The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 16, Number 17
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, April 26, 2012
What’s to become of the Emma Hart Willard home? By Melissa Chicker The Berlin Citizen
Driving by the Emma Hart Willard home many residents may have noticed a dumpster sitting in the front yard and windows removed.
So what is going on? In February a sign asking for help was left on the fence of the home, located on the corner of Lower Lane and Norton Road. The sign was believed to have been left by former owners.
Citizen photo by Melissa Chicker
A dumpster of rubble sits in the front yard and removed windows cause many to wonder what is happening to the Emma Hart Willard home.
The famed home is known as the birthplace of Emma Hart Willard, an educator and women’s rights activist. Historical sources indicate the house was built in the early 1800s on property owned by the Hart family. The original home the family lived in is no longer standing. The Daughters of the American Revolution placed a rock on the north east corner of the lot commemorating where the home is said to have stood. The present house was built on the property several years after Hart had left Berlin. “The house has always been referred to as the Emma Hart Willard house even though she was born next door,” said Lorraine Stub of See Home, page 5
Teacher of the Year David Bosso honored Connecticut Teacher of the Year and Berlin High School teacher David Bosso was honored in Washington D.C. earlier in the week with fellow finalists for the 2012 National Teacher of the Year. Bosso was names Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year in October 2011. Bosso, a renowned traveler, is credited for incorporating his international travels into the classroom, helping his students to better understand world issues. Bosso, a Berlin resident and social studies teacher appeared at a reception Monday hosted by Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden. The event took place at the Vice President’s residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Citizen photo
Bosso honored in Washington, D.C. as a finalist for 2012 National Teacher of the Year. President Barrack Obama honored the National Teacher of the Year and finalists on Tuesday. The Na-
tional Teacher of the year is chosen among finalists by a national selection committee.
Spotlight on the schools This ongoing series highlights the status of and activities of schools throughout town. Through interviews with administrators, the spotlight gives each of the schools a chance to show what’s new, what’s challenging and what’s great about its people, programs and facility. This week the focus is on:
Saint Paul School By Karen Brancato Special to The Citizen Saint Paul School is a private parochial school that serves 239 students in Pre-K through grade 8. The newest administrator at Saint Paul School is Principal Laurie Piecewicz, who has over 18 years of experience in the education field and has served as an administrator at both the building and district levels. “Saint Paul School provides a safe, nurturing environment for all students and works to educate the whole child. We are a faithbased school, committed to fostering a life-long love of Christ and providing the highest quality educational standards,” Piecewicz said. Piecewicz talked with The Citizen about what’s new at Saint Paul. What is new facilitywise? Saint Paul School recently knocked down a wall to create a brand-new
classroom for our expanding Pre-K program. Complete with a custom-designed wall mural, handpainted by Sarah Bartholomew, the room is a bright and cheery spot filled with opportunities for our youngest children to participate in their first learning experiences in a formal setting. We also proudly boast our new Learning Center, staffed by our math and reading interventionists who work daily to help our students meet their learning goals and needs in literacy and numeracy. Each of our second floor classrooms, grades 4 to 8, as well as our media center, boasts SmartBoards and new technology. We recently purchased 30 new Dell laptops for our mobile computer lab, used daily in all grades by our students. What is new curriculum-wise? New this year See Spotlight, page 7