On Sunday night around 9:30pm, Greenwich Police received a report of a driver in a gray Jeep Wrangler driving erratically on North Street. Specifically, the witness said the Jeep had been heading south and  swerved consistently over the double yellow line before pulling into a driveway at 30 North Street.

As police arrived at that address, they observed the Jeep pulling out of the driveway with both right tires traveling over the grassy shoulder and curb.

The Jeep then headed north on North Street on the wrong side of the road.

After a motor vehicle stop and field sobriety tests, the driver, Gregory James Delmazio, 22, of 35 Black Road Rd in Stamford, was arrested and charged with DUI and Failure to Drive Right.

He was able to post his $250 bond and was assigned a court date in Stamford Superior Court on June 26, 2017.

Kevin M O’Connor, 65, of 53 Orchard Place in Greenwich was arrested by warrant on June 9.

Hew as charged with Breach of Peace 2 for an incident on Grass Island on May 13 around 10:00pm.

He was released on a promise to appear in court on June 23, 2017.

From June 13-18, Grace Farms in New Canaan is designating its library for students preparing for finals. For those who wish to study less quietly, the commons area is another good spot.

If you haven’t been to Grace Farms, it’s hard to imagine a better place to study. The main building, designed by Pritzker Prize winning Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, is named the River. From the top of the hill on which is was built, it’s evident why: five seemingly separate buildings are connected by a dazzling rooftop that flows like a stream.

People strolling up the River. Photo: Julien Jarry

Inside, there may be lights, but on a sunny day they aren’t necessary, as Sanaa opted for ultra-clear windows as opposed to walls. For students looking to take a break from studying, there’s an open basketball court, as well as an activity room with foosball and a flat screen. Free popcorn will be provided to students, as well as the not free, but delicious options at the cafe.

Students working in the commons. Photo: Jarry

Photo: Jarry

That’s not to mention the 77 acres of woods, wetlands, meadows and ponds that Grace Farms has worked hard to restore from the desolate state the land was left in after serving as a horse farm.

“Anyone can come and go as they want to from Grace Farms,” says Lisa Lynne Kirkpatrick, the Community Initiative Director,  “Students can use the library for quiet study, the commons for group projects, or, a lot just go directly to the court to play pick-up basketball.”

One thing that makes coming and going from Grace Farms easy is free entrance. A non-profit, Grace Farms gets all its funding from donations and its cafe.

A man misses a shot on the court. Photo: Mini

A look inside the activity room. Photo: Mini

All life at Grace Farms is native to CT, including these wildflowers. Photo: Mini

Joanna Swomley, the founder of Indivisible Greenwich. Photo: Devon Bedoya

On Tuesday night, Indivisible Greenwich met at Christ Church to discuss the group’s activities and future plans. The group is a local chapter of a national grassroots movement that is concerned with preserving the nations democracy.

At the heart of this movement is the idea that the Trump agenda threatens democracy.

The group has grown to more than 400 members who are concerned local citizens described by Indivisible Greenwich as people who are “giving their time, energy and passion” to counter this threat.

Members of Indivisible Greenwich meet. June 6, 2017. Photo: Devon Bedoya.

Joanna Swomley, the founder of Indivisible Greenwich, said that after doing some research about what she could do as a citizen to counter the Trump agenda, she found the Indivisible Guide, which provides advocacy and organizational tactics to resist the Trump agenda.

“So I decided to start Indivisible Greenwich after being terribly distressed after Trump’s victory” Swomley said. She also said she hopes to make the group an official non-profit organization.

Joanna Swomley, founder of Indivisible Greenwich, speaking on June 6, 2017. Photo: Devon Bedoya.

Before the meeting, group members signed in at a table that had “thank you” posters to representatives for their points of view on healthcare.

Signed posters thanking representatives. June 6, 2017. Photo: Devon Bedoya.

Attendees sign posters to thank representatives. June 6, 2017. Photo: Devon Bedoya.

The subgroups that make up Indivisible Greenwich focus on federal, state and local, voting, and communications topics.

The meeting highlighted three topics: the idea of the National Popular Vote (NPV), representation in the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting (RTM) and retaining the model of equal representation in the Greenwich’s Board of Education.

The NPV is an interstate compact currently made up of ten states and the District of Columbia. The agreement among these states is to give all of their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. Connecticut is not a member of this compact, though Indivisible Greenwich aims to change that.

Jennie Baird, a representative from the local grassroots activist group March On, said that the Greenwich RTM currently represents an older, white male majority.

Although Baird said that people of color represent roughly 23% of Greenwich’s population, there are hardly any RTM members who are people of color. Baird also said that women hold fewer than a third of RTM seats.

Jennie Baird speaks about representation in the Greenwich RTM. June 6, 2017. Photo: Devon Bedoya.

To fix the Greenwich RTM representation, petitioners attended the Indivisible Greenwich meeting to get signatures in support of their running for office. Many petitioners were young women seeking a seat in the RTM.

Petitioners get signatures to support their running for an RTM seat. June 6, 2017. Photo: Devon Bedoya.

The Greenwich school board is a bi-partisan body. It is currently split 4-4 Republicans to Democrats. Swomley said there is an effort underway by town republicans to make it a republican controlled board, which would make it 5-3 republicans to democrats. Although the school board recently voted against this effort, the selectman of Greenwich have the idea to put this question to a vote by Greenwich residents.

Swomley said that Indivisible Greenwich aims to stop this idea from being put to action because although it may sound good on a superficial level, the group believes the question will be asked in a slippery way that will confuse residents and possibly cause them to become misinformed on the issue.

“We didn’t want to wait until it was too late to do anything about these issues” Swomley said about how these three topics were time-sensitive issues.

In the press release to promote this meeting, the group described itself as a “campaign to promote non-partisan civic engagement.”

This point was also emphasized at the meeting when Swomley said that the group welcomes republicans and anyone who is against the Trump agenda.

However, at the meeting the room was majority left-leaning in its political views.

“I have to put more thought into ways of making this less partisan and opening up to republicans,” said Swomley. “I’ll take suggestions.”

Indivisible Greenwich members vote on future actions they will be taking. June 6, 2017. Photo: Devon Bedoya.

Shelia Phelan, a member of Indivisible Greenwich, said she likes how engaged she has become in politics since joining the group.

“The group has targeted goals. Groups like this makes sure things happen,” said Phelan.

“The people make up the institution. If we sit back and let something happen, we’re taking the institution for granted,” she said.

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GHS senior Derek Woo presenting his research project at Regeneron STS, where he was a finalist. June 13, 2017. Photo courtesy of Derek Woo

The second person from the GHS Science Research program to be interviewed on this series is Derek Woo. He is a student and is currently his third and final year in research.

Greenwich High School senior Derek Woo has attended several science fairs for different projects. He seemed to build on his skill set every year. As a sophomore, he was a bronze medalist at the GENIUS Olympiad science fair. A year later he won the silver medal at the International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, and Environment Project (I-SWEEEP) fair as a junior. Finally, in January 2017 and towards the end of high school, he was a Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist, winning an amazing $27,000 prize.

While this was the pinnacle of all his years in science classes as well as the research program, Woo reflected on those years of experience in the field of science. He remembered all the skills he had learned from teacher and mentor Andrew Bramante.

“Failure is very real here. Even though most of the time you see the kids who win, many have also failed. Yet failure is constructive,” Woo said. He was able to succeed in most of his own research, but sometimes he had to find a way around an obstacle during his experiments.

Woo in the middle of an experiment at Greenwich High School. June 13, 2017. Photo courtesy of Derek Woo

For Woo, research was a nice break from the heavy academic expectations of high school in order to be perfect for college. There was rarely disappointment after a certain failure because Woo knew his grade didn’t depend on how successful he was at science fairs by virtue of Andrew Bramante’s unique grading system.

The only pressure he felt was the pressure only he put on himself. He wanted to complete his project in order to apply for and participate in different science fairs. Woo is grateful for Bramante’s mentorship throughout the years, calling him a “life mentor.”

“He [Bramante] is very honest and is caring through his criticism. He isn’t like any other teacher I’ve had, he’s much more real world-like. And, he’s involved in more than academics” -Derek Woo

Woo has also learned many things from attending science fairs. He was able to find out that STEM subjects were able to bring people together through a common interest from all over the world. “I learned that I had a lot in common with students from Russia and Turkey, for example. At I-SWEEEP, a group of us from GHS ended up eating dinner with another group of kids from Mozambique and bonding with them,” said Woo.

Research even ended up changing his choice of major. Going to Harvard with the class of 2021, Woo is on track for Environmental Science. Before, he was thinking of doing Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science. Woo is certain that he will come back to visit Bramante and the research classes. Perhaps he will even be in the midst of a new research project at Harvard by then.

For his junior and senior year research project, Woo chose to work with bees. He was successful in cleaning up water that bees drank from plants that were exposed to an insecticide called imidacloprid by using biochar, a kind of charcoal that some farmers use for their soil. June 13, 2017. Photo courtesy of Derek Woo.

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This story was written by Terry Dinan and was originally published on sister site Darienite.com

Photo: Terry Dinan

At the same time the New York Yankees of today continued their surprising surge to the top of the American League East, hundreds of baseball fans lined up Saturday afternoon at the newly opened Bowlero Milford for a chance to meet a great Bronx Bomber of the past.

Former Yankees first baseman and Greenwich resident Mark Teixeira made an appearance at the Grand Opening of Milford’s newest attraction, as the former AMF Milford Lanes has been transformed into an ultra-modern, 60-lane bowling alley replete with a cutting-edge arcade, high-end sports bar and revamped menu featuring items such as the 5-lb., 14-inch Behemoth Burger.

Teixeira, who retired last year after a 14-year career in which he hit 409 home runs with the Rangers, Braves, Angels and Yanks, four Gold Glove awards and a world championship with the Yankees in 2009, took some time off from signing autographs and posing for photos to talk with us about his past, present and future.

Photo: Terry Dinan

Q: So how are you enjoying your retirement?

A: I’m loving it. I get to make my own schedule, do some fun things that I wasn’t able to do while I was playing, so it’s been fun.

Q: You settled in Greenwich when you were playing, and you’ve stayed there now that your playing days are over. What is it about Fairfield County that made you decide to stay here?

A: First of all, my wife and kids love it here. If my family is happy it makes my life a lot easier and this is my home. It’s my ninth year here now which is the longest I’ve lived anywhere since I was a kid and I really feel like this is the place for the long term.

Q: What do you miss the most from your playing career?

A: I really just miss hitting home runs. I don’t miss all the pain and injuries. I don’t miss losing or striking out — that kind of stuff. I just miss the success. I’ll always miss that. It’s something I’ll miss until the day I die … hitting home runs.

Photo: Terry Dinan

Q: You certainly had plenty of those. Can you talk about some of your greatest memories from your playing career?

A: I have so many. Obviously from a team standpoint, the ’09 World Series. From an individual standpoint, hitting some big home runs in the playoffs and that last walk-off Grand Slam against the Red Sox is definitely still fresh in my mind so I’ve had a lot of good ones.

Q: You just saw Derek Jeter getting his number retired this season and getting a plaque in Monument Park. Talk about the experience of being a teammate of such an iconic New York Yankee.

A: One of the special things about being a Yankee is all the great players that have come through Yankee Stadium and wore the pinstripes and Derek is right up there with the best. To be able to play with him for six seasons and win a World Series with him was one of the blessings of my career.

Q: I remember hearing how you would be at Bobby Valentine’s Sports Academy in Stamford, hitting balls off a tee every morning with high school kids teeing them up for you. When you were growing up, there weren’t facilities like that for young players — how has that aspect of the game evolved for today’s up-and-coming players?

A: Youth sports have definitely evolved. Kids have a lot more opportunities to get better, and I think you see that in the talent we see in baseball, golf, football and basketball — these kids are getting better every year. I don’t necessarily wish that I had it. But if I did, I definitely would have used it.

Photo: Terry Dinan

Q: So to that point, what is THE most important thing for a kid just starting out in baseball to do?

A: The most important thing is to have fun playing because if you have fun, then you’ll want to play more. If you play more, you’ll get better. If you don’t enjoy it, then find another sport because whatever you play you have to play a lot to improve. The more you enjoy something, the more you’ll work at it.

Bowlero Milford

Bowlero bowling lanes on the Post Road in Milford. Photo Terry Dinan

From Bowlero’s announcement:

Formerly AMF Milford Lanes, the new Bowlero Milford offers a fresh approach to bowling alleys, combining bowling and cutting-edge arcade games with a menu of oversized, shareable eats.

The Center for Hope and Renewal at the Old Stanwich Church in the Stanwich Historic District

Is the Center for Hope and Renewal a charity or a business?

Is there a violation of zoning regulations or are the psychological counseling service an appropriate use?

The right for the Center for Hope and Renewal to operate at the old Stanwich Church was debated at the marathon June Planning & Zoning Commission meeting that went from 7:00pm until 2:30am.

Whether or not the Center is a charity is important because if the Center is indeed a charity,  the Commission can review the application as a special permit rather than a special exception.

There are two controversial P&Z decisions recently with some similarities. In 2016, the commission ruled against Back Country Wellness, the  eating disorders clinic that operated out a barn at the founder’s home on North Porchuck Road. As a result that operation, which is not a charity, moved to central Greenwich.

Neighbor to Neighbor’s controversial application to construct a new building for its clothing and food pantry was considered a charity and was approved.

The other question for P&Z is whether the applicant meets the standard of section 6-94 that requires a distance of 100 feet from the property line.

Adjacent neighbor Ted Walworth III testified that the accessory building where the Center operates did not meet the setbacks, and, he said, “The office building where they (patients) are being seen hangs 8″ onto my property and is 12 ft from the street,” he said.

No More Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous Meetings
Attorney for the applicant, Thomas Heagney said the Center offers services including grief counseling and help with matrimonial matters – not services for “criminals” and he said that currently there is less activity at the church than before it moved to its new home at 202 Taconic Road.

Heagney acknowledged neighbors’ concerns about evening meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.

“We recognized that was a concern in the neighborhood,” he said. “The leader of that group is leaving the area and no one was willing to step up and take over – the group is disbanding.”

Heagney said as part of the application, the applicant agreed not to host Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. He said there would be no more regular group evening meetings.

Mr. Heagney said adding that the Center for Hope and Renewal is a 5001(c)3 charitable organization that receives two thirds of its operation’s budgets as donations, and that the services are “a church use” and under regulations 6-94b-1 are permitted and “appropriate” in a residential zone.

Mr. Heagney asked for a show of hands of those in the audience who came to support the Center. About 20 hands went up.

Heagney said there is a close relationship between Stanwich Congregational Church and The Center for  for Hope and Renewal and the Center would not exist but for the church. He said the Center relies on the church for financial support as well as a building. He said that members of the Stanwich Church serve on the Center’s board, and that there is a cross between the clergy and the director of the Center.

Reverend Dr. Nathan Hart said he lives on site in the parsonage with his wife and two young children and could speak personally about his experience.

Rev Hart said the parsonage is between the Center and its parking lot. “If anyone has concern on the impact of the center on the neighborhood, we have more.”

“Are you concerned about your children being close to the Center’s clientele? Ours are closer. Are you concerned about noise? We hear it louder. Car traffic? We share a driveway with the Center. Foot traffic? We occasionally people walk across our lawn. We consider these inconveniences to be trivial when compared with the immeasurable good that the Center for Hope and Renewal provides,” Hart said, adding that the  emotional healing, relational reconciliation and restoration are “value adds” to Greenwich.

Jill Marchak spoke in favor of the Center. “I consider it one of the treasures of Greenwich. It has been enormously helpful to me and my family, and many friends,” she said. “The practical help they offer is unique. To have a non profit organization like this in our town is an extraordinary thing.”

Troone Marchak spoke of having anxiety at Greenwich High School and began seeing a therapist at the Center during her junior year. She described the experience as “transformational.”

Susan Hut of 43 Crown lane, whose property is within 150 yards of the old Stanwich Church, said she was aware of promises made by Mr. Heagney and the Stanwich Church. She said that back in 2002 she spoke at a ZBA meeting about appeal number 8781 and recalled that Mr. Heagney promised to maintain restrictions on uses between the two churches.

She said there was a promise that the old church would only be used for weddings and funerals. “Now they are back to reneging on their promise,” she said. “The Stanwich Church is breaking its word and its trust. The Center does not belong in my or any other residential neighborhood in Greenwich.”

Commissioner Margarita Alban said the commission had reviewed their own transcripts from 2002, and that 32 conditions were imposed on the church. She said there had been discussion about concurrent uses, and that there was no expectation at the time that there would be other uses than “services.”

Ted Walworth III read a statement from Barrett and Patricia Burns of 282 Taconic Road, that said, “In the light of day the Center is clearly a business enterprise.” They noted the Center operates in a historic district.  “The church needs to stand behind its promises and the Town of Greenwich needs to stand behind its promises.”

Mr. Walworth said, “The adverse impacts on the neighborhood are obvious. A group professional psychology business dealing with unknown persons will have a devastating impact on property values and quality of life.”

Walworth said the Center has served over 12,000 patients in recent years and trained 3,000 professionals. “If you approve this application, how much further will they grow to the detriment of the neighborhood,” he asked.

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Dr. Keith Raskin of 230 Taconic Road, a medical doctor whose wife is also a doctor, said they had lived in the neighborhood for 11 years. “The charge of the Center for Hope and Renewal is a good charge. It’s is a charge to help patients with addiction, anxiety and abuse.”

Raskin said the patients are looking to regain “mental stability,” which he said is a common medical term. “We are for mental health care. We just, as insiders, realize there is one word that comes to mind whenever I discuss mental health with patients and their families: unpredictability.”

Kirsten Fitzgibbons of 234 Taconic Rd, directly across the street from the Center said she has been woken up abruptly by car doors slamming, seen men loitering after anonymous meetings and witnessed the “parade of patients and seminar attendants.”

Fitzgibbons, who rents office space on East Putnam Avenue for her interior decorating business rather than work from home, said the Center “bringing in strangers for fees” is “completely disrespectful to the neighbors.” She complained about the Center boating about the anonymity it offers patients.

“I feel fear. I don’t even want to walk across the street to my mailbox for fear of what I might run into.”  Fitzgibbons referred to “intimidation tactics” of those showing up for support. “I feel bullied by that. I don’t feel encouraged.”  She said therapists come from other towns and charge “huge fees and then go back to their own quiet neighborhoods.”

Attorney John Tesei, representing several neighbors, said the ZBA approval of the Center had four specific conditions:  no simultaneous use of the new and old church properties, no commercial uses at either property,  no leasing and no schools other than Bible School.

The old Stanwich Church on Taconic Road in back country Greenwich. Photo: Leslie Yager

Tesei said the applicant has through representatives in their testimony and in writing, including their website, confirmed that independent psychologists make up the majority of the professionals.

“They treat patients at the property regularly and routinely… they are engaging in a commercial practice of services for hire,” Tesei continued. “They have no connection to the church or the Center except when they receive referrals from the Center.”

“Why are we even here?” Tesei asked the commissioners.

Sign near the Center for Hope and Renewal notes the Stanwich Historic District.

Tesei noted that the Zoning Board of Appeals, back in 1969, approved a variance to permit the leased property owned by Aquarion to be utilized as parking incidental to the old Stanwich Church.

“The variance was very specific and stated it was only for the use of a church,” Tesei said. “This parking lot, which is relied on for the Center, cannot be used.”

A residential appraiser with 34 years experience, Steven Correll testified that, “Those uses do have a profoundly negative impact on the market values of the immediate properties as well as negative impact on the historic district.”

See also:

Center For Hope and Renewal at Old Stanwich Church Causes a Stir May 11, 2017

See also: Back Country Wellness, in Violation of Zoning Regs, Tries to Make Things Right July 7, 2016

It’s Over. P&Z Unanimously Approves Neighbor to Neighbor Food Pantry Building in Historic District by Tomes Higgins House October 18, 2016

GHS students with Bob DeAngelo, Heather Brown, and Wendy Coleman of the Greenwich YMCA. Contributed photo.

On Sunday morning, Greenwich High School students gathered at the YMCA of Greenwich to spin in support of girl’s education. Organized by the GHS Girl’s Empowerment Club, the proceeds went directly to support the club’s “She’s the First” scholar, Lisbeth H in Peru.

Joined by the YMCA’s executive director Bob DeAngelo and program director Heather Brown, the group enjoyed an hour of invigorating exercise with great music. The class was lead by enthusiastic spin instructor, Wendy Coleman.

Funds raised from the spin class and raffle amounted to over $200, which is enough to cover the rest of Lisbeth’s scholarship for the following year.

Lisbeth will be able to continue secondary school and eventually become the first in her family to graduate high school.

Kathryn Papas, Greenwich High School junior in attendance, said, “It was fun to see everyone and a great workout.”

“We’re thrilled that we reached our goal and we especially appreciate the support from community organizations” added Margaret Zhang, co-president of the club.

In addition to the YMCA of Greenwich which generously provided the facilities for the class, the raffle prizes and refreshments were provided by Athleta of Greenwich and Acme markets.

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Fireworks

For the 11th consecutive year, Greenwich will present fireworks displays at Binney Park and Greenwich Point Park.

Both displays are scheduled for Saturday, July 1, with a rain date of Sunday, July 2.

The Binney Park Show will start at approximately 9:10 pm and the Greenwich Point Show will begin at approximately 9:35 pm.  It is strongly recommended that anyone planning to attend either display and especially the Greenwich Point display arrive early.

Spectators wishing to attend the Greenwich Point display must remember that the rules for Greenwich Point access will be the same as usual on the day of the fireworks.

The Point will be closed when the maximum number of cars for the available parking spaces has been achieved.

Greenwich Point will be closed to vehicular traffic at 8:30 pm, even if the parking capacity has not been reached.

Cooperation with the Police will be needed.  There will be extra handicapped parking available at Greenwich Point Park.

Tailgating will not be permitted in the Greenwich Point Parking Lots during and after the display.

Cooking is allowed only in regularly designated picnic areas and at Town owned grills.

Glassware is not permitted on or within 200 feet of the beach and swimming will not be allowed after sunset.

Dogs are not allowed in Greenwich Point Park.

No Open Flame Candles, Sparklers, Chinese Fire Lanterns, Bomb Bags, Sky Lanterns, Snappers or any other type of fireworks will be allowed in Greenwich Point Park.  This will be strictly enforced.

Greenwich Point will be closed immediately following the conclusion of the display.  As always, spectators are urged to car pool, plan ahead and be patient.  Measures will again be taken by Town Safety personnel to provide expert medical coverage, a comfortable environment, and safe and efficient exit from Greenwich Point after the fireworks.  These measures will include:  a managed parking and traffic flow plan, assistance from G.E.M.S. with medical coverage, and portable lighting at strategic locations around Greenwich Point.

Spectators are urged to bring a flashlight.

Leaving the Point on bicycles is not advisable, especially for children.

Spectators at Greenwich Point will be entertained by a disc jockey stationed near the South Concession area starting at 7:00 pm.

The fireworks display will be fired from the corner of Greenwich Point (Bluff Point), well beyond the South Concession Stand.  A limited area of the Point will be restricted from public use on the day of the fireworks.  This restriction will be enforced.

People interested in walking the Point on the day of the show will be required to take a detour around the Bluff Point Area of the Park, and this detour will take them up to Founder’s Rock.  There will be many areas at Greenwich Point, including the main beach, which will offer exciting views of the dazzling colors that fill the sky.  Spectators in boats will enjoy great views from Long Island Sound around the Point.

The Binney Park display will feature the Sound Beach Community Band.  They will begin performing at 7:30 pm.  They will be located on the Showmobile near the flag pole near Sound Beach Avenue.

In addition, grills, cooking and open fires will be prohibited in Binney Park.  No Open Flame Candles, Sparklers, Chinese Fire Lanterns, Bomb Bags, Sky Lanterns, Snappers or any other type of fireworks will be allowed at Binney Park.  This will be strictly enforced.

Please, no climbing of trees.  Police will be available to assist with traffic and pedestrians.  Wesskum Wood Road will be closed to traffic by Police by early evening.  Handicapped Parking will be available on Binney Park Drive near the tennis courts.  Vehicles with appropriate permits must notify the on duty police for assistance.

It is important to remember that pets should never be brought to any fireworks display as it is not safe for them.  If you choose to bring them to Binney Park, they must be leashed.

Information sheets on the Greenwich Point display are available at the Greenwich Point Ticket Booth.  Please check our website, www.greenwichct.org, for information on this and other programs.

Flag Raising
There will be a flag raising ceremony at Town Hall on Tuesday, July 4 at 9:00am. The flag will be raised to celebrate Greenwich’s history. Scouts will parade the flags of the 13 Colonies. Honor Greenwich citizens who are descendants of Greenwich’s founding families. Salute patriots who gave their lives in the Revolutionary War. Recognize Good Citizen winners from Greenwich public and private schools. There will be refreshments inside Town Hall following the ceremony. Contact Bea Crumbine bcrumbine@gmail.com with questions.

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YNET at Greenwich High School for the annual Frisbee tournament on June 10, 2017 Photo Lauren Madigan-Sinclair

 Saturday Morning Greenwich YNET held their Annual Frisbee tournament at Greenwich High School. Participating were member of UConn’s Ultimate Frisbee team, as well as other former and current GHS students.

YNET’s goal is to spread awareness and prevent domestic abuse in teens and adults. Members of YNET gathered to celebrate the tournament and hand out T-shirts and snacks for the players.

The Tournament had three very successful teams from all over Connecticut.

The whole day was great fun and for a amazing cause, because after all, there is “No excuse for a abuse!”

YNET held their Annual Frisbee tournament at Greenwich High School on June 10, 2017 Photo: Lauren Madigan-Sinclair

YNET held their Annual Frisbee tournament at Greenwich High School on June 10, 2017 Photo: Lauren Madigan-Sinclair

YNET held their Annual Frisbee tournament at Greenwich High School on June 10, 2017 Photo: Lauren Madigan-Sinclair

Display featuring the list YNET Frisbee tournament sponsors.

Preview of the Greenwich High School yearbook and cover. Photo: Julia Moch

Greenwich High School released its 79th edition of the Compass yearbook last week. The title for this 2017 is “Unforgettable,” and for dozens of students that may be an understatement.

At over 350 pages, the collection houses numerous sections about all the happenings in student life, clubs, sports, and much more.

Cholo Cruz, one of the Editors in Chief of the Compass Yearbook, said he was very proud of the work accomplished.

“I am beyond grateful that people are happy with the overall yearbook and that it’s been considered the best yearbook in GHS history,” Cholo said. “My goal was to ensure that no matter who you are and what you do, you are an unforgettable member of the GHS community, which was the theme of the yearbook.”

Cholo Cruz, Eden Kaufman, and Gaia Fakhoury show off an award for the 2016 yearbook. Contributed photo.

This volume has much to live up to, as the Compass Yearbook Club earned the Gallery of Excellence award for the 2016 “True Story” Yearbook.

Since 2014, all books contain  interactive features, made possible through a free application called Aurasma which is available for Android and Apple devices.

Users simply hold their phone over certain images and interactive videos will pop up on their phone or tablets. To do so, simply search “GHSCompass2017” in the app and click follow on the GHS page. There are videos available to show which pages in the book have these special features.

Despite all the praise for its creativity and detail, some students are not happy with the results.

Aaron Gershon is a senior who faced an error with the spelling of his name. Instead of being spelled with an “o”, the yearbook has it written as “Gershan.”

“I’m shocked on how poorly edited the book was. To get someone’s last name wrong like they did is a crucial mistake,” Aaron said. “People use yearbooks as a source of identification and it’s something I’ll have for the rest of my life. Having to see that huge mistake is upsetting, but I got to keep a sense of humor about it at the same time. Hopefully next year’s group does a much better job.”

Jacobo Romero is also a senior who found his quote missing and replaced with one that belonged to another student.

“It is not cool. My quote ‘cada loco con su tema’  (Translation: To each his own theme) has a lot of meaning to me and is my life philosophy,” Jacobo said. “Now I have someone else’s quote, which probably holds the same meaning for them, but not for me.”

Romero is now left with a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald under his name.

Romero’s quote in the yearbook belongs to someone else. Photo: Julia Moch

One formatting error is also impacting the entire Girls Track and Field Team. In their group photo, athletes had their last names merged and swapped with others.

One of the captains Avrey Carifa (spelled on the next page as Avrey Cadrifa) has her name as “Avrey Cella,” while the person in front of her, Jessica Bonofiglio, is “Jessica Carifa.” This means the entire group has their last names switched with those before them.

The entire Girls Track Team have their names written incorrectly in the yearbook. Photo: Julia Moch

Girls’ Swimming and Diving captains also face an identification issue. In the captain’s recognition section, Emily Murphy is pictured as Brittany Banker and vice versa. Their quotes and names are by the wrong photograph.

Banker and Murphy are not identified properly within their photos. Photo: Julia Moch

With more sloppy errors emerging, Cholo addressed the criticism.

“As for the typos and mistakes, those are a common occurrences in any kind of yearbook, even award winning ones have flaws,” he said.

“I apologize for the mistakes and my club strives to minimize the damages as much as possible each year,” Cholo continued. “Knowing from our mistakes now from this year, I know for certain my club will be determined to work on that and make sure they won’t be repeated.”

HS seniors pose with their yearbooks at compass night. Photo: Lauren Madigan-Sinclair

Headmaster of Greenwich High School Chris Winters responded to an email asking for comment on the errors in the yearbooks.

“Overall, the 2017 Compass Yearbook has been very well received. It comes in a long tradition of yearbooks. These are special markers of the students and culture of the school during a given year,” he said.

“Each year, unfortunately, there are a few mistakes,” he acknowledged. “We feel terribly about them and do what we can to remedy them. Once the books are published, we can’t make changes and reprint.”

Winters acknowledged misspellings and that fact that some senior quotes were either left out or switched with another student’s.

“We are ordering stickers from the yearbook publisher that match the color and font of the page. We send the affected seniors many stickers which they can insert into their own yearbook and give to others. Our library copy will include the stickers.” – Dr. Chris Winters, GHS Headmaster

No matter the reviews, yearbooks serve as a tool for students and the community to reflect on their experiences at GHS.

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June 25, 2016 | PHOTO CREDIT: DAN BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY

June 25, 2016 | PHOTO CREDIT: DAN BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY

June 25, 2016 | PHOTO CREDIT: DAN BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY

On Saturday, June 24, 2017, more than 200 swimmers and 100 land volunteers, boaters and kayakers fight cancer in the 11th annual Swim Across America Greenwich-Stamford Swim.

The event is held on the border of Old Greenwich and Stamford at 96 Cummings Point Road in Stamford, which is home to the Swim’s beneficiary, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT).

Each year, the Greenwich-Stamford Swim Across America Swim grows with more swimmers, more volunteers and more money raised in the fight to defeat cancer.

This year, Swim Across America is seeing more local high school swim teams and their coaches signing up, such as Greenwich High School swim team coaches Terry Lowe and Lorrie Hokayem who are leading Team Julian.

10TH Annual | June 25, 2016 | Photo Credit: Jenifer Howard (JHPR)

More than 20 teams have already registered as of June 15.

Julian Fraser

One of the largest teams is “Team Julian,” who will swim in honor of Julian Fraser, a 2014 Greenwich High School graduate.

Julian, who was captain of the GHS swim and water polo teams, died in February after an eleven month battle with cancer.

Julian’s father Alec Fraser will be the honored speaker at this year’s Swim.

“A very big and very moving part of the Swim Across America Greenwich-Stamford Swim is hearing the stories of ‘Why I Swim’ or ‘Why I Volunteer’ from our participants,” said Michele Graham, one of the co-chairs of the event and the mother of a teenage cancer survivor.

Michele’s daughter Nicole, also a 2014 Greenwich High School graduate, is a leukemia survivor.

Lorrie Lorenz, the other co-chair, is also the mother of a teenage cancer survivor with her daughter Brooke, who was diagnosed with lymphoma her senior year of high school. Brooke will be celebrating six years of being cancer-free at this year’s Swim.

10TH Annual | June 25, 2016 | Photo Credit: Jenifer Howard (JHPR)

Dr. Samuel Katz of Yale Cancer Center and Yale University with Matt Vossler, co-founder of Swim Across America, at a recent visit by Greenwich-Stamford Swim Across America swimmers and volunteers of Dr. Katz’s lab. Dr. Katz is the recipient of a grant from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) that the annual Swim raises funds for. This year’s Swim Across America Greenwich-Stamford Swim is June 24 in Stamford, Connecticut. Photo credit: Swim Across America Greenwich-Stamford.

The Greenwich-Stamford Swim Across America event has supported the research of several ACGT-funded scientists. This year’s Swim will support Dr. Samuel Katz, an assistant professor of pathology at Yale University who is studying the use of immunotherapy using RNA to attack cancer cells in blood cancers; and Dr. Crystal Mackall, associate director of Stanford Cancer Institute, the director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford, and director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program, Department of Pediatrics at Stanford Cancer Center who is using the ACGT Swim Across America grant to focus on immunotherapy to treat osteosarcoma.

Nationally, Swim Across America has raised more than $65 million in the fight against cancer with swims throughout the United States since its founding in 1987. In Connecticut, the annual Swim Across America event is an open water swim with ½-mile, 1.5-mile and 3-mile options.

Proceeds of the fundraising efforts support cancer research grants administered by ACGT.

Swimmers, boaters, kayakers and land volunteers are encouraged to register at swimacrossamerica.org/greenwich.

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Rink Mink sits atop the PA system inside the Hamill rink office. Photo: Leslie Yager

The Greenwich Athletic Foundation, Inc. (GAF) announced this week that on the RTM approved their gift of a new audio system for Dorothy Hamill Rink.

The gift is the first from the newly formed Greenwich Athletic Foundation, whose goal is to address the town’s deteriorating athletic facilities through public-private collaboration.

The gift of the audio system was approved by the RTM on June 12.

“I’m thrilled to learn that the GAF successfully raised the monies for a new sound system at the rink,” said former Greenwich resident and Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill in a release. “I have enjoyed my love affair with ice skating all my life and it’s my hope that generations to come will embrace and enjoy the sport as much as me.”

Hamill said the new and updated sound system will enhance everyone’s positive experience at the rink.

The GAF was founded this year to create and support exemplary youth and high school sports programs and town facilities. Their mission is to work in cooperating with town departments.

“Strong youth and high school athletics programs are vital to the active, healthy culture and shared values of the community,” the GAF said in a release, adding that the foundation aims to become a channel for public/private partnerships toward that end.

Creation of the GAF reflects a grassroots movement that was prompted by the deterioration of the Town’s athletic facilities. The sound system at Hamill Rink is a good example, as it will benefit the GHS boys and girls ice hockey teams and will also benefit groups including the Greenwich Skating Club, Greenwich Blues, figure skating programs and General Skate.

The new audio system, a state-of-the-art system designed for use in skating rinks, will provide clear audio when playing music and making announcements.

Robert Burton, Jr, president of the GAF said the foundation was pleased the RTM approved their gift. He went on to thank Joe Siciliano and the Parks & Rec Dept for “unwavering” support of the project.

“I want to thank the rapidly growing membership of the GAF for their efforts in making the project happen,” Burton continued. “I especially want to commend the GAF Advisory Board member, Lee Milazzo for his efforts in working with the Parks & Recreation Dept.”

An early incarnation of Hamill Rink after a roof was added to the open air rink.

Having evolved into its present state piecemeal, Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink was first a simple slab of ice put down in 1971. It was encircled by a chain link fence. Established on a field by the former Byram School, the rink was an instant hit.

Hamill Rink evolved from an open air rink built on a slab by the old Byram School in 1971. This black and white photo is on the wall inside the rink.

A few years later, bleachers were added and a roof erected. Later, walls were added and bleachers installed. A warming hut was built to house the Zamboni. Before locker rooms were added in late 90s, skaters changed inside tents. Today, there is a row of heated rooms, including a party room that can be rented, an officials room, a rentals booth, and an office with a ticket window. To create those spaces, the bleachers were lifted and relocated permanently on top of the ground floor rooms.

The rink is in need of modernization as it has  no insulation. Nor is there heat or air conditioning. Each spring the ice is melted and rolls of green turf are unfurled, extending the rink’s use through the summer. But as the temperature soars outside, so it does inside. Since there is no foyer or vestibule to serve as a buffer from the elements, the temperature in the rink mirrors the temperature outside. In the summer soccer, t-ball, flag football and lacrosse are played on turf in the rink.

More information on the GAF can be found on their website: www.greenwichaf.com, were resident can submit suggestions for future projects that will benefit Greenwich youth sports.

The GAF was incorporated as a Connecticut non-stock corporation on May 11, 2017 and is in the process of drafting their 501(c))3 tax exemption application.  Once that is done, the GAF will qualify as a tax exempt charitable organization that can receive tax deductible charitable contributions.

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Police responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident with pedestrian injuries on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident took place around 2:30pm at Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses at 437 North Street after a driver in the private parking lot  who was parking traveled through a fence and into benches and a table where a man was sitting.

The pedestrian was pinned between two tables. Police and Greenwich fire Dept responded to the incident.

According to Lt. David Nemecek, the driver, a man in his 80s, was issued a warning for unsafe movement.

The man who was pinned between the tables was taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

While most of Sundaram’s awards were earned this year, she has cultivated an interest in computer programming since middle school. Credit Sarah Xu

At the STEM awards at Greenwich High School, Shobhita Sundaram walked up on stage seven times.

She was recognized for her first places at Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair, and Connecticut STEM Fair, as well as a first place award from NSA, fourth place at ISEF, and being selected as a regional finalist in the Google Science Fair.

Her research is firmly rooted in an enthusiasm for computer science, one that has only grown since she began programming in middle school.

“I used to love building things and was curious about how things worked,” Sundaram said. “It seemed like the next logical step was programming.” Throughout middle school, she took Codeacademy classes and worked through online textbooks.

After taking the science research class at Greenwich High School and interning at a Cornell laboratory, her interest in artificial intelligence was cemented.

“It’s one thing to learn about the discoveries but it’s another thing to work in those fields,” she said. ”I felt like I was really contributing and it made what I’m learning in school more interesting, more connected to the real world.”

Sundaram’s research project is a machine learning model that accurately detects pre-malignant Pancreatic cancer from blood. While previous models achieved a 50-60% accuracy, her program has an 80% accuracy. She increased accuracy by designing her program to find the best set of protein biomarkers before employing biomarkers to test for pancreatic cancer.

Creating this project required reading over 50 research papers, contacting scientists for data, and hours upon hours of programming. Her project is not ready to be used in a clinical setting yet–it would need higher accuracy and more data. But she’s already been contacted by leading researchers in pancreatic cancer.

Sundaram employs her computer science skills beyond her research projects. She and a friend worked with a foundation to teach programming to students in South Africa. “Even in the US, it is hard for low-income students to learn about computer science,” she said. “It is exponentially harder for kids in developing countries.”

Along with computer programming, Sundaram has succeeded in the humanities through winning debate and writing awards. She excels in local and international debate tournaments, and has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and the National Council of Teachers of English.

“The humanities is so important to the sciences, especially science research,“ she said. “If you can’t communicate the value of everything you do, it is very difficult to do well in science fairs.”

Sundaram also credits focusing on the big picture in her presentations, and guidance from her science research teacher, Andy Bramante, for her success in science fairs. “Mr. Bramante is great at helping in in the initial stages of understanding the problem yet letting the kid take the lead after that,” she said.

In the future, Sundaram wants to study computer engineering. “I can always specialize later,” she said. “Right now, I’m interested in artificial intelligence and how it can help other industries.”

She originally wasn’t sure whether she would pursue science or humanities. One thing that tipped the scales toward science was the lack of girls in STEM.

“When I looked at the skewed female to male ratio at the programming camp I went to, it made me want to go into STEM more,” she said. “It’s important to have diversity of thought.”

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The Department of Parks and Recreation announces that the Great Captain Island Ferry will not be available for service on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17, 2017.

We are closely monitoring the progress of the ongoing repairs and will continue to provide updates as we receive them.

Subscribe to the daily Greenwich Free Press newsletter.

Parks & Rec anticipates resumption of service on Sunday, June 18, 2017.

Please call the Ferry Hotline (203)618-7672 for updates as progress is subject to change.

Ferry Service to Island Beach is running on a normal schedule.

The first ferry departs at 10:00am. For weather cancellations call 203-661-5957

For full ferry schedule click here.

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5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane
Greenwich, CT 06807

5 Bedrooms
3 Full Baths, 1 Half Bath
Single Family
3,623 Square Feet
1.02 Acre Lot

Listed at: $1,820,000

Listed by: Susan Connal
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
191 Mason Street
Cell (203) 536-6655
Email Susan.Connal@coldwellbankermoves.com

A glorious, flat, landscaped acre in Cos Cob showcases an extensively renovated Colonial.

Enjoy five comfortable bedrooms, including a master with ensuite bath, heated pool and great entertaining spaces leading to a huge deck with peaceful and edenic views.

Convenient to Cos Cob and Riverside, yet with the feeling and peacefulness of quiet, countryside, this is a home to treasure for now and the future.

Aerial view of 5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

Heated pool at 5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich.

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

5 Daffodil Lane in Greenwich

Susan Connal
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
191 Mason Street
Greenwich, CT 06830
Cell (203) 536-6655
Susan.Connal@coldwellbankermoves.com

To inquire about running a House of The Week feature, contact Greenwich Free Press editor Leslie.Yager@gmail.com
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Margaret Roche, Head of School at Fusion Academy Greenwich. Photo: Leslie Yager

Head of School at Fusion Academy Greenwich, Margaret “Maggie” Roche recently shared her enthusiastic anticipation of a second summer on Dolphin Cove.

Ms. Roche, who worked at Fusion Academy for four years at the Park Avenue, NYC campus and later at the Westchester campus, came to Greenwich as the Master Teacher.

She recently became Assistant Director before moving up to Head of School when Jennifer Walsh-Rurak was elevated to Regional Area Manager, overseeing the Woodbury campus in Long Island, Fusion Westchester, Fusion Fairfield and Fusion Academy Greenwich.

Fusion Academy Greenwich, which opened in 2016, immediately pulled some students who were commuting to their Westchester campus.

Located just over the town line, on the water in Stamford at 66 Gatehouse Road, the campus is accessible to Greenwich residents without having to get on I-95.

What makes Fusion Academy unique is its one-on-one model where students typically spend three hours of class paired with a single instructor, and three hours of supervised homework time, with a choice of venues between the “silent homework café” and the “social homework café.”

At the end of the day, students head home or to a sport or activity without the burden of homework. Another appeal of the unique model is that it affords students a flexible start time. Classes are offered year round, students can begin studying at any time during the calendar year.

“My background is in humanities and the arts,” Ms. Roche said. “I started out teaching English, history and languages including Italian and Spanish.”

Roche said she still does teach, though she’s not really supposed to.

“It gives me a pulse on the culture and our systems,” she said. Specifically, it gives her a chance to be familiar with systems like the blackboard used at Fusion Academy called “brain honey,” a system called “Genius,” which is a means of communicating with parents after any of their child’s session.

A student works one on one with music teacher Andrew Ostenfeld in the recording studio at Fusion Academy Greenwich. Credit: Leslie Yager

“It’s important for me to teach because it gives me opportunities to work on cross-curriculum projects with other teachers, and even have an active voice within the department,” she said.

The school’s humanities department has six English/history teachers and four art/music/language teachers.

Ms. Roche said her job as head of school is to come up with creative core suggestions for students, and summer time is ideal for unique cross-curriculum projects.

“If a parent says, ‘My son is struggling with English, but he doesn’t want to do classic English Literature,’ we might set him up with sports broadcasting and journalism where he is taking something he really likes – he’s writing and then recording and editing.”

“Another example is a student writing a graphic novel and illustrating it too,” Roche said, adding that, in that case the student works closely with both his English and Art teachers.

“A lot of the pressures of a traditional school are removed here,” Roche said. “When you work one-on-one, students really thrive.”

“That carries throughout the year too,” she said, giving an example of a student who wrote a 25 page screen play on The Battle of Midway. “We make it so you can take seemingly different subjects and streamline them. And they are creating without the pressure of assessments,” Roche explained.

Another example of a recent cross curriculum project involved a student working on writing for an audience while acquiring math skills. The student gathered data for different football players to learn  mean, medium and mode.  The student put the data into Excel spreadsheets, and then placed that information back into his writing.

“This is life skills in 8th grade,” Roche said.

Fusion Academy Greenwich has grown exponentially since it opened two years ago with five students. Today enrollment is up to 35.

Fusion Academy Greenwich is located on the water in Dolphin Cove. Credit: Leslie Yager

Summer on the Water at Fusion Greenwich: Enrichment or For Credit

“Students can take any of our courses for credit in the summer or re-take a course for a higher grade,” Roche said, adding that popular courses take place in the recording studio, art studio or science lab.

The school offers tutoring and mentoring. Students can take a subject for credit and transfer it back to their school.

The summer options are very much “à la carte,” and a teacher can very quickly assess a student’s need, so they’re not repeating material a student has already mastered. Instead they can spend time in the areas where there are gaps.

“Over the summer, or any time with our full time students, we’re creating our own assessments and we have the ability to have so much fun,” Roche said. “We can dig deep into each student’s passions and unlock them.”

Fusion Academy Greenwich is offering trial week packages for new students beginning in the last two weeks of June and July. Slots are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Fusion Academy Greenwich is located at 66 Gatehouse Road in Stamford.

See also:

Fusion Academy Greenwich Features One-to-One Schooling with Abundant Water Views