NFA World
by Geoff Serra
Class of 2008, Coronation Class Superlatives: Class Actor/Actress: Merlynda Sol and Matthew McKeag;
Class Photographers: Jessica Lance and Zachary Maderia;
Handsomest Man/Loveliest Lady: Stephen Lampkin and Courtney Smigiel; Most
Likely to Succeed: Peter Fabian and Nisha Baxi; Class
Couple: Heather Macdonald and Devin Quinn.
Slater Auditorium buzzed with excitement as a capacity crowd awaited
the beginning of the annual Mr. NFA contest on the evening of April 10. The competition surpassed expectation as
entertaining emcees Kinsey Eldridge, Salome Miclette, Chelsea
Winkler,
Amanda Nickse, Jess Chalecki and Kayla Macgregor moved the program
through the formal wear (compliments of Claudio's Formals), talent, bathing
suit, and interview phases. Faculty
judges were Heather Botelle, Sally Derusha, Jesse Coull and Keith
Danieluk.
The fourteen candidates were seniors Kyle Guertin, Nick
Jaskeiwitz, Alex Polletti, Donald Howard, Will Bartnicki, Brenner
Green,
Nathan Wheeler, Nick Migani, Kevin Liang, Kyle
Madera,
Casey McGarvey, Peter Fabian, Danny Mitchell, and Zack
Kuzel.
Among the highlights were McGarvey’s pot of gold with clover boxers in
the bathing suit competition, Fabian’s beach attire complete with rowboat and
fishing pole, Polletti’s rendition of James Brown “I Feel Good,” and Green’s
Hebrew rap in the talent competition.
By the end of the evening Peter Fabian was crowned best talent, Kevin
Liang won best swimsuit, and Zack Kuzel won best formalwear. The coveted title of Mr. NFA was awarded to
Will Bartnicki. A royal Wildcat bow to
Mr. NFA.
The class of 2008 put on show.
Advisors are faculty Jack Millerick, Alphonso Polletti, Heather
Connell,
and Roy Wentworth. The program was directed
by senior Student Council members Grace Collins, Katy
Carlebach, Matt Talyosef and Kinsey Edridge, assisted by a host of students and
teachers backstage.
At 4 p.m., April 8 five students and two adults were engaged in a
project on the lawn in front of Latham Science and Information Center. Matt Bedard, physics teacher, with his upper and senior students
conducted one of many experiments in the annual Projectile Motion Physics
Olympics, a project combining knowledge of physics with engineering principles,
creativity, and perseverance. Other
students were engaged on the outdoor track.
The task: to design and operate
a free standing apparatus to shoot a golf ball 25 feet in the air to land in a
recycling bin. A perfect score is 50
points; students start with 33; in ten shots each device can earn more points
for landing a ball in or within a range, or for hitting the bin. Competition is fierce. Bedard says this year’s event was “a booming
success. It is always my pleasure to
witness my student’s success and observe them in a whole new arena beyond the
classroom.” Congratulations to all.
"...I picked
Brazil because I was interested in it culturally.... Brazil is a lively country with a vivid history and promising
future. It is a country I would like to
visit someday and doing research on it is a good way to become acquainted with
it before hand," said lower Victoria Grant about her presentation in Latham Room
6202 on April 8.
Family and
Consumer Science instructor Maureen Reubelt’s 10h grade World Foods classes presented the results of
their long term projects about a country of their choice in written reports,
oral presentations, and audio visual aids.
The reports covered the geography, climate, agricultural produce, and
livestock of a country in relation to the cuisine, customs, and culture. A Wildcat hand of applause for these
wonderful presentations.
Advisors Chuck
Lynch and Pamela
Hitchcock note that NFA’s
Gay/Straight Alliance will participate in a “Day of Silence for Safer Schools” April 25. Students wearing special T-shirts or lapel
ribbons will remain silent all day as part of a national event involving close
to a half-million students in thousands of schools. “Allies,” wearing an identifying sticker, will support the
project to call attention to bullying, harassment and discrimination that still
occur in our society and around the world.
The Connecticut
Association of Schools (CAS) 13th Annual High School Outstanding Arts
Awards Banquet was held April 8 at the Aqua-Turf Club in Southington. CAS annually honors two seniors from each
member school who excel in the performing or visual arts and who possess the
qualities of scholarship and leadership.
Two NFA seniors were honored: Ashley Deveny was recognized in music and Jilian Freyer in art. Both students were joined for the dinner by
their parents and their teachers, Dan McDonald, Jen Montanaro, and Melissa
Smith. One hundred and forty schools and award
winners attended.
A painting by Madeline Sanchi adorns the
invitation to the formal opening of the Norwich Art School’s 114th Children’s Exhibition, April 20 with a
reception from 1-3 p.m. in the Converse Art Gallery of the Slater Museum. The
event is free and open to the public.
On display April 13 – 30, the exhibition features the artwork of 120
third to eighth graders enrolled in the Norwich Art School’s Saturday morning
art classes for children, a continuous program since 1894.
The hundreds of
colorful works include vivid mixed media and perspective paintings, observational
drawings, print making and design projects, and dynamic watercolors and
pastels. An array of pottery work and
other three dimensional projects compliments the festive exhibition.
Remember the words of American writer
Henry Van Dyke: “Use what talents you
possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those
that sang best.”
See you next week in NFA
World….until then direct your comments or questions to
serrag@norwichfreeacademy.com.
