The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Volume 15, Number 42
Thursday, October 20, 2011
BHS’s Bosso is Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Earlier this year, Berlin High School social studies teacher (and the district’s 2012 teacher of the year) Dave Bosso told The Citizen,
“I truly love teaching.” That passion was recognized on a statewide level, Oct. 18. During an event at BHS, Department of Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor awarded Bosso the distinction of being the state’s
2012 Teacher of the Year. “Mr. Bosso is a spectacular teacher,” Pryor said. Bosso is “importing ideas from around the world” and bringing these to the classroom where he puts life in Berlin “all within a global context.” Bosso will be recognized again at a Nov. 17 event at the Bushnell for all the state’s top teachers. He is now a candidate for national teacher of the year honors. The BHS event included local and state dignitaries, former district teachers of the year, music from the band and chorus, family and friends, as well as lots of cheering from students. “This is more thrilling than I could have imagined,” Bosso said, his wife Jennifer, also a BHS teacher, at his side. He said the honor “reflects a collective commitment” from the community. Former Superintendent of Schools Richard Paskiewicz, who hired Bosso and current Superintendent of Schools David Erwin, as well as Mayor Adam Salina and Board of Education President Gary Brochu, were among those who spoke at the ceremony. Brochu said, “He reminds
Photo by Daniel Jackson
Dave Bosso in his classroom.
See Bosso, page 7
www.berlincitizen.com — let’s talk politics
Check out the new “election tab” at the top of The Berlin Citizen webpage to learn more about the candidates whose names will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. This section is where you can read candidates’ profiles and learn more about the election process. Town Council, Board of Education, Police Commission and Board of Assessment Appeals are all categories that will be on the ballot.
The section contains stories from the 2011 election cycle as well as information on how to contact candidates. If you’ve missed a story in our regular weekly edition, you will find it posted at www.berlincitizen.com. The website also contains all your Letters to the Editor regarding the election, and features video statements from some candidates.
Photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta with Army Specialist Trevor Gosselin.
Local soldier presents new ideas to defense Secretary Panetta By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen A U.S. Army specialist, who hails from Kensington, recently had the honor of presenting a new language initiative to a fourstar general and then to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Specialist Trevor Gosselin, a 2003 Berlin High School graduate, has been taking Dari classes at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monteray, Calif. Dari, in contemporary use, refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and the term officially recognized by the Afghan government. Dari is the most widely spoken language in Afghanistan. Gosselin also has been giving presentations to the military about changing the way languages are
taught at the language institute. “The presentation itself was about new technology being used and piloted in language acquisition, like smart boards and tablet laptops,” he said. Gosselin was among five soldiers and one Marine who recently made several presentations to a variety of leadership in the armed services, the last two to Gen. Robert Cone who is in charge of Training and Doctrine for the Army and the Secretary of Defense. In August, Cone visited students attending Dari classes at the language institute. Later, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta wanted to hear first-hand about the program, which represents an investment of millions of dollars, from the soldiers-in-training. That’s when Gosselin, and See Soldier, page 4