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Students in Stanwich Schools fifth-grade have recently spent several weeks studying earthquakes. After discussing faults and seismic waves, the students were able to simulate an earthquake to determine what type of foundation best to absorb the shock of an earthquake.

The fifth-graders built styrofoam buildings atop sand, mud, pebbles and salt. The students were asked evaluative questions such as: 'What foundation best absorbs seismic waves?' and 'Who would benefit from this information?'

Students found that mud was overall best and they discussed how architects and builders in locations such as California would need to know about the impact of earthquakes.

Dressed in a uniform of a private in a New York State regiment — blue piped “shell jacket,” horizon blue trousers, model 1861 forage cap, and clad with an 1855 British duty bugle — Stanwich School fourth-grade teacher Michael DiMinno, gave students a real charge with a hands-on bugling lesson. Lined up in straight rows, the students waited to hear the call of DiMinno’s bugle to simulate a “charge.”

In class, students learned why bugles were needed on the battle field — to signal troops on or off a battlefield to get them to react to certain commands. They also learned how bugles would supplement the voice of officers when they gave battlefield commands. Students also leaned what original bugles were made of (animal horns), and other types of signaling methods (drums and whistles).

DiMinno told the students that the first country to set up a school for buglers was France as Napoleon Bonaparte recognized the importance of getting troops to react to commands and set up this special school for trumpeters.

During the American Civil War, there were approximately 50 calls that Union troops had to memorize, including: Reveille (to awaken troops in the morning), Breakfast call, Dinner call, To extinguish lights (replaced by Taps in 1862), Charge, Fix/unfix bayonets, Lie down, Get up, Church call, and Retreat.

“We’re going to fill the pantry shelves at Neighbor to Neighbor,” said Jenny Judge, Stanwich School parent and Trustee, to a crowded assembly room of Stanwich School students. Judge was promoting the school’s “Care to Share” food and clothing drive, a first time event organized to benefit the hundreds of local residents who rely on Neighbor to Neighbor for basic household supplies...

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Students at the Stanwich School are hoping their efforts make the holiday season a little brighter for U.S. soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Thanks to the creativity of the school’s third and sixth graders, the school collected dozens of handmade holiday cards for soldiers. The cards were mailed to soldiers and veterans who are recuperating at the medical facility.

“Because they’re away from home for the holidays, this is something we wanted to do for our soldiers. This is something small, but as we teach our students, every effort you make counts,” said Meaghan Mallin, Head of Stanwich School’s Intermediate House.

“Some students drew pictures and others wrote long notes — we had excellent participation,” Mallin said.

Once per month, the school’s third and sixth grade students gather in their “buddy” groups where the sixth graders mentor the younger students in a special activity.

According to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, last year 600,000 cards were delivered to hospitalized service members.

It isn’t too often that students from across the country gather to hear the life story of a refugee from the Sudan. But that is exactly what happened recently through videoconferencing technology at the Stanwich School.

Stanwich History teacher, Chris Hughes and his Ninth Grade history class participated in a special nation-wide event related to the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Taking advantage of the school’s videoconferencing equipment, the class connected with five high schools across the country. The event, “Conflict in Africa: The Situation in the Sudan,” was hosted by Global Education Motivators and Polycom. In addition to Stanwich, the other participating schools were: Kingwood Park High School, Kingwood, Texas; North Lamar High School, Paris, Texas; James Buchanan High School, Mercersburg, Pa; Londonderry High School, Londonderry, N.H.; and Clearwater High School, Clearwater, Kan.

Michael Majok Kuch, one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan,” presented his remarkable life story. At the age of five, his village was attacked by government sponsored forces and he fled six hundred miles. Over this arduous journey, he encountered wild animals, thirst, exhaustion, and seeing many people die along the way. Over the next eleven years, he bounced between refugee camps in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya without any contact with his family. Conditions were harsh in these camps, lacking water, medical care, food, shelter, and clothing and only the most rudimentary education.

In 2000, he was resettled in the U.S. through a joint United Nations/United States program. He has pursued his education beginning in high school and is now completing a master’s degree in international relations and conflict resolution.

Each high school had the opportunity to ask questions of Michael Kuch. Stanwich students asked questions on why the conflict in Darfur had not been designated genocide and about the language and culture of southern Sudan.

Videoconference equipment will be used this year with seventh and ninth grade history classes to connect with schools, museums, and cultural institutions. This technology allows for real-time interactions not otherwise possible and brings a wealth of resources into the classroom. Prior to joining Stanwich, Mr. Hughes has employed videoconferencing to connect schools worldwide, as well as with museums, universities, and other institutions.

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As part of an annual tradition, students in each grade of The Stanwich School’s Intermediate House perform a special play each year.

This year, in the fourth grade, students put on a spectacular musical performance of The American Revolution: 1763-1789.

The play is told from the point of view of Betsy Ross as she explains how the United States of America was formed. Students learned about the Declaration of Independence, the Electoral College, the Founding Fathers and the war with the “Red Coats.”

With great talent and enthusiasm, Junior House students from The Stanwich School recently presented the musical “High School Musical” at St. Catherine’s Parish Hall in Riverside.

The show’s Director was Kreg Gotschall, the Musical Director was Grammy-nominee Caroline Worra. Choreography was done by Anna Waters, the Assistant Director was Monica Acker and the Parent Coordinator was Amy Mancini; the Set Design was by Sheila Wilson; and Costume Coordination was by Lisette Robbins.

The cast included, ninth-graders: Caroline Chadwick, Briana Fontaine and Anderson Garcia.

Eighth-graders: Harrison Burt, Sydney Burnett, Kenner Clark, Julia Comeau, Peter LaBerge, Rebecca Potash, Veronica Riera, Simone Robins, Caitlin Ruzika, Didi Whitman and Anna Zervos.

Seventh-graders: Sarah Alva, Chelsea Foster, Justine Goggin, Katherine Medina, Garsy Presumey-Leblanc, Keshayne Rankine, Jessie Vissicchio and Renwick Wilson.

The Plot
The captain of the East High basketball team and the key member of the academic club shock the student body by teaming to audition for the upcoming school musical in a Disney Channel Original Movie that’s all about being yourself and following your dreams. Troy is best known as the player who keeps the East High basketball team on the scoreboard. Of course, life isn’t always about athletics, though, and as Troy slam-dunks on the boards, beautiful and brainy Gabriella is raising the reputation of East High as the key member of the school’s successful academic team. When word gets out that this popular pair has secretly chosen to reach for the stars and try their luck on the stage, the students of East High are about to learn an important lesson in teamwork while gearing up for a musical performance that will have their audience dancing in the aisles.

In an effort to support “go-green” efforts for student bussing and carpooling, The Stanwich School recently held a student art contest. Selected from a total of more than 330 submissions from the school’s Primary, Intermediate and Junior Houses, the overall winners include: Primary House winner, third-grader Caroline Baird of Old Greenwich; Intermediate House winner, fifth-grader Lucy Burnett of Greenwich; and Junior House winner, seventh-grader Nick Kiley of Greenwich.

Grade level winners include: Kindergarten winner Julian Trahanas of Riverside; first-grade winner Paula Yellis of Stamford; second-grade winner Elizabeth Friedberg of Old Greenwich; third-grade winner Matthew Miller of Stamford; fourth-grade winner Megan Yort of Old Greenwich; fifth-grade winner Alex Dunn of Greenwich; and sixth-grade winner Jenny Goggin of Riverside.

“The contest was designed to support our students’ efforts to use carpooling and bussing,” said Headmistress Pat Young.  Winners will receive a Stanwich t-shirt and tote bag, as well as have their art made into stickers. The latter will be used to help acknowledge students who make the effort to use either mode of transportation to and from school.

Approximately one-third of Stanwich students ride the bus to the main campus each day and many families are carpooling, with an average of 1.3 students per car entering the campus.

“I applaud the efforts of our students and their families to ride the bus and form car pools to get to school. Such a cooperative and environmentally friendly response is just another way we’re fulfilling our mission to make God’s world a better place,” added Young.

"Today’s experiment is going to deal with a material that can be harmful if we touch it to our skin," said teacher Cristin Pasqua. She was talking about dry ice which was the surprise ingredient for the after school Science Club that she teaches to a group of Stanwich’s fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.

The boys and girls gathered around trays of beakers with warm water and waited for teacher Dan Bosco to add a lump of dry ice. Once the substance was submerged, the students added dishwashing detergent which made bubbles that were filled with CO2. The beakers spilled over with giant bubbles that the kids popped with their fingers, releasing smoke puffs into the air.

During the experiment, the students learned that dry ice changes directly from a solid to a gas in normal atmospheric conditions, a process called, sublimation; and as a general rule, dry ice will sublimate at a rate of five to ten pounds every 24 hours in a typical ice chest. While they walked away with knowledgeable scientific information, “cool,” was the most popular word in the room.

At Stanwich, an essential part of the school’s mission is to “promote awareness of and service to others.” For two weeks in October, students at the school’s Primary House collected food, clothing and linens to donate to Neighbor to Neighbor.

“Instilling a commitment to volunteerism among our students is an integral part of our mission,” said Julie Colligan, Head of Primary House. “It truly warms the heart to see the children so excited to bring in boxes of pasta, or towels, or winter coats, that they know will go to good use in the local community.”

Since its inception, the school has pro-actively reached out to and established meaningful relationships with numerous organizations in Greenwich, Stamford, New York City and other neighboring communities.

The Pre-K students at the Stanwich School recently learned about the different ways the Greenwich Police Department works to keep residents safe and secure. The 24 children enjoyed a visit from Police Officer Mike Macchia and his canine partner Tyro, a three-year old German Shepherd.

The children learned that Officer Macchia and Tyro are the only Police K-9 Unit in Greenwich, as well as in the immediate area. Occasionally, Macchia and Tyro are called up on by neighboring Stamford to help with specialized assignments.

Stanwich students heard that Tyro was born in Slovakia and was originally trained in the Slovak language, but he quickly learned the numerous commands he follows while on duty. Officer Macchia also told the students that Tyro lives with him and his family, that they have a Police vehicle, which is specially equipped for them, and that the team is on call 24 hours-a-day.

When a student asked if Tyro can find lost children, Officer Macchia relayed the story of a child who was recently lost in the woods in Greenwich, and after smelling the boy’s shirt, Tyro was able to use his acute sense of smell to find the missing boy.

According to the Greenwich Police Department, the K-9 unit began in 1988 as part of the Uniform Services Division, and in 2007, Officer Macchia and Tyro became the fourth K-9 team in Greenwich. Members of the K-9 Unit must pass an 18-week training program at the Connecticut State Police K-9 Academy. The K-9 dogs are trained in tracking criminals and missing persons, building and area searches for suspects, recovery of evidence, and in protecting their handler. Advanced training includes the detection of narcotics and bombs.

From canoeing, to hiking to biking, Grade 6 students at the Stanwich School spent three fun-filled days in picturesque Lake Placid. The trip, which was a true bonding experience for the class, is an annual tradition of the school’s which began in 2002.

This fall, the school’s 60 sixth-graders traveled to High Peaks Resort where they spent three nights enjoying the great outdoors.

One the first day, the students enjoyed a full day of mountain biking, followed by a night-time hike with head lamps along the Ausable River. On the second day, the students participated in rock climbing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and mountain biking, and ended the day with a barbecue and a dessert of s’mores. To end their trip, the students went on a nature hike and visited the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks.

It’s not too often that modern students get to relive American history, but that’s exactly what happened recently at the Stanwich School. As part of the weekly Arts & Enrichment program supported by Stanwich’s Parent Association, students enjoy a special assembly every Friday.

Recently, acclaimed television and theater actor Patrick Garner cast Stanwich’s Primary House students in the roles of Lewis & Clark’s “Corps of Discovery” to illustrate the mission to explore the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase, led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Students learned of history’s unsung hero, Clark’s slave York and discovered how resourceful Sacagawea proves herself a role model for every generation.

There was a tense moment when the expedition met harsh weather and brutal conditions which threatened their survival, without the help of natives of the land. When the story teller asked our Kindergarten and Grade 1 children playing “the chiefs,” “Should we help them or should we, help ourselves?,” our young ones replied, “Help them!” This obviously was not what the storyteller was expecting, but of course we were not at all surprised!

On Wednesday, September 2, 1998, Headmistress Pat Young greeted the 72 students that comprised the Stanwich School’s inaugural student body. Standing alongside her was the school’s staff of four teachers, four interns, and three part-time educators. “This is the beginning of a dream,” Mrs. Young told the students. “The Stanwich School is a gift from God, and it is a part of His plan for our lives.”

On Wednesday, September 2, 2008, Mrs. Young greeted the 477 students and 95 faculty members that belong to the Stanwich School community for the school’s 11th annual Opening Ceremony.

“When the faculty came back last week, we quickly realized that something was missing — of course, it was you. Our school is nothing without you,” said Mrs. Young.

“Something that I’d like you all to focus on this year is to continue the tradition of Stanwich being an inclusive community. We all know that Stanwich students are especially welcoming and kind,” Mrs. Young went on to say. “Stanwich is all about you. You have created a community that reaches out to others. You are the true heart of Stanwich.”

A highlight of the ceremony was listening to the gifts of song from the student body. Children in the Primary House raised their hands in the air to sing a round of Praise Ye the Lord Alleluia in French. Following the younger children, students in the Intermediate and Junior Houses joined together to sing I Will Call Upon the Lord.

Following the musical performances, Rabbi Sklarz of the Greenwich Reform Synagogue blessed everyone at the gathering with a benediction in both Hebrew and English. Rabbi Sklarz impressed upon everyone that, “We should all be true teachers and always be willing to lend a helping hand.”

Mrs. Young closed the ceremony by reiterating that, “Stanwich is a dream come true, and I look forward to living this dream each and every day with each one of you.”

For the twelve graduates of the ninth grade class, the last week of school was the culmination of a joyous education at the Stanwich School. At the tenth annual closing ceremonies on June 5, 2008, headmistress, Pat Young related quite well to the sentiments of the graduating class and assured them that their Stanwich education will serve them well in life.

"I am certain that you are well-prepared for success. I thank you for the leadership you have brought to the student body," said Mrs. Young. "I know many of you didn't intend to be saying 'Good-bye' today," she went on to say. "You thought we would have our own buildings by now, but life is not about our time-line, it's about God's, and you have laid a strong foundation."

Following Mrs. Young, Jon Sheer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, congratulated the students body for all of their hard work and encouraged the Grade 9 students to champion the will of Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Mr. Sheer also told the students that what makes them unique are their dreams, and that the "important thing is to live your dreams with a passion."

A highlight of the ceremony was listening to Shaun Fletcher, the Grade 9 student advisor. Mr. Fletcher encouraged the graduates to recognize their unique strengths and talents, and to use their leadership abilities as the foundation for personal and professional pursuits. Recalling the Grade 9 spring class trip to Costa Rica, Mr. Fletcher asked all of the Primary and Intermediate House students if they wanted to "take a zip line ride through the jungle like the ninth-graders did." When each and every hand stretched into the air, Mr. Fletcher looked to his advisees and said, "That is what leadership is all about." When the graduates received their diplomas and were sent out into new endeavors, they were reminded that the "truth of Stanwich" is showing everyone the warmth of the Stanwich Heart.

As the school year drew to a close, Stanwich School students were divided into three divisions and each spent a day competing in traditional "Blue & White"-themed Field Days.

For the Kindergarten and Grade 1 students, the Stanwich field was transformed into a special obstacle course. Split into two teams - one Blue, one White - students competed in hurdles, bouncing, ball passing, soccer goal shooting, ladder footwork and sprinting.

At the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, students in grades 2 to 6 took on rotated through many different activity stations. Highlights of the competition included relay races, hurdle jumping, potato sack races and the high jump. For the first time in a number of years, the Blue team walked away champions.

With heavy rain in the forecast, Field Day for the Junior House students was moved indoors. Due to the creative thinking of the Junior House faculty, an array of fun activities was set-up for the day. Hallway golf, egg-on-a-spoon races, charades, bobbing for apples and "Capture the Bacon" kept the students challenged energized throughout the day.