GPS District Digest (v3, i05)

The current issue of the GPS District Digest is jam-packed with great stuff from all over town. Scroll down quickly to see what is in store for your reading pleasure...go ahead...I'll wait.

See what I mean? There is great academic achievements, an advisory council looking for your membership, a movie screening, Halloween fun, a student-led debate, another cool historical postcard, food drives, and so much more! There's even a pat-on-the-back for your favorite communications team (we stretched first so we didn't pull a shoulder muscle).

Enjoy Issue 5!

GPS District Digest

GHS alumna, Katherine Tibberts (class of 2021), earned a perfect score on the AP® Computer Science Principles Exam in May 2021. Advanced Placement® Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Katherine not only received the top score of 5, but was also one of only 335 students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP Computer Science Principles Exam, receiving the maximum score on each portion of the exam. Katherine told us last spring that she was expected to attend Miami University in Oxford, OH.

Everyone as GPS congratulates Katherine for her hard work and her teacher, Ms. Katherine Bolger, for engaging students and enabling them to excel in a college-level course.

Check out the GHS Computer Science Program web page to learn more about the program offerings.

The Greenwich Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC), in its second year, is building equitable partnerships between families, the school District, and community partners, and also giving advisory opinions to the Board of Education on matters pertaining to the education and safety of students with disabilities. Last year, the Greenwich SEAC agreed on four areas of focus and established subcommittees. The subcommittees are open to anyone who qualifies for General Membership. If you'd like to be involved in any of their four subcommittees, please click on the link and add your name and email to the respective Google Document: IEP/504 Implementation, Eligibility Process, Nominating and Enrichment.

To learn more about the Greenwich SEAC, please reach out them via email.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the region's largest grant maker and charitable endowment, announced that GHS senior, Ella Moore, was named Honorable Mention for the 2021 Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity.

As the COVID-19 infection rate and death toll rose, Ella began investigating the use of R-954 as a bradykinin 1 receptor antagonist to inhibit respiratory complications caused by the virus. Ella hopes that her continued research will provide evidence that leads to new treatments that will help reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths as the pandemic continues.

Each application submitted for consideration highlighted a creative project, and scholarships were awarded to the candidates whose projects demonstrated the greatest innovation and potential impact. The winners were recognized for projects involving science, technology and social action.

Each year, when the Great Pumpkin Book Character Showcase rolls around, International School at Dundee students are invited to decorate a pumpkin to look like a beloved character from a favorite book. The event, organized by Library Media Specialist Jeannine Madoff, inspires students to use paint, paper, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, upcycled materials, fabric, fuzz, feathers, and more to bring their characters to life. The pumpkins and books are delivered to the ISD Learning Commons by students and their parents in the week before Halloween and are on display for all to see for the next few days. Creativity and love of reading shine through and bring delight to everyone all week! Please watch the video to see for yourself!

Greenwich High School's We The People team, in conjunction with the League of Women Voters of Greenwich, held a forum with the candidates who appeared on the ballot for the Board of Education positions on November 2.

Junior Moderators Siyuan Alyssa Feng and Sophie Citron asked the same four student-drafted, and student-curated, questions to the candidates present, by political party. Junior Nicole Orlofsky served as timer and helped to keep the candidates aware of response order. Since the Democrats and Republicans do not compete head-to-head for positions (a provision established by state law in 1966), two back-to-back panels were held, first with the Democrats (who asked to go first due to other commitments), Laura Kostin and incumbent Kathleen Stowe, and then with the Republicans, Cody Kittle and Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony. The third Republican candidate, Megan Galletta, withdrew before the event citing a conflict.

"I am so proud of the students who conducted today's forum," said We The People Coach Aaron Hull. "They curated and asked five probing and mature questions, and dealt with several challenges we're all too familiar with in our virtual meeting events, with grace and poise. I'm very proud to have seen them contribute to the democratic process."

Due to established League policy, write-in candidates, who may mount campaigns well after the ballot inclusion deadline established by the State of Connecticut, were not included.

You can watch the forum in its entirety below.

We received such great feedback regarding last issue's Turn Back the Clock, we decided to run this feature back!

This postcard, which surfaced at the Havemeyer Building last week, was postmarked June 18, 1925 and sent from Alice to her friend, Miss Anna D. Mead, in (ironically) Greenwich, OH. Apparently, they had a very enjoyable vacation and Alice hoped that they do it again sometime.

Do you have an old postcard or photo of one of our buildings that you would like us to turn back the clock? Please share it with us so we can share it with everyone!

Staff members from around the District had a blast last week and the creativity was off the charts! Don't be shy: share your photographs with us! 📷

To help those less fortunate in our community, the GHS Roots & Shoots Club, GHS Neighbor to Neighbor Club, and GHS Assistant Deans have set a goal to provide Thanksgiving meals to over 100 families in our Greenwich community.

Through continued partnership with the Greenwich Social Services Holiday Aide program, this year’s 11th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive Collection will run from November 1-18, with delivery day to families scheduled for Monday, November 22.

There are many ways you can help: make a monetary donation, have students drop off non-perishable food in the collection boxes outside each House office or in Student Activities, and volunteer to help wrap boxes for delivery, sort and pack food items, and/or help on delivery day.

For more details, reach out to GHS Roots & Shoots Club Advisor Kathy Méndez.

Teachers and students from the GHS Roots & Shoots Club took a brief outdoor photo while participating in the "Pink Out" on October 21 for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Members of the GHS community donated over 600 books for the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich and Children Centers, Inc. at the Roots & Shoots Book Drive.

GHS' Roots & Shoots Club Advisor Kathy Méndez (left) poses with two innovation lab ninth-grade students Justin Orozco (center) and Mike Lombardi (right).

A free screening of the film, Kiss the Ground, followed by a panel discussion, is being offered on Tuesday, November 9 at the Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center. The program is open to the public and presented by Food Rescue US-Fairfield County, The Foodshed Network, Town of Greenwich Conservation Commission and Waste Free Greenwich. The event also kicks off the Greenwich Food Waste Initiative, a new collaboration between the Office of the First Selectman and Waste Free Greenwich that aims to reduce and divert food waste through prevention, rescue and recycling.

Please go online for more information and to register for the event. Masks and social distancing are required for all guests.

Click on the images below to see what our administrators and others have been sharing on social media!

Are you following @GPSDistrict or your favorite school?

Earlier this week, the GPS communications department was notified by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education that it was the winner of the Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence for Educational Communications in two categories: Special Project (COVID-19 Tracker) and Special Project - Audio Visual (Here We Come 2021!) in the 5,000+ ADM (average number of students per day enrolled) category. We are humbled by the honor and appreciate the recognition.

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Email: communications@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: greenwichschools.org
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203) 625-7415
Facebook: facebook.com/GreenwichPublicSchools
Twitter: @GPSDistrict