Westbrook Public Schools

Town Budget Referendum
Thursday, May 23rd
The town budget referendum will take place on Thursday, May 23rd.  Voting will be from 12:00 Noon until 8:00 PM at the Town Hall.

WHS Theatre Nominated
for 9 Halo Awards!
Westbrook High School Theatre received 9 nominations for the annual HALO Awards, Connecticut’s High School Theatre Awards program which is sponsored by the Seven Angels Theater.  The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 28^th at Waterbury’s Palace Theater.  Congratulations and Good Luck to all of our nominees which are:
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Musical:
Gavin Kyrcz as Amos Hart in Chicago

Best Featured Actress in a Musical:
Morgan Campbell as Velma Kelly in Chicago

Best Comic Male Performance in a Musical:
Jake Fernandes as Sgt. Fogarty/Jury/Ensemble in Chicago

Best Choreographer
Morgan Campbell and Juliana MacLachlan for Chicago

Gypsy of the Year
Jacob Fernandes

Best Play:
Westbrook HS- The Great Gatsby 

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play:
Westbrook HS- Caroline Davis as Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play:
Jake Fernandes as Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby

Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play:
Morgan Campbell as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby

Prom 2013 - Candyland

The 2013 Westbrook High School Junior-Senior prom was a great success with over 160 students and guests attending.  Everyone looked fabulous and had a great time.  Special thanks to Mrs. Pierce and Mrs. Evans for organizing the event!  For more pictures visit the school Facebook page.

Job Fair Success!

The youth job fair, held at the Town Hall on May 16th was a big success with over 30 local businesses represented and over 100 young job seekers participating. The event was organized by WHS Junior Morgan Wilderman. Thanks to Ayla Toussaint, Sarah Hollis, and Maddie Farrell, and Alexa Forsman for assisting and to 1st Selectman Noel Bishop for his support.

Teen Leadership Students
Visit Foxwoods

The Teen Leadership classes attended a Career Orientation at Foxwoods on May 8^th where they met with executives from several departments to discuss leadership qualities, education and promotion in the respective careers of Financing, Hotel Hospitality, Human Resources, Food & Beverage, Hotel Management and Entertainment.  This is the second trip of this sort hosted by the Foxwoods Human Resources Department this year and close to twenty percent of our students have participated. Opportunities exist for students to shadow careers while in high school and internships when in college. Many Thanks to Foxwoods for taking an interest in our aspiring leaders! The photo above is taken on a landing overlooking the Grand MGM Hotel.

Art Students Create Mural

Respect, Responsibility, Safety, Westbrook.  That’s how students, faculty, staff, and visitors will be greeted at Westbrook Middle School from now on ever since the school’s new mural was recently installed.  Westbrook Middle School’s lobby mural was created with funds from the Tanger Outlet Foundation and Westbrook’s Youth Assets Team.  The 12’ by 6’ mural, designed by art teacher Mrs. Liz Egan, took over 6 months to complete with two-hundred and eighty-eight tiles individually painted by over 200 students.  Its theme, Respect, Responsibility, and Safety was taken from WMS’ new PBIS student character building program. The mural depicts a typical Westbrook salt marsh.

School Group Visits China

From April 10th through 21st a group of 21 Westbrook travelers visited Beijing China and Daisy Ingraham School's sister school in Zibo which is in Shandong Province.  The twelve adults and nine students were led by principal Kit Bishop who organized the program.  The participants lived in Chinese homes, attended classes at their sister school and were privileged to meet with many dignitaries. 

One participant summarized the experience of the group:  "This was the best experience of my life and I hope that more of my friends will have the privilege of visiting China and meeting the wonderful Chinese people."

Prom Expo

Seniors Emma Belval, Julianna Senn, Julianne Panico, Emily Benzi, Caroline Davis (MC), and Natalie Glazer organized the Westbrook Prom Expo as a senior project.  They made all the arrangements with vendors, facilities, and organized a wonderful event.  All of the student models looked fabulous thanks to the generosity of Asiye's Boutique of Madison and Colin's Tux Shop of Old Saybrook.  Salon Allure and Salon Westbrook did hair and makeup for many of the girls.  Thanks to Ms. Caitlin Eichler who served as a faculty advisor for the project.  Congratulations on a well run event!

French Students Visit

Westbrook High School welcomed fifteen students and two teachers from Lycée l'Olivier High School in Marseille France.  Students and teachers spent the week with host students and families and attended classes with us during the week.  They and their Westbrook hosts travelled to Boston on Sunday and during the week toured Yale University.  Special thanks go to Mrs. Lisa Finnegan who worked hard to bring this program and partnership to fruition.  Our guests are departing on April 12th for New York City prior to heading back to France.  Bon Voyage!

Artists Honored
Megan Doran and Morgan Campbell were joined by their parents and members of the school staff as they were honored at the CAS Arts Awards banquet on April 1st.  Congratulations girls!

Casey Abraham skis to multiple championships

Westbrook High School senior Casey Abraham made the CT All State Team and competed at Cannon Mountain in the Eastern Regional High School Championships where 13 states send 130 girls and boys each. Casey placed 4th in the Slalom and 1st in the Giant Slalom and was the Overall Women’s Champion. She also helped her CT Women win the Overall team championship – the first ever for CT.

During the March 15th weekend Casey competed in the Vermont Cup Series Final Championships (a season long 17 races plus Finals) and won the Overall Vermont Cup Championship! She also competed in the U18 Vermont State Finals; she placed 3rd in the Slalom, 2nd in the Super G and on Sunday, placed 2nd in the Giant Slalom – winning the Overall U18 Women’s title.

Filmmaker speaks at WHS

WHS, as well as eighth grade students, were enthralled with speaker Andrew Jenks who visited the school on March 26th.  He shared how incredibly hard work got him where he is today and shared some amusing stories from his journey.  A filmmaker, Andrew began by living in a nursing home for five weeks which allowed him to produce a film (Room 355) which was eventually bought by HBO.  Currently he produces a weekly show on MTV that chronicles the lives of ordinary people.

WHS Choir Sings at
St. John the Divine

Members of the Westbrook High School Choir sang at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City as part of a trip there on March 15th.  Students also visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and attended a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Photo by Mike Iuzzolino

Daisy Ingraham
School Honored

At a town meeting on March 13th, State Senator Art Linares presented an official citation from the General Assembly to Principal Kit Bishop in honor of Daisy Ingraham's desgination as a school of distinction.  The school earned this honor based on student performance on the 2011 CMT.

Board Honors
Student Artists
Daisy Ingraham student Jesse McGannon was honored for his artistic talents and recognized for receiving the school's art award in the area of music.  Stephen Burr was also honored in the area of visual arts but could not attend the meeting.  Congratulations to both of these students!

State Police Assist with
Security Audit
On Tuesday, March 12th the Westbrook Public Schools hosted a small group of state troopers from the CT State Police barracks, Troop F.  They toured our schools and conducted an observational safety audit.  The purpose of the audit was to assist us in our ongoing review of our preventive safety measures and to help us plan any necessary improvements

We are grateful to Troop F for their willingness to spend time with us and observe our schools. 

WHS Theatre Razzle Dazzles with CHICAGO

Congratulations to the entire company of CHICAGO, produced by Westbrook High School Theatre March 7, 9, & 10.  The production was exceptional!  For more pictures visit the WHS Facebook page.

Faculty Art Exhibit and Recital

The Westbrook Schools Arts Faculty had a wonderful art exhibit and recital last Friday evening. In the picture the district music faculty performs One Voice by the Wailin' Jennies. Great job and thanks to all who participated!

Middle School
Faculty-Student
Basketball Game

The entire middle school was excited about the annual faculty vs. student basketball game held Friday, February 15th.

Just before the game started the starting fives (and refs) gathered at center-court!


Members of the band provided a live version of the Star Spangled Banner to start the game.

Band Concert includes
Guilford Town Band

The Westbrook High School Band, under the direction of Mr. Eric Gerhardt, presented a wonderful winter concert on January 30th that also included a performance by the Guilford Town Band.  The two groups split the concert program with the high school band performing first and the Guilford group performing second.  Westbrook musicians who perform with the Guilford band include Alissa Brody, Megan Doran, Eric Gerhardt, Kaitlyn Luft, Sean Gosselin, and Rachael Allen.

WHS Students Visit OCC

Westbrook High School Tech Ed students visited Orange County Choppers during the last week of January and toured both the showroom and the manufacturing facilities.  They witnessed the fabrication of a number of motorcycles as well as seeing the way that the company uses CNC machinery and other high tech tools to design, fabricate, and build their products.  Made famous by the television show American Chopper, the company is one of the most famous motorcycle manufacturers.  Students were excited to meet the company founder Paul Tuetul Sr.

Superintendent Safety and Security Letter

Superintendent Patricia A. Ciccone issues a letter regarding our school safety and security. View the letter here.

WHS Students participate in
Model UN Program

Representing the countries of Vietnam and New Zealand, 28 Westbrook High School students participated in the Model United Nations simulation at the University of Hartford. Close to 600 students from across the state debated and compromised to pass mock resolutions regarding a variety of issues such as access to clean water and the Syrian civil war. Westbrook's delegation had 3 resolutions chosen by the World Affairs Council to be debated, two of which were passed in their respective committees. Westbrook's group is advised by social studies teachers Lindsay Stopa and Brian Dailey.  WHS Sophomore Lydia Murphy can be seen in the  photo presenting a resolution to the Environmental Committee.

Students and Teacher observe CT Electoral College

WHS Seniors Karim Abdel Jalil and Juliana MacLachlan, along with social studies teacher Brian Dailey had the pleasure of attending the CT Electoral College on Monday, December 17th. Along with a number of other students from around the state, they were invited into the Chamber of the CT Senate to witness the casting of ballots for President Obama by the CT Electorates into the Charter Oak Box. Prior to this, students attended a seminar which discussed the electoral college, including its original intention as well as several examples throughout history where it has not directly reflected the voice of the people. The Seminar concluded with a discussion regarding the future of the electoral college. Should it live on, or should it be revised?

Forensics Students Tour Lee Institute

Students in Mrs. Pierce's Forensic Science classes had the opportunity to tour the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven on Wednesday December 12th.  They had the opportunity to talk with faculty members, tour the labs, review mock crime scenes, and to meet Dr. Lee himself!

Students Give Life

Westbrook High School Students and staff participated in one of the annual blood drives at Westbrook High School on December 13th.

Middle School Students Honored

Eighth graders Zoe Ehlert and Jason Matunas were honored with the Superintendent's Award at the December Board of Education meeting.  They were chosen by the Middle School Faculty based on leadership, service, and academic prowess.  Congratulations!

23 Inducted into WHS National Honor Society

23 Students were inducted into the WHS Chapter of the National Honor Society at a ceremony held at the school on December 9th.  Students inducted included Emily Archer, Morgan Campbell, Lauren Cyr, Christopher Dahl, Melani Deniger, Kally Donlan, Megan Doran, Stephanie Gallagher, Natalie Glazer, Sam Grigo, Alyssa Herzy, Justine Higgins, Sarah Hollis, Caroline Labriola, Kaitlin MacMillan, Meghan Maynard, Coral McNary, Annie Raunikar, Michael Schneider, Robin Schreck, Jesse Tettelbach, Arden Tomassetti, and Morgan Wilderman.  Congratulations to all of our new members!

Town Tree Lighting

A host of students and staff participated in the annual Westbrook Tree Lighting on Dec. 2nd.  Click here for more pictures.  Even more pictures are on the Westbrook High School Facebook Page.

Board of Education names Superintendent of Schools
The Westbrook Board of Education has selected Patricia A. Ciccone to be the new Superintendent for the District. Ms. Ciccone comes to Westbrook after a long career in education, most recently serving as the superintendent of the Connecticut Technical High School System.

 Board of Education Chairman, Maureen Westbrook said, "The Board was impressed with Ms. Ciccone and believes she will be a strong educational leader for our District. Simply put, we feel she is a 'great fit' for Westbrook. She is clearly a highly respected, experienced professional with strong communication skills and a real passion for education." Ms. Westbrook continued, "She understands the importance of developing and supporting school staff as well as working with families and the community. She is well versed on the new state mandates and well positioned to move Westbrook forward to meet those new educational requirements."

 "I couldn't be happier to be joining the Westbrook Public Schools as their new superintendent," stated Patricia Ciccone, upon learning she had been selected for the Westbrook Superintendent position."The opportunity to work in Westbrook, a school district that is focusing on putting their students' 21st century achievement needs first, is a privilege. I look forward to meeting and working with all members of the school community."

For more information click here.

Athletic Program Honored
Senior Kaitlin Macmillan accepted the Michaels Cup Achievement Award on behalf of Westbrook High School.  The award recognizes the high school's excellent athletic program.  CAS-CIAC Executive Director Karissa Niehoff presented the award which was based on criteria including student participation, sportsmanship, won-loss percentage, scholarship, professional staff, etc.  Special congratulations to athletic director Paula Fitzgerald for leading this exemplary program.

Superintendent Honors Students

Interim Superintendent of Schools, Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato, honored two WHS seniors with the Superintendent's Award.  Caroline Barton and Karim Abdel Jalil were honored with the award that recognizes leadership, involvement, service, and academic prowess.  Mrs. Marti White, vice chair of the board of education, joined in congratulating the students.  They will also be honored at a luncheon with other area high school honorees.

WHS Honors Veterans

At the school's annual Veteran's Day assembly on Friday, Nov. 9th students and faculty honored veterans.  The event kicked off a week-long collection for the Wounded Warrior Project and First Selectman Noel Bishop read a proclamation honoring WHS '05 alumnus Mitchell Linck who was wounded in Iraq.  The woodwind quintet from the U.S. Coast Guard Band entertained the students, faculty, and community guests.  They honored school staff who are veterans, including Mr. Tim Byars and Mr. Ray Hayes (Army), Mr. Richard Matz (Navy), Mr. Joseph St. Martin (Coast Guard), Mr. Steve Albrecht (Air Force), and alum Mitchell Linck (Marines), with a medley of service songs.  Thanks to Mr. Ken Savage and members of the student council for organizing the event.

WHS Chamber Ensemble
part of an
Extraordinary Concert

Members of the Westbrook High School and director Rachael Allen participated in the Extraordinary Concert 2012 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph's in Hartford on Sunday, November 4th.  The performers included Concora, a professional CT choral group, as well as premier groups from high schools and colleges from around the state.

NHS Members Make Strides to Cure Cancer

Members (and some friends) of the WHS chapter of the National Honor Society participated in the Hartford Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, Oct. 21st. What an amazing day! Over 10,000 people were there according to the authorities. Our students raised over $2,200.00. Congratulations on a great effort!

Senior's Artwork featured by CT Art Teachers

WHS Senior Meredith Hamm's art work is one of the featured works on the homepage for the Connecticut Art Educator's Association.  Congratulations Meredith - keep up the great work!  You can view the site along with the scrolling artwork gallery that includes Meredith's drawing at the CAEA site.

John Lorenson Honored
The Westbrook Board of Education honored Mr. John Lorenson at its October Meeting with a "Make a Difference" award.  Mr. Lorenson owns Westbrook Honda which has been supplying a car for our high school driver education program for thirty years.  Without his support our program would not be able to operate.  Thanks again!

Chinese Students
visit Westbrook

For more than eight years, the Westbrook School System has had partnerships with schools in Zibo, China.  Staff were able to visit China and art work was exchanged.  This past week, Daisy Ingraham and the Middle School hosted fifteen 5th Grade students and three teachers from Jixia Elementary School. The Chinese students lived with host families in Westbrook and attended classes.  One of the teachers, Mr. Du, will be staying in Westbrook for four months and will be giving classes at all three schools.  A China Seminar will be held on the second Thursday of the month October 11, November 8, December 13, and January 10 at 7:00 PM in the Public Library.  Interested members of the public are invited to attend.

Field Day Successful in spite of Weather

A rainy fall Friday didn't dampen WHS students' spirits for our annual field day which happened indoors instead of out.  Events included Medicine Ball Toss, Tug of War, Pumpkin Carving, Hackey Sack, Ladder Ball, Chess, Set-Back, Lip-Sync and many more.  It was a close competition but the seniors ended up prevailing.  Congratulations to everyone for the great job!

Students hear Senators Lieberman and Blumenthal

Eight WHS students heard Senators Joseph Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal speak on Monday morning, Sept. 24th.  They, along with their teachers Mr. Derek Hanssen and Mr. Angelo Saba, were guests of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce which extended the invitation to have some of our students participate in the event.

Freshmen Build Connections at Camp Hazen

Members of the WHS Class of 2016 attended a day-long session at Camp Hazen and worked in teams along with members of the camp staff to enhance their team-building, problem-solving, and leadership skills.  The program was supported by the Youth Assett Program and a grant from the Middlesex United Way.  Thanks to Ms. Lyn Connery for arranging this program.

Westbrook Honda Supports Driver Education Program

The Driver Education Program at Westbrook High School recently received a 2012 Honda Civic from Westbrook Honda for use in their program. Westbrook Honda has been lending cars to the high school for thirty years. Their support and generosity enables an average of 50 students annually complete the nonprofit program. Two thirds of the enrolled students in the school eventually move through the course and now they are able to take the Off Site Driving Test at the high school through DMV on four scheduled dates throughout the year.

There are only a handful of high schools in the State of Connecticut still operating their own program and through the cooperation with Westbrook Honda, Westbrook High is able to maintain a very unique offering to its community. In the photo above, Mr. Ron Bachta, General Manager, hands over the keys to the high school's instructor Mr. Chet Bialicki with grateful students at their side! Thanks Westbrook Honda!

Successful Start for the 2012-13 School Year

By all reports the school year is off to a great start.  Students in Mr. Byars' UConn Statitistics class could hardly contain their excitement about being back.  The high school held their open house program on August 30th.  Daisy Ingraham is hosting a family picnic on September 11th and the Middle School open house is scheduled for September 12th.

Mr. Steven Albrecht named Westbrook's 2012
Teacher of the Year

Mr. Steven Albrecht has been honored by the Westbrook Public Schools as the 2012 Teacher of the Year.  He has taught here since 1997 after completing his student teaching at Westbrook High School.  Mr. Albrecht is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State University.  He recently completed a second masters degree in educational technology from the University of Idaho and is beginning a program to become a certified school administrator this fall.

Mr. Albrecht is an English teacher at Westbrook High School and serves as the Curriculum Leader for English/Language Arts for grades 5-12.  Last year he led the district committee that developed our three-year technology plan.

Superintendents Transition

Carol Parmelee-Blancato works with Patricia Charles to assure a smooth transition in the Westbrook superintendency.  Mrs. Blancato will serve as interim superintendent beginning August 1st when Dr. Charles assumes the role of superintendent for Middletown schools.  The school district offers our congratulations, thanks, and best wishes to both of these educators!

WHS LEADers

Thirteen Westbrook High School students attended the LEAD Conference (Leadership Enhances Asset Development) sponsored by Mother's Against Drunk Driving on June 26th.  Westbrook had the largest contingent of groups from across the shoreline. Students attending included Sarah Hollis, Annie Raunikar, Ayla Toussaint, Bethany Schuster, Morgan Wilderman,  Lydia Murphy, Maddy Farrell, Caroline Labriola, Taylor Amendola, Ari Tomossetti, Kaitlyn Luft, Melani Deniger, and Victoria Dimenstein.  They led groups, spoke on a PSA video, learned a flash mob dance that they're going to teach to Westbrook students and more.  SADD and Youth Asset Team Advisor Lyn Connery said, "It was a great day!"