Brookfield chef takes home one of CT top culinary awards, among Danbury area highlights

At Brookfield Common, Sharkis also leads a monthly Adventurous Eaters cooking demonstration where residents can see and taste unique ingredients and international cuisines.

Each day, residents enjoy homemade meals created by Sharkis.

The meals are served restaurant-style either in their formal dining room or more casual bistro.

Group honoring graduating mentors

The Danbury Student and Business Connection group DSABC will honor graduating mentors from the Danbury Public School district and the Henry Abbott Technical School at the groups annual end of year breakfast June 2 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at The Amber Room Colonnade.

The venue is located a 1 Stacey Road in Danbury.

Community members interested in mentoring are invited to attend the event at no cost, and can also enjoy the breakfast at no cost to hear firsthand experiences about the group’s mentoring program. To do so, email Danbury Student and Business Connection group Executive Director Susan Queenan at [email protected] by Tuesday, May 31.

The group’s scholarship recipients for 2022 will also be announced at the breakfast.

Danbury Mad Hatter Chorus to present annual show

The Danbury Mad Hatter Chorus is having a 2022 annual Show, “On Top of the World” at 7 p.m. Saturday at the First Congregational Church in Danbury.

The show will feature the chorus and its quartets: Blue Moon, Kismet, the Square Root of Sixteen, Rolling Tones, and The Brigadiers, along with the vocal quartet Midtown that provides an entertainment experience that caters all ages.

Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door.

Children 12, and under are free.

Tickets can be purchased at http://madhatterchorus.org.

The music group is a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which is an international body of men and women dedicated to the preservation of barbershop harmony.

The chorus has supported community events and music education programs throughout western Connecticut since the 1960s decade in history.

For more information and the subscription streaming service, visit https://www.madhatterbroadcasting.com/https://www.madhatterbroadcasting.com/.

WestConn announces award winners of research days

The Western Connecticut State University has announced the award winners of its 2022 Western Research Days event, which took place just before the second semester concluded.

Forty-six students officially presented their research, scholarship and creative inquiry to the university community.

All submissions had the endorsement of a faculty mentor.

A Western Research Days committee evaluated submissions based on criteria for abstract content. They also assessed overall merit within the context of a specific academic discipline.

Awardees included the following students for provost awards for research posters:

The awardees are: John Arnett of Bastrop, Texas, Juliet Barbieri, of Brookfield, Thomas Hilling, of Danbury, Kristina Korin, of Bethel, Margaret Madsen, of Stamford, Alysha Olson, of Bethel, Victoria Salerno, of New Fairfield, and Brielle Skrutskie, of Chester, N.Y.

Winners for oral presentations were Gabrielle Johnson of Windsor, and Erica Griggs of Hamden.

Sigma Xi student research awards also were presented to Barbieri, and Skrutskie, and to Sophia Chiaia, of Bethel, and Karen Keeler, of New Fairfield.

National Trails Day to be at Richter Park

National Trails Day will be celebrated at Richter Park in Danbury from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The event will be an introduction to the Farrington Trail System at the park.

There will be maps for people who want to explore the area on their own. Guided tours will also be available.

There will be a nature walk at 11 a.m.

Attendees are asked to bring water, sunscreen, and insect repellent, and wear study footwear.

Attendees are also asked to bring their own lunch. Lunch may also be purchased at the Cafee on the Green restaurant at the Club House.

Attendees can also Do-the-Richter Challenge by hiking all of the trails in the system in the five hours of the event.

More information is available by visiting https://trailsday.org/events/richter-park-challenge-and-nature-walk/.

The park is located at 100 Aunt Hack Road in Danbury.

10 Danbury students honored with recognition award

Ten students have been honored with the Western Connecticut Superintendents Association/Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents Student Recognition Award.

The students were recently recognized for their accomplishments by the association May 16.

The award is given to students who demonstrate leadership service to the school, academic prowess relative to ability, and service to other people in the community.

The following students were nominated by their school principal:

– Michael Jimenez, who is of the Broadview Middle School,

– Mackenzie Pudelko, who is also of the Broadview Middle School,

– Kelis Gardner, who is of the Rogers Park Middle School,

– Hakeem Osman, who is also of the Rogers Park Middle School,

– Isabella Confortini, who is of the Westside Middle School,

– Ronald Philip, who is also of the Westside Middle School,

– Mathew Mathew, who is of the Danbury High School,

– Samantha Andersen, who is also of the Danbury High School,

– Nicole Quizhpi Guaman, who is of the Alternative Center for Excellence, and

– Kristen Villani, who is also of the Alternative Center for Excellence.

The student awards program was originated by the association and the Public Information Committee. The program aims to provide superintendents with a means to recognize students in their local communities.

The recipients were recently honored by the Danbury Board of Education on Wednesday, May 25, at 7 p.m. during the governing authority’s bi-weekly meeting.

Wooster School Theater receives 22 HALO Award nominations

The Wooster School in Danbury recently participated in the 19th annual HALO Awards, which are like the Tony Awards for Connecticut High School theater.

The school was recognized with 22 nominations. The awards for 2022, are returning live to the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, Conn., on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

More information will be available on the https://www.sevenangelstheatre.org/high-school-halo-awards-2/ website. The Wooster School scheduled award date is Wednesday.

The Wooster School’s nominations are:

– Eight nominations for “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Comic Male Performance In A Play:

– Ben Greco as Smee in “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Comic Female Performance In A Play:

– Alli Byrne as Black Stache in “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Props Design and/or Management:

– Todd Muralles for “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Stage Management:

– Jackson Connelly (PSM), Viola Minor (SM), and Jesmari Perdicho (ASM) for “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Performance By A Couple or Dynamic Duo In A Play:

– Ben Greco, and Alli Byrne as Smee and Black Stache in “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Performance By A Cast In An Ensemble Production:

– Wooster School: “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Male Standout Performance In An Ensemble Production:

– Will Thaler as Peter in “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Best Play:

– Wooster School: “Peter and the Starcatcher”

– Fourteen nominations for “The Addams Family”

– Best Performance By A Featured Actor In A Musical:

– Cole Breen as Mal Beineke in “The Addams Family”

– Best Performance By A Featured Actress In A Musical:

– Sadie Drahzal as Alice Beineke in “The Addams Family”

– Best Comic Male Performance In A Musical:

– Ben Greco as Grandma Addams in “The Addams Family”

– Best Comic Female Performance In A Musical:

– Sadie Drahzal as Alice Beineke in “The Addams Family”

– Best Costume Design and/or Execution:

– Kayla Falconer, Lila Poston, and Leon Sharma for “The Addams Family”

– Best Hair and/or Makeup Design and/or Execution:

– Skyler Marcus for “The Addams Family”

– Best Sound Design and/or Execution:

– Christos Chiotis, Skyler Marcus, and Sabir Sakir for “The Addams Family”

– Best Scenic Design and/or Execution:

– Set Crew for “The Addams Family”

– Best Special Effects:

– Tina Zhang for “The Addams Family”

– Best Running Crew:

– Run Crew for “The Addams Family”

– Best Chorus:

– Wooster School: “The Addams Family”

– Best Performance By A Supporting Actor In A Musical:

– Charlie Aspillaga as Uncle Fester in “The Addams Family”

– Best Performance By A Couple or Dynamic Duo In A Musical:

– Cole Breen and Sadie Drahzal as Mal and Alice in “The Addams Family”

– Best Performance By A Leading Actor In A Musical:

– Will Thaler as Gomez Addams in “The Addams Family”

First-time home buyer workshop to be held

The nonprofit organization Houstatonic Habitat for Humanity and its partner Newtown Savings Bank are having a first-time home buyer workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the John Pettibone Community Center in New Milford.

The center is located at 2 Pickett District Road in New Milford.

No registration is necessary.

More information about how the chapter helps build stronger communities one family, and one home at a time is available at https://housatonichabitat.org/home-ownership/.

The workshop is free.

Experts from the bank will share information about the steps people can take to buy a home for the first time.

The seminar will also review ways to improve credit scores, how the mortgage application and the home buying processes work, and how the chapter helps local families buy their first homes.

Local students head to nationals with inventions

Five Danbury-area students are among the 76 student inventors from throughout Connecticut that are advancing to the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals.

The Connecticut Invention Convention is an affiliate program of Invention Convention Worldwide, and recently had a virtual State Finals Awards Ceremony.

Ten thousand students from across the state participated in local invention conventions in early 2022. Nearly 700 of the students advanced to the state finals competition. Twenty-four Fairfield County students are advancing to the Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals competition.

These students include Evelyn Klimowicz, a fourth-grader from Ridgefield, Eleanor and Henry Payne, fourth-graders from Brookfield, Nikhil Kosanam, fourth-graders from Bethel, and Lily Zezula, a sixth-grader from Ridgefield.

Founded in 1983, the convention is the U.S.’ oldest, and largest continuously operating invention education program for kindergarten through 12th grade student inventors, who are in kindergarten through the 12th grade, and entrepreneurs. Since its inception, over 350,000 kindergarten through 12th grade children, have experienced the invention programs.

The Invention Convention U.S. Nationals will take place at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Mich. Tuesday through Friday.

More information about Invention Convention U.S. Nationals is available at www.inhub.thehenryford.org/icw/competitions/us-nationals-landing.

More information about the Connecticut Invention Convention is available at www.inventionconvention.org/CT.

Laundry Love of Greater Danbury receives $3,000 grant

The nonprofit organization Laundry Love of Greater Danbury has received a $3,000 grant from the Ridgefield Thrift Shop to help provide laundry services on a regular basis to people struggling financially.

With this support, the organization can continue to provide pre-paid laundry cards to people in need on the second Wednesday of each month, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the White Street Wash Landromat and Cleaners in Danbury.

Laundry Love of Greater Danbury also distributes pre-paid cards through several social service agencies, such as Catholic Charities, the Dorothy Day Hospitality House and Pacific House West.

Laundry Love began its operations in 2019 with funding from 10 local faith communities. It is one of 325 registered Laundry Love locations in the U.S.

The First Congregational Church of Ridgefield functions as the fiduciary for the organization.

Donations can be sent to FCC, 103 Main St. Ridgefield, CT 06460, and directed to Laundry Love of Greater Danbury.

High school earns theater nominations

The Ridgefield High School 2021-22 theatrical productions of “All in the Timing” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” have received a combined 14 nominations for the 19th annual HALO Awards.

The Halo Awards are presented annually by Seven Angels Theater of Waterbury and celebrate the best of high school theater in Connecticut. More than 70 high schools throughout the state participate, and in a return to pre-pandemic form, the awards will be presented live at the Palace Theater in Waterbury over three nights.

The fall production of “All in the Timing” was nominated for Best Contemporary Play and Best Performance by a Cast in an Ensemble Production, with individual nominations for Henry Regnery (Don) for Best Male Standout Performance, and Nate Cohen, Henry Regnery, Motria Holian and Audrey Huff collectively nominated for Best Specialty Ensemble. Behind the scenes, Henry Regnery, Motria Holian, Audrey Huff and Asterix Lombardo were nominated for Best Props Design and/or Management.

RHS’s spring musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” received nominations for Best Contemporary Musical, Best Performance by a Cast in an Ensemble Production, and Best Orchestra, as well as individual nominations for Emma Young (Logainne) for Best Comic Female Performance, Henry Regnery (Leaf) for Best Comic Male Performance, and Millie Altopp (Olive’s Mom) for Best Female Standout Performance. Nominations for technical achievement were given to Asterix Lombardo for Best Stage Management, Emmett Joyce for Best Original Cover Design or Artwork and the entire cast for Best Hair and/or Makeup Design and/or Execution.

Ridgefield High School’s achievements will be recognized in a ceremony at the Palace Theater in Waterbury on Tuesday. Tickets may be reserved by visiting https://www.sevenangelstheatre.org.

Students from 30 different schools recognized

The Western Connecticut Superintendents Association held a student recognition awards ceremony on May 16 for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The ceremony, held at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury, recognizes middle and high school students from 30 different schools in the area, and student achievements.

Award recipients and teachers attended.

Megan Bennett is the superintendent of the Regional School District 12 and the president of the association.

The Superintendent’s Student Recognition Awards Program was previously originated by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents CAPSS Public Information Committee.

The program provides a formal means for superintendents across Connecticut to recognize students from their local communities.

The awards are based on community service and service to others, academic prowess (relative to ability), and leadership service to the school and the community.

Students, their families, and school leaders from 30 middle schools and high schools in western Connecticut enjoyed a reception before the awards were presented.

Other highlights included live music that was provided by Katherine Mombo, Caroline Cloud, Aliza Creel, and Pearson Raistrick of the Pomperaug High School String Quartet instrument group.

There was also a performance of the National Anthem by Luisa Friend, Virginia Grabovsky, Sana Sarr, and Faith Walker of the Masuk High School Singers singing group.

The student recognition awards recipients by school district are:

Bethel

Bethel Middle School

Jae Godfrey & Kaitlyn Kechejian

Bethel High School

Rachel Jay and Shamus O’Grady

Brookfield

Whisconier Middle School

Rahma Ahmed Alrifaie and Francis Thaddeus Balzi

Brookfield High School

Gary Tremund Ampeloquio an Maahi Dhote

Danbury

See list above

Easton, Redding, Regional School District 9

Helen Keller Middle School

Kosta Nani and Maansi Tibrewal

John Read Middle School

Finn Bermingham and Madeleine Furrer

Joel Barlow High School

Nathaniel Bass and Ruby Efinger

Monroe

Jockey Hollow School

Olivia Cusa and Christopher Yuskas

Masuk High School

Dylan Pinto and Julian Silkman

New Fairfield

New Fairfield Middle School

Evelyn Falino and Ainsley Flower

New Fairfield High School

Joshua Figueroa and Caitlyn Murray

New Milford

Schaghticoke Middle School

Owen Staller and Jireh Vazquez

New Milford High School

Joshua Berkun and Sarah Rondini

Newtown

Newtown Middle School

Benjamin Fitzgerald and Madeline Norrett

Newtown High School

Matthew Irving and Allison McCarthy

Oxford

Oxford Middle School

Audrey Brough and Sabrina Fletter

Oxford High School

Erin Burnett and Braydon Cretella

Regioanl School District 12

Shepaug Valley School

Seann Bennett, Charles DaCunha and James Dowling-Ukers

Regional School District 15

Memorial Middle School

Rylen Brennan and Claudia Burrus

Rochambeau Middle School

Teniola Arole and Emelia Luis

Pomperaug High School

Hunter Curcuruto and Erin Flanagan

Ridgefield

East Ridge Middle School

Abigail Freeman and Norah Surette

Scotts Ridge Middle School

Benjamin Olsen and Charlotte Osher

Ridgefield High School

Molly Lyons and Anshuman Suryawanshi

Sherman

Sherman School

Benjamin Greenwald and Fiona Ruffler

Resident leads national Immune Deficiency Foundation board

Local business person Tracy Shaw is leading the board of the national Immune Deficiency Foundation.

She began her term as the chair of the board earlier in 2022, after serving on the nonprofit organization’s Board of Trustees since 2018.

She has also been an active advocacy and fundraising volunteer for the organization since 2012, and has worked closely with MadeVisible, and the National Organization of Rare Disorders.

Shaw, from Southbury, is a business growth strategist for industries spanning financial services to healthcare, is dedicated to enriching the general customer experience, streamlining process improvements, and developing innovations that enhance. She is a solo mom to a daughter, a recent college graduate who lives with a primary immunodeficiency.

Shaw’s daughter founded a grassroots youth advocacy group in eighth grade.

The organization is dedicated to amplifying the voices of the rare disease community.

Shaw has also previously spent time as a youth soccer coach and a Girl Scout cookie mom while holding a patent for a 401kSecure, and very briefly, a world record.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization that improves the diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life of people, who are affected by primary immunodeficiency through fostering a community empowered by advocacy, education, and research.

Several local model airplane flying club members, resident develop Principles of Flight Program

Several members of the local model airplane flying club, the Fairfield League of Yankee Radio Controllers, FLYR, in Southbury, and Roxbury resident Sharon Faanes recently developed a Principles of Flight Program.

The team worked and coordinated with the Academy of Model Aeronautics, AMA, the Booth Free Elementary School in Roxbury, CTESTES Rockets, CO, the Town of Roxbury, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The members recently presented the program to the fifth grade class at the school.

The program began from a Voices article that was published two years ago, in which a local Cub Scout Den was built, and launched ESTES Hobby Rockets for merit badges.

The students listened intently, with many questions, to an hour-long slideshow with hands-on demonstrations. The lecture topics included: The “History of Flight, What Is Required for Fixed and Rotary Wing Flight, and Jet and Rocket Engines and How They Work.” Overall, the day was a huge success.