The Buzz
School Community Newsletter
Issue #37
Friday, March 12, 2021
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March is Women's History Month |
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Dylan Crowley Makes His 1000th Point |
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Gilbert Flores named to CHSCA CT Academic All-State team |
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Gilbert senior, Gilbert Flores, has been named to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association's Academic All-State team for boys soccer. "While All-State is phenomenal, Academic All-State is a whole new level!" said soccer Coach Patrick Cooke about Gilbert's honor.
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A Music Department Memorial Fund has been set up by The W. L. Gilbert Trust in memory of Mr. Keeley. Anyone wishing to make a donation may send a check to "The W. L. Gilbert Trust Corporation", with the memo line marked Edward Keeley Memorial Fund. Donations may be mailed to The Gilbert School, 200 Williams Avenue, Winsted, CT 06098.
Donations may also be made via The Gilbert School website by clicking on the link below and listing the Edward Keeley Memorial Fund in the special instructions.
All donations will benefit The Gilbert School Music Department.
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School Repopulation Plan Spring 2021 |
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Schedule Monday, March 8 - Friday, March 12 |
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The Governor has stated that the current travel advisory will become recommended but not mandatory after March 19. That means it is recommended that you get a COVID test after a trip. You do not need to notify the school of any travel plans after March 19.
Did TGS teachers get a COVID vaccination?
The majority of our teachers have received one of a two dose series at the time of this publication.
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Athlete of the Week
Caitlin Tucker
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Age: 16
Parents:
James and Deborah Tucker
Sports:
Basketball, softball, and soccer.
Why did you choose those sports?:
"I'm not sure really. I just always played them and I would always enjoy playing them when I was younger"
What have you gotten out of playing these three sports?:
"I got from them a good sense of hard work and being on a team. It's about working hard and staying focused. It's also about time management too, because with school and everything you are busy all the time."
Do you have any strategies for the sports you play?:
"I always work as hard as I can in order to be the best player that I can be. It's also about having a good attitude."
Your thoughts on your teammates and coaches?:
"I really like the team that I am on and I really like my coaches. I really think that, because we are a small school, we bond much easier on sports teams and we work together well."
Any advice for anyone starting out with the sports that you play?:
"Do your best, have a good attitude, always hustle, and always be ready to do what the coaches need you to do."
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Alumna of the Week
Danielle Hall
Class of 2012
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Danielle Hall in San Francisco, California |
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What have you done since you graduated?:
"I attended Hofstra University on Long Island where I was an active flute player in their music department and graduated in 2016 with a degree in Music Business. I moved around a bit in the greater NYC area but have settled in Kew Gardens (Queens), NY.
Since my senior year of college, I've worked at D'Addario, a musical instrument accessories company (most famous for their guitar strings) based on Long Island where I'm now the Coordinator for their non-profit arm, the D'Addario Foundation. In my position, I provide grants to hundreds of community-based, nonprofit music education & mentorship programs, coordinate college scholarships, and help manage a small orchestral program for students in the company's local community. On the side, I run my own private flute lesson studio, I am a volunteer teaching artist with Corona Youth Music Project, and I am a grant-writer for North Fork Country Kids Rescue.
Aside from work, some of the highlights of these past few years were running the NYC Marathon in 2019 and traveling to Italy with my best friend and fellow 2012 Gilbert grad, Nicole Martin."
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Nicole Martin ('12) and Danielle in Florence, Italy |
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What do you remember from your time at Gilbert?:
"A few specific memories stand out: cheering in the crowd at basketball games (the school spirit was unmatched), traveling to Costa Rica with the Spanish department, being heavily involved in the music program & drama productions, running down to the cafeteria when Mrs. Wells cooked calzones for lunch.
Looking back broadly, I am very grateful to have gone to a “small” high school. The friend group I keep in touch with from the 2012 class is incredibly diverse in our interests. If we went to a high school with a larger student body, our paths may not have crossed. But since our class only had around 80 people, our choices of friends were fairly limited so we found each other. Although we’re scattered across the US, we chat often and always get together in-person for a catch-up brunch when we’re in town for the holidays.
One of the memories I cherish most was having my grandmother (Janet Hall) work at school and knowing she was always just a short walk away on the 2nd floor. She is an amazing woman and I am honored to have “shared” her with many generations of students & teachers that have walked the halls. She worked at Gilbert from the time that her oldest son (my father) was a senior in high school (1974) to when her youngest grandchild (my sister) graduated in 2016. That's 42 years!"
Do you have any family members who also attended Gilbert?
"My entire family attended Gilbert! Most recently my sister Bri graduated in 2016. My mom & dad (Danise and Rick Hall) graduated in 1984 and 1975 respectively. My older sister Shannon (Hall) Emilia graduated in 1997. My cousins Jamie Barber ('12), Haley (Barber) Wheeler ('06), and Brittany Barber ('04) also attended, as well as our grandparents (Janet & Richard Hall) who graduated in 1956 and 1952 respectively."
What lessons from Gilbert did you apply to the real world?
"I wish I remembered the exact quote, but our Principal at the time (Mr. Hatch) would always tell us to go through life with goals in mind and that’s something I think about every day. With goals, I find purpose; I’m constantly setting & working towards long-term goals professionally and in my personal life, and on a smaller scale determine weekly and daily goals. If not a goal, then finding something to look forward to like a vacation or even something as simple as getting together with a friend on the weekend.
Also, there was a sign in the band room that read, “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable”. You would never catch me dead being late to anything."
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In Central Park after running the NYC Marathon |
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What advice would you give current students?:
"It's okay to not be 100% sure of what you want to do with the rest of your life by the time you graduate, by the time you finish college, by the time you hit 30, or maybe ever! Enjoy the journey. Be patient, present, and try not to rush your life away."
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Bri Hall ('16) and Danielle at Bryant Park in NYC |
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Student of the Week
Levi Mrowka
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Age: 17
Parents:
Amy and Josh Mrowka
Favorite classes:
"Law and Statistics. I find law to be very interesting and I have been thinking about becoming a lawyer. I am very decent when it comes to math, which is why I enjoy taking College Algerbra at Northwestern Connecticut Community College."
Extracurricular activities:
"I like photography and music. I just really enjoy music and I like taking pictures of sceneries."
What will you remember about your time at Gilbert?:
"I think I will remember my teachers because they have been helpful and friendly to me."
What are your future plans?:
"Find a job and get a driver's license. I'm not too sure about college just yet."
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Staff Member of the Week
Dennis Rupar
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Social Studies teacher since 2014 |
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Educational background:
"I achieved my Bachelor's Degree majoring in Psychology and a minor in History from Central Connecticut State University in 2002. I received my Master's of Science in Secondary Education with a concentration in History/Social Studies from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2006. From there, I student taught at East Hartford High School and continued on there as a Social Studies teacher for the next eight years, and I have been teaching at Gilbert since 2014."
What do you think of Gilbert?:
"I think Gilbert is a special place that fosters a positive and nurturing climate for all students."
Why is the position of a Social Studies teacher is important?:
"History and Social Studies are important disciplines because they are the link between the past, present & future. As teachers of those disciplines, we take on the role of storytellers, & we try to tell the story of us humans while learning, teaching, and sharing, the lessons, success and failures, of those who struggled before us, as well as applying those lessons to our and our students' lives, in order to make this world a little better place to live."
How would you describe Gilbert to a stranger?:
"I'm not sure I have the right words to do it justice. I would describe Gilbert as a very unique school, as I've never seen another school quite like it."
How would you describe the staff you work with, including the staff and faculty?:
"Dedicated, passionate, patient, caring, and friendly."
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A Gilbert Congratulations to Leo Xu in China
By Debra LaRoche Walls, Dean of Admissions
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In the fall of 2016, Dean of Admissions, Debra LaRoche Walls, of the International Program, was hosted to join Mr. Daniel Zhu, agent friend of The Gilbert School for a ten-day recruiting trip to China. During the ten-day recruitment, Debra and Daniel visited five major cities that included; the capital, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Each long ten-hour day was filled with appointments and presentations to meet excited students and parents from each city. The days were long and often included a plane or high-speed train ride from one destination to another. The recruitment trip brought seven new students to Gilbert’s international program. Of all seven, student, Leo Xu, is the last student of the group still with Gilbert and he will graduate this June. Leo is from the most southern and beautiful part of China, Shenzhen, that is surprisingly filled with palm trees and outstanding flowering plant landscapes.
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Leo Xu working out in Gilbert's Weight Room |
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Since joining Gilbert as a ninth-grade student in January 2017, Leo has been involved in several school programs. His sophomore year was his most active as he joined the boys’ basketball team and tennis team that year. Leo said that he decided to stop being on the teams to put extra time into his school work. While he still wanted to stay active, he became a member of the YMCA in town to play basketball and work out with other international students. He found that his real passion is lifting weights. Before Covid, Leo would go regularly to the YMCA but has since spent this year of his free time in Gilberts weight room. Since he began his workouts, he was gone from his 200 lbs. down to 170 lbs. His workouts include working on the bench press, squats, along with treadmill for cardio.
In his sophomore year, Leo also gave many volunteer hours of his time to community service in Winsted along with working with Habitat for the Community. Residential Coordinator and ESL Director, David Rutherford, accompanied Leo several times to MA where they helped to build a house with the program. Leo enjoyed the feeling he received in helping others through this program.
Being an only child, Leo says that he has gained a lot of independence being on his own away from his parents. His grades have improved each year and he has made several college applications to colleges and universities in both Boston and NY for this fall. He was proud to share that he has received some scholarships, however, they were not from his first-choice colleges. His major is Financial Accounting and he will be graduating Gilbert this June. We wish Leo well on his future educational college journey. He will always be remembered as a wonderful part of the international family.
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Coach's Corner
By Buckley Morgan, Athletic Director
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After last week’s challenges, we were happy to have something to celebrate this past Monday. Dylan Crowley scored his 1000th point while playing against the Northwestern Highlanders in their gymnasium. The Yellowjackets played a good game for the first three quarters but seemed to lose focus in the fourth. The Yellowjackets lost with the final score being 77-59.
I received notice this week that Gilbert Flores has been selected for the All-State Academic Team for Boys Soccer. To be eligible for the All-State Academic Team Gilbert had to be a senior, be awarded the title of All-State-First Team in Soccer, must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last four years. The nominee must also Exhibit/practice outstanding character and citizenship in school, in competition, and the community. Outstanding accomplishment by Gilbert.
At the time of this Buzz’s release, we will have completed the last full week of the regular winter season. The tournament experience will begin on March 17th after we play one more make-up game on Monday against Wamogo.
Spring coaches are getting prepared, making schedules, planning practices, and trying to recruit potential players from within the school. The participation numbers in high school and middle school sports Nationwide have been on the decline since 2018 and now with the COVID pandemic, we are in a severe shortage for many spring sports. Looks like most of our sports will be able to play but with very limited numbers. It is more important now than ever to support your school athletics program. We do not play just to win, although that is a rewarding experience. More important than winning, is the experience that a student gets from their involvement in a team sport. It is proven that many who play sports have improved grades and learn critical life coping skills. Skills like, responsibility, accountability, discipline, esprit de corps, and how to deal with negative emotions positively.
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Important Sports Event Information |
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In the interest of making the winter sports season as normal as possible and while staying within the required COVID guidelines, Gilbert is now able to allow two parents per athlete to enter the gym to watch a game. Only parents of Gilbert students will be allowed in the gym. Visiting team parents will not be able to attend games. While this is not ideal, it is an opportunity for parents of Gilbert athletes to support their child.
Each athlete is allowed to have two parents attend our home games. Parents from the same household only. Please note, the only entrance is the back entrance at the top of the ramp.
We are able to allow two parents per athlete based on the current guidance and COVID levels. Please be aware that this could change if the COVID situation changes. For game schedules, visit the Gilbert website at https://www.gilbertschool.org/athletics Any questions contact the Athletic Director at morganb@gilbertschool.org
A Department of Public Health (DPH) approved mask must be worn at all times and social distancing must be adhered to. No gators, scarves, or unapproved masks will be allowed in the building.
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Food Service Schedule Update for March |
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Pick up times are Mondays, and Wednesdays 11:00-4:00PM
Pick up will be at the door entrance to the Cafeteria Kitchen. The door is by the dumpsters in the lower parking lot.
If for any reason you are unable to pick up meals during this time frame, please call the Food Service Director, Ms. Lynn Metcalf, directly at 860-738-9304. We will be happy to set up a time or day that is more convenient for you.
All children ages 18 or younger are eligible for one free breakfast and lunch daily.
Children do not need to be attending this school to receive meals. Gilbert is a food pick up site. We are located at:
The Gilbert School
200 Williams Avenue
Winsted, CT 06098
This program will end on June 30, 2021.
Meals are served Monday – Friday in school.
Meals served are breakfast and lunch.
Monday meal pick up will consist of five breakfasts and five lunches for each child. (Being Cohort C or all student distance learning). Pick up for three days will consist of 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches for each child. (Being Cohorts A and B).
Please take advantage of this program while we have it. Whether your child is in school or at home, they are entitled to a breakfast and lunch for the days they are learning at home. If you have any questions about the program please call 860-738-9304.
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All children 18 years of age or younger are eligible for FREE FOOD.
If a child goes to school 4 days out of the week, they are eligible for 1 day of food pick up
If a child goes to school for 2 days they are eligible for 3 days of food pick up
If a child is at home doing virtual learning they are eligible for 5 days of food pick up.
Each child will receive 1 breakfast and 1 lunch per day.
You can pick up food on the days and times above in the lower parking lot at the door next to the dumpsters.
If other arrangements need to be made please contact Lynn Metcalf Director of Food Services at 860-738-9304 or email at metcalfl@gilbertschool.org.
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Last week's WHOZIT from 1972:
Caroline Seaback writes: "Ellen Vaccari (my Mom!), Roger Leighton, Karen Holmes, Kay Brady, Susan Lejeune."
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Google Classroom Cheat Sheet |
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Attention Gilbert Alumni
We Want to Stay in Contact With You!
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The Gilbert School
200 WIlliams Avenue
Winsted, CT 06098
860-379-8521
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