As I Still See It...

Sold Out For Weeks, Legally Blonde Is A Winner

Another wonderful cast, crew and sets, Amity Theater Department does it again.

  Robert DeNiro gained a ton of weight for the lead role in Raging Bull, Demi Moore shaved her head for G. I. Jane, and local Amity student Alli Kramer spent many nights in a hair dressers chair having her medium brown hair lightened gradually until her entire head was the right shade of blonde to play the lead of Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde, the Musical." The play offers many opportunities for everyone to shine, from Elle's three BFF Sorority Sisters who pop up out of nowhere to lift her spirits or give her confidence, to memorable little guest roles by teachers, security guard George Geane, or Director Rob Kennedy's father-in-law Bob Drobish. Mark Iwanicki, who debuted at Amity in Chicago last year and was nominated for the Best Actor …

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New Principal for Beecher Road School

The school's new leader will guide it through a big transformation

Beecher Road School will have a new principal for the upcoming school year as the two existing schools are restructuring into one. The new solo-principal administrative structure will transform the school from a primary house and an intermediate house, to one Pre-K through Grade 6 school beginning in September. At a special meeting of the Woodbridge Board of Education, the board unanimously accepted Superintendent Guy Stella’s recommendation of Gina Prisco as the new leader of Beecher Road School. Stella says Prisco brings a rich background of professional experience to her position here in Woodbridge. She has extensive expertise as an elementary and middle school administrator, and has taught at both the elementary and middle school …

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Notes in a Nutshell

Notes In A Nutshell: Amity Board of Ed

Britton delivers good news, Dellinger shares vacation photos

The Amity Board of Education met in the Presentation Room at Amity Monday evening. • Among the information that was shared, Charles Britton offered some good news in his Principal's Report. He said the drug search on May 3 involved 10 K-9s and resulted in four false-positive alerts. Britton said the drug sniffing dogs hit on two backpacks and two cars, but no illegal substances were found. •  This year more students took the AP exams than last year. In all 615 students took the exams at a cost of $91 per test. • Last year, 65 seniors worked out in the community on internships. This year 128 students will take on four week internships at businesses throughout the Amity area. • Britton praised the Amity Theater Department for its successful…

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3 Woodbridge Residents Graduate Quinnipiac U

The following story is a press release submitted by Quinnipiac University.

Quinnipiac University in Hamden conferred 878 degrees during two separate ceremonies Sunday at the TD Bank Sports Center. Three of the graduates hailed from Woodbridge. At a 10 a.m. ceremony, Quinnipiac conferred 727 graduate degrees to students in the schools of business, communications, education, health sciences, nursing and the College of Arts and Sciences. Bill Strickland, president and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corp., addressed the students and received an honorary degree. At 3 p.m. The Hon. Lubbie Harper, Jr., a Connecticut Supreme Court justice, addressed the 151 students who graduated from the Quinnipiac University School of Law. Harper also received an honorary degree. David Rosettenstein, professor of the year, addressed the …

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Center for The Performing Arts Dedicated at Amity

John Brady shows a comedic side at renaming ceremony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Au8Hgi4rCY During a brief ceremony at Amity High School on May 11 attendees were reminded of the many positive changes John J. Brady has brought to the school since taking on the job eight years ago. Among the most memorable is the fact that it was Brady who is credited for finding Robert and Andrea Kennedy of Bethany to run the Amity Theatre Department. Since they arrived, Amity has been put on the map as one of the best schools with performing arts in the state. Bethany First Selectman Derrylyn Gorski talked about the frustration she had as a parent when her children attended Amity at a time when sports was king and the arts (in any form) didn't seem to matter. Woodbridge First Selectman Ed Sheehey praised…

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Dedication Of The Amity Auditorium Set For Friday

Everyone is welcome to attend the renaming ceremony at Amity High School

  An hour before the curtain rises on opening night of "Legally Blonde — The Musical" this Friday night, the Amity Auditorium will be dedicated as the new John J. Brady Center for the Performing Arts. Brady has been lauded as an advocate for the arts at Amity and was a guest speaker at the High School Musical Awards two years ago when John Jorge won the best actor honors. The brief ceremony will take place in the main hall by the Auditorium on Friday at 7 p.m. with Amity Board Education Chairman William Blake offering opening remarks, followed by First Selectmen Ed Sheehy and other selected speakers. All are welcome to attend.

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Legislature Approves Education Reform Bill

The reform bill now goes to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for his signature.

The Connecticut House of Representatives unanimously approved the education reform bill Tuesday night, after the state Senate approved the lengthy bill early Tuesday morning. The legislation is viewed as a compromise of sorts and ends months of controversy between Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the Connecticut Education Association, the state's largest teachers union.  Malloy has pledged to sign the bill into law.   "I can say, with confidence, that this bill will allow us to begin fixing what is broken in our public schools," Malloy said during a hastily assembled press conference late Monday evening at the state Capitol to announce the agreement.  The state Senate then huddled in chambers for the better part of the night Monday into Tuesday …

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Bethwood Voters to Decide on School Budget

The referendum on the $43.6 million Amity Regional School District #5 budget is Tuesday, May 8.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. for the Amity school district’s budget referendum. Voters in Bethany, Woodbridge and Orange can cast a ballot, and a combined majority from all towns decides whether the budget passes or goes back to the drawing board. The polling location in Woodbridge is in Center School gymanisum on Meetinghouse Lane. In Bethany, the votes can be cast at Town Hall at 40 Peck Road. If past results are any indication, turnout will be low. In 2011, the budget passed by a 870-542 margin counting the results from all three towns.  Correction: The Woodbridge polling place was incorrectly identified as Woodbridge Town Hall.

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Anthony Karge

10:34 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012

Unfortunately the second question didn't show up in the photo, but it's for a $1.7 million bond for school maintenance. More info here: http://www.amityregion5.org/District_Page/EXPLANATORY%20TEXT%20on%20BONDING%20REFERENDUM.pdf   more ›