GPS District Digest (v4, i9)

Can we still wish you all a happy New Year? Or are we past the deadline? Maybe we will just move on.

It is a new year and with that comes hope, optimism, and promise. (See what we did there? We did not move on.)

This issue is packed with nothing but all good things from around Greenwich Public Schools. And while you are reading through all of that goodness, you might come across references to Joe "Pep" Harris, a 1990's teen drama television program, and National Lampoon's Animal House. And we might have stretched the truth about quoting Thomas Dolby (again).

If you have any good story ideas, cool photos, or just want to be neighborly and pass along your salutations, reach out! We love hearing from you.

Enjoy Issue No. 9 and thanks for reading!

GPS District Digest

Have you looked at the January menu? Hamburgers for lunch today, and yes, we would like fries with that!

Loyal Digest readers know how much we love to check in with Mr. Nanarello in the Food Services Department, and when we do, he sends us amazing photographs of smiling faces, sometimes, from around the District. It is the undisputed truth that the little ones at Old Greenwich School get to choose from a full menu and an unlimited selection of fresh cut vegetables and fruit prepared and served by Lead Cook Ms. April McMurray and Cook's Assistant Ms. Marie Chiappetta.

As always, Mr. Nanarello encourages families to use the Food Service Department as a resource in setting up lunch accounts, navigating menus, and of course, any allergy concerns. He also wants to remind you that it's never too late to fill out the free and reduced application forms. Reach out anytime!

How many times can the Digest quote Thomas Dolby? This time, we won't, but when you read this next note, you know the spheres are in commotion and the elements in harmony.

Earlier this week, Society for Science announced that Greenwich High School seniors Stephanie Chang, Isabella Gega, Ronit Gupta, Angie Fogarty, and Ambika Grover were included in the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Each of the five GHS scholars will be awarded $2,000 each and the school will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars were selected from 1,949 applications from 627 high schools across 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and four other countries. Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations. The 300 scholars hail from 194 American and international high schools in 35 states and China.

On Tuesday, January 24, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. The finalists will then compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition in Washington, D.C., taking place March 9-15.

The Greenwich High School scholars and their project titles are:

• Stephanie Chang: A Multi-Omics Approach to Host-Microbe Interactions in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Targeted Cell-Type Discovery
• Angie Fogarty: Rapid, Visual Detection of Illicit Substances in a Variety of Environments via Competitive, Amine-Responsive Fluorophores
• Isabella Gega: Synthesis of Polysaccharide-Encapsulated Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposites To Stimulate Plant Growth and Promote Phosphorus Absorption
• Ambika Grover: Design of a Novel, Dual-Functioning, Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Factor XI-Inhibiting Anticoagulant Therapeutic for Rapid Ischemic Stroke Treatment
• Ronit Gupta: Design of a Rapid, Lateral Flow COPD Diagnostic via Detection of Cyto-Keratin 19 Biomarkers

In Issue 7 of the Digest, we told you about New Lebanon School taking over the District's Twitter account from their event, "Read the Day Away," right before the Thanksgiving Recess. It was an inside look at students showing their love of reading. Every student sat back and enjoyed prose from Town of Greenwich officials, administrators, teachers, and student buddies.

Well, they did it again! New Lebanon read the day away one more time, right before December's Holiday Recess. So many wonderful guests read to the Bobcats, including Chief James J. Heavey from the Greenwich Police Department.

Last month, the Ancient Civilizations classes from GHS went on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The students visited the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome galleries with Met guides and toured through other parts of the museum on our own.

"We were all so happy to view these valuable artifacts associated with these great civilizations in person," Cantor House Social Studies Teacher Ms. Margarita David said. "Our classes just studied the legacy of the Greeks with democracy, artistic expression, science, and warfare. We got our questions answered about the role of women and youth in the Greek world as well as saw how tomb monuments reflected class hierarchy."

Students from GPS's three middle schools will be representing our community at the 2023 U.S. Middle School Squash Championships in Philadelphia from January 27-29 as members of Greenwich Middle School Squash Club.

The squash club is one way that students from around Greenwich are able to train and work together outside of their respective middle schools and strengthen their ties to their peers who will later be their classmates at Greenwich HS.

The Greenwich MS Squash Boys' Nationals Team include: Central's Ryder Garcia and James Tesei;

Eastern's Alex Duda and James Geiger; and Western's Blake Natale.

The Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir, directed by Ms. Robin Chenot and Ms. Chris Powers, will perform their final concert of the season on Saturday, January 21 at 3:00 PM at the GHS Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and all are invited to attend.

The diverse program will feature a newly commissioned piece by internationally renowned conductor and composer, Dr. Rollo Dilworth entitled, "Try Again." Dr. Dilworth will conduct a choral clinic for the choristers on Friday and Saturday where he will not only elevate their performance, but will also give insights on the repertoire to be performed.

The GPSHC is comprised of the finest young singers in the Town of Greenwich. It provides the opportunity for artistic and personal growth through music. The choir, founded in 1992, consists of the top singers from Greenwich’s 11 elementary schools and three middle schools. Hope to see you at the concert!

Are you one of the 1,929 loyal followers of @GPSDistrict on Twitter? If not, you should be, but only if you are one of our families, students, staff, or community members that want to see all of the good things happening around the District.

On social media, we will keep our community informed of breaking news and all good things GPS. Sometimes, we will even have a Twitter Takeover with some of your favorite people. And we love to show you some of our favorite posts around the GPS Twittersphere. Do you have a favorite social media account? Let us know!

• If you have a great story or photograph to share from our schools inside the District, let us know the details.
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• Did you miss an issue? Go to our archive to catch up.
• There is a connection to all of the first paragraph headlines this year. Some of our readers got it. Did you?
• Low temperatures? Wintry mixes? When is the first day of spring?
• Thanks for reading until the very end, Karen and Linda!