GPS District Digest (v5, i4)
Stories, news, and updates from Greenwich Public Schools
No One Like You
The feedback from our loyal GPS District Digest readers continues to pour in. And the list of loyal readers grows by leaps and bounds each and every issue. From where we started four years ago to where we are now, it has been an amazing evolution from a cute little newsletter to a fun, action-packed, must-read, filled with goodness that has garnered than 100k views per school year.
But the folks in Digest newsroom are not satisfied. We want more! More from you!
Email us. Text us. Call us. Send us a telegram. Yell at us out the window with all of your GPS news.
Do you know of a student that won an award? We want to know. Is there a teacher that earned an achievement that blew your mind? Yes, that too! How about that staff member that is just so special, you want to share their wonderfulness with everyone? Nudge us! Are you doing something in the classroom that is engaging and you want to share? Notify us!
Just don't sit there.
Enjoy Issue No. 4 and thank you for your support.
GPS District Digest
But Dad, It's Smokey!
To all of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Series fans out there, did you love Smokey Robinson's recent performance or did you love Smokey Robinson's performance?
Ready to love it even more?
Look over the legend's right shoulder, standing all the way on the left side of your screen, you will see Old Greenwich School and North Street School music teacher, Ms. Lakshmi James, playing the viola.
Surely you must remember reading the local media report in March when Ms. James played live with Smokey at New Jersey's Borgata Event Center and the NJPAC. Ms. James, who has two performance degrees and an education degree from the University of Bridgeport, then told the Greenwich Time that she takes these life experiences back to her classroom.
“That little voice is their instrument, but in life, it’s their voice and I want them to stand in their power and be able to show that to the world," said of her students. "And I’m hoping that through their lessons, they are building this confidence inside of them that they will be able to take out into the world.”
We second that emotion! (see what we did there?)
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Rep. Hector Arzeno recently spoke to Greenwich High School students in grades 9-12 at the Performing Arts Center as part of the school's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
The Buenos Aires, Argentina-born state representative from the 151st District addressed students for 30 minutes on his background, running for office, the legislative process, and his experience during the campaign. He also answered questions from students in the audience.
Turn Back The Clock 🕰️
Oh gosh, you all know how much we like to turn back the clock here at the Digest. The antique postcard collection grows and grows.
Back in volume 3, issue 9 of the GPS District Digest, we first educated you on 27 Havemeyer Place, the site of our first publicly-funded high school. If you walk by now, you will just love the beautiful landscaping in front of the now Town Hall Annex Apartments.
The research staff at the Digest was extremely disappointed to come up empty on their search for information on sender Mabel and recipient Miss. M.E. Minor, who lived somewhere in North Cos Cob. But we did learn about about Mead's Stationery Store, where this postcard was purchased around 1906.
Back in 2016, the Digest's good friend, Robert Merchant, wrote an article entitled, "Main Street Greenwich: The history of Greenwich Avenue, " in the Greenwich Time.
Scribe Merchant chronicled Mead's Stationary as one of the longest-running businesses which opened at the top of the Avenue as a dry goods store in 1863, relocating to 252 Greenwich Avenue in 1919. Mead’s closed in 1999 after 116 years of selling office supplies, candy and cards (including this postcard).
FCIAC XC
Yesterday, Greenwich High School's girls cross country team captured its first FCIAC championship since 2017.
Senior Kate Friedman won the 5K race in 18:49, and Senior Esme Daplyn finished second in 18:51 to lead the Cardinals at New Canaan's Waveny Park.
The Cardinals placed four runners in the top 13 and beat runner-up New Canaan for the top spot, 49-79.
Go Big Red!
A Contest?
Our close and personal friends at the Greenwich Fire Department have told us that it is time for the 2023-2024 Connecticut Fire Prevention Poster Contest to help promote "Fire Prevention Month." Fourth and fifth grade students in the State of Connecticut are eligible. Rules, criteria, and deadlines can be obtained from your school's principal or teacher.
This annual contest attracts thousands of students throughout the state who design and produce posters around the theme of, “Fire Prevention – Everyone/Everyday.”
Need inspiration? Head on over to the Greenwich Library on West Putnam Avenue and make your way up to the third floor. On display are some of the amazing entries from last year, including works from the fourth-grade winner, Riverside School's Leonor Aldunate and fifth-grade winner, New Lebanon School's Natasha Tamayo.
The annual Fire Prevention Poster Contest is a cooperative effort of the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Connecticut Department of Education, Connecticut Fire Marshal’s Association, Connecticut Fire Chief’s Association, and the Connecticut FAIR Plan, which represents the Connecticut Insurance Industry.
Trot, Walk, or Fly - You Decide
You have already marked Saturday, November 25 on your calendar for the 13th Annual Turkey Trot, brought to you by the Greenwich Alliance for Education. Maybe you will trot. Maybe you'll walk. Maybe you'll fly like a turkey over to the Arch Street Teen Center and go through Bruce Park before returning to the Teen Center.
But have you thought about sponsorship to showcase your business as an investor in youth and education in Greenwich? The Turkey Trot is the most attended family and community event during the Thanksgiving weekend in Greenwich with 2,500+ attendees. Your business' name will be shared in social media posts, event marketing, press releases, their website and on race T-shirts that are worn all year long.
For more details, check out their flyer or contact Executive Director Julie Faryniarz at (203) 912-9543 or julie@greenwichalliance .org.
Impacts & Solutions
As part of the 2023 Speaker Series, the Greenwich Sustainability Committee, in partnership with Waste Free Greenwich, will host “Waste Injustice: Impacts and Solutions,” on Tuesday, October 24 from 1:00-2:30 PM at the Second Congregational Church located at 139 East Putnam Avenue.
This installment of the speaker series will feature presentations by Dr. Courtney Williams, co-founder of Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions, and Kevin Budris, Advocacy Director at Just Zero. Panelists will explore the effects of waste management practices and policies in Greenwich and across our state and advocate for solutions to address Connecticut’s waste crisis and to reduce environmental impacts and the burden on low-income populations and communities of color.
You are asked to RSVP by email to staglanefarm@yahoo.com.
I'd Choose You
Recently, In A Heartbeat, a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization, provided free cardiac screenings for approximately 200 students at Greenwich High School.
In A Heartbeat's mission is to prevent death from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and sudden cardiac arrest by raising awareness, enabling research, and donating automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to places that need them. In a Heartbeat is located in Wallingford, CT and provides CPR/AED training and hosts free community ECG screenings for children, teens, and young adults.
The event was staffed with volunteer technicians. Parents are to receive ECG results from In A Heartbeat within two weeks.
The Undies Project
We recently read in the Greenwich Free Press that Greenwich High School Seniors Grejs Shelcaj and India Smith have organized a “Undies for Everyone” fundraiser on Saturday from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM in front of the Havemeyer Building at 290 Greenwich Avenue.
This fundraiser is being hosted for the Greenwich local non-profit, “The Undies Project,” a local non-profit, which focuses on providing underwear to men, women, and children who need them, to improve their lives.
GPS X-Cellent Adventures 📱
We love sharing good news with our 2,044 closest friends on the GPS X (Twitter) account, @GPSDistrict.
Are you like Dorothy on the yellow brick road when it comes to GPS and social media? Follow, follow, follow? And your little dog, too? You really should be. But this feed is only for our families, students, staff, and community members that want to see all of the good things happening around the District. No negativity from us!
At the Digest, we love to show you some of our favorite posts from around the GPS social media world.
Do you have a favorite social media account? Let us know!
To Our Loyal Readers...
- If you have a great story or photograph to share from our schools inside the District, alert the good folks in the GPS District Digest newsroom. They want to know!
- Want your own subscription? It's easy to sign up.
- Have you missed any past issues? Go to our archive to catch up.
- We have now published four issues. Did the theme of the first headline of each issue make you want to grab a can of Aqua Net?
- Karen and Linda: You didn't have to shake me like you did. But you did, but you did.
- As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!
Email: communications@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203) 625-7415
It is the Mission of the Greenwich Public Schools to:
- • Educate all students to the highest levels of academic achievement;
- • Enable them to reach and expand their potential; and
- • Prepare them to become productive, responsible, ethical, creative and compassionate members of society.