live on in Vermont.

When the AP went looking for a place to illustrate how in these polarized times local government can still work, they found Elmore.

The town of 886 cherishes its March town meeting. And part of the reason is the moderator: Jon Gailmor.

Townspeople there have called him a neighbor for over 40 years. But Westporters still remember him as a member of Staples High School’s Class of 1966.

He sang with Orphenians. After graduation, he and classmate Rob Carlson formed a duo that earned a cult following up and down the East Coast.

After time in Europe, Gailmor settled in Elmore. He’s become a Vermont state treasure — an actual title — as a singer. In addition to performing, he runs songwriting workshops for kids.

(Last fall, he returned to Westport. He headlined Suzanne Sheridan’s First Folk Sunday at the VFW)

The AP story says that after moving north, Gailmor “found the town meeting tradition nothing short of miraculous. It wasn’t some politician spouting off, but real people taking part …. You feel important. You feel like you are being listened to.”

Click here to read the full article. (Hat tip: Tom Allen)

Jon Gailmor, at the Elmore Town Hall. (Photo courtesy of AP/David Goldman)

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Tickets went on sale today for one of Westport’s best — and most fulfilling — fundraisers: CLASP Homes’ “Taste of Westport.”

The 18th annual event is set for May 22 (6 p.m., Inn at Longshore). As always, the Taste brings together the area’s best food and drink providers. There’s a wide array of dishes, and spirits from more than 2 dozen local establishments.

New this year: a vodka and caviar bar, and tequila tasting.

Plus music by the always-popular. Bar Car Band, and a very extensive silent auction.

It all benefits CLASP. The nonprofit provides homes, support and services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Tickets are $150 per person until April 12, then $175 after. Click here to purchase. PS: It always sells out.

Participants include:

  • Artisan
  • Aspetuck Brew Lab
  • Baldanza at the Schoolhouse
  • Black Bear Wines & Spirits
  • The Boathouse
  • Bridgewater Chocolate
  • Cold Fusion Gelato
  • Don Memo
  • Dunville’s
  • Ferrer Miranda Wines
  • Freixenet
  • Gabriele’s of Westport
  • Greer Southern Table
  • Gruel Britannia
  • Grumpy Dumpling
  • Il Pastaficio
  • La Plage
  • Little Pub
  • Magic 5 Pie Co.
  • Mrs. London’s
  • Nomade
  • Nordic Fish
  • Rive Bistro
  • Rizzuto’s
  • Romanacci
  • SoNo 1420
  • Tarantino
  • Walrus Alley
  • Zucca Gastrobar

A small slice of the Taste of Westport.

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Nancy Diamond writes: “Greetings from Tel Aviv!

“Eighteen Fairfield County residents are visiting Israel this week on a mission to learn how the country is coping with the war, and to help where there are labor shortages.

“More than 200,000 Israelis have been forced to flee from their homes since the war began: about 100,000 from Gaza and 100,000 from northern Israel where, a few miles from the Lebanese border, Hezbollah regularly launches low-flying, hard-to-intercept missiles. Most families are housed in hotels and private homes around the country.

“The Connecticut delegation, organized by the Jewish Federation of Fairfield County, packed food boxes for these displaced families. They are volunteering with Pantry Packers, the oldest continuously operating network of social services in Israel

“They also met with hostage families.

“It’s been an amazing trip. Next we head to one of the destroyed kibbutzim, and the Nova Music Festival site. It will be an incredibly emotional day.”

Westporters on the Israel mission trip include (from left): Jeffrey Mayer, Lynn Rabinovici, Lisa Hayes, Stephanie Gordon, Sonia Ben Yehuda and Nancy Diamond.

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Carl Addison Swanson has lived in Westport since 1952.

He cares about the town — and wants it “safe and fun.”

Several years ago, he pushed for the installation of solar speed monitors near his home off North Avenue. He lives near Bedford Middle School, at the bottom of the hill from Staples where — unless there is school traffic — drivers routinely zoom by.

Are they working?

He went out Monday (10 a.m.), Tuesday (2 p.m.) and Wednesday (5 p.m.), and checked the speed of 50 southbound cars.

The average speeds:

  • Monday: 48 mph
  • Tuesday: 32 mph (school buses were slowing traffic)
  • Wednesday: 52 mph.

“It seems the speed monitors are not really slowing cars and trucks down that much,” Carl says.  

“Funny, as I stood there taking notes, cars/trucks did slow. But that said, a 2015 study found that these types of monitors are not meant to slow cars down more than 10 mph.”

Carl believes that North Avenue — home to 4 of Westport’s 8 schools — needs traffic lights.

“Space them from Coleytown to past Staples,” he says, and traffic will quickly find alternative routes.

Solar-powered speed monitor on North Avenue. (Photo/Carl Addison Swanson)

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Civic Learning Week is an annual non-partisan effort, highlighting civic education in local communities.

The Westport Public Schools were active participants.

The week included middle school classroom activities about civic engagement. At Staples High School, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker answered questions from students regarding her career path, job responsibilities, and more.

She also congratulated the students who will represent Staples at “We The People,” a national competition involving simulated congressional hearings in Washington next month.

The Staples team recently qualified by tying for first place at the state competition with Trumbull High.

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, with Staples High School’s “We the People” team, during Civic Learning Week. 

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Noted artist and Staples High School graduate Michael Gish died earlier this month in Providence. He was 98.

Mike joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1943, at Dartmouth College. In 1944, after learning his older brother, USMC PFC Jim Gish, had been killed in action on Saipan, Mike left school to complete his aviation training with the Marine Corps.

Too young to see combat in WWII, Mike retired from the Marines as a naval pilot in 1946 to complete his education. He received an bachelor’s degree in fine art from Dartmouth in 1949.

Indelibly affected by the death of his brother, Mike decided to pursue art and the military as a career. He continued his education at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, in 1951 as a visiting student. Mike  received a master’s in fine art from Yale University in 1964.

Mike then returned to active duty with the Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot, advancing to lieutenant colonel. In 1967 he was sent to Vietnam as a “combat artist.”

Mike received the Air Medal, for flying 24 combat missions. One of his paintings, “Studies of Helmets in the Sand,” was chosen to be the poster for the National Vietnam Memorial.

In 1991, at the age of 65, Mike became a full colonel in the Marines when he deployed to Iraq. As a combat artist for Operation Provide Comfort, he documented Kurdish refugees from the First Gulf War.

In 1993 Mike went to Somalia, where he continued his documentation of refugees and displaced people during Operation Restore Hope. Mike’s paintings have been displayed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Washington, as well as the Smithsonian Museum.

A large part of Mike’s work reflects his love of still life and landscapes, particularly New England and his beloved Block Island. A prolific painter who worked well into his 90s, Mike was also a full professor of art at Fairfield University.

He was predeceased by his wife Marguerite (Drouin). He is survived by his children Charlotte Wall (Steve) of Southport, North Carolina; Peter (Robin Kaiser) of Hanover, New Hampshire, and Carl (Elizabeth) of Palo Alto; grandchildren Carla and Stephanie Wall; Sophia, Miranda and Olivia Gish, and Peter and Henry Gish, as well as his partner of many years, Marilyn Bogdanffy.

A memorial service will be held at the Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction, Vermont (May 18, 4 p.m.. Another ceremony will be held on Block Island this fall. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made One to the U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.

Mike Gish

One of Mike’s many fans told “06880”:

“We, along with many other admirers of him as a painter and a person, were saddened to note the death of Mike Gish. We acquired a number of his pieces –oils and watercolors that reflect the luminosity of his palette and the range of his interests, from Block Island to the cliffs of Normandy to a barn in Fairfield.

“We were introduced to him in the mid-1980s when, quite by happenstance, we visited his studio with a real estate agent who was showing the house. We were struck in particular by a small study of a couple of Adirondack chairs.

“Wondering if we might acquire it, we learned he was about to have a show at a local gallery. That led to an invitation to the preview. We went, expecting only to browse more of his work, but then — in a familiar story — we were so struck by this wonderful rendering of a familiar Westport landmark that we amazed ourselves by buying it.

“It has held a place of honor in our house ever since.”

“Compo Beach Pavilion” (Mike Gish)

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Hook’d is not yet open.

So this guy found its own breakfast at the beach.

And then posed, for our daily “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/Matt Murray)

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And finally … I’ve posted this song by Jon Gailmor before.

But because:

  • It’s one of my favorite songs of all time, about one of my favorite states, and …
  • I mentioned it in the very interesting item about Jon (above), and …
  • This is my blog …

I’m posting it again. Enjoy!

(Today — like every day — our Roundup is jam-packed with a wide variety of info. If you enjoy this daily feature, please support our work. Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Obituaries, Restaurants, Staples HS, Transportation

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Unsung Hero #284

Posted on May 3, 2023 | 5 comments

Danielle Dobin wears many hats in Westport. One that most folks never see is her volunteer efforts helping Staples High School’s “We the People” team prepare for state and national competitions.

From her front row seat, she nominated social studies teacher Suzanne Kammerman as this week’s Unsung Hero. Danielle writes:

After placing 2nd in Connecticut and earning a spot at the national competition, Staples’ “We the People” team just returned from a trip to Virginia and Washington.

Suzanne Kammerman

[NOTE: “We the People” is part of the Advanced Placement Politics & Government curriculum. Kammerman took the course more than 25 years ago as a Shelton High School student. It made such an impact, she helped introduce the course at Staples.

[It’s a huge commitment outside of class. Students spend hours forming teams, researching questions, developing answers, then arguing them in front of judges who are professors and constitutional experts. Those who take the course are passionate about government — and Kammerman stokes that fire.

[There are 6 units of questions, on topics like political philosophy, theory and the Federalist Papers. Specific examples include “Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System” and “What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the 21st Century?”

[Working in groups of 3 or 4, students explore 3 questions each, in astonishing depth. Using critical analysis skills, they respond in writing to all 3 questions. They then respond to judges’ questions — without notes.]

While Virginia’s Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies from Richmond placed 1st in the country overall, the Unit 1 team from Staples — juniors Emerson Briggs, Alyssa Lee and Dylan Fiore — earned the highest recognition for their study of the philosophical foundations of America’s founding documents and institutions.

The Unit 1 national winners (from left): Emerson Briggs, Alyssa Lee, Dylan Fiore. (Photo/Danielle Dobin)

All of the “We the People” students are committed to excellence. Ms. Kammerman (affectionately known as Kamm) dedicates endless hours outside of school to prepping, practicing and inspiring her students.  The entire “We the People” program exists in Westport due to her tireless dedication.

Andy Laskin has had 2 sons participate. He says, “I have seen how Kamm magically plants the seeds of legal knowledge, and inspires students not only to learn but to express themselves persuasively. The future is bright for those fortunate students who learn from Suzanne.”

The 2023 We the People team, at the Lincoln Memorial. (Photo/Danielle Dobin)

As one of the many parent mentors (like Andy) she recruited over the years, I want to highlight Kamm’s phenomenal support of her students, and her deep commitment to engaging young people in the study of civics. She is a real hero.

As her Unit 1 students would say: “Kamm truly embodies the classical republican ideal of civic virtue!”

(“06880” is proud to shine a spotlight on Westport’s Unsung Heroes. Please click here to help support this feature, and our work. Thank you!)

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Roundup: We The People, Roe Halper, Joe Biden …

Posted on February 7, 2022 | 10 comments

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“We the People” — Staples High School’s AP Government class, and the national competition of the same name — teaches students to research, analyze, synthesize and present important constitutional issues.

And it teaches them to think on their feet, and improvise.

A last-minute switch to a virtual format on Saturday did not faze Suzanne Kammerman’s 23 students. She commandeered the school library; a giant TV was set up; parents brought food, and team members set up in individual rooms with their laptops

The Westport teens’ knowledge of constitutional law was impressive (click here to see the depth and breadth of the questions). They finished second overall to traditional rival Trumbull, ahead of always-strong Greenwich.

Congratulations to all our constitutional scholars; to Kammerman, and the volunteers who helped prepare them for the event (and kept them fed)! (Hat tip: Lyn Hogan)

Like members of a (more academic) “Breakfast Club,” these 4 students did not know each other before the competition. But they finished with the top score of all 6 Staples “units,” and celebrated as friends afterward. Clockwise from lower left: Lilly Weisz, Sebatian Malino, Nikos Ninos, James Dobin-Smith.

Back row (left to right): Sebastian Malino, Nikos Ninos, James Dobin-Smith, Michael Brody, William Wang, Ishan Prasad, Zach Brody, Jackson Benner. Middle row:
Matthew Shackelford, Jet Tober, Scarlett Siegel, Clara Smith, Alex Laskin. Front row: Lilly Weisz, Spencer Yim, Rebecca Schussheim, Anna Diorio, Lucia Wang, Meredith Mulhern, Katharine Shackelford, Eva Simonte, Ryan Salik, Allison Gillman, teacher Suzanne Kammerman.

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Good things come to good organizations.

Westport Book Sale Ventures — the nonprofit that operates the Westport Book Shop and Westport Library book sales — has just been awarded $10,000.

The money, from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, supports the group’s employment program for people with disabilities.

Both of Westport Book Sale Ventures’ ventures employ residents with physical and emotional disabilities, in a variety of roles.

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For more than 60 years, Roe Halper has been a noted Westport artist. She’s still active.

Of course, her work has evolved greatly over the years. This Thursday (February 10, 7 p.m., Westport Library Trefz Forum) she’ll discuss exactly how. Her talk is part of her current exhibit “Orange,” on view in the Sheffer Gallery through March 6.

Her presentation should be fascinating — and “illustrative.” To learn more about Halper, click here.

Roe Halper, at her exhibit.

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Drivers coming off Merritt Parkway Exit 42 from the west see signs pointing them to Westport or Weston.

That’s it — no “Welcome to Westport!” or other warm, fuzzy greetings.

Except for this new sign, hung recently a few yards away on the Weston Road curve near Main Street:

(Photo/Debbie Silver)

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image is classic mid-winter Westport. If you haven’t been to Sherwood Island recently, you’re missing out on beauty — and solitude.

(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

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And finally … drummer Sam Lay died recently in Chicago. He was 86.

The New York Times cited his “exuberant, idiosyncratic drumming … known for its double-shuffle groove.”

Lay played with Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. He backed Bob Dylan, when the folk singer went electric at Newport in 1965.

And — most importantly for “06880” — he was a founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The keyboardist was current Westport resident Mark Naftalin.

The Times says they were “racially integrated, a rarity at the time, and bought the blues to a white audience during an intense period in the civil rights movement.”

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Lay is also in the Blues Hall of Fame. (Click here for the full Times obituary.)

 

 

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Posted in Arts, Downtown, Library, Local business, Politics, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Roundup: Light Up Westport, Shoveling, “We The People,” More

Posted on February 11, 2021 | 3 comments

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First Selectman Jim Marpe and 2nd Selectman Jen Tooker helped “Light up Westport” yesterday at Town Hall (photo below).

They were not alone.

Dozens of others bought luminaries to send a message of hope and resilience — and raise money for Filling in the Blanks, the non-profit that provides weekend meals to needy area residents.

The event was sponsored by WestportMoms and Purpose 2 Purchase.

(Photo courtesy of Town of Westport)

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At the end of yesterday’s Roundup item reminding commercial property owners that they are responsible for all snow and ice removal from their sidewalks, I noted that residential homeowners must do the same.

That’s true in Westport, Wisconsin — but not Westport, Connecticut. Homeowners only are off the hook.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt.

And don’t forget to shovel your hydrants!

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Boat purchases have risen during the pandemic. There’s a wait list of more than 1,000 people — and they’re waiting up to 11 years for a slip at a town marina.

And those slip fees will rise in 2022.

Yesterday, the Board of Selectmen approved increases for boats in 4 categories. For examples, owners of boats 22 to 26 feet will pay $1,580, up from $1,505; boat owners of slips 35 to 40 feet will pay $3,099, up from $2,695.

There is no increase for slips less than 21 feet.

Ned Dimes Marina, at Compo Beach (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)

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Congratulations to Staples High School’s “We the People” team.

For the 2nd year in a row, teacher/advisor/coach Suzanne Kammerman and her crew took 1st place in the state competition.

For the 2nd year in a row, they knocked out longtime powerhouse Trumbull High.

For the 2nd year in a row, their championship earns them a place in the national contest, this April.

And for the 2nd year in a row, they don’t get a traditional trip to Washington for nationals. Once again, this year’s event will be virtual.

Last year, the team placed 5th in the US. This time around, they’re gunning this year for the top spot.

State champs!

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From today through Saturday (February 13), Winged Monkey will donate 15% of all proceeds to CLASP Homes, the great non-profit that supports adults with developmental disabilities.

Can’t make it in, but want to help? Text Valentines to 44-321 to make a donation.

Basso restaurant is also participating. Show a Winged Monkey receipt; they’ll give you a free glass of prosecco.

And more on Winged Monkey: The popular Post Road East shop celebrates its 25th anniversary on March 1. That’s appropriate: March is Women’s History Month.

Winged Monkey has a great history in town. It’s always been woman-owned. Jenny Vogel has now taken over from her mother, who founded the business and ran it all this time.  

Here’s to the next 25 years, for one of the coolest — and best named — stores anywhere!

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“When Caged Birds Sing” — a human rights teaching exhibition created by Westport artist Ann Weiner — has been acquired by MoCA Westport for its permanent collection. It is thte museum’s first such acquisition.

Weiner’s work features 8 life-size sculptures. They represent women’s rights activists who suffered and survived abuse because of their gender, and continue to advocate for the rights of others at risk.

The exhibition will be on view at MoCA Westport every 3 to 5 years. In between it will be loaned to other museums.

Click here to learn more about “When Caged Birds Sing.”

Ann Weiner, with one element of “When Caged Birds Sing.”

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Roberta Seret is a United Nations NGO director and NYU film professor. Now the Westporter adds another title: author.

Her book “Gift of Diamonds” will be published February 23. She’s turned government secrets and stories from Romania into fiction, for a journey of self-discovery.

The history of Bucharest Jews forms the center of the story, which begins in 1960s Transylvania. “Gift of Diamons” reveals hidden secrets of how fascism led to communism — which formed the seeds of modern-day terrorism. Click here for more information.

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And finally … on this day in 1534, Henry VIII was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England. You know what’s coming …

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“We The People”: Staples Students Prepare

Posted on February 6, 2021 | Comments Off on “We The People”: Staples Students Prepare

It’s been nearly a year since Staples High School’s “We the People” team won the Northeast US championship, and finished 5th nationally, in the annual Center for Civic Education competition.

The event was virtual — not in Washington, DC, as in years past. But the joy and feeling of success was real.

This year’s team is ready to top that.

State competition — the first step on the road to the finals — begins Tuesday.

As usual, the “Citizen and the Constitution” contest is divided into 6 sections. Each group of students — all members of Suzanne Kammerman’s Advanced Placement Politics & Government class — tackles a different one.

This is not exactly “name the president and your 2 US senators.”

Here for example are 3 questions from Unit 4, asking how the values and principles embodied in the Constitution have shaped American institutions:

Should states be willing “‘to purchase’ what [James] Wilson called ‘federal liberty’ with ‘the necessary concession of their political sovereignty’”? Why or why not?

“On a single day in 1964, the [Supreme] Court in effect declared that almost all state governments were constitutionally defective! … Thus, a bloodless revolution occurred without a shot fired.” Do you agree or disagree with Akhil Reed Amar’s statement regarding the Supreme Court’s opinion in Reynolds v. Sims? Why or why not?

“The doctrine of the separation of powers was adopted by the Convention of 1787 not to promote efficiency, but to preclude the exercise of arbitrary power.” How well has the Constitution’s design accomplished what Justice Brandeis described? Explain your position.

Click here — if you dare — for the other 5, and the equally probing subsets of questions.

To prepare, teacher/coach Suzanne Kammerman enlisted the help of some heavy hitters. Attorneys Andy Laskin and Jamie Dockray, former student Sam Laskin and CEO Manoj Wadhwani are honing the competitors’ presentation and oral delivery skills.

Volunteers help Staples students prepare for the 2021 “We the People” competition.

For one of the units — addressing a major freedom of speech case involving students and the internet, just accepted by the Supreme Court — Andy Laskin contacted an attorney involved. In a compelling session, he told the Staples teenagers how he is preparing to argue before the high court.

He’s ready for Justices Roberts, Sotomayor and the rest.

Now, 2 dozen Staples students are just as ready for their own “supreme” competition.

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Staples’ “We The People” Team Earns Regional Crown

Posted on April 28, 2020 | 7 comments

It may not have been the hugging, high-fiving celebration they deserved.

But Staples High School’s “We the People” team looked ecstatic last night, as they learned — online — that they won the Northeast US championship in the Center for Civic Education’s annual competition.

So instead, the 23 team members and faculty advisor Suzanne Kammerman celebrated virtually.

Staples’ “We the People” team get the good news on Zoom.

That’s the same way they had competed the day before. In a nerve-wracking session, 6 different groups answered judges’ difficult questions about history, policy and law.

They nailed it.

Their performance — placing them Number 5 nationally, the highest-ever finish for a Staples “We the People” team — was well earned. It was the result of months of research, writing and preparation by the crew. They were aided by volunteers like Andy Laskin and Jamie Dockray.

Staples advanced to the finals by winning the state championship in December. The victory — which snapped Trumbull High’s 8-year stranglehold on first place — earned the Westporters a trip to Washington, DC. It would be the culmination of the school year, and all their hard work.

COVID-19 upended those plans. But the teenagers went right back to work, readying themselves for the virtual version of nationals.

Kammerman — who participated in “We the People” herself more than 20 years ago, as a Shelton High student — hails her team.

Staples High School’s “We the People” Northeast regional champions.

“They performed remarkably,” she says. “I’m heartbroken they missed out on the trip to D.C., because I know what they would have experienced and accomplished there.

“But this experience gave the students a sense of community and purpose that was so necessary during very uncertain times. I told them that someday when their grandchildren ask about the coronavirus pandemic, they’ll have a pretty cool story to tell them.”

Congratulations to Staples’ “We the People” team, their coach and assistants. We the Westporters are very, very proud.

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Staples “We The People” Team Heads Virtually To DC

Posted on April 24, 2020 | 2 comments

Last fall, 23 Staples High School students began preparing for this coming weekend. It would be the finals of the national “We the People” competition.

Getting there — spending 5 days in Washington, DC — would not be easy. But in December, Suzanne Kammerman’s Advanced Placement Politics and Government class was crowned Connecticut champions. The win broke Trumbull High’s 8-year stranglehold on first place.

With the help of interested Westporters like Andy Laskin and Jamie Dockray, the teenagers prepped for nationals.

Staples High School’s 2019 “We the People” champions.

It’s a monumental task. Each team is divided into 6 groups. Each must be ready to answer 3 separate and exceptionally difficult questions on history, politics and law. For example:

“If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other, it is the principle of free thought — not free thought for those who agree with us, but freedom for the thought that we hate.” (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.)  To what extent has this view influenced American culture?”

The Staples students worked hard, hours a day after school and on weekends.

Then came COVID-19.

On March 11, Westport schools closed. That same night, the Center for Civic Education — We the People’s sponsors — canceled the national event.

Kammerman deliver the crushing news by email.

But quickly, the CCE devised an alternative: a virtual competition.

Kammerman was unsure how her students would respond. Nearly all jumped at the chance.

Ever since, the 2 dozen teenagers have been working together — though apart physically — on their presentations.

It will be a streamlined version. Thirty-one teams elected to compete, down from the original 52. Rather than one round each on Saturday and Sunday, with the finals Monday, the cyberspace nationals will be one round only.

Staples has a Sunday morning slot. Students will log on to Zoom, and enter a secure “room.” Each of the 6 groups will present, then spend 6 minutes answering judges’ questions. The topics are the Bill of Rights, 19th Amendment and America’s system of elections. Winners will be announced Sunday night.

Since mid-March, the Westporters have been researching and writing. This week they honed their responses, in small and large group online sessions.

Andy Laskin is one of several Westporters helping prepare students for the “We the People” competition. He’s in the upper left with Sam Laskin; clockwise are Gary Lu, Sam Powell and William Matar.

Kammerman is impressed with their dedication and perseverance. They all take several difficult classes; distance learning has not meant a lesser workload at all.

Of course, she notes, “their weekends are freer than they used to be.” Still, she is amazed at how hard they work.

“A lot of the excitement had been about spending 5 days in Washington,” she knows. “That was a prize itself. They’re missing out on that. But they’re still very excited.”

Kammerman — who participated in “We the People” herself more than 20 years ago, as a Shelton High student — has worked hard too. In addition to preparing her class, she’s been on conference calls about the contest’s technology and security. On Wednesday she did a full run-through with her class.

An online session, preparing for the “We the People” competition.

Like so many other teachers, she’s been juggling her other classes, her own children’s distance learning, her spouse who works from home, and running a household during a pandemic.

But, she says, “I love it. This is worth it to me. The days fly by. When I sit at night and help kids with their research, it’s really special.

“The kids are so great. They push me forward.”

In another world, they would have all pushed forward to Washington this weekend.

Instead, they’re all home — alone, together — in Westport.

But in true American spirit, “We the People” will prevail.

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“We The People” Needs We The Westporters

Posted on February 4, 2020 | 2 comments

In 2020, we celebrate the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which recognized the right of women to vote. Despite recent controversy, the Equal Rights Amendment has not yet been ratified. What are the similarities and differences between these two amendments?

“If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other, it is the principle of free thought — not free thought for those who agree with us, but freedom for the thought that we hate.” (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.)  To what extent has this view influenced American culture?

In the 1793–94 Pacificus–Helvidius debates, Alexander Hamilton contended that the power to declare war was both legislative and executive in nature. James Madison disagreed, saying that this power was exclusively legislative. Whose opinion do you favor and why?

Could you answer those questions?

Staples High School’s “We the People” team is confident they can.

That’s not just teenage we-can-conquer-the-world cockiness.

In December, 23 students in Suzanne Kammerman’s Advanced Placement Politics and Government class were crowned state champs in the annual competition. The momentous win broke Trumbull High’s 8-year stranglehold on first place.

Staples High School’s 2019 “We the People” champions.

Now the students are preparing for April’s national contest, in Leesburg, Virginia.

It’s quite a task. Each team is divided into 6 groups. Each must be ready to answer 3 separate questions on history, politics and law.

Only one will be asked in the oral question round. But all team members must participate. And each of the 6 groups must be strong. If one falters, the entire class score suffers.

Like all schools, the Staples students, teachers and parent supporters will be isolated in one room. They can’t watch anyone else. It’s a pressure-filled day, as judges shuttle in and out to question the teenagers.

Many schools — including Trumbull — treat “We the People” as a separate course. At Staples though, it’s just one part of the AP curriculum.

In the past, Trumbull prepared for the national competition by enlisting a host of townspeople — lawyers, college history professors teachers, politicians — to assist.

The Staples students get help from just a couple of parents. Andy Laskin — an attorney — takes time off from work. He attends class in person, and FaceTimes too.

For example, for 4th Amendment search and seizure issues, he brings in school resource officer Ed Woolridge. Laskin creates hypothetical police issues, then tweaks the conduct slightly to see how that changes the officer’s suspicions and reactions. It’s complex. And exactly the type of preparation the students need.

Another lawyer, Jamie Dockray, works with them in person, during the week and on weekends at the library.

But it’s labor-intensive. Each adult can only be with 4 students at a time, because each group gets separate questions.

So the “We the People” advisors are asking we — the Westporters — for help.

A lawyer in town who offers his or her conference room; former college history majors who love to talk about politics, law and the Constitution; actors to work on presentation skills — all are welcome.

Volunteers could also help as “judges,” during a practice competition before the April trip.

All could be “game-changers,” Laskin says. The key is to help teenagers “look, sound, act and think like lawyers — and learn the skills to do the research and pull off the argument in front of real judges. It’s very cool.”

“We have plenty of brilliant minds in Westport,” he notes. “There are parents of former We the People students, parents who can get involved before their kids are juniors and seniors … this could be a feel-good, come-together Westport story.

“Suzanne Kammerman puts her heart and soul into this. Some kids say We the People was the defining moment of their high school careers. Let’s all support this amazing program any way we can.”

Interested in helping? Email andylaskinesq@gmail.com, or text Andy Laskin: 203-610-7065. For the full text of all 18 “We The People” questions, click here.

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