NFA World
By Geoff
Serra
NFA hosted students from surrounding high schools, April 5, for New
London County's NAACP ACT-SO (Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) Competition. A
yearlong enrichment program, it recruits, stimulates, improves and encourages
high academic and cultural achievement among African American students. The
program represents the collaboration of more than 100 community volunteers and
business leaders to serve as mentors and coaches. Students compete in 25 categories including business, sciences,
humanities, performing and visual arts.
Winners were announced at an awards dinner, April11. Wildcat Congratulations go to senior Sakinah
Banks, who won a silver medal in poetry and a gold medal in
oratory. Other winners are junior Reyni Sexius, bronze medal, original essay; uppers Tylesha Perkins, gold medal, dance; Dajon Caple, silver medal,
dance; Isaiah Garrett, bronze medal, vocal music
contemporary; and David Williams, gold medal,
sculpture; and seniors Carlene Hall, bronze medal,
poetry; Kalen Swinson, gold medal, drawing.
Gold medalists in local level competitions qualify for
national finals to be held at the NAACP convention in Orlando, Florida, this
summer.
Wildcat recognition also goes to participants ninth
grader, Nicole Marcelin; lowers, Derell Wilson, Adjana Bouzi,
and Terrell Wilson; uppers Tylesha Perkins and Jenny Felix;
and seniors Carline Charmelus and Ruud Salym Erie. A Wildcat bow of respect to NFA staff Susan
Iwanicki, Elaine Porter, and Leo Butler for their dedicated
work on the NAACP-ACT-SO project.
Senior Angel Rivas, who will study at Three Rivers in
the fall to enter the hospitality industry, says, “I really wanted to know a
little bit of what to do and say in an interview and how I should dress.” To
help, the Department of Labor Career Bus was at NFA on April 21. Parked outside
Slater, the large blue bus housed 7 computer stations and specialized software
to teach young people interviewing skills. Open to all grades, the program
prepares students to successfully enter the summer job market. NFA Career Transition Specialist, Karen Murray
tells us that the program accommodates approximately 40
students in 30 minute sessions. It will
return to campus on May 7. Senior Julie
McDonough, who plans to attend college in Florida
next year, says the entire experience was “cool.”
Nancy
Barrys’ senior public speaking class made a clean sweep of
the Voice of Democracy Contest sponsored by the Richard E. Hourigan Veterans of
Foreign Wars No. 594 Post and Ladies Auxiliary. Emily Doty won first place; Amanda
Nickse, second; and Francesca Brown third. At the Taftville No.
2212 Post VFW Voice of Democracy contest, senior Nicole Rubin, won first place and went on in competition to take second place honors
in the District 4 competition. Wildcat
congratulations to all.
Not only did last week contain Earth Day, it also was National Turn Off Your TV Week, sponsored by the Center for Screen-time Awareness, an organization
dedicated to making us aware of our daily exposure to electronic media. Project Outreach sponsored alternative
activities on two nights in Otis Library.
Volunteers staffed a board game night for children and families on April
22 and on April 24 sponsored a Wildcat story hour featuring cat stories, cat
face painting, and a visit from NFA’s own wildcat mascot. Special thanks to upper Joyelle
Thoma, Project Outreach student coordinator who organized
the two nights.
Kelly
Creighton, social studies teacher and Freshman
Class Advisor, announces that the Class of 2011 will hold a fundraising car
wash from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 4, in the Tirrell Circle. Don’t miss it.
Accompanied by
their parents, on May 4, at a banquet at the Aqua Turf in Southington, seniors Peter
Fabian and Lindsay Makowicki will receive Connecticut
Interscholastic Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete awards, which recognize one
qualifying male and female from each member school who display outstanding
athletic and academic achievement. Gary Makowicki, NFA Athletic Director
and Lindsay’s dad, will be attending in both capacities. Wildcat congratulations all.
Be sure not to miss NFA Playshop’s spring
musical Bye Bye Birdie, 7p.m., May 2 and
3, and 2 p.m., May 4, in Slater Auditorium.
Director Eileen Lenehan tells us that
tickets are $5 for students and seniors, and $8 for general admission.
The musical satire of American society, set in 1958, revolves around
rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie and the complications that arise when as
a publicity stunt on The Ed Sullivan Show Birdie kisses one lucky girl
from Sweet Apple, Ohio, before being drafted into the army. Conrad Birdie is based both on Conway
Twitty, a popular singer at the time, and Elvis Presley, whose induction into
the army shortly before the musical was written inspired the plot. The original
Broadway production was a Tony Award-winning success.
World Language teacher Sonia Palkes is excited
about her Russian students. Every year
American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) sponsors a National Russian
Essay Contest. Students are given a topic and two hours to write an essay. All
NFA advanced level Russian students participated in the contest. Pozdravliayem (congratulations) to the following:
Gold Medalists upper Natalia Przybylski (Russian 3) and
senior Rachel Bailey ( Russian 4); and Silver Medalists
upper Kimberly Fenner ( Russian 3) and lower Jared Brooks (Russian 2).
Reflect upon the words of 8th
century ruler, Charlemagne, often considered the father of Europe: “To have
another language is to posses a second soul.”
See you next
week in NFA World….until then direct your comments or questions to
serrag@norwichfreeacademy.com
