The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 14, Number 24
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Mixed emotions: Principal Synnott leaves Berlin High
Three fathers, four generations
By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen Dad, you’re someone to look up to no matter how tall I’ve grown. ~Author Unknown
Celebrating four generations of Leone men are, from left: father Thomas Leone, Jr. of Manchester; great-grandfather Anthony Leone of Berlin with Vincent Thomas Leone, born Jan. 29; grandfather Thomas Leone, Sr. of Newington.
Volunteers make ‘incredible’ impact at Pistol Creek By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
The old clubhouse at the former Pistol Creek golf course got a high-powered makeover June 11 when nearly 200 volunteers from the accounting firm of Deloitte LLP descended on the property to landscape, paint, build athletic and picnic facilities and more. All materials and labor for improvements were donated. The site, owned by the town, will be the summer home of the Berlin-Kensington YMCA Camp Thundermoon. The Y project was the sole Hartford region project chosen by Deloitte for its 2010 IMPACT Day. “IMPACT Day is an opportunity to celebrate our commitment to building stronger nonprofit organizations,” said Barry Salzberg, chief executive officer, Deloitte LLP. IMPACT Day is in its
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
IMPACT Day at Pistol Creek was a volunteer effort. eleventh year. Paul Guzzardi, chair of the YMCA board of directors, is an employee of Deloitte and was instrumental in bringing the Y’s application forward. Mark Pasquariello, executive director of the YMCA, was at Pistol Creek last week taking in all the improvements unfolding in the course of just one day:
crews building picnic tables and fire pits; crews constructing climbing walls and gaga courts (a kind of dodge ball); painters and landscapers. “They’re providing all the manual labor and supplies,” Pasquariello said. “We’re having a great time,” said Jenn Gerasimov, See Impact, page 21
After 13 years as principal of Berlin High School, George Synnott will certify his last class of Berlin seniors at the June 20 graduation. Last year, Synnott announced his plans to leave, but his schedule remains full and two new jobs will give him the opportunity to pursue his passions. “It’s been a tremendous experience for me. The people I worked with, and the students, made it a very, very rewarding experience and I will miss it,” Synnott said, adding that he has mixed emotions about leaving, in part, because a successor has not yet been found. Synnott had hoped a new hire would be in place before he left, however, he will remain available to help with the transition when a replacement is found. Whoever that successor may be, he or she “is coming into a high school with an outstanding faculty and staff that will keep the school going in the right direction — it’s a very fortunate person who gets that position.” Synnott has spent 22 years in the Berlin school system and 13 as principal at Berlin High School. “I hope people will say that I treated faculty, staff and students with fairness and compassion and provided challenges for them,” Synnott said. This summer he’ll be back in the classroom, teaching a methods course to future educators at Central Connecticut State University. Then in the fall, he begins a new job
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
Berlin High School Principal George Synnott says good-bye.
as assistant director of unified sports with the Connecticut Association of Schools Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference. Previously, he served as chairman of the CASCIAC board. “I have a special fondness for our unified sports, it brings kids together and they learn from one another,” Synnott said. The unified sports program brings equal numbers of athletes with and without intellectual disability on sports teams for training and competition. Synnott was not always on an education career path. After graduating from Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, Synnott went to seminary for three and a half years, studying to be a priest. When he decided to take another path, he learned that his credits were best transferred to education and he moved into teaching — U.S. history. “I loved it with a passion,” he said, adding that he still misses teaching that sub-
See Principal, page 15