NFA Word
by Geoff Serra
Approximately 400 students attended a special program May 30 in Slater Auditorium. History teacher Henry Laudone had invited Mrs. Henny Simon to share with a very sober and attentive audience her experiences as a Holocaust survivor. As time passes and actual first hand witnesses and testimony become fewer and fewer, this opportunity may be the only one many students have to hear a survivor’s first person account. A tremendous debt of Wildcat gratitude to Henny Simon for her efforts to educate our young people.
The popular TV program “Dancing with the Stars” can’t hold a candle to Project Outreach’s “Dance Off For Diabetes.” May 29 students sponsored the event in Norton Gym and raised $170 for the American Diabetes Association. The event was filled with fun and interesting dance awards: Best Overall Dancer went to lower Eugenio Rodrigues; Funniest Dancer went to senior, Brenner Green; Best Effort went to senior Nisha Baxi; and Most Unique Dancer went to lower Luis Torres. A special Wildcat thank you to lower Colin Landry his DJ talent and equipment for the event.
On June 4, Special Education Teacher Traci Hage organized the 2nd annual NFA Science Fair in which 98 students enthusiastically participated. First place winners were lowers Luis Torres and Georgie Hernandez; in second place were lower Efrain Quiles and juniors Jacob Sharp, and Maribel Rivera. Upper Elisha Montford and lower Kristina Brownlow placed third. Honorable Mentions go to senior Jacob Chamberlain, upper Victoria Kornokiewicz; lowers Derek Dixon, Renald Louigene, Melissa Sutton; and juniors Isiah Chapman, Andrew Milnarik, Maybeline Rivera, Maya Almond Lawson, and Nicoletta Thorp. Wildcat congratulations to all.
English teacher Amy Rygilski earns a Wildcat tip of the hat for reorganizing NFA’s Top Cat program, a great success this year. On June 2, students voted in homeroom to choose NFA’s Top Cat of the year from among the four quarterly Top Cat winners. Wildcat congratulations to lower, Rashedul Haydar who was chosen by his peers as the 2008 Top Cat of the Year and awarded a $100 Visa gift card.
This election marks the Student Activity Board’s growing concern and expanding initiatives to “go green” on the NFA campus. It was entirely paperless; voting was recorded and reported electronically. We look forward to many more efforts next year to expand Wildcat conservation and to make an environmental difference.
Sally Derucha’s drama classes produced their final skits of the year on the Slater stage. Quirky playwright Christopher Durang wrote both skits. In “Kitty the Waitress,” upper Andrew Horelik played American patron O'Brien, upper Erika Kydd was Kitty, a seductive French waitress, upper Tabitha Jacobs was the gracious French hostess, and upper Becky Redhead played Veronique, another waitress, complete with Cockney accent. Senior Juliana Ye was the veterinarian who "takes care" of Kitty in the end.
"1-900-Desperate" is a sardonic look at the meaninglessness of social connection in an electronic world. Five people – lonely hearted Gretchen (senior Ashley Destefano); anxious man-hungry Sally (upper Crystal Pratt); feminist Zelda (upper Alison Lowe), a mischievous five year old boy (senior Juliana Ye), and 20 year old man on the make, Scuzzy (upper Sarah Paprocki) --all end up on the line after they call a $3.98 per minute swinging single line for very different reasons.
Slater Director, Vivian Zoë reminds us that Slater Memorial Museum is participating in Connecticut Open House Day, a statewide event for which museums and historic sites are open to the public free of charge, 1-4 p.m., June 14. This is the fourth year in which Slater has participated. It is a great opportunity for locals and out of town visitors to appreciate Slater’s treasure. Young children can participate in an I Spy game and exploration activity.
It’s that time of year when the English Department issues summer reading assignments to students to prevent what in educational circles is termed summer “academic slide,” or, perhaps, as many grandparents might say, “rusty brains.” The summer reading program this year is a bit different from that of years past, and students and parents need to pay careful attention to the different requirements for different grade levels. There are several noteworthy elements:
Only ninth graders are participating in Southeastern Connecticut’s “One Book, One Region” program. That book Life is So Good by Richard Glaubman, the story of George Dawson, who learned to read at age 98, has been a campus pick in the past for Reading Madness. Incoming freshman should be sure to receive a copy of the book in their eighth grade school. Glaubman has been on campus in the past and will be returning in the fall to speak to ninth graders.
All upcoming seniors have assigned reading depending upon which English elective they have chosen. Except for honors, rising uppers and lowers have complete freedom to choose a book that is meaningful to them. Check the Website, click on “Academics,” “Departments,” “English” for a look at the complete program.
Students and parents should also note some disciplines other than English offer courses with summer reading requirements.
NFA’s Reading Madness Program is in for a major expansion and a new name next year. “NFA Reads” will be 20 minutes each day, five days a week during a lengthened lunch period. The long period will include a class period, a 20 minute reading block, and a 30 minute lunch shift. More than ever, “NFA Reads” will be affording students the opportunity to read for pleasure and to strengthen this critical skill. More to come about this program in the fall.
A reminder to check the Website for the final examination schedule for all students. Senior final examinations end on June 6, and underclass examinations begin June 10. A complete schedule for all senior activities including graduation exercises on June 13 is also available on the Website.
Famous American clergyman, abolitionist, and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher reminds us “There is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs.”
See you next week in NFA World…until then direct your comments or questions to serrag@norwichfreeacademy.com.
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