On top of becoming a recent book writer, CTE teacher Sterling Miller is now in competition for national recognition of his teaching abilities.

Miller just received the CTEEA Teacher of the Year award.

Upon receiving the award, Miller said, “[I was] very humbled and grateful for the Technology Education community and I’m happy to have been awarded this recognition; it shows the value I have in my teaching as an educator.”

CTEEA, the Connecticut Technology Engineering Education Association, requires for its nominees to provide technology and engineering instruction of high quality, and to be learner centered and relevant to a study of technology and engineering. Mandatory requirements include being nominated by an educator, being a current CTEEA/ITEEA member, being certified to teach technology/engineering, and being confirmed by an administrator as an outstanding educator.

The award allows him to be recognized at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association conference in Kansas City where he will also collect the official award. The state recognition puts him in the mix for the national title.

Miller shed light on his experience as a teacher at DHS, describing it as a “good environment to be in,” adding that he relies on his students to become active members in society once they enter into the real world. He said that he wishes for “students to be equipped with the proper knowledge and intellect to effectively make a mark on the world.”

Miller who has been teaching at DHS for the past 11 years, teaches Graphic Arts, Broadcast Journalism, A.P. Computer Science Principles, and many more. He is also the club adviser for the Video Production Club, which produces weekly broadcasts pertaining to school news and events. Thus far, the club has put out more than 100 videos per year. They are uploaded on the club’s Youtube Channel, HattersTV.

In June, Miller also published his book Treasure Protectors Inc., a story using augmented reality, allowing people to use their electronic devices to scan certain passages of the book to venture into detailed aspects of the story. Miller describes the purpose of the book being as an “example for Graphic Arts to explain teaching experiences in technology education and not as a means of sales production.”

“The concept of lifelong learning is the objective of how I set standards as a teacher,” Miller  said. “An attempt to do so requires me to also become a lifelong learner in the process.”

Eric Savoyski, a fellow CTE teacher and the school’s robotics coach, says, “[Miller] is always willing to serve others. In every instance Mr. Miller is always at service to the department, and school and it’s a good thing we have leaders like Mr. Miller, who willingly, with a smile, help people out all the time.”

Alongside staff, students recognize the impact Miller has had on their learning experience.

Junior James Mccullers, a former student of Miller’s Math Lab course, says he is an “Excelling figure who provided tremendous opportunity for students to do their absolute best, a genuine motivator.”

Another former student of the Math Lab course, junior Vanessa Sin, describes Miller as a “motivating figure for me, because he helped me get through the rough patches once I entered DHS.”

Miller, through the eyes of many, epitomizes the status and quality of teaching for a future. He views teaching a “beautiful concept, that I’m very privileged to provide and do on a daily basis.”

Editor’s note: Educator’s Corner is column space for teachers, counselors, administrators and staff to submit pieces for publication. Just email rossth@danbury.k12.ct.us and make your pitch! This column is by ESL teacher Soraya Bilbao.

I recently found out from one of my students that our Library Learning Commons has free study guides for students who are interested in preparing for the driver’s exam.

Seeing his excitement over the prospect of taking this exam, an excitement that I regret to say is not as readily noticeable when I inform him and his peers of one of my own upcoming tests, took me back to when I was a teenager preparing to take the driver’s exam.

Soraya Bilbao

Flashback a few decades. I’m sitting in the driver’s seat of, what I thought to be at the time, the coolest car ever — my family’s station wagon. Who needs an apple-green Ferrari 250 GTO when you can drive a potato-brown Subaru Leone?

For several months, my dad had been teaching me how to drive. Besides giving him the opportunity to spend quality time with his eldest daughter, our driving lessons gave him the opportunity to increase his blood pressure to impressive levels and to produce a sprinkling of gray hair throughout his head.

After numerous near misses of front and rear car bumpers — and a pedestrian or two — my dad finally mustered the courage to teach me one final driving lesson: getting on and off the highway.

The plan was simple; get on the highway, merge with traffic, and then get off at the next exit. That was all.

“I can do this… I can do this…” I muttered to myself as I gripped the steering wheel with both hands as if trying to alter its current geometric shape. I waited until the light turned green and reluctantly made my way up the entrance ramp to I-95.

And just as I was about to merge with traffic, I stopped. Just like that. No stop sign directing me to stop, or vehicular malfunction preventing me to go; just a strong and overwhelming desire to live as I caught sight of the 18-wheelers barreling down the highway toward me.

I began contemplating the benefits that a lifetime of public transportation had to offer when I suddenly tuned into my dad’s frantic, “Go! Go! Why are you stopping?! For heaven’s sake, go!”

Startled back into our present predicament, I pressed down on the accelerator and went.

Surprisingly, I avoided causing a multi-car crash. Predictably, this was the last time my dad took me driving.

In the end, I managed to get us on and off the highway without turning the station wagon into a convertible. Soon after, I convinced the DMV officials assessing my driving skills that I was not a menace to society, and I took a license photo that resembled a really bad mug shot on a really bad hair day.

Now, as a teacher, I have the opportunity to stand witness to a new generation of drivers as they prepare to take on the roads.

To all of our students, I wish them nothing, but the best.

And to my dad, thank you.

DHS’s Latino students say it’s painful to watch images of Honduran migrants attempting to cross into the United States and facing tear gas from U.S. Border Patrol.

Tijuana, a city located in the north of Baja California in Mexico, is typically known for its bustling main street, wrestling arenas, and sandy white beaches. Recently, however, a caravan of young men, women, and children migrants from Central America, mainly Honduras, reached Tijuana with the goal of requesting asylum within the United States.

As one of the most diverse high schools in Connecticut, there are students and faculty who are on both sides of this dilemma.

Several Latino students interviewed shared their own experiences related to the situation at hand and immigration as a whole.

“It’s devastating. I’m Hispanic and I have friends who have crossed the border or their family has, and to know that someone that I know has been in that situation is devastating,” said senior and Latino Club President, Esteisy Reynoso.

Another Latino Club member, senior Jessica Tenezaca, related her experiences with immigration within her family as well. “My aunts, uncles, cousins—they’re all immigrants. They all came here from Ecuador through Panama and Mexico and across the border.”

“It’s really tough coming here. My aunt was pregnant with my cousin when she crossed the border; it was very difficult for her to make that journey here,” Tenezaca continued.

Latino Club holds its meetings every Wednesday, and its purpose is to “focus on our roots and bring a part of our culture to the school because it’s very easy to lose yourself in a school so big as ours,” according to Reynoso.

The migrants traveled in this caravan with the goal of requesting asylum. The term asylum is used to refer to when a nation grants protection to someone who has left their native country as a political refugee.

There are two primary ways in which a person can legally apply for asylum in the United States: the affirmative process and the defensive process, according to the U.S Citizen and Immigration Services. Asylum seekers who arrive at a U.S. port of entry, such as the migrants at San Ysidro, usually apply through the defensive process.

Throughout this painstakingly complex and lengthy process, often taking years, immigrants must prove that they meet the definition of a refugee in immigration court. Many state fear or persecution as reasons for seeking asylum.

When it comes to finding a solution to this crisis, views are split across the country. The Trump administration is currently looking into limiting and placing a cap on the number of immigrants who can request asylum.

Junior Alec Stanton, a member of DHS’ Young Republicans club, said that a wall separating Mexico and the United States would be a good idea and would act “like a membrane. Let the good [people] in and the bad [people] out.”

The rest of the Young Republicans club declined to comment.

Jose Rojas, the advisor of the Latino Club, agreed that immigrants should respect the existing policies in place within the United States. “The law must be followed. Immigrants should come into the United States legally.”

The United States Border Patrol closed the San Ysidro port of entry from Tijuana to San Diego on Nov. 25.

Migrants protested the border closing, some even throwing rocks at the U.S. Military. In response, U.S. Border Patrol agents released tear gas on the migrants, forcing them to retreat deeper in Mexico.

Tear gas is classified as a gas that causes severe irritation to the eyes. It is commonly used to break large groups in riots or protests, with the intent of forcing the crowds to disperse. The issue with the gas is that it was released in Mexico, not in the United States.

The caravan has increased to around 5,000 migrants, most of whom are women and children.

Immigration has long been a topic of heated discussion in America, especially with the rise in deportations over the past decade during the Obama and Trump administrations.

The ICE agency, the section of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tasked with enforcing deportations and regulating illegal immigration, plays a major role in the immigration situation as well.

However, ICE has drawn its own share of controversy within the nation for putting immigrant children in cages at immigration camps.

At the end of the day, despite personal opinions and experiences, it all trickles down to a decision that this nation must ultimately enact. But to do so, Reynoso believes one question must be addressed:

“Why are people coming here in the first place; why don’t we, the U.S., do something to help our neighboring countries?”

The boys’ soccer team has just wrapped up a pretty successful 2018 FCIAC season. The team completed the season with only one loss, making the record 10-1-5. They also placed 2nd in the state championship and participated in the states tournament.

Expectations of the player’s skills were low after previous seasons, however the team competed with high hopes. Coach Antony Howard led the team to well deserved victories throughout the season.

“We weren’t a team that was favored, but we managed to go against all odds…our captains did a good job keeping the team together resulting in a shocking 1st place which we’re all proud of,” said Howard.

Sophomore goalie, Matt Silva agreed, saying, “The regular season went well, we did a lot things people didn’t think we were capable [of]. I’m proud of what we did and how we proved a ton of people wrong by finishing first when they thought we would finish not even in the top 5.”

Silva played a crucial role as a goalie as he faced pressure for being the youngest starter on the team. But, he stated when he was on the field, he fit right in because they were all playing the same game. Silva will be returning next season and is excited for next year.

“I look forward to next year because I love playing for our school and making memories with the guys. It’s an awesome experience and I can’t wait,” Silva added.

With the unfortunate disqualification from the state finals against Farmington two years ago, due to a misinterpretation of a player eligibility rule, the team was overjoyed to make it to this year’s soccer FCIAC finals against Trumbull.

The game had everyone on the edge of their seats, it was tied at 0-0, making the game go into overtime.  For 10 minutes, the ball went back and forth, still tied at 0-0. Unfortunately, by the second overtime, the boys couldn’t keep Trumbull out and they scored in the last 2 minutes, ending the game at 0-1.

“We lost in the finals, but I was still proud of the team for our runs in both the state and the conference tournament,” said top defender Tyler Warren

On November 24th, Warren received Player Of The Year on the Ruden Report with 2,450 votes. He will be returning next year as a senior.

The team this year not only made it to the FCIAC finals, but also to the quarter-finals of states. In the first round, the Hatters came out with a win against Westhill with a score of 3-2. In the 2nd round, they defeated Naugatuck with a score of 1-0 but, unfortunately, in the quarter-finals they lost to East Hartford, 2-1, in penalty kicks.

“We got knocked out in states a little early, but we played a really good game against a really good team and it came down to one penalty kick for the game,” said top scorer Malamin Jallow.

Jallow came out of the season with 12 goals, but along with nine other seniors, will not be returning to play next season.

On top of a winning season, three players, Tyler Warren, Aidan Coleman, and Tiago Dos Reis, were selected as All-FCIAC recipients for their performance during the season. Alex Pane, Riley Moore, and Victor Oliveira also received All-West awards.

Although the team can’t be exactly sure of the success of future seasons, next year is looking up for returning varsity.

Jallow predicted that “Next year should be a good year for them, as they have many players who made good impacts this year returning such as Tyler Warren, Matt Silva, Aidan Coleman, Joe Mooney, and Lucas Oliveira”

The high school will host the Danbury Music Centre’s annual, “The Nutcracker Ballet,” this weekend, Dec. 7-9.

The show will be packed with dancing, orchestra, and plenty of holiday spirit. Several DHS students, from freshman to seniors, are involved as well.

The production is directed by married couple Arthur Frederick and Lisa Denton. Both directors have stated that the one thing they are looking forward to the most in this year’s show will be “seeing the beautiful transformation of children into capable animated performers.”

Rehearsals for the show first began in late September, and dancers have been coming to the high school, after-hours, almost every day since then in preparation for the show.

Junior Sara Carlson is involved in this year’s show alongside her younger sister, sophomore Megan Carlson.

Abigail Craig
Dancers for the weekend production of “The Nutcracker Ballet” warm up in D3.

A 10-year veteran of the show, Sara Carlson said, “I am super excited for this year’s show and I can’t wait to perform.” This year, she has the role of Snow Court two.

In addition to the Carlson girls, junior Brianna Luis will be playing two lead roles in the ballet production — Flower Pink on Pointe and Spanish Court.

Like Sara Carlson, Luis has danced in the production for a decade and is excited, mainly due to the fact that she has “a lot of dancing in the show this year.”

Shows are being held 7:30 p.m. today, 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium. Tickets are being sold on danburymusiccentre.org with prices ranging from $10-$35.

In recollecting her experiences with President George H.W. Bush, Social Studies teacher Ann Tucci went back to a time when she was just 8 years old.

Then, she wrote a letter to the president explaining her worry over the Gulf War, and received a near immediate response. “Ultimately, what impresses me about Bush is his showing to young people to always stay in the service of others,” said Tucci, who is also Social Studies head.

This week, teachers and students at DHS honored Bush, who died Dec. 1 at the age of 94. Flags are at half-staff across the nation, and at 10 a.m. Wednesday (President Trump declared Dec. 5 a national day of mourning), associate principal Meghan Martins addressed the school about Bush’s service and legacy.

President George H.W. Bush welcomes actor and activist Robert Redford into the Oval Office at the White House.

Bush was the 41st president, and at 94 the longest living president. Bush was born and raised in New England, but after graduating high school he enlisted in the Navy to become the youngest pilot to serve during World War II.

When returning, he attended Yale, earned his degree and became involved in Republican party politics in Texas, where he had moved with his wife and young family. He was a Congressman, made runs for Senate and president, served as an ambassador under President Nixon, became CIA chief,  and served as vice president to Ronald Reagan for eight years.

Bush won the presidency in 1988. Voters liked his genuinity and humbleness, and the promise of “no new taxes,” a pledge he ultimately was forced to break to help balance the nation’s debt. He navigated the nation through the end of the Cold War, sent through numerous environmental bills, and successfully forced Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. Ultimately, Bush was found to be a dedicated civil servant throughout his lifetime.

Bush was laid to rest Dec. 6 at the Bush Library in Texas. Before his burial, there was a departure ceremony held for several days of events in Washington D.C. that celebrated the more than three decades Bush spent as a public servant – initiated by the formal 21-gun salute. Trump, former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were some of the notable figures in attendance. Most prominently, George W. Bush, the 43rd president and son of George H.W. Bush, delivered a tearful eulogy, saying “He showed me what it means to be a president who serves with integrity, leads with courage and acts with love in his heart for the citizens of our country.”

Tucci encourages her students to take after his legacy of volunteer service and becoming involved in the Danbury community. She believes her students, alongside the general population, will remember Bush for being more than just a president. “His legacy goes beyond those four years,” she said. “You shouldn’t remember him as a one-term president, but rather for all of the service he did for his country.”

Social Studies teacher Joe Vas agreed about Bush’s service, especially after the presidency. But when it came to the presidency, Vas described him as “plain,” “humble,” and at times “bland.” Vas said Bush will likely be overlooked ultimately as a one-term president, and that he is really unsure if he will have any legacy.

“Bush is a good and upright American,” Vas said. “But he’s on track to being one of the forgotten dramas. He’s very flat. Everyone will remember Obama for being the first black president, and George W. Bush for his ‘war on terror’ following 9/11. What about George H.W. Bush?’ “

Vas further explained that even though Bush helped Reagan end the Cold War, and kept Russia and other new countries formed out of the Soviet state in check as they tried democracy, his “humble and ordinariness” is what causes him to be overlooked compared to figures with a more prominent iconography.

That said, Vas said he found Bush to be remarkable in his perseverance and character. “He was a member of the last ‘Great Generation,’ ” Vas explained. “He lived through the Great Depression, fought in WW II, reformed America, and expected nothing in return.”

Bush epitomized the “Greatest Generation.” Vas explained that the “Greatest Generation” was the generation that got things done. He draws reference to the poignant image of former Sen. Bob Dole saluting Bush’s casket, being held up from his wheelchair and saluting with his left hand (his right hand became useless after being shot in the arm in World War II).

“If there’s anything I want my students to take away from Bush is his selfless character: being productive without expecting anything in return,” Vas said.

The impact of the Bush presidency, of course, did not ultimately escape the students of DHS. A major factor in the diversity of political opinions amongst the student masses is the emergence of strict political views – either completely Democrat, or completely Republican.

An advocate for LGBT youth and president of DHS’s Diversity Club, senior Ashley Corrie doesn’t skip over the AIDS crisis that emerged in the 1980s and the criticism of Reagan and Bush in that they didn’t do enough to help.

She especially doesn’t forget what Bush did then, saying “Bush turned away hundreds at the border because of the fear of AIDS spreading, and the fear that they might have it. It’s that ignorance that overshadows any ‘American spirit’ or character his legacy becomes … One can only hope he’s seen for his real actions and their impact on others,” Corrie said.

Grace Rudrick, a member of the Young Republicans Club, respectfully disagrees, again focusing on Bush’s foreign policy.

She describes Bush as the“last great American politician. Bush’s reformations on educational policy is what makes the education I receive today the way it is. I think it’s important to pay tribute to such an honorable and great man,” Rudrick said.

There is hope for the Hatters, and his name is Augustine Tieri. After attaining only one and two wins in their previous seasons, respectively, Tieri led the Hatters to an overall 4-6 record this season, 3-6 in the conference. Undoubtedly, this was a promising debut season for the coach, who was mainly focused on “the revival of this program.”

“He immediately changed the culture around football in Danbury,” sophomore DJ Donovan said.

Tieri, hired away from a Bronx high school last spring, guided three players to All-FCIAC Second Team, and had five players awarded All-West.

Under his coaching, senior running back Jack Pompea led the league in rushing, tallying 1,025 yards along with junior running back Malik Thomas, who finished in second place with 713 yards.

Junior defensive lineman, Jah Joyner, also placed second in FCIACs for total sacks, finishing with 11.

As well as athletically training his team, Tieri said he strived to help them “become better, more complete men, equipped to handle the challenges beyond high school.” He focused on building a trust between teammates so they could “have each others backs and believe” in one another.

Donovan, who plays inside linebacker, reviewed his coach positively, saying,“Coach pushed me to my limits, expecting the best from me and everyone on the team; academically and physically.”

Tieri, who teaches Social Studies at DHS, said he aimed to “build a trust, a work ethic” with his players through extensive training and practice. “They came together really tight, we’re really close,” said Tieri, who is known for posting to Twitter quotes of inspiration as well as updates on his rigorous practices.

Pompea said this season was his best out of all four years he played: “I felt more connected [with my coach] than I did in the past three years. I really felt like he wanted to be there.”

To conclude their season, the Hatters played their last game at home versus a rival team, Ridgefield.

In previous years DHS had lost to Ridgefield “43-7, 35-0, 42-6… This year we were winning 12-6 going into the fourth quarter,” said senior linebacker Liam Jakobson. “[It was] one of our best defensive efforts in years.”

The game came down to one final play that would cost Danbury the game, but even in some of the tough losses, there was remarkable improvement to be noted.

“Although it wasn’t a winning season, it still felt like a long time coming,” Pompea said.

After being coached by Tieri for just one season, Jakobson believes that “in 4-5 years, DHS could be a state contender if things keep going the way they’re going.”

Tieri intended to display what his team was capable of this season. He claims that they have “turned the page” as a program and are only looking forward from here.

As per usual, the 61st Grammy nominations that were released on the morning of Dec. 7 carried some controversy. After expanding the number of general category nominations from five to eight to increase the competitive field, the issues surrounding nominated albums were supposed to be quelled.

Arguably, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year nominations left out three expected front-runners: Sweetener by Ariana Grande, reputation, by Taylor Swift, and Everything is Love, by The Carters, otherwise known as power couple, JAY-Z and Beyoncé.

Rap continues to dominate the music industry, with half of the Album of the Year nominees belonging to the genre. However, there have been a few wondering about the rap category nominations.

Artists who write their own songs are typically considered over artists who just perform the songs given to them. Cardi B, one of the nominees for Record of the Year and Album of the Year, however, had no writing credits on her album Invasion of Privacy. Yet, other Hip-Hop artists who released critically acclaimed albums that they had at least partially written, such as Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, J Cole, and Lil Wayne, were not nominated at all.

Sweetener broke the highest streaming weekend for a female artist’s album when it dropped in August.

Another artist subject to the controversial nominations was Ariana Grande. Her 4th album,  Sweetener, released on August 17th of 2018, recorded the biggest Spotify streaming week for a female artist with 109 million streams. It also claimed 1,442,000 million worldwide sales and 207,000 pure-album sales in the US, broke multiple records and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, Sweetener sourced the hit-single, no tears left to cry, Grande’s comeback single. It debuted at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and has garnered 397,286,568 streams–the most streamed song of the album.

The reason it was so controversial that Grande only received nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo performance is that after dropping successful album Sweetener, Grande was expected to run away with multiple awards.

Everything is Love, is the comeback album for both Beyonce and JAY-Z after they both lost the Album of the Year award in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Everything is Love, the joint studio album from superstars, JAY-Z and Beyoncé, was a surprise album that

dropped on June 16th. This album, which completed the trilogy of albums that the Carters have released as insight into their marriage, holds hit-single APESH*T. It did receive three nominations, but along with reputation and Sweetener, the Recording Academy denied it Record of the Year and Album of the Year nominations.

One of the biggest surprises was Taylor Swift’s reputation only being nominated in one category, Best Pop Vocal Album.

In 2017, which ended seven weeks after Swift released reputation, it sold 1.9 million copies and had the best album sales of the year, beating Ed Sheeran’s Divide. It topped the 2018 Billboard’s Year-End Album chart in sales as well, beating out Drake’s Scorpion, despite being released in November of 2017. Worldwide, reputation has sold 4,458,000 copies and has 2,172,000 pure album sales in the US.

The conundrum is, why reputation, the highest selling album of both 2017 and 2018, was not nominated for album of the year. In fact,

reputation was the highest selling album in both 2017 & 2018 and yet was not nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy’s.

reputation outsold every album nominated for Album of the Year combined in pure sales and was the source of Swift’s record-breaking tour.

The Reputation Stadium Tour visited the United States, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. It became the highest grossing tour in the United States, beating out the Rolling Stones. It also is now the second highest grossing female tour ever at $345.7 million, with Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour grossing even higher, at $408 million.

The Tour was 100% sold out and cycled in rave reviews. The Arizona Republic wrote that “there were many moments in the course Swift’s performance that felt like she was playing to the back rows of the stadium by simply sharing with her fans.”

While successful tours may not have the largest effect on nominations, it should still be considered that the largest U.S. tour ever stemmed from the album with the most sales. That should have been enough to secure Swift an Album of the Year nomination.

Billboard, Rolling Stones, Daily Mail, People, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, USA Today, and the LA Times have named reputation as one of the albums that got snubbed.

USA Today remarked “If the entirety of the Grammy’s main categories were made up of shining examples of representation, Swift’s exclusion would make sense. But they aren’t- it’s a rat race that pits the actual best albums against random nominees whose names seem drawn from a hat.”

The Rolling Stones even went as far as saying it was the Grammy’s biggest snub of the year saying “Swift’s sixth LP was the biggest-selling and most divisive album of 2017 and 2018 — and it’s now her least-nominated album since her self-titled debut.”

Despite this, the increase in female nominees in the top four categories is refreshing, going from six last year, to fourteen this year. It’s especially remarkable to see Janelle Monáe, H.E.R., Brandi Carlile, and Kacey Musgraves in the Album of the Year category after many doubted they’d be nominated. One of the most notable surprises was Christina Aguilera, scoring two nominations–one with Demi Lovato for Best Pop Duo Performance in Fall in Line, and one with Goldlink Best Rap/Sung performance for Like I Do, both off of Aguilera’s Liberation, her first album in six years.

With or without the controversy, the Grammy Awards is still the biggest night in music and all of the artists nominated released music exceptional enough to be noticed by the Recording Academy. The Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS from 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Feb. 10.

Updated 12/12: Administration reported at about 10 a.m. today that the D-wing elevator has passed state inspection and is now in service.

Updated 12/4:  Principal Dan Donovan reports that the D-wing elevator is still out of service because it can’t pass state inspection. He reports that the elevator’s original technology, from the 1960s, can’t communicate with contemporary technology. Inspectors were on site last week, testing the elevator and that’s why the fire alarms kept sounding. It’s not clear when the problem will be solved and students needing the elevator remain in the Library Learning Commons to do their work.

Sophomore Jennifer Roos, who has recently been recovering from knee surgery, says that the broken elevator situation in the D-building has “made a bunch of [her] grades go down” due to spending her school days on her own in the library.

The issue with the elevators began “when the fire alarm [started], the elevator [was] supposed to shut down [but didn’t],” says Principal Dan Donovan. More specifically, there was an old smoke detector in the D-building that was not working in correspondence with the building elevator.

However, Donovan cannot stress enough that the elevators “are safe and work. They just don’t align with the fire alarms so they had to be rewired.” Until then, the elevator continues to be “out-of-service.” The C-wing elevator had the same issue, but was fixed quickly.

Erik Wallin
Sophomore Austin Harrighi completing independent classwork in the library after the elevator complications.

Students requiring elevator use in the D wing have been reporting to the library rather than their regular classrooms. Though they have missed valuable class time, the expectation is that the students must receive and return all assignments.

Senior Pablo Gulart says that although he cannot get into some of his classes, he is still “getting [his] work from [his] teachers” and “emailing [his] teachers” or asking others for help.

Similarly, sophomore Austin Harrighi says that he “can seem to get [his] work done on [his] own” just fine.

On the other hand, like Roos, sophomore Samantha Santos has been struggling to understand her work outside of the classroom. Without the teacher’s assistance that she needs, Santos shares that she is getting her work “but it doesn’t help when [she doesn’t] understand all of the information.”

Not only are students struggling due to the elevator situation in D-building, but so are many staff members, including school nurses and English teachers.

English teacher Justin Hitchcock said that he has not yet received his Chromebooks due to the elevator malfunction. “[My] Khan Academy [plans] have being pushed back,” he says, reflecting the problem plaguing many other teachers. The school recently bought through a grant Chromebooks and carts for all English teachers. The elevator is needed to get the Chromecarts to the classrooms.

In addition, school nurses Meghan Gabriel, Megan Kilcourse, and Cathy Blair hope to see the elevators fixed quickly.

“If someone were to be injured in the gym, the golf cart would have to come around to the front of the building,” says Gabriel. Fortunately, no injuries thus far have called for this measure, but nevertheless, the malfunction poses a hindrance.

Donovan says that the elevators are “supposed to be finished by the end of this week.” He is not quite sure what that may entail, or if the crew working on the elevators will be finished by the time it said, but can only expect what he has been told.

The cross-town rivalry between Danbury and Immaculate will come to a head Saturday, Dec. 15 in the annual News-Times Tip-Off Classic, which began Thursday with both schools winning and advancing to Saturday’s final.

Both teams trounced their opponents in the first round, with the Hatters defeating Abbott Tech 57-28 and Immaculate beating Bethel 63-37.

Senior Denali Burton led the Hatters with 14 points; their defense held Abbott to 1 point in the first quarter.

The meeting of the two teams is the talk of the school, and the administration has already stepped in to quell tensions by prohibiting fans from bringing into the stands signs because of concern that some may be offensive.

Last year, the Hatters won the FCIAC tournament and, on their way, they also beat Immaculate, 58-45.

Although the team lost eight players from last year, it has talented players to carry out the expectations, including five seniors — Burton, Taylor Heady, Javon Hernandez, Keyon Moore, and Marson James.

The Hatters are coached by Casey Bock, who is in his 10th year as head coach.

“We’re doing well,” Bock said. “We have four seniors that will play big minutes and will be a big part of the team. We have some younger guys that are going to have to step up and contribute at the varsity level.”

The team’s goals include winning another FCIAC title this year. Heady said he likes the Hatters chances.

“So far the team is looking good,” Heady said. “We had a large senior class last year, and a loss of Diante Vines going to Taft, so we have a lot of young guys on the team.”

Joelene Hefferon
Taylor Heady, a senior varsity captain, practicing with his team.

The Immaculate game is one that the Hatters and their fans always look forward to. “This game is one of the most exciting games of the year,” Heady said.“We get to play against our hometown rivals and get to put on a show.”

Students are exhilarated for this game every year, too. Last year, the Hatters’ Hooters won the best fan section in the FCIAC. Hatters Hooters captain and senior Benjamin Palardy said this year’s squad of fans is ready.

“I’m really excited for the game,” Palardy said. “There’s always a lot of build up for games like this, especially for one of the first games of the season.

“Last year’s game was so much fun because there was a lot of people with a lot of passion for the players on the court, there was definitely a lot of energy there,” Palardy continued. “This year we will have a ton of anticipation for this game, just because everybody knows how much support we bring and the reputation Danbury has.”

This hometown game will be at Immaculate, following the consolation game between Bethel and Abbott, which begins at 6 p.m.

“There is a lot of talk that goes on, but at the end of the day Danbury gets to show why we are the better basketball team and take home the win,” Heady said.

The flex program has expanded to include “extension” classes.

Students have been using their flex time for extra help with teachers and “interventions” if they have an average of below 75.

“Intervention is for students that need assistance; for example, if you missed a test because you were out sick. That’s intervention,” Principal Daniel Donovan says.

In addition, teachers have been hosting “enrichment” or “extension” flexes to engage students in new areas of learning and to offer some fun throughout their new, dense block schedules.

Junior Christian Coronel sings along while other students play along in Modern Rock Band flex.

Guitar and piano teacher Susan McKenzie, for instance, holds her Modern Rock Band extension on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in room A306.

“Students really love getting together and playing music,” McKenzie says. “My flex is always filled.”

Senior Genesis Freitas says, “I take modern rock band during flex to get extra practice with guitar and to meet and play with others who have the same interests.”

McKenzie lets students use instruments such as electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass and the drum kit.

Sophomore Daniel Silva says he looks forward to every week in McKenzie’s flex. “It helps me practice with the instrument I play, and to play with other instruments that I can’t play outside of class,” he said.

Senior Marco Frascone adds:  “I love it! I get to do a lot of things I’m usually not able to do. I can expand on my learning in art and music.”

Speech arts teacher Michael Burnett offers his “Focus Fridays” to manage stress, stage fright and anxiety associated with performance, public speaking and daily living. No cell phones allowed in this flex.

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Flex program is work in progress

Junior Elizabeth Valencia says it’s a great way to take a break from the stresses of classes and academics.

”It teaches ways to relax and focus,” Valencia says. “We all sit in a circle and close our eyes while relaxing music plays in the background. Afterwards we talk about how we felt and what we got out of it. It’s my favorite part of the week.”

Junior Delaney Dempster adds: “Focus Fridays are great, they’re a good way to get away from the stress of core classes. I think focus Fridays are a good use of flex time.”

Meanwhile, In the G gym, Caitlin Lewis holds a yoga enrichment flex on Friday.

“We do a mix of building strength, deep breathing and stress relief,” the crisis counselor said.

Lewis says she has a lot of repeat students who enjoy the class. She says that block schedules can be prolonged and she likes to provide students with a healthy escape.

Some other extension flexes open to students are story time with Social Studies teacher Michelle Passarelli in D380 on Wednesday, building connections with board games with CTEE teacher Sterling Miller in A208 on Wednesday, stress management with Science teacher Raymond Marchinkoski on the first Wednesday of each month in C541, and film appreciation with Scott Carrizzo in the black box theater on Thursday and Friday.

Not all ideas from staff get approved. Donovan says he has to take into consideration whether the school has the room for what’s been pitched. Another consideration is whether the teacher proposing the idea should running such a flex instead of helping struggling students in their respective courses.

“Kids who are going to them love them and want more of them,” Donovan says. “But it’s a balance we have to maintain between a non-academic flex versus an academic flex.”

The school’s first cohort of the DECO program — which began four years ago — will see five seniors graduating in 2019 with an associate’s degree alongside their high school diploma

The graduating students received their degree in one of two areas, General Studies or Computer Systems Information Technology. In Computer Systems, graduating students include Gabriel Campos, Theodore Hodgdon, Jerfrey Martinez, and Francis Sanchez. In General Studies, Kayla Downs.

In addition, Veronica Becker, started in the DECO program and earned her high school diploma in three years instead of four. After receiving her diploma, she continued pursuing a Liberal Arts & Sciences degree at Naugatuck Valley Community College. She will be receiving the degree on January 1st.

The rest of the students will be officially earning their degrees in August, as NVCC can’t grant students degrees without a high school diploma. However, they will also have the opportunity to walk in the 2019 graduation ceremony on May 23rd at 2pm at the Palace Theater in Waterbury.

“Graduating Summa Cum Laude at 18 is a pretty amazing thing,” Downs, one of the graduating seniors, said.

Campos, another graduating senior added, “It makes all the hard work me and my peers put in worth it. It makes my parents really proud that I was able to complete both my high school diploma and associate’s degree in 4 years.”

DECO’s first graduating class is referred to as “cohort one.” Cohort one began in August 2015, consisting of 99 students when it began and 69 students currently.                                                                                                               

The program is designed to to prepare students for post-secondary education and career readiness. Students in the program take free classes at NVCC and work towards an associate’s degree in anywhere between four to six years.

Students are allowed to sign up and pay for any classes they need that aren’t offered for free. NVCC also grants credit for a three or higher on AP Exams. In addition, students can pay a fee to take the CLEP exam for a subject and, if they score high enough, they may place out of the required college course.

Classes that are offered for free take place during the school day, after school, or during the summer. Dr. Sarah Roy, director of the Danbury Early College Opportunity program, solicits funds for these classes in addition to coordinating the students high school and college schedules, reaching out to local companies for internship opportunities, and facilitating the relationship between the high school and college.

When this program first began, administrators weren’t sure if they would need to make changes to the program based on how cohort one turned out. However, the success of the first cohort has proven that not much needs to be changed.

“I like how the model is going. The only other thing I would add is expanding it to include other majors, but that would require more support and funds from the state of Connecticut,” said Roy.

NVCC dean, Sarah Gager, has also worked with with DECO students to plan out their courses and make sure they graduate in four years as planned. Gager works at the Waterbury campus, but makes trips to the high school to have advising sessions with the students once a semester.

“Students have excelled and have earned more credits than we initially expected.  We are all so very proud of their incredible accomplishments,” Gager said. “Having some of our first cohort students complete their degree program and participate in commencement in May will be a proud moment for us all.”

However, the success the students achieved did not come without obstacles for both them and Roy. “Courses and textbooks are expensive. Due to this we had to change the number of students we accept in each cohort from 100 to 60,” Roy said.

During the students freshman year of the program, they were assigned specifically to team four, consisting of teachers Jared Cowden, Lillian Hope, Nicholas Foley, and Devin Samaha.

Foley and Samaha, alongside Diane Mohs and Stephanie Spiridon, also taught the course Workplace Learning 1– a required class to get students ready for the workplace.

“Those students have sacrificed a great deal to achieve their degrees and the cords they will be wearing on graduation day; and I am also happy for the graduating DECO students’ parents,” Samaha said.

Foley added, “I am very impressed at their ability to juggle everything in high school and college work. This shows how driven and hardworking they are. I am excited to see the future of the program and the students benefit from their hard work.”

Campos credits Foley and Samaha for helping him throughout his journey in DECO. “I have to give my hat off to my two favorite teachers Mr. Samaha and Mr. Foley. I know that if I ever needed their help with anything, they would help me,” said Campos.

Gregory Fimmano, a NVCC professor, also played a major role in the success of the DECO students. In their sophomore year of high school, they began their first college class, which was taught by Fimmano.

Fimmano has worked over 25 years in information technology in both the technology support side and the software development side as a verification and validation engineer. He led the verification and validation test activities for the release of the EMR (Electronic Medical Record) application, and the telehealth home monitor.

When Fimmano was offered the opportunity to teach a class at the college, he was under the impression that he would be teaching at the Danbury campus to traditional college students. After learning that he’d be teaching high-schoolers, he was concerned.

“I knew nothing about the program and had no idea what to expect. To be perfectly honest, I was not sure I wanted to teach at the high school,” said Fimmano. “This state of mind changed very quickly when I realized this was one of those moments in life where you are given an opportunity to work on something from the ground up. I knew I was going to be part of something pretty unique. I am so glad I didn’t change my mind.”

After going through the program themselves, the graduating students have accumulated a multitude of tips and advice for the younger DECO students.

Downs, who plans to go on to receive a bachelor’s degree, said, “You don’t have to take summer classes to finish the program. Take AP classes. You can get credit for classes if you receive high enough scores on the AP Exams. Also, be driven throughout your time in the program.”

Campos, who is still deciding whether or not he wants to go on to receive his bachelor’s or go into the navy, advises to “Make friends in the program. You’ll want to work on everything together, even if it’s different work. You’ll have company and support as you attempt to complete every assignment.”

On the flip side, Roy’s advice to the students who are graduating this year and going on to pursue something new is to “find your passion, it’s not work if you love what your doing. Keep setting goals for yourself and pushing yourself toward the next thing, even if it’s just a small step.”

Michael Burnett’s goal in choosing a show to produce is to connect it to what’s happening in the world. This year’s show — the classic hippy production of Godspell — is no exception.

“Godspell is really a show about building a community at its core, and I thought that with what is going on in our world, that was an important theme to bring out. The idea of coming together around love and community,” Burnett said.

Originally performed off-Broadway in 1971 and arriving on Broadway in 1976, Godspell takes the biblical characters of Jesus and Judas, several parables, and eight other main cast-members and spins it all together into one production. The show starts with a parable about murder and then goes on to discuss “Love your enemies,” after a round of Pictionary and Charades.

While the show is based on the religious story of Jesus, Godspell takes a fun and innovative way to discuss that without being super religious.

When casting this show, Burnett focused mainly on “people that first could handle a challenging score, and then be willing to play around and be children and come to the blocking [rehearsals] ready to play and experiment with different things.”

Seniors Gabby D’Ostilio (Jesus) and Ben Pereira (Judas), both of whom have been involved in theatre since their freshman year, have met that criteria.

D’Ostilio has been involved in theater since middle school and has done musicals outside of school. In fact, the reason she joined theater was after seeing Hairspray at DHS in 2011.

She is thrilled to return to the stage as Jesus for her final production, saying “…with my role, I think I have the potential to really teach the audience about the importance of love and community.”

Pereira’s theater journey, on the other hand, started in his freshman year with In the Heights. He started theater because of a “light interest. I also realized that I needed to join some sort of club. I tried out theater.

It turned into something I always looked forward to. I always wanted to do more of whatever we had learned in rehearsal that day.”

Pereira continued, saying “My goal for this show is to outdo myself and give the best performance out of all of the productions I have participated in.”

One of the reasons senior Lily Hennig joined the show was due to the positive environment she saw on stage from the audience.

“Everyone cheers each other on and will always give positive reinforcement instead of bringing someone down,” Hennig said. “My experience so far has been wonderful. Even though this is my first year, the cast has interacted with me like I have been there since the beginning.”

Gabby’s younger sister Becca, says that “I got involved into theater six years ago because of my sister and I had done dance for a very long time so I just thought I would do it.”

Jordan Madaus, who is in his first production, says that “I just wanted to try something new and since all my friends were in it I just thought I should try it out.”

Freshman Harmony Reynoso added: “When I’m having a bad day, I always look forward to attending. The bright vibes and feeling I get, makes me feel like a brand new person.”

Divine Thomas, a sophomore, said she is most looking forward to seeing the end result. “I always love when something comes together and like looks good there’s nothing like a finished product. so mostly the effort in people to make Godspell really come alive.”

Godspell (The Revival Version) will be performed in the auditorium on April 4-6.

As of Nov. 1, the girls’ cross-country team was named best team in the state, prevailing in the Class LL’s and winning with a total of 56 points, for the first time in more than 10 years; Glastonbury was close, but too far behind, at 97 points.

“This has taken a lot of commitment, and a lot of miles run. Our team consists of a remarkable group of young ladies. They’ve definitely set the bar for the coming years,” said Coach Marsha Turek, who has been leading the team since 2004.

The team had been practicing for their 5K races since June. They had long runs on Saturday mornings in the trails, runs around the city, and workouts before school. Every meet they participated in was a chance to explore their limits and see how they could improve. Turek explained that “if we came back healthy and stronger, we had a great chance of winning.”

Senior Cassandra Sturdevant also believes this title will be a standard that future DHS cross-country runners can strive for: “I think this excites younger girls,” Sturdevant said, “and lets them know that they can achieve this as well.”

Sturdevant credits their win to not only hard work and on-point training, but “following through all of our race plans.” Race plans are how the team attacks the course and goes through each mile.  

Valerie Fox, a junior on the team, said, “Practices started to get harder and more race specific, and we made sure we were doing the right amount of training right up until the meet.”

The runners are proud of each other. “We’ve all been working so hard since the summer, and it’s nice to see that our hard work paid off,” said junior Meliee Kry.

Practice and planning made perfect in this case. Five out of the seven runners placed in the top 17: Lauren Moore placing second (18:59), Daniella Grullon Pena finishing ninth (19:45), Alex Chakar finishing 12th (20:00), Meilee Kry at 16th (20:06) and Cassandra Sturdevant at 17th (20:07). Sarah Johnson and Valerie Fox, placed 22nd and 28th, respectively.

Moore, a senior, said, “Our top eight had a really strong bond this year because of all the work we put in together leading up to championship season, so we leaned on one another to stay focused, and we ran for each other.”

Pena, a sophomore, who placed ninth, certainly deserves an honorable mention. Despite this season being her first, Pena proved herself. “I definitely worked super hard for my place on the varsity team, and the team put in lot of work to win,” said Pena.

Unquestionably, their hard work paid off; however, the team still faced anxiety and nervousness before the race. “I think most of us get a little nervous in the days before, just because there’s pressure on us to do our best,” explained Johnson, a junior.

Moore added, “I always have some pre-race jitters, especially with the added stress of it being such a big meet, and having such high expectations for the day.” But generally, she explains that she tries not to stress over the other teams, because “ultimately you don’t know how the race will go down until you’re in it, so I don’t bother wasting any energy worrying.”

After a great cross-country season, most runners are looking forward to a spectacular indoor track season. Moore said, “This cross-country season is a really good start to track and the rest of the year.”

This past weekend, the indoor team surpassed many school records at the Hall of Fame Invite. Sturdevant and junior Chaker, for instance, broke the school record in the 500 with a time of 1:20.02 and 1:22, respectively.

“Cassandra and I are training partners, so we do a lot of our workouts and runs together. During practice we did speed sessions with each other to get ready for this race and it means a lot to have both of us break the old record and for Cassandra to have her own individual record,” said Chakar.

Other feats include Ariel Williams winning the freshman-sophomore long jump with a jump of 16-4.5, and Guliana Robles placing third with a personal best of 16-0. In addition, the 4×200 team placed 6th overall.

Indoor coach Nick Fraticelli said these wins are truly a “team effort” consisting of hard work, and a life balance. “That’s all I want for the kids,” he said. “To have fun, learn about the sport, and leave with a positive feeling about what they’d accomplished.”

Science teacher Raymond Marchinkoski is preparing to take on a new class and introduce forensic science to students, offering them a unique experience with hands-on techniques that forensic scientists use.

He defined forensic science, explaining that, “It is the integration of earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and math with critical-thinking, problem-solving and observational skills.”

If approved, the new class would be taught by Marchinkoski, who has been teaching for three years. He currently teaches A.P. Environmental Science and Aquatic Science classes, but is yearning for a new, different course.

He first heard of such a course when student teaching in Bristol. There, the students had an option to study forensic science, which instantly caught his attention. Now, he is preparing to teach this very class himself.

Science department head Barbara Bogart said she has heard from students who are interested in such a course. She said she is confident it would fill up with students if the class becomes official.“It started because of the students, and their hunger for education,” Bogart said. “We have to make sure it’s something they’re interested in.”

Bogart later broached the subject with Marchinkoski. Immediately, he expressed interest and is now building the course proposal.

Erika Krohomer
Students take notes during Marchinkoski’s class.

Approval for a new course would have to come from Associate Principal Meghan Martins, who is in charge of curriculum.

“We’re going to roll it out as a college prep class and depending on how much traction it gets,” Bogart said, “we’ll have to see where it goes.”

Marchinkoski said the class would be run with a “student driven” approach. He made it clear that it would focus on making students feel they have input that essentially drives the class in the direction that they determine.

He added how it would be an interdisciplinary class that will pull from criminal law, chemistry, and biology. There are a variety of topics that he would want to cover, including observational skills, measuring photography, sketching, fingerprinting, handwriting, ballistics, blood-spatter analysis, and drugs.

He further added he is most excited about teaching anthropology because it reminds him of his favorite television show, “Bones,” which is about a forensic anthropologist helping to solve crimes. He explained how it is fascinating topic that will get students more engaged in what they are learning.

Students have heard about the proposal and are already expressing excitement. Junior, Karol Granda said, “ It’s a career path I can pursue; I’m very interested in criminal justice.”

She said she would see it as a “headstart in a way” in her pursuit of a college degree in the field.

Junior Aaron Melendez, who is in A.P. Environmental Science, said: “It’s similar to police work that intrigues me. If I am able to take it, it can help me determine what I want to do later on.”

It is undetermined when it will be open to students, but the school has high hopes that it will be ready for next year. With that, they are anticipating the class to be a half-year credit.

“I want to create awareness and enthusiasm about forensic science and hopefully impact future forensic science,” Marchinkoski said. “ I think it’s important that we start education early in forensic science career, and if they get exposure to it earlier they will get the skills they need and develop.”